Multi-leaf collimator, control system for multi-leaf collimator and radiation system

Abstract

A multi-leaf collimator is provided. The multi-leaf collimator may include a plurality of leaves configured to shield a radiation beam. At least two of the plurality of leaves may be movable in directions parallel to each other. Each of at least a portion of the plurality of leaves may be configured to move between at least two positions. At least one of the at least two positions may be adjustable. A plurality of stoppers corresponding to the plurality of leaves, each of the plurality of stoppers being configured to limit the position of a corresponding leaf of the plurality of leaves.

Description

[0001] Priority declaration

[0002] This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of U.S. application No. 16 / 210,124, filed on December 5, 2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Description of the case

[0004] This application is a divisional application filed for the Chinese application with the application date of December 3, 2019, application number 201911220461.9, and invention name “Multi-leaf collimator, control system for multi-leaf collimator and radiation system”. Technical Field

[0005] The present application relates to radiation systems, and more particularly to radiation delivery devices including multi-leaf collimators, and systems and methods for controlling multi-leaf collimators. Background Art

[0006] Radiotherapy has been widely used in cancer treatment by directing ionizing radiation to a treatment area (e.g., a tumor). Considerations for radiotherapy include: during radiotherapy, the tumor receives sufficient radiation and the damage to organs at risk (OARs) is minimized as much as possible. Due to the physiological movement of the treated object (e.g., respiratory movement, cardiac movement, muscle contraction and relaxation), the tumor and / or OAR may be in motion. The treatment area may change with this movement of the object. One solution is to design a radiation system that can detect the movement of the tumor and adjust the radiation to the tumor area accordingly. In order to implement such a radiation system, it is expected that the gantry of the radiation system can rotate at a relatively high speed. When the gantry rotates at a relatively high speed, the multi-leaf collimator mounted on the gantry should also run at a relatively high speed. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a multi-leaf collimator whose leaves can move at a relatively high speed during radiotherapy. Summary of the invention

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a fast-moving multi-leaf collimator, thereby shortening the radiotherapy time and improving the utilization efficiency of the radiation delivery equipment.

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object of the invention, the technical solution provided by the present invention is as follows:

[0009] In one aspect of the present application, a multi-leaf collimator is provided. The multi-leaf collimator may include: a plurality of leaves, the plurality of leaves are used to shield a radiation beam, at least two of the plurality of leaves move in directions parallel to each other, wherein each of at least a portion of the plurality of leaves moves between at least two positions, at least one of the at least two positions is adjustable; and a plurality of stop blocks corresponding to the plurality of leaves, each of the plurality of stop blocks being configured to limit the position of a corresponding leaf of the plurality of leaves.

[0010] In some embodiments, when the radiation beam is turned off, at least a portion of the plurality of blades move simultaneously.

[0011] In some embodiments, the multi-leaf collimator further comprises: a first driving mechanism configured to drive each leaf to move from the first position to the second position.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first drive mechanism includes at least one of a pneumatic drive mechanism, a spring-based drive mechanism, or an electric charge-based drive mechanism.

[0013] In some embodiments, each of the stop blocks is movable, and each of the at least two positions of the corresponding blade is adjusted by moving each of the stop blocks.

[0014] In some embodiments, a second driving mechanism is configured to drive the at least two limit blocks to move, wherein the second driving mechanism includes at least two drive motors, each drive motor is configured to move at least one of the multiple limit blocks to one or more target positions, and the one or more target positions are used to limit one or more positions of at least one corresponding blade.

[0015] In some embodiments, at least one brake assembly is configured to hold corresponding one or more blades of the plurality of blades from moving when one or more stop blocks move.

[0016] In another aspect of the present application, a leaf assembly of a multi-leaf collimator is provided. The leaf assembly of the multi-leaf collimator may include: a leaf configured to shield a portion of a radiation beam, the leaf being movable between at least three positions; a first driving mechanism configured to drive the movement of the leaf; a stopper configured to limit the at least three positions of the leaf; and a second driving mechanism configured to drive the stopper to move to limit the at least three positions.

[0017] In another aspect of the present application, a system for controlling a multi-leaf collimator is provided, which system may include: at least one storage device including a set of instructions for controlling the movement of at least one leaf of the multi-leaf collimator; a limit block corresponding to the leaf, the limit block being configured to limit the position of the leaf; and at least one processor communicating with the at least one storage device, wherein, when executing the set of instructions, the at least one processor is configured to cause the system to: control at least one leaf of the multi-leaf collimator to move between one or more positions, wherein, in order to move one leaf of the at least one leaf to a first target position of the one or more positions, the system, when the radiation beam is turned on, drives the limit block of the multi-leaf collimator to move to a first reference position corresponding to the first target position by a second drive mechanism; and when the radiation beam is turned off, drives the leaf to move to the first target position by a first drive mechanism.

[0018] In another aspect of the present application, a radiation system is provided, which includes: a radiation source; and a multi-leaf collimator, including: at least two leaf pairs configured to shield a radiation beam emitted from the radiation source; a plurality of limit blocks corresponding to the plurality of leafs, each of the plurality of limit blocks being configured to limit the position of a corresponding leaf among the plurality of leafs; and a drive assembly, including: a drive subassembly configured to drive each leaf of the at least two leaf pairs to completely and immediately translate it from a first operating position to a second operating position when the radiation beam is turned off; and a position holding subassembly configured to hold each leaf in the first operating position or the second operating position when the radiation beam is turned on.

[0019] Because the above technical solution is adopted, the present invention has the following technical effects:

[0020] 1. The MLC in the present invention combines the advantages of conventional MLC and binary MLC, and has a relatively high translation speed and relatively high spatial resolution and accuracy;

[0021] Second, the MLC in the present invention can increase the duty cycle of the radiation delivery device (eg, the ratio of on time to off time), reduce the total treatment time, and improve the utilization efficiency of the radiation delivery device.

[0022] Some additional features of the present application may be explained in the following description. Some additional features of the present application will be apparent to those skilled in the art through study of the following description and corresponding drawings or understanding of the production or operation of the embodiments. The features of the present application may be realized and achieved through practice or use of the methods, means and combinations of various aspects of the specific embodiments described below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The present application will be further described by exemplary embodiments. These exemplary embodiments will be described in detail by the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are non-limiting exemplary embodiments, in which the same numbers in each figure represent similar structures, wherein:

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary radiation system according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0025] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of hardware and / or software components of an exemplary computing device according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of hardware and / or software components of an exemplary mobile device according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0027] Figure 4A and Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary radiation delivery device according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0028] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary MLC according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0029] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary blade assembly of an MLC according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0030] Fig. 7A and Figure 7B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary blade assembly transitioning between two different positions according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0031] FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C is a schematic diagram of exemplary aperture shapes formed by MLC and corresponding treatment areas according to certain embodiments of the present application.

[0032] Fig. 9 is a block diagram of an exemplary processing device according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0033] Fig.10 is a flow chart of an exemplary process for moving blades according to some embodiments of the present application. and;

[0034] Fig.11 is a flow chart of another exemplary process for moving blades according to some embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, the present application can be implemented without adopting the details. In other cases, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring some aspects of the present application, the present application has been described in a relatively high-level overview of known methods, procedures, systems, components and / or circuits. For those of ordinary skill in the art, it is obvious that various changes can be made to the disclosed embodiments, and without departing from the principles and scope of the present application, the general principles defined in the present application can be applied to other embodiments and application scenarios. Therefore, the present application is not limited to the embodiments shown, but conforms to the broadest scope consistent with the scope of the application.

[0036] The terms used in this application are only used to describe specific exemplary embodiments and do not limit the scope of this application. For example, the singular forms "one", "an" and "the" used in this application do not specifically refer to the singular, and may also include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates an exception. It should also be understood that, as in the specification of this application, the terms "including" and "comprising" only indicate the existence of the features, wholes, steps, operations, components and / or parts, but do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, components, parts and / or combinations thereof. It should be understood that the terms "object" and "object" can be used interchangeably as a reference to an object that is processed and / or imaged in the radiation system of this application.

[0037] It should be understood that the "system", "engine", "unit", "module" and / or "block" used herein are methods for distinguishing different components, elements, parts, portions or assemblies at different levels in ascending order. However, if other expressions can achieve the same purpose, they may be replaced by other expressions.

