Particle therapy system

Abstract

A particle therapy system capable of increasing the number of patients treated in one treatment room per unit time. The particle therapy system comprises a charged particle beam generator for generating an ion beam, an irradiation apparatus for irradiating the ion beam extracted from the charged particle beam generator to an irradiation target, a beam transport system for transporting the ion beam extracted from the charged particle beam generator to the irradiation apparatus, and a central control unit for producing a set of command data to command excitation currents for magnets disposed in the charged particle beam generator and the beam transport system, the set of command data being classified into group-1 data and group-2 data.

1 . A particle therapy system comprising: 
 a charged particle beam generator for generating a charged particle beam;    an irradiation apparatus for irradiating the charged particle beam extracted from said charged particle beam generator to an irradiation target;    a beam transport system for transporting the charged particle beam extracted from said charged particle beam generator to said irradiation apparatus; and    a control unit for producing a group of command values to command excitation currents for magnets disposed in said charged particle beam generator and said beam transport system, said group of command values being classified into a first command value group and a second command value group.    
   
   
       2 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a rotating gantry including said irradiation apparatus and installed rotatably, 
 wherein said control unit produces the group of command values as a command value group depending on a rotation angle of said rotating gantry and a command value group not depending on a rotation angle of said rotating gantry.    
   
   
       3 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 1 , wherein said control unit employs the first command value group to command the excitation currents for magnets belonging to a first group of said magnets disposed in said beam transport system, and employs the second command value group to command the excitation currents for magnets belonging to a second group of said magnets disposed in said beam transport system.  
   
   
       4 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 3 , wherein said control unit employs the first or second command value group to command the excitation currents for steering magnets disposed in a gantry transport system as a part of said beam transport system which is located near said rotating gantry.  
   
   
       5 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 1 , further comprising angle development computing means for computing the first or second command value group depending on the rotation angle of said rotating gantry.  
   
   
       6 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 2 , further comprising angle development computing means for computing the first or second command value group depending on the rotation angle of said rotating gantry.  
   
   
       7 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 3 , further comprising angle development computing means for computing the first or second command value group depending on the rotation angle of said rotating gantry.  
   
   
       8 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 4 , further comprising angle development computing means for computing the first or second command value group depending on the rotation angle of said rotating gantry.  
   
   
       9 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 1 , further comprising energy development computing means for computing the first and second command value groups depending on energy of the charged particle beam extracted from said charged particle beam generator.  
   
   
       10 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 2 , further comprising energy development computing means for computing the first and second command value groups depending on energy of the charged particle beam extracted from said charged particle beam generator.  
   
   
       11 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 3 , further comprising energy development computing means for computing the first and second command value groups depending on energy of the charged particle beam extracted from said charged particle beam generator.  
   
   
       12 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 4 , further comprising energy development computing means for computing the first and second command value groups depending on energy of the charged particle beam extracted from said charged particle beam generator.  
   
   
       13 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 1 , further comprising first command value storing means for storing the first command value group, second command value storing means for storing the second command value group, and index information storing means for storing index information to make the first command value group and the second command value group correspondent to each other.  
   
   
       14 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 2 , further comprising first command value storing means for storing the first command value group, second command value storing means for storing the second command value group, and index information storing means for storing index information to make the first command value group and the second command value group correspondent to each other.  
   
   
       15 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 3 , further comprising first command value storing means for storing the first command value group, second command value storing means for storing the second command value group, and index information storing means for storing index information to make the first command value group and the second command value group correspondent to each other.  
   
   
       16 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 4 , further comprising first command value storing means for storing the first command value group, second command value storing means for storing the second command value group, and index information storing means for storing index information to make the first command value group and the second command value group correspondent to each other.  
   
   
       17 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 5 , further comprising first command value storing means for storing the first command value group, second command value storing means for storing the second command value group, and index information storing means for storing index information to make the first command value group and the second command value group correspondent to each other.  
   
   
       18 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 6 , further comprising first command value storing means for storing the first command value group, second command value storing means for storing the second command value group, and index information storing means for storing index information to make the first command value group and the second command value group correspondent to each other.  
   
   
       19 . A particle therapy system according to  claim 13 , further comprising reading means for reading the first command value group and the second command value group, which are made correspondent to each other, out of said first command value storing means and said second command value storing means by using the index information read out of said index information storing means.