Beam Allocation Apparatus and Beam Allocation Method for Medical Particle Accelerators

Abstract

The invention relates to a beam allocation apparatus ( 21 ) for medical particle accelerators and also to a beam allocation method. This beam allocation apparatus ( 21 ) should manage a plurality of control rooms ( 8 - 12 ) for different treatment rooms and for quality assurance rooms and control rooms for the particle accelerator ( 1 ) and co-ordinate the assignment of beam sovereignty. For the purpose, the beam allocation apparatus ( 21 ) has an arbitration unit ( 26 ) having switching logic ( 27 ) and monitoring unit ( 28 ) and also a sequence control ( 29 ). The latter are provided, by way of signal lines ( 30 ), with a spill abort system ( 31 ) for aborting ion beam irradiation within micro-seconds. For the purpose, the spill abort system ( 31 ) has at least one spill abort magnet ( 32 ). For the purpose, the beam allocation apparatus ( 21 ) provides direct access from one of the control room ( 8 - 12 ) of the irradiation-active treatment room for aborting the particle beam within micro-seconds.

1 . Beam allocation apparatus for medical particle accelerators ( 1 ), the particle accelerator ( 1 ) having at least one acceleration region ( 2 ), a transport path ( 3 ) and deflection components ( 4  to  7 ), by way of which a plurality of treatment rooms ( 13  to  15 ), each having a control room ( 8  to  10 ), are supplied with a particle beam ( 17 ) comprising ion packets,
 wherein   the beam allocation apparatus ( 21 ) has an arbitration unit ( 26 ) having switching logic ( 27 ), monitoring unit ( 28 ) and sequence control ( 29 ), which is in electrical communication, by way of signal lines ( 30 ), with a spill abort system ( 31 ) which has at least two rapid spill abort elements in the acceleration region and/or in the beam guidance common to all the irradiation positions, the beam allocation apparatus ( 21 ) providing direct access from the control room ( 8  to  12 ) of the irradiation-active treatment room ( 13  to  15 ) for aborting the particle beam within micro-seconds in the event of danger.   
   
   
       2 . Beam allocation apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein   the spill abort system has a spill abort magnet.   
   
   
       3 . Beam allocation apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein   the beam allocation apparatus has access to an exciter.   
   
   
       4 . Beam allocation apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein   each control room ( 8  to  12 ) of a treatment room ( 13  to  15 ) and/or of a quality assurance room ( 16 ), and also of the particle accelerator ( 1 ), has a request signal line ( 34 ) to the switching logic ( 27 ) of the arbitration unit ( 26 ) for requesting transfer of beam sovereignty to the control room ( 8  to  12 ) together with access entitlement to the exciter ( 33 ) and/or the spill abort magnet ( 32 ) of the acceleration region ( 2 ).   
   
   
       5 . Beam allocation apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein   each control room ( 8  to  11 ) of a treatment room ( 13  to  15 ) and/or of a quality assurance room ( 16 ), and also of the particle accelerator ( 1 ), has a grant signal line ( 35 ) to the switching logic ( 27 ) of the arbitration unit ( 26 ) for confirming transfer of access entitlement to the exciter ( 33 ) and/or the spill abort magnet ( 32 ) of the acceleration region ( 2 ) for the control room ( 8  to  12 ) during a phase of active irradiation.   
   
   
       6 . Beam allocation apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein   each control room ( 8  to  11 ) of a treatment room ( 13  to  15 ) and/or of a quality assurance room ( 16 ) has a clear signal line ( 36 ) to the switching logic ( 27 ) of the arbitration unit ( 26 ) for confirming a completed irradiation abort and for deleting an access reservation to the exciter ( 33 ) and/or the spill abort magnet ( 32 ) of the acceleration region ( 2 ) for the control room ( 8  to  12 ).   
   
   
       7 . Beam allocation apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein   each control room ( 8  to  11 ) of a treatment room ( 13  to  15 ) and/or of a quality assurance room ( 16 ) has an interlock line ( 37 ) to the switching logic ( 27 ) of the arbitration unit ( 26 ) for aborting irradiation by means of direct access from the control room ( 8  to  11 ) to the exciter ( 33 ) and/or the spill abort magnet ( 32 ) of the acceleration region ( 2 ).   
   
   
       8 . Beam allocation apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein   each control room ( 8  to  11 ) of a treatment room ( 13  to  15 ) and/or of a quality assurance room ( 16 ) has a spill pause line ( 38 ) to the switching logic ( 27 ) of the arbitration unit ( 26 ) for aborting irradiation by means of direct access from the control room ( 8  to  11 ) to the exciter ( 33 ) and/or the spill abort magnet ( 32 ) whilst maintaining an access reservation.   
   
   
       9 . Beam allocation apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein   the switching logic ( 27 ) of the arbitration unit ( 26 ) has in each case a request signal line ( 34 ), a grant signal line ( 35 ), a spill pause line ( 38 ), an interlock line ( 37 ) and a clear signal line ( 36 ), by way of which the switching logic ( 27 ) is in electrical communication with the components ( 32 ,  33 ) of the spill abort system ( 31 ).   
   
   
       10 . Beam allocation apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein   the monitoring unit ( 28 ) of the arbitration unit ( 26 ) receives signals, by way of input signal connections ( 40 ,  41 ), from the switching logic ( 27 ) and the sequence control ( 29 ) and is connected, by way of output signal connections ( 42  to  45 ), to the spill abort system ( 31 ) of the acceleration region ( 2 ).   
   