[0038] Generally, the words "module", "unit" or "block" as used herein refer to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions. The modules, units or blocks described herein may be implemented as software and / or hardware, and may be stored in any type of non-transitory computer-readable medium or other storage device. In some embodiments, software modules / units / blocks may be compiled and linked into an executable program. It should be appreciated that software modules may be callable from other modules / units / blocks or themselves, and / or be called in response to detected events or interrupts. A system configured to execute a program on a computing device (e.g., a processor) may be configured to execute a program on a computing device (e.g., a processor) or a processor. Figure 2The software modules / units / blocks executed on the processor 210 shown in the figure may be provided on a computer-readable medium (e.g., a compact disc, a digital video disc, a flash drive, a disk, or any other tangible medium), or provided in the form of a digital download (which may be initially stored in a compressed or installable format, requiring installation, decompression, or decryption before execution). The software code here may be stored in part or in whole in a storage device of a computing device that performs the operation and applied in the operation of the computing device. The software instructions may be embedded in firmware, such as an EPROM. It should be understood that hardware modules / units / blocks may be included in connected logical components, such as gates and triggers, and / or may be included in programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors. The modules / units / blocks or computing device functions described herein may be implemented as software modules / units / blocks, but may be represented in hardware or firmware. Generally, the modules / units / blocks described herein refer to logical modules / units / blocks that can be combined with other modules / units / blocks or divided into sub-modules / sub-units / sub-blocks, regardless of their physical organization or storage. This description may apply to a system, an engine, or a portion thereof.

[0039] It should be understood that when a unit, engine, module or block is described as being "located at," "connected to" or "coupled to" another unit, engine, module or block, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, it may be directly located at, connected to, coupled to, or communicate with other units, engines, modules or blocks, or there may be intermediate units, engines, modules or blocks. In this application, the term "and / or" may include any one or more of the relevant listed items or a combination thereof.

[0040] These and other features, characteristics and functions and methods of operation of the related structural elements of the present application, as well as the combination of components and manufacturing economy, may become more apparent from the following description of the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification of this application. However, it should be understood that the drawings are for illustration and description purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application. It should be understood that the drawings are not drawn to scale.

[0041] Flowcharts are used in this application to illustrate the operations performed by the system according to some embodiments of the application. It should be understood that the operations in the flow charts may not be performed in order. Instead, the various steps may be processed in reverse order or simultaneously. At the same time, one or more other operations may also be added to these flow charts. One or more operations may also be deleted from the flow charts.

[0042] Certain embodiments of the present application may be related to a multi-leaf collimator (MLC). Conventional MLC driven by a motor and / or gears can provide a relatively low movement speed of the MLC blades, but has a relatively high spatial resolution, while binary MLC can be driven faster, and it is expected to combine the advantages of conventional MLC and binary MLC. In some embodiments, the MLC disclosed in the present application can be configured as a combination of the characteristics of conventional MLC and binary MLC. The multi-leaf collimator disclosed in the present application may include a plurality of blades configured to shield a radiation beam. At least two of the plurality of blades can move in directions parallel to each other. The blades can move between at least two positions. At least one of the at least two positions can be adjustable. The MLC may include a plurality of stop blocks corresponding to the plurality of blades. The stop blocks are configured to limit the positions of corresponding blades of the plurality of blades. The MLC may include a first drive mechanism configured to drive the blades to move from a first position to a second position. The MLC may also include a second drive mechanism configured to drive a plurality of stop blocks. In the present application, the blades can move at a first speed (e.g., when radiation delivery is turned off), and the corresponding stoppers of the blades can move at a second speed lower than the first speed (e.g., when radiation delivery is turned on). Therefore, the off time of the radiation delivery device can be shortened, the duty cycle of the radiation delivery device (e.g., the ratio of on time to off time) can be increased, the total treatment time can be reduced, and the utilization efficiency of the radiation delivery device can be improved.

[0043] Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary radiation system 100 according to some embodiments of the present application. The radiation system 100 may include a radiation delivery device 110, a network 120, one or more terminals 130, a processing device 140, and a storage device 150. The components of the radiation system 100 may be connected in one or more ways. Figure 1 As shown, the radiation delivery device 110 may be connected to the processing device 140 via the network 120. For another example, the radiation delivery device 110 may be directly connected to the processing device 140, as shown by the double-headed arrow in the dashed line connecting the radiation delivery device 110 and the processing device 140. For another example, the storage device 150 may be connected to the processing device 140 directly or via the network 120. For another example, one or more terminals 130 may be directly connected to the processing device 140 (as shown by the double-headed arrow in the dashed line connecting the terminal 130 and the processing device 140), or may be connected to the processing device 140 via the network 120.

[0044] In some embodiments, the radiation delivery device 110 may include only a radiation source (e.g., a first radiation source 113) for delivering radiation. In some embodiments, the radiation delivery device 110 may include the first radiation source 113 and / or the second radiation source 111. The first radiation source 113 may emit a first beam of light to a first area of ​​a subject (e.g., a patient or a portion thereof). Examples of the first radiation source 113 may be found elsewhere in this application (e.g., Figure 4A and 4B The second radiation source 111 can emit a second beam of light to a second area of ​​the subject. Examples of the second radiation source 111 can be found elsewhere in this application (e.g., Figure 4A The imaging radiation source 410 shown is found. In some embodiments, the first light beam and the second light beam may each include at least one radiation. The radiation may include, but is not limited to, X-rays, alpha rays, beta rays, gamma rays, heavy ions, and the like. By way of example only, the first radiation source may be a therapeutic radiation source, and the first region may correspond to a treatment region (e.g., a tumor); the second radiation source may be an imaging radiation source, and the second region may correspond to an imaging region that includes at least a portion of the treatment region. The intensity of the first light beam may be the same as or different from the intensity of the second light beam. For example, the energy of the first light beam may be several megavolts (MV), which is greater than the energy of the second light beam, which may be several kilovolts (kV). In some embodiments, the second radiation source 111 may be replaced with any other type of imaging device (e.g., a computed tomography (CT) device, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device, a positron emission tomography (PET) device, a single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) device, the like, or a combination thereof). More description of the radiation delivery device 110 may be found elsewhere in this application (e.g., Figure 4A and Figure 4B and its description) and can be found in International Patent Application No. PCT / CN2018 / 085266, filed on May 2, 2018, entitled “RADIATION SYSTEMS FOR RADITION TREATMENT AND IMAGING” and International Patent Application No. PCT / CN2018 / 085279, filed on May 2, 2018, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING RADIATION TREATMENT PLAN”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0045] In some embodiments, the radiation delivery device 110 may further include a radiation detector 112 positioned opposite the second radiation source 111. In some embodiments, the radiation detector 112 may be mounted on the rotating ring 114. The radiation detector 112 may be configured to detect radiation emitted from the second radiation source 111. For example, a second light beam emitted from the second radiation source 111 may pass through an object (or be absorbed by the object) and attenuate while passing through the object. The radiation detector 112 may detect and / or receive radiation associated with at least a portion of the attenuated or scattered second light beam.

[0046] In some embodiments, the radiation system 100 may include a gantry 116 for accommodating an aperture 117 and a bed 115. The bed 115 may be a scanning bed or a treatment bed. The rotating ring 114 may be connected to the gantry 116. The bed 115 may be configured to support an object (e.g., a patient) and / or transport an object (e.g., a patient) to the gantry 116 for imaging and / or radiation therapy.

[0047] The above description of the radiation delivery device 110 is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application. It is apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made based on the description of the present application. However, these changes and modifications will not deviate from the scope of the present application. For example, the radiation delivery device 110 may include only the first radiation source 113 or the second radiation source 111. For another example, both the first radiation source 113 and the second radiation source 111 may be imaging radiation sources. By way of example only, a radiation detector may be mounted on the rotating ring 114 at a position opposite to the first radiation source 113 to detect at least a portion of the first light beam emitted from the first radiation source 113 (the portion that is attenuated when it reaches the radiation detector). In some embodiments, the radiation delivery device 110 may further include one or more MLCs ( Figure 1 1 ). The MLC can be configured to collimate the radiation beam of the radiation delivery device 110 and / or define the shape of the radiation beam. An MLC can include multiple blades. In some embodiments, the first radiation source 113 can include or be operably associated with the MLC. In some embodiments, the second radiation source 111 can include or be associated with the MLC.

[0048] The network 120 may include any suitable network that may facilitate the exchange of information and / or data by the radiology system 100 .

[0049] In some embodiments, one or more components of the radiation system 100 (e.g., the radiation delivery device 110, the terminal 130, the processing device 140, or the storage device 150) may transmit information and / or data with one or more other components of the radiation system 100 via the network 120. For example, the processing device 140 may obtain data corresponding to a radiation signal from the radiation delivery device 110 via the network 120. For another example, the processing device 140 may obtain a user instruction from the terminal 130 via the network 120.

[0050] In some embodiments, the network 120 may be a wired network or a wireless network, etc., or any combination thereof. The network 120 may be and / or include a public network (e.g., the Internet), a private network (e.g., a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), etc.), a wired network (e.g., Ethernet), a wireless network (e.g., an 802.11 network, a Wi-Fi network, etc.), a cellular network (e.g., a long-term evolution (LTE) network), a frame relay network, a virtual private network (“VPN”), a satellite network, a telephone network, a router, a hub, a switch, a server computer, and / or a combination thereof. By way of example only, the network 120 may include a cable network, a wired network, a fiber optic network, a telecommunications network, an intranet, a wireless local area network (WLAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a Bluetooth TM Network, ZigBee TM In some embodiments, the network 120 may include one or more network access points. For example, the network 120 may include a wired and / or wireless network access point such as a base station and / or an Internet exchange point, and one or more components of the radiation system 100 may be connected to the network 120 through a wired and / or wireless access point to exchange data and / or information.

[0051] The terminal 130 may include a mobile device 131, a tablet computer 132, a laptop computer 133, etc., or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the mobile device 131 may include a smart home device, a wearable device, a smart mobile device, a virtual reality device, an augmented reality device, etc., or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the smart home device may include a smart lighting device, a smart appliance control device, a smart monitoring device, a smart TV, a smart camera, an intercom, etc., or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the wearable device may include a smart bracelet, smart shoes and socks, smart glasses, a smart helmet, a smart watch, smart clothing, a smart backpack, a smart accessory, etc., or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the smart mobile device may include a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a gaming device, a navigation device, a point of sale (POS), etc., or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the virtual reality device and / or the augmented reality device may include a virtual reality helmet, virtual reality glasses, virtual reality goggles, an augmented reality helmet, augmented reality glasses, augmented reality goggles, etc., or any combination thereof. For example, the virtual reality device and / or the augmented reality device may include Google Glass, Oculus Rift, Hololens, Gear VR, etc. In some embodiments, the terminal 130 may remotely operate the radiation delivery device 110. In some embodiments, terminal 130 may operate radiation delivery device 110 via a wireless connection. In some embodiments, terminal 130 may receive information and / or instructions input by a user, and transmit the received information and / or instructions to radiation delivery device 110 or processing device 140 via network 120. In some embodiments, terminal 130 may receive data and / or information from processing device 140. In some embodiments, terminal 130 may be a part of processing device 140. In some embodiments, terminal 130 may be omitted.

[0052] The processing device 140 may process data and / or information obtained from the radiation delivery device 110, the terminal 130, and / or the storage device 150. For example, the processing device 140 may process data corresponding to radiation signals of one or more detectors obtained from the radiation delivery device 110 and / or reconstruct an image of the object. The processing device 140 may obtain a treatment plan from the terminal and / or the storage device 150 via the network 120. The treatment plan may correspond to a certain arrangement of the radiation delivery device 110 or its components. The treatment plan may include at least two radiation intervals. Each radiation interval may be characterized by one or more parameters related to the MLC, for example, by the shape of the interval defined by the shape of the aperture formed by the MLC.

[0053] In some embodiments, processing device 140 may be a single server or a server group. The server group may be centralized or distributed. In some embodiments, processing device 140 may be local or remote. For example, processing device 140 may access information and / or data stored in radiation delivery device 110, terminal 130, and / or storage device 150 via network 120. For another example, processing device 140 may be directly connected to radiation delivery device 110, terminal 130, and / or storage device 150 to access stored information and / or data. For another example, processing device 140 may be integrated into radiation delivery device 110. In some embodiments, processing device 140 may be implemented on a cloud platform. By way of example only, a cloud platform may include a private cloud, a public cloud, a hybrid cloud, a community cloud, a distributed cloud, an internal cloud, a multi-layer cloud, the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, processing device 140 may be implemented on a cloud platform having the functionality described in the present application. Figure 2 One or more of the components shown are implemented on a computing device 200 .

[0054] The storage device 150 may store data and / or instructions. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may store data obtained from the terminal 130 and / or the processing device 140. For example, the storage device 150 may store treatment plans, parameters, etc. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may store data and / or instructions that the processing device 140 may execute or use to execute the exemplary methods described in the present application. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may include a mass storage device, a removable storage device, a volatile read-write memory, a read-only memory (ROM), etc., or a combination thereof. Exemplary mass storage may include a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a solid-state drive, etc. Exemplary removable storage may include a flash drive, a floppy disk, an optical disk, a memory card, a compressed disk, a magnetic tape, etc. Exemplary volatile read-write memory may include a random access memory (RAM). Exemplary RAM may include a dynamic RAM (DRAM), a double data rate synchronous dynamic RAM (DDR SDRAM), a static RAM (SRAM), a thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and a zero-capacitance RAM (Z-RAM). Exemplary ROMs may include mask ROM (MROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (PEROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), compact disk ROM (CD-ROM), and digital versatile disk ROM, etc. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may be implemented on a cloud platform. By way of example only, the cloud platform may include a private cloud, a public cloud, a hybrid cloud, a community cloud, a distributed cloud, an internal cloud, a multi-layer cloud, etc., or any combination thereof.

[0055] In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may be connected to the network 120 to communicate with one or more components of the radiation system 100 (e.g., the processing device 140, the terminal 130, etc.). One or more components of the radiation system 100 may access data or instructions stored in the storage device 150 via the network 120. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may be directly connected to or communicate with one or more components of the radiation system 100 (e.g., the processing device 140, the terminal 130, etc.). In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may be part of the processing device 140.

[0056] In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may include a set of instructions for controlling the movement of at least one leaf of a multi-leaf collimator (MLC). In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may include at least one processor in communication with the storage device 150. In some embodiments, when executing the set of instructions, the at least one processor may be configured to cause the system to cause at least one leaf of the multi-leaf collimator to move between one or more positions. In some embodiments, in order to move a leaf of at least one leaf to a first target position among the one or more positions, when the radiation beam is turned on, the system may drive the stopper of the multi-leaf collimator to a first reference position corresponding to the first target position through a second drive mechanism; and drive the leaf to the first target position by the first drive mechanism when the radiation beam is turned off.

[0057] Figure 2 2 is a schematic diagram of hardware and / or software components of an exemplary computing device 200 according to some embodiments of the present application, wherein the processing device 140 can be implemented on the computing device. Figure 2 As shown, computing device 200 may include processor 210 , memory 220 , input / output (I / O) 230 , and communication port 240 .

[0058] The processor 210 may execute computer instructions (program code) and perform functions of the processing device 140 according to the techniques described herein. The computer instructions may include, for example, routines, programs, objects, components, signals, data structures, processes, modules, and functions that perform specific functions described herein. For example, the processor 210 may process data obtained from the radiation delivery device 110, the terminal 130, the storage device 150, and / or any other component of the radiation system 100. In some embodiments, the processor 210 may execute instructions obtained from the terminal 130. In some embodiments, the processor 210 may include one or more hardware processors, such as a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computer (RISC), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an application specific instruction set processor (ASIP), a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a physical processing unit (PPU), a microcontroller unit, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an advanced RISC machine (ARM), a programmable logic device (PLD), any circuit or processor capable of performing one or more functions, etc., or any combination thereof. For illustration only, only one processor is described in the computing device 200. However, it should be noted that the computing device 200 in the present application may also include multiple processors. Therefore, the operations and / or method steps performed by one processor as described in the present application may also be performed by multiple processors jointly or separately. For example, in the present application, if the processor of the computing device 200 performs process A and process B, it should be understood that process A and process B may also be performed jointly or separately by two or more different processors in the computing device 200 (for example, the first processor performs process A, the second processor performs process B, or the first processor and the second processor jointly perform process A and B).

[0059] The memory 220 may store data / information obtained from the radiation delivery device 110, the terminal 130, the storage device 150, or any other component of the radiation system 100. In some embodiments, the memory 220 may include a mass storage device, a removable storage device, a volatile read-write memory, a read-only memory (ROM), etc., or a combination thereof. For example, the mass storage device may include a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a solid-state drive, etc. The removable storage device may include a flash drive, a floppy disk, an optical disk, a memory card, a compact disk, a magnetic tape, etc. The volatile read-write memory may include a random access memory (RAM). Exemplary RAM may include dynamic RAM (DRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic RAM (DDR SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and zero capacitance RAM (Z-RAM), etc. Exemplary ROM may include mask ROM (MROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (PEROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), compact disk ROM (CD-ROM), or digital versatile disk ROM, etc. In some embodiments, the memory 220 may store one or more programs and / or instructions to perform the exemplary methods described in this application. For example, the memory 220 may store a program for the processing device 140, which is used to reduce or remove one or more artifacts in an image.