   
       11 . Beam allocation apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein   a scheduler ( 46 ) is connected to the switching logic ( 27 ) of the arbitration unit ( 26 ) and, by means of the sequence control ( 29 ) of the arbitration unit ( 26 ), controls the working-through of a queue of irradiation requests from the control rooms ( 8  to  12 ), which is produced in the scheduler ( 46 ).   
   
   
       12 . Beam allocation apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein   the exciter ( 33 ) is a high-frequency resonance component for ion packets in the coupling-in region ( 47 ) of the accelerator ( 2 ) and initiates a beam abort in micro-seconds as a result of variation or mismatching of the resonance tuning.   
   
   
       13 . Beam allocation apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein   the spill abort magnet ( 32 ) is a beam guidance magnet in the coupling-out region ( 48 ) of the acceleration region ( 2 ).   
   
   
       14 . Beam allocation apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein   the beam allocation apparatus ( 21 ) has a control and management means for allocation of a particle beam ( 17 ) of an irradiation system having an ion writing beam of an ion beam scanning apparatus for a target volume.   
   
   
       15 . Beam allocation apparatus for medical particle accelerators ( 1 ), the particle accelerator ( 1 ) having at least one acceleration region ( 2 ), a transport path ( 3 ) and deflection components ( 4  to  7 ), by way of which a plurality of treatment rooms ( 13  to  15 ), each having a control room ( 8  to  10 ), are supplied with a particle beam ( 17 ) comprising ion packets,
 wherein   the beam allocation apparatus ( 21 ) has an arbitration unit ( 26 ) having switching logic ( 27 ), monitoring unit ( 28 ) and sequence control ( 29 ), which is in electrical communication, by way of signal lines ( 30 ), with a spill abort system ( 31 ) which has at least two rapid spill abort elements in the acceleration region and/or in the beam guidance common to all the irradiation positions, the control rooms ( 8  to  12 ) being serially connected to the spill abort system ( 31 ) by means of a potential-free interlock line ( 39 ), and the beam allocation apparatus ( 21 ) providing direct access to the irradiation-active treatment room ( 13  to  15 ) for aborting the particle beam within micro-seconds in the event of danger.   
   
   
       16 . Beam allocation method for medical particle accelerators ( 1 ), the particle accelerator ( 1 ) having at least one acceleration region ( 2 ), a transport path ( 3 ) and deflection components ( 4  to  7 ), by way of which a plurality of treatment rooms ( 13  to  15 ), each having a control room ( 8  to  10 ), are sequentially supplied with a particle beam ( 17 ) comprising ion packets, the beam allocation method comprising the following method steps:
 requesting reservation, by one of the control rooms ( 8  to  12 ), of particle beam sovereignty, especially reservation of direct access to a spill abort system ( 31 ) of the acceleration region ( 2 ) required by all the treatment rooms ( 13  to  15 ), for a planned irradiation duration;   carrying out safety-relevant reservation of the spill abort system ( 31 ) by an electronic switching logic ( 27 ) of an arbitration unit ( 26 );   reporting of the completed reservation to each control room ( 8  to  12 ) with permission for only control room ( 8  to  12 ) to carry out beam aborting by means of the spill abort system ( 31 );   holding in a state of readiness, for the control rooms ( 8  to  12 ), a direct redundant signal path ( 39 ,  49 ), which is independent of the arbitration unit ( 26 ), leading to the spill abort system ( 31 ) of the acceleration system ( 2 ), the switching elements ( 50 ) of the control rooms ( 8  to  12 ) being connected in series, it being possible, in the event of simultaneous beam reservation requests from a plurality of control rooms ( 8  to  12 ), for the arbitration unit ( 26 ) to decide which control room ( 8  to  12 ) of an irradiation position ( 13  to  15 ) can make the reservation and,   it being possible, despite the loss of a reservation, for a spill abort to be initiated from each control room ( 8  to  12 ) by way of the redundant signal path ( 39 ,  49 ).   
   
   
       17 . Beam allocation method according to  claim 16 ,
 wherein   beam sovereignty is transferred from an active control room ( 8  to  12 ) to another control room ( 8  to  12 ) only when the current control room ( 8  to  12 ) actively relinquishes control over the particle beam ( 17 ).   
   
   
       18 . Beam allocation method according to  claim 16 ,
 wherein   the spill abort system ( 31 ) of the accelerator ring ( 2 ) is activated for switching off the beam for a short period.   
   
   
       19 . Beam allocation method according to  claim 16 ,
 wherein   a control room ( 12 ) for the particle accelerator ( 1 ) makes a reservation for the spill abort system ( 31 ) once it has been ensured that either no beam is reaching the irradiation rooms ( 13  to  15 ) or that no patient is present therein.   
   
   
       20 . Beam allocation method according to  claim 16 ,
 wherein   the status of all reservations, access entitlements and acknowledgements are checked by a monitoring unit ( 28 ) of the arbitration unit ( 26 ) and, in the event of inconsistency, switching-off is carried out by way of the redundant signal path ( 39 ,  49 ).   
   
   
       21 . Beam allocation method according to  claim 16 ,
 wherein,   by means of a non-safety-relevant microprocessor system in the form of a scheduler ( 46 ), a sequence of reservation allocation of the spill abort system ( 31 ) is reported to the arbitration unit ( 26 ) and, when the microprocessor system is absent or when allocations are absent, the arbitration unit ( 26 ) gives the control rooms ( 8  to  12 ), in turn, the opportunity to make a reservation.