[0060] Input / output (I / O) 230 may input or output signals, data, and / or information. In some embodiments, input / output (I / O) 230 may enable a user to interact with processing device 140. In some embodiments, input / output (I / O) 230 may include input devices and output devices. Exemplary input devices may include a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, a microphone, etc., or any combination thereof. Exemplary output devices may include a display device, a speaker, a printer, a projector, etc., or any combination thereof. Exemplary display devices may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) based display, a flat panel display, a curved display, a television device, a cathode ray tube (CRT), etc., or any combination thereof.

[0061] The communication port 240 can be connected to a network (e.g., network 120) to facilitate data communication. The communication port 240 can establish a connection between the processing device 140 and the radiation delivery device 110, the terminal 130, or the storage device 150. The connection can be a wired connection, a wireless connection, or a combination of the two to enable data transmission and reception. The wired connection may include an electrical cable, an optical cable, a telephone line, etc., or a combination thereof. The wireless connection may include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, WiMax, WLAN, ZigBee, a mobile network (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.), etc., or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the communication port 240 may be a standardized communication port, such as RS232, RS485, etc. In some embodiments, the communication port 240 may be a specially designed communication port. For example, the communication port 240 may be designed according to the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) protocol.

[0062] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of hardware and / or software components of an exemplary mobile device 300 according to some embodiments of the present application. Figure 3 As shown, the mobile device 300 may include a communication platform 310, a display 320, a graphics processing unit (GPU) 330, a central processing unit (CPU) 340, an input / output (I / O) 350, a memory 360, and a storage 390. In some embodiments, any other suitable components, including but not limited to a system bus or a controller (not shown), may also be included in the mobile device 300. In some embodiments, a mobile operating system 370 (e.g., iOS, Android, Windows Phone, etc.) and one or more applications 380 may be loaded from the storage 390 into the memory 360 for execution by the CPU 340. The application 380 may include a browser or any other suitable mobile application for receiving and rendering information related to image processing or other information from the processing device 140. User interaction with the information stream may be achieved through the input / output (I / O) 350 and provided to the processing device 140 and / or other components of the radiation system 100 through the network 120.

[0063] In order to implement the various modules, units and their functions described in this application, a computer hardware platform can be used as a hardware platform for one or more components described herein. The hardware elements, operating system and programming language of such a computer are conventional in nature, and it is assumed that a person of ordinary skill in the art is sufficiently familiar with them to adapt these technologies to the radiation system for treatment and imaging as described herein. A computer with user interface elements can be used to implement a personal computer (PC) or other type of workstation or terminal device, and if properly programmed, the computer can also be used as a server. It is known that those skilled in the art should be familiar with the structure, programming and general operation of the computer device, and therefore, the accompanying drawings should be self-explanatory.

[0064] Figure 4A and Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary radiation delivery device according to some embodiments of the present application. Figure 4A and Figure 4B Two exemplary configurations of the radiation delivery device may be shown. In some embodiments, the radiation delivery device 400 may be an exemplary embodiment of the radiation delivery device 110, but should not be considered the only possible configuration of the radiation delivery device 110. Under the guidance of the present application, a person of ordinary skill in the art may add, delete, or modify any component in the radiation delivery device 110 or 400. Such modifications are also within the scope of protection of the present application. Unless otherwise specified, components with the same name in the radiation delivery device 110 and the radiation delivery device 400 may have the same or similar functions.

[0065] like Figure 4A As shown, the radiation delivery device 400 may include a therapeutic radiation source 430 (also referred to as a first radiation source), a multi-leaf collimator (MLC) 450, an imaging radiation source 410 (also referred to as a second radiation source), a radiation detector 420, a rotating ring 440, and a gantry 460. The imaging radiation source 410, the therapeutic radiation source 430, and the radiation detector 420 may be mounted on the rotating ring 440. A subject 470 (e.g., a patient) may lie on a bed (not shown). The gantry 460 may be fixed or rotatable. The subject 470 may include a treatment area 480 and may be scanned and / or receive radiation therapy.

[0066] The imaging radiation source 410 can emit an imaging beam to an imaging region of the object 470. The radiation detector 420 can receive the attenuated imaging beam that passes through the imaging region and generate image data related to the imaging region. In some embodiments, the imaging radiation source 410 can be configured to emit an imaging beam to the object 470. The imaging beam can include a particle beam, a photon beam, etc., or a combination thereof. The shape of the imaging beam can be a line, a narrow pencil, a narrow fan, a fan, a cone, a wedge, a tetrahedron, etc., or any combination thereof. For example, the radiation source can be a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) radiation source, so the imaging beam can be a cone beam.

[0067] The radiation detector 420 can be configured to detect or receive radiation associated with at least a portion of the imaging beam emitted from the imaging radiation source 410 to generate imaging data (e.g., projection data). The imaging data can be sent to the processing device 140 for further processing. The processing device 140 can reconstruct an image of the object or a portion thereof based on the imaging data. The location of the treatment area 480 of the object 470 can be determined based on the image. In some embodiments, the radiation detector 420 may include one or more detector units. The detector unit may include a scintillator layer (e.g., a cesium iodide scintillator layer, a gadolinium oxysulfide scintillator layer), a gas detector, etc.

[0068] In some embodiments, the imaging radiation source 410 and the radiation detector 420 (also collectively referred to as an imaging assembly) can be configured to provide image data for generating an image of the treatment region 480 (or an imaging region overlapping the treatment region 480), which image data can be used to determine the real-time position of the treatment region 480, and / or to track the movement of the treatment region 480 during a radiotherapy procedure performed by the therapeutic radiation source 430. In some embodiments, the treatment region 480 of the subject may change over time due to various motions, such as cardiac motion (and its effects on other organs), respiratory motion (respiratory motion of the lungs and / or diaphragm and its effects on other organs), blood flow and motion caused by vascular pulsation, muscle contraction and relaxation, secretory activity of the pancreas, etc., or a combination thereof. The position of the treatment region 480 can be monitored based on images (e.g., CT images, cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images, MRI images, PET images, PET-CT images) of the subject 470 generated based on image data acquired by the imaging assembly before, during, and / or after the radiotherapy procedure.

[0069] The therapeutic radiation source 430 may be configured to deliver a therapeutic beam to a treatment area 480 of the object 470. For example, the process of delivering a therapeutic beam to a treatment area 480 of the object may be referred to as radiation therapy (RT). The treatment area 480 may include a cell mass, a tissue, an organ (e.g., a prostate, a lung, a brain, a spine, a liver, a pancreas, a breast, etc.), or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the treatment area 480 may include a tumor, an organ having a tumor, or a tissue having a tumor. The therapeutic beam may include a particle beam, a photon beam, an ultrasound beam (e.g., a high-intensity focused ultrasound beam), etc., or a combination thereof. The particle beam may include a neutron stream, a proton stream, an electron stream, a heavy ion stream, etc., or any combination thereof. The photon beam may include an X-ray beam, a gamma-ray beam, an alpha-ray beam, a beta-ray beam, an ultraviolet beam, a laser beam, etc., or a combination thereof. The shape of the X-ray beam may be a line, a narrow pencil, a narrow fan, a fan, a cone, a wedge, etc., or any combination thereof.

[0070] MLC 450 can be set in the radiation path of a beam (e.g., a treatment beam, an imaging beam). MLC 450 can be configured to shape the beam and / or select a sub-beam of the beam (i.e., a portion or component of the beam). In some embodiments, MLC450 may include at least two blades. At least two blades may form an aperture. The aperture may change the shape of the beam. In some embodiments, one or more blades of MLC450 may move during the rotation of rotating ring 440 according to the treatment plan. The shape of the aperture may be changed according to the desired interval shape of the treatment plan. More descriptions of the desired shape may be found elsewhere in this application (e.g., FIG. 8 and its description). More descriptions of treatment plans may be found in International Patent Application No. PCT / CN2018 / 085279, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING RADIATION TREATMENT PLAN” filed on May 2, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0071] Figure 4B FIG. 1 is another exemplary embodiment of a radiation delivery device 110 according to some embodiments of the present application. Figure 4B As shown, the radiation delivery device 405 may include a therapeutic radiation source 430, a rotating ring 440, an MLC 450, and a gantry 460. The radiation delivery device 405 may be configured to perform radiation therapy. The radiation delivery device 405 may include a three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) device, an intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) device, an image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) device, a biological conformal radiation therapy (BCRT) device, and the like.

[0072] In some embodiments, Figure 4A and Figure 4B As shown, the gantry 460 or rotating ring 440 can rotate at a relatively high speed (e.g., >60 rpm). In addition to increasing the rotation speed of the gantry 460 (or rotating ring 440), the MLC 450 may also need to operate at a relatively high speed. In some embodiments, the blade speed of the MLC may be a limiting factor in enabling fast gantry rotation (e.g., >2 rpm) and / or high radiation output rates (e.g., >300 MU / min) in modern radiotherapy systems. Therefore, it is desirable to develop an MLC configuration with a relatively high speed for working in conjunction with a gantry 460 (or rotating ring 440) that rotates at a high rotation speed. Further description of the MLC configuration may be found elsewhere in this application (e.g., Figure 5-7B and its description) found.

[0073] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary MLC according to some embodiments of the present application. Figure 5 As shown, MLC500 may include at least two blades 510, a guide rail box 540, one or more drive mechanisms 530, and a housing 520. In some embodiments, the housing 520 may be configured to accommodate at least two blades 510, the drive mechanism 530, etc. In some embodiments, the housing 520 may be connected to the guide rail box 540.

[0074] In some embodiments, at least two blades 510 can move along at least two rails provided on the rail box 540. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the blades 510 of the at least two blades can move in directions parallel to each other. In some embodiments, when radiation delivery is turned off, at least a portion of the blades 510 are moved simultaneously. At least two blades 510 can be configured to shield a portion of the radiation beam and form an aperture to allow a portion of the radiation beam to pass through. The portion of the radiation beam passing through the aperture can reach the treatment area 480 to perform radiation therapy. In some embodiments, the processing device 140 can control at least one blade 510 of the MLC 500 to move to one or more positions to change the shape of the aperture according to one or more parameters associated with the MLC 500. (For example, the interval shape defined by the shape of the aperture formed by the MLC 500). The parameters can be predetermined by the processing device 140, or can be determined according to specific conditions. In some embodiments, the parameters can be preset in the treatment plan.

[0075] The MLC 500 may include one or more blades that may move continuously or occupy discontinuous positions. In some embodiments, the MLC 500 may include one or more "binary" blades that may only present a closed (i.e., radiation shielding) state and an open (i.e., radiation transmission) state. Such an MLC including "binary" blades may be referred to as a binary MLC. In some embodiments, each blade 510 may be configured to move between at least two positions. In some embodiments, one or more of the at least two positions may be adjusted. In some embodiments, at least two positions may be determined or adjusted by the processing device 140. In some embodiments, each blade 510 may have a closed position (or radiation shielding position) and an open position (or radiation transmission position). If the blade is in its closed position, the passage of a radiation beamlet of the radiation beam may be blocked. If the blade is in its open position, the passage of a radiation beamlet of the radiation beam may be allowed. The blade 510 may form an aperture at its corresponding open position so that the radiation beam (e.g., a treatment beam emitted from a therapeutic radiation source 430) may pass through the aperture formed by the MLC 500 and reach the object 470 to perform radiation therapy. In some embodiments, the closed position and / or open position of the leaf can be adjusted according to the treatment plan. For example, a leaf can include multiple open positions that define one or more aperture shapes.

[0076] The drive mechanism 530 can be configured to drive one or more blades 510 to move. In some embodiments, the drive mechanism 530 can facilitate the movement of the blades 510 so that the MLC 500 can translate the blades 510 between a first shape and a second shape. In some embodiments, each blade 510 can be converted between a first aperture and a second aperture (e.g., from an open position to a closed position, from a closed position to an open position). In some embodiments, each blade 510 can be driven to move independently or separately. In some embodiments, two or more blades 510 can be driven to move simultaneously. More description of the configuration of each blade can be found elsewhere in this application (e.g., Figures 6A-7B and its description) found.

[0077] In some embodiments, the drive mechanism 530 may include a fluid power drive mechanism, a spring-based drive mechanism, a charge-based drive mechanism, etc., or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the drive mechanism 530 may include at least two drive motors. The fluid power drive mechanism may include one or more fluid power components, such as a hydraulic or pneumatic piston in a cylinder. The cylinder may have one or more valves that can be independently controlled to adjust the flow and / or pressure of the fluid therein. An exemplary fluid power drive mechanism may be a pneumatic drive mechanism. The pneumatic drive mechanism may drive the movement of one or more blades 510 by compressed gas loaded in the cylinder. A spring-based drive mechanism may drive the movement of one or more blades 510 by a load spring. The spring-based drive mechanism may include one or more springs that may apply force on one or more blades 510 to translate between an open position and a closed position. For example, the blade 510 may be coupled to a spring resonator that translates the blade between an open position and a closed position. A charge-based drive mechanism may drive one or more blades 510 to move by an electromagnetic motor or a piezoelectric motor. In some embodiments, the drive motor can drive the movement of one or more blades 510. The drive mechanism 530 can move each blade of the MLC 500 individually and / or independently, or can move two or more blades simultaneously.

[0078] In some embodiments, the MLC 500 may include 64 blades, but it should be understood that the number of blades 510 in the MLC 500 is variable, for example, 12, 15, 16, 24, 25, 31, 32, 36, 48, 50, 64, 72, 75, 100, 101, 120, 128, 135, etc. In some embodiments, each blade 510 of the MLC 500 may have a width of about 1 mm to 10 mm (e.g., about 2 mm). In some embodiments, the travel length of each blade may be about 0.25 cm to 3 cm (e.g., about 1 cm). The smaller the travel range, the more precise the radiation that can be delivered. However, in some embodiments, reducing the travel length and / or width of the blade may extend the treatment time of the patient. The size and shape of the blade 510 (e.g., blade width, number of blades) can be determined at least in part by the geometry of the gantry 460, the width of the radiation beam, and / or the desired "resolution" of the radiation to be applied. The depth of the blades 510 may be thick enough to prevent transmission of the radiation beam when the blades 510 are in the closed position.

[0079] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, each of the at least two blades 510 may include a support structure (not shown). The support structure may be configured to operably connect each of the at least two blades 510 to the drive mechanism 530 and / or other components of the MLC 500. The support structure may include a framework of beams, bars, rods, and / or brackets that may help stabilize the blades 510 in the vertical direction as the blades 510 move in the horizontal direction. In some embodiments, the support structure may optionally include openings, hooks, notches, protrusions, grooves, etc., or combinations thereof, to facilitate the drive mechanism and / or another component (e.g., Figures 6A-7B In some embodiments, the support structure may include a truss frame. In some embodiments, the MLC 500 may include at least two blade guides (not shown) corresponding to the blades 510 to guide the movement of the blades 510 along a path (e.g., a linear path). In some embodiments, the MLC 500 may include at least two stoppers (see, e.g., Figures 6A-7B ). Each of the at least two stop blocks can be configured to limit the position of a corresponding blade of the at least two blades 510. In some embodiments, each stop block can be movable, and the position of the corresponding blade can be adjusted by moving each stop block. In some embodiments, each stop block can be moved to one or more target positions by a drive mechanism (e.g., a drive motor) to limit the position of the corresponding blade. In some embodiments, the drive mechanism can move the stop block when radiation delivery is turned on.

[0080] In some embodiments, the speed of blade movement can be increased by increasing the speed of drive mechanism 530. Alternatively or additionally, MLC 500 can optionally use lightweight blades. In some embodiments, the portion of blade 510 that shields the radiation beam can be a high atomic number material (e.g., tungsten), while the peripheral support structure of blade 510 can be a lightweight material. In some embodiments, a portion of blade 510 can be made of a substantially radiopaque material (e.g., tungsten), while the remainder of blade 510 can be made of one or more other materials (e.g., a material that is less dense and / or lighter than the substantially radiopaque material, such as stainless steel or titanium). In some embodiments, the portion of blade 510 made of a substantially radiopaque material can also be referred to as a substantially radiopaque portion of blade 510. In some embodiments, removing or hollowing out one or more areas of blade 510 can help reduce the weight of blade 510 while having little effect on the ability of blade 510 to block radiation transmission. For example, a first portion of the substantially radiopaque portion of blade 510 in the path of radiation may be substantially solid, while a second portion of the substantially radiopaque portion of blade 510 not in the path of radiation may have one or more hollow regions.

[0081] In some embodiments, the MLC 500 can be designed for conformal therapy. In some embodiments, multiple blades 510 (e.g., 64 blades, 120 blades, etc.) can be adjusted in the longitudinal direction (as shown by arrow A) with high spatial resolution and accuracy, but limited speed. In some embodiments, for example, in volumetric arc therapy (VMAT), a binary MLC can be used. In some embodiments, the binary MLC may have a relatively high translation speed. In some embodiments, a relatively high translation speed can be provided by using a fast pneumatic drive mechanism, which may provide limited spatial resolution and / or accuracy and result in longer treatment times, especially for large tumors. For example, in order to deliver radiation to a treatment area of ​​an object 470 (e.g., a tumor) having a specific contour, a binary MLC (e.g., a helical tomotherapy binary MLC) configured to provide limited spatial resolution (e.g., the spatial resolution of a single volume slice) needs to be modulated multiple times to form different aperture shapes to adapt to the specific contour of the treatment area, resulting in a longer treatment time. In some embodiments, continuous adjustment of the position of the blades 510, while simultaneously adjusting the dose rate to reduce exposure to undesired areas of the subject 470, can be used to match the radiation treatment performance of the radiation delivery device 400. The problem of the lack of fast modulation of conventional MLCs can be solved by multiple radiation beams, but it may still result in a long treatment time. Conventional MLCs can have at least two blade pairs, and the blades can usually be driven by a drive motor, which can provide relatively high spatial resolution and accuracy. However, the blade speed of conventional MLCs is limited, which may result in slower modulation. To facilitate dose modulation, it is desirable to independently optimize the aperture shape formed by the MLC 500 for each gantry angle or gantry angle interval. For this mode of operation, it is desirable to have the MLC 500 fixed when radiation delivery is turned on and quickly switch to other shapes when radiation delivery is turned off, so that the MLC 500 may have a relatively high translation speed and relatively high spatial resolution and accuracy. In this way, the duty cycle of the radiation delivery device 400 can be increased and the total treatment time can be reduced. Since conventional MLCs driven with motors and / or gears can provide relatively limited blade translation speeds (between two desired configurations) but with relatively high spatial resolution, while binary MLCs can be driven faster, it is desirable to combine the advantages of conventional MLCs and binary MLCs. In some embodiments, MLC 500 can be configured as a combination of the characteristics of conventional MLCs and binary MLCs. In some embodiments, each of one or more blades of MLC 500 can be rapidly transitioned from one position to the next when radiation delivery is turned off, and a mechanism (drive mechanism 530) that defines the next position of each of the one or more blades can be set in the appropriate position when radiation delivery is turned on.Further description of the configuration of MLC 500 may be found elsewhere in this application (eg, . Figures 6A-7B and its description) found.

[0082] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary blade assembly of an MLC according to some embodiments of the present application. Fig. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the blade assembly 600 . Figure 6B is a perspective view of the blade assembly 600. Fig. 6A and 6B As shown, the blade assembly 600 may include a blade 610, a blade guide 620, and a first drive mechanism 630. The blade 610 may be configured to shield a portion of the radiation beam. In some embodiments, the blade 610 may be made of a material that is substantially opaque to radiation. In some embodiments, in order to reduce the weight of the blade 610, when the blade 610 is in a closed position, a first portion of the blade 610 in the radiation path of the radiation beam may be made of a material that is substantially opaque to radiation, while another portion of the blade 610 may be made of one or more other materials that are less dense or lighter than the material that is substantially opaque to radiation. For example, the first portion of the blade 610 may be made of tungsten, while another portion of the blade 610 may be made of a lighter material (e.g., stainless steel or titanium). In some embodiments, the blade 610 may be configured to move between at least two positions (e.g., a closed position, an open position). In some embodiments, at least one of the at least two positions is adjustable. For example, the blade 610 may be quickly moved from a first position to a second position. The first position and / or the second position may be adjustable. In some embodiments, the blade 610 may be configured to move between at least three positions. For example, the blade 610 may be configured to be movable between a closed position and an open position, wherein the open position is adjustable, in other words, there may be a plurality of open positions.

[0083] The blade guide 620 may be configured to guide the movement of the blade 610 so that the blade 610 can move along the blade guide 620. The first drive mechanism 630 may be configured to drive the movement of the blade 610 (e.g., from a first position to a second position). In some embodiments, the first drive mechanism 630 may be configured to drive the blade 610 to move at a first speed. In some embodiments, the blade 610 may be connected to or coupled to the first drive mechanism 630 via a lever 635. In some embodiments, the first drive mechanism may include a pneumatic drive mechanism (e.g., a cylinder), a spring-based drive mechanism (e.g., a load spring), a charge-based drive mechanism (e.g., an electromagnetic motor, a piezoelectric motor, etc.), or any combination thereof. The cylinder may have one or more valves that may be controlled to adjust the flow rate and / or pressure of the fluid (e.g., compressed gas) therein, thereby driving the blade 610 to move between at least two positions. The load spring may apply force to the blade 610 to translate between at least two positions. The charge-based drive mechanism may include an electromagnetic motor or a piezoelectric motor for driving the blade 610 to move between at least two positions.

[0084] In some embodiments, the blade assembly 600 may further include a second drive mechanism 650, a stopper guide plate 660, and a stopper 670. The second drive mechanism 650 may be configured to drive the stopper 670 to move at a second speed. In some embodiments, the second speed may be lower than the first speed at which the blade 610 moves. Using the second drive mechanism 650, the stopper 670 may be moved with relatively high precision. In some embodiments, the second drive mechanism 650 may include a drive motor. The drive motor may be connected to the spindle 680. The spindle 680 may transmit the driving force of the drive motor to the stopper 670 so that the stopper 670 may be moved and the position of the stopper 670 may be adjusted. In some embodiments, the stopper guide plate 660 may be configured to guide the movement of the stopper 670. The stopper 670 may be configured to limit the position of the blade 610.

[0085] In some embodiments, Fig. 6A and 6BAs shown, the blade 610 may include a notch 690 disposed on the edge of the blade 610. In some embodiments, the stopper 670 may include a protrusion 675. The protrusion 675 may be configured to operably engage with the notch 690 of the blade 610. In some embodiments, the protrusion 675 may extend into the notch 690 of the blade 610, so that the protrusion 675 of the stopper 670 limits the movement of the blade 610. In some embodiments, the notch 690 of the blade 610 may be longer than the protrusion 675 of the stopper 670. Alternatively or additionally, the stopper 670 may include a notch disposed on the edge of the stopper, and the blade 610 may include a protrusion. The protrusion of the blade 610 may be configured to operably engage with the notch of the stopper 670. In some embodiments, the blade 610 and the stopper 670 may also be disengaged so that the movement of the blade 610 is not affected by the stopper 670 or is not stopped by the stopper 670.

[0086] For example, the stopper 670 has a protrusion 675, and the blade 610 has a notch 690, which is configured to operably connect the blade 610 to the protrusion 675 of the stopper 670; the protrusion 675 of the stopper 670 can have two configurations, namely, an extended configuration and a retracted configuration. When the protrusion 675 of the stopper 670 is in its extended configuration, the blade 610 and the stopper 670 can be operably connected; when the protrusion 675 of the stopper 670 is in its retracted configuration, the blade 610 and the stopper 670 can be disengaged. For another example, the blade 610 has a protrusion, and the stopper 670 has a notch, which is configured to operably connect the stopper 670 to the protrusion of the blade 610; the protrusion of the blade 610 can have two configurations, an extended configuration and a retracted configuration. The stop block 670 and the blade 610 may be operably connected when the protrusion of the blade 610 is in its extended configuration; the stop block 670 and the blade 610 may be disengaged when the protrusion of the blade 610 is in its retracted configuration.

[0087] In some embodiments, blade 610 can move when radiation delivery is turned off. Stop block 670 can move when radiation delivery is turned on. In some embodiments, blade assembly 600 can include a brake assembly ( Fig. 6A and 6B 610). When the stopper 670 moves, the brake assembly can be configured to prevent the blade 610 from moving. In some embodiments, when the stopper corresponding to one or more blades moves, the brake assembly can be configured to prevent one or more blades of the MLC from moving. In some embodiments, the brake assembly can include a fastening structure, a blocking structure, etc. More description about the movement of the blade 610 can be found elsewhere in this application (e.g., Fig. 7A and 7Band its description) found.

[0088] In some embodiments, the blade assembly 600 may include one or more damping assemblies ( Fig. 6A and 6B 635). In some embodiments, a damping assembly may be disposed in an interior chamber (not shown) of the blade 610 and / or coupled to the rod 635. The damping assembly (also referred to as a bumper or damper) may be configured to dampen the movement of the blade 610 at the end of the path of travel of the blade 610. Because the blade 610 may be driven by the first drive mechanism 630 to move at a relatively high speed, without a damping assembly, the excessive force of the first drive mechanism 630 and / or the high repeatability of the movement of 610 may damage the lever 635 and / or the piston of the first drive mechanism 630. When the blade 610 reaches the end of the path of travel, the damping assembly may help the blade 610 move at a relatively slow speed or gradually slow down the movement speed, which may help extend the life of the lever 635 and / or the piston.

[0089] In some embodiments, Fig. 6A and 6B As shown, the blade assembly 600 may further include a base frame 640. The base frame 640 may be configured to support and / or connect one or more components (e.g., the blade 610, the blade guide 620, the first drive mechanism 630, the second drive mechanism 650, the stopper guide 660, the stopper 670, and / or the main shaft 680) of the blade assembly 600. In some embodiments, the base frame 640 may be made of one or more rigid materials.

[0090] The above description of the blade assembly 600 is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application. A person skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications based on the description of the present application. However, such changes and modifications will not deviate from the scope of the present application. In some embodiments, the MLC (e.g., Figure 5 At least a portion of the blades in the MLC 500 shown in FIG. 5A may be configured as a blade assembly 600. In some embodiments, all blades in the MLC (eg, Figure 5 The MLC 500 shown in FIG. 5 may be driven by a type of drive mechanism. For example, each blade may be driven by its corresponding cylinder. Alternatively or additionally, the MLC (e.g., Figure 5 At least two blades in the MLC500 shown in FIG. 5 can be driven by different types of drive mechanisms, respectively. For example, the first blade can be driven by a cylinder, while the second blade can be driven by a load spring. In some embodiments, the blade assembly 600 can include one or more other components, such as one or more shielding components (e.g., Figure 8B and 8CShield assembly 860 shown). The shield assembly can be configured to shield one or more blades 610 when one or more blades 610 are moving and / or radiation delivery is turned on. Alternatively or additionally, the MLC (e.g., Figure 5 The MLC 500 shown may include a first portion of blades in the blades 610, a second portion of blades in the blades 610 (e.g., the remaining blades in the MLC except the first portion of blades in the blades 610), and a shielding assembly. The shielding assembly may be configured to shield the first portion of blades in the blades 510 and / or the second portion of blades in the blades. By way of example only, when radiation delivery is turned on, the first portion of blades in the blades 510 may be driven and the second portion of blades in the blades 510 (e.g., the remaining blades except the first portion of blades) may remain stationary. The second portion of blades in the blades 510 are in their respective positions to allow the radiation beam to pass through, and the first portion of blades in the blades 510 are shielded by the shielding assembly. In some embodiments, the shielding assembly is capable of switching between a first shielding position in which it shields the first portion of blades in the blades 510 and a second shielding position in which it shields the second portion of blades in the blades 510. Using the shielding assembly, when radiation delivery is turned on, at least a portion of blades in the blades 510 may be moved to a next position, and thus, the translation speed of the MLC 500 may be increased and the duty cycle may be increased.

[0091] Fig. 7A and 7B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary blade assembly transitioning between two different positions according to some embodiments of the present application. Fig. 7A and 7B As shown, the blade assembly 700 may include a blade 610, a blade guide plate 620, a first driving mechanism 630, a base frame 640, a second driving mechanism 650, a stopper guide plate 660, a stopper 670, and a main shaft 680. In some embodiments, the blade assembly 700 may be Fig. 6A and 6B The blade assembly 600 shown is substantially the same. Unless otherwise specified, the same reference numerals in the blade assembly 600 and the blade assembly 700 refer to components having the same or similar functions. Fig. 6A and 6B The above components of the blade assembly 700 have been described, and description thereof will not be repeated here.

[0092] Fig. 7A The movement of the blade 610 in a first direction (eg, from right to left) is shown, as indicated by arrow B. Fig. 7AAs shown, before the blade 610 is moved, the stop block 670 may be located at a first reference position (indicated by a solid line), and the blade 610 may be limited to a first target position (indicated by a solid line) by the stop block 670. The first target position of the blade 610 may correspond to the first reference position of the stop block 670. The first target position of the blade 610 may be defined by the first reference position of the stop block 670. Specifically, the right portion of the notch 690 of the blade 610 may be blocked by the stop block 670 (e.g., the protrusion 675 of the stop block 670), and therefore, the blade 610 cannot be moved as shown in FIG. Fig. 7A In some embodiments, in order to move the blade 610 to a second target position (indicated by a dotted line), the stopper 670 may be moved to a second reference position (indicated by a dotted line) corresponding to the second target position. The stopper 670 may be moved to the left along the stopper guide 660. In some embodiments, when radiation delivery is turned on, the second drive mechanism 650 may drive the stopper 670 to move to the second reference position. In some embodiments, when the stopper 670 moves, the blade 610 may be prevented from moving by a brake assembly (not shown) of the blade 610. When radiation delivery is turned off, the blade 610 may be driven to move to the second target position defined by the stopper 670. Specifically, the blade 610 may be driven by the first drive mechanism 630 to move along the blade guide 620. For example, if the first drive mechanism 630 is a load spring, the force on the load spring may be adjusted (e.g., reduced) to pull the blade 610. When the right portion of the notch 690 of the blade 610 is blocked by the stopper 670 (eg, by the protrusion 675 of the stopper 670 ), the blade 610 may stop at the second target position.

[0093] Figure 7B The movement of the blade 610 in a second direction (eg, from left to right) is shown, as indicated by arrow B'. Figure 7B As shown, before moving the blade 610, the stop block 670 may be located at a first reference position (indicated by a dotted line), and the blade 610 may be limited to a first target position (indicated by a dotted line) by the stop block 670. The first target position of the blade 610 may correspond to the first reference position of the stop block 670. The first target position of the blade 610 may be defined by the first reference position of the stop block 670. Specifically, the left side portion of the notch 690 of the blade 610 may be blocked by the stop block 670 (e.g., the protrusion 675 of the stop block 670), so that the blade 610 cannot be moved as shown in FIG. Figure 7BIn some embodiments, in order to move the blade 610 to a second target position (indicated by a solid line), the stopper 670 may be moved to a second reference position (indicated by a solid line) corresponding to the second target position. The stopper 670 may be moved to the right along the stopper guide 660. In some embodiments, when radiation delivery is turned on, the second drive mechanism 650 may drive the stopper 670 to move to the second reference position. In some embodiments, when the movement of the stopper 670 is restricted, the movement of the blade 610 may be prevented by a brake assembly (not shown) of the blade 610. When radiation delivery is turned off, the blade 610 may be driven to move to the second target position defined by the stopper 670. Specifically, the blade 610 may be driven by the first drive mechanism 630 to move along the blade guide 620. For example, if the first drive mechanism 630 is a load spring, the force on the load spring may be adjusted (e.g., increased) to push the blade 610. When the left portion of the notch 690 of the blade 610 is blocked by the stopper 670 (eg, by the protrusion 675 of the stopper 670 ), the blade 610 may stop at the second target position.

[0094] The above description of the movement of the blade assembly 700 is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application. It is apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made based on the description of the present application. However, these changes and modifications do not deviate from the scope of the present application. In some embodiments, the stop block 670 may be driven to move to at least two reference positions, and the blade 610 may be driven to move to at least two target positions corresponding to the at least two reference positions. In some embodiments, the MLC (e.g., Figure 5 The position of each blade in the MLC 500 shown in FIG. 5A can be adjusted simultaneously or at different times in a manner similar to blade assembly 700. In some embodiments, the position of each blade in the MLC (e.g., Figure 5 One or more blades of the MLC 500 shown in FIG. 5 may be moved simultaneously when radiation delivery is turned off. Figures 6A-7B As shown, when radiation delivery is turned on, the stop block can be moved to the next reference position with relatively high accuracy, and when radiation delivery is turned off, the blades can be quickly moved to the next position corresponding to the next reference position of the stop block or the next position defined by it. Therefore, the translation speed of MLC 500 can be increased, the duty cycle can be increased, and the spatial resolution of the aperture shape formed by MLC 500 can be improved. In some embodiments, the blades of blade assembly 600 or 700 can be shielded by a shielding assembly, so that when radiation delivery is turned on, the stop block and the blades of blade assembly 600 or 700 can both be driven to move to their respective desired positions. In this way, when the shielding assembly is removed, the blades can be properly positioned to form an aperture for radiation.

[0095] Figures 8A-8C 800 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary aperture shape formed by an MLC and a corresponding treatment area according to some embodiments of the present application. In some embodiments, the MLC 800 can be placed between a therapeutic radiation source (e.g., the first radiation source 113, the therapeutic radiation source 430) and a hole (e.g., hole 117). The MLC 800 can change the shape of the radiation beam emitted from the radiation source to a shape similar to the aperture 830 formed by the blades 820 of the MLC. In some embodiments, the processing device 140 can obtain a treatment plan. The treatment plan can include a desired interval shape of the radiation interval. The desired interval shape can correspond to the shape of the desired treatment area 840.

[0096] like Fig. 8A As shown, the blade 820 may include at least two blade pairs, such as 820-a, 820-b, ..., 820-n. At least two blade pairs may be arranged in parallel and moved to form an aperture 830 so as to deliver a treatment plan. The changed beam shape may correspond to (or approximately correspond to) a desired treatment area 840, and deliver radiation to the desired treatment area 840. The conformality of the MLC 800 may be determined based on the width of each blade. The conformality of the MLC may indicate the similarity between the shape of the aperture 830 and the desired interval shape corresponding to the shape of the desired treatment area 840. A higher conformality may indicate that the shape of the aperture 830 is more similar to the desired interval shape corresponding to the shape of the desired treatment area 840. A higher conformality of the MLC 800 may be achieved by increasing the number of blades 820, reducing the width of each blade of the MLC 800, and the like. In some embodiments, each blade of the MLC 800 may use the same or similar configuration as the blade assembly 600 or the blade assembly 700. That is, each blade 820 may be movable between two or more positions, and notably, the movement of each blade 820 may be continuous, which may allow fine-tuning of the shape of the aperture 830, thereby improving the spatial resolution of the radiation therapy.

[0097] like Figure 8BAs shown, the shielding assembly 860 can shield a first portion of the blades in the blades 820 and form an aperture 831. When radiation delivery is turned on, the first portion of the blades in the blades 820 can be driven to move, and the second portion of the blades in the blades 820 (for example, the blades other than the first portion) can remain stationary. The second portion of the blades in the blades 820 are in their respective positions to allow the radiation beam to pass through, and the first portion of the blades in the blades 820 are shielded by the shielding assembly 860. The changed beam shape can correspond to (or approximately correspond to) the desired treatment area 841, and deliver radiation to the desired treatment area 841. In some embodiments, as Figure 8C As shown, the shielding assembly 860 can be switched from a first shielding position of a first portion of its shielding blades 820 to a second shielding position of a second portion of its shielding blades 820, and an aperture 832 can be formed. The changed beam shape can correspond to (or approximately correspond to) the desired treatment area 842 (see Figure 8C ), and delivers radiation to the desired treatment area 842. The dotted lines show the edge of the treatment area formed before the first portion of the blades 820 move. Using the shielding assembly 860, when radiation delivery is turned on, at least a portion of the blades 820 can be moved to the next position, so the translation speed of the MLC 800 can be increased and the duty cycle can be increased. In some embodiments, the shielding assembly 860 can be configured as a sheet or a plate. In some embodiments, the shielding assembly 860 can be made of a material that is substantially opaque to radiation that can block radiation. In some embodiments, the shielding assembly 860 can be placed in a plane perpendicular to the depth of the blades 820. In some embodiments, the shielding assembly 860 can have a rectangular, square, elliptical, circular, polygonal, etc., or any shape.

[0098] Fig. 9 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary processing device 140 according to some embodiments of the present application. The processing device 140 may include an acquisition module 910, a control module 920, a processing module 930, and a storage module 940. At least a portion of the processing device 140 may be configured as follows: Figure 2 The computing device shown or Figure 3 The mobile device shown is implemented.

[0099] The acquisition module 910 may be configured to acquire imaging data. In some embodiments, the acquisition module 910 may acquire imaging data (e.g., CT imaging data) from the radiation delivery device 110, the terminal 130, the storage device 150, and / or an external data source (not shown). In some embodiments, the imaging data may include raw data (e.g., projection data). For example, the imaging data (e.g., projection data) may be generated based on at least some of the imaging beams detected passing through the object being imaged and processed in the radiation delivery device 110. In some embodiments, the acquisition module 910 may acquire one or more instructions for processing the imaging data. The instructions may be executed by a processor of the processing device 140 to perform the exemplary operations described in the present application. In some embodiments, the acquired imaging data may be sent to the storage module 940 for storage.

[0100] In some embodiments, the acquisition module 910 can acquire a treatment plan for the object. The treatment plan may include parameters related to at least one radiation interval. For example, the radiation interval may be an arc segment on the rotation trajectory of the rotating ring, and the therapeutic radiation source delivers the treatment beam to the treatment area within the arc segment. For another example, the treatment plan associated with the MLC may include a desired interval shape corresponding to the shape of the desired treatment area 840. The acquisition module 910 can acquire the treatment plan from one or more components of the radiation system 100 (e.g., the storage device 150, the terminal 130) or from an external source (e.g., an electronic medical record, a medical database) through the network 120.

[0101] The control module 920 may control (e.g., by generating one or more control parameters) the operation of the acquisition module 910, the storage module 940, the processing module 930, the radiation delivery device 110, etc. For example, the control module 920 may cause the acquisition module 910 to acquire imaging data, acquire imaging data at a fixed time, etc. For another example, the control module 920 may cause the processing module 930 to process the imaging data acquired by the acquisition module 910. In some embodiments, the control module 920 may control the operation of the radiation delivery device 110. For example, the control module 920 may cause the radiation delivery device 110 to start, pause, stop, and / or resume delivering an imaging beam and / or a treatment beam to a subject. For another example, the control module 920 may cause the radiation delivery device 110 to adjust the radiation dose of the imaging beam or the treatment beam to the subject.

[0102] In some embodiments, the control module 920 can control the MLC components (for example, Figure 5For example, the control module 920 may control (or cause) the on / off of radiation delivery, control (or cause) the drive mechanism to drive the stop block to move to a reference position corresponding to the target position of the blade, and / or control (or cause) the blade to move to the target position. For another example, when the stop block moves, the control module 920 may control (or cause) the brake component of the MLC to prevent the blade from moving. For another example, the control module 920 may switch the shielding component of the MLC to shield or expose the blade. The control module 920 may execute or control one or more components of the radiation delivery device 110 to execute Fig.10 and Fig.11 The operation shown.

[0103] In some embodiments, the control module 920 may receive real-time instructions from an operator or retrieve predetermined instructions provided by a user (e.g., a doctor) to control one or more operations of the radiation delivery device 110, the acquisition module 910, and / or the processing module 930. For example, the control module 920 may adjust the acquisition module 910 and / or the processing module 930 to generate one or more images of the object according to the real-time instructions and / or the predetermined instructions. For another example, the control module 920 may cause the radiation delivery device 110 to adjust the treatment beam delivered to the object according to the real-time instructions and / or the predetermined instructions. For another example, the control module 920 may gate and / or adjust the delivery of the treatment beam based on real-time monitoring of the position of the treatment area of ​​the object according to the generated image. As another example, the control module 920 may cause the position of the bed 115 and / or the first radiation source 113 to be adjusted according to the generated image so that the treatment beam can target the treatment area of ​​the object. In some embodiments, the control module 920 may communicate with one or more other modules of the processing device 140 to exchange information and / or data.

[0104] The processing module 930 can process information provided by various modules of the processing device 140. The processing module 930 can process imaging data acquired by the acquisition module 910, imaging data retrieved from the storage module 940 and / or the storage device 150, etc. In some embodiments, the processing module 930 can reconstruct one or more images based on the imaging data according to a reconstruction technique. The reconstruction technique may include an iterative reconstruction algorithm (e.g., a statistical reconstruction algorithm), a Fourier slice theorem algorithm, a filtered back projection (FBP) algorithm, a fan beam reconstruction algorithm, an analytical reconstruction algorithm, etc., or any combination thereof. The reconstruction technique can be applied within a limited angular range to perform tomosynthesis imaging. In some embodiments, the processing module 930 can pre-process the imaging data before reconstruction. The pre-processing may include imaging data normalization, imaging data smoothing, imaging data suppression, imaging data encoding (or decoding), denoising, etc.

[0105] In some embodiments, based on one or more reconstructed images of the subject including the treatment region, the processing module 930 may determine changes in the position or shape of the treatment region (e.g., due to respiratory motion, cardiac motion, contraction and relaxation of muscles, contraction or expansion of a lesion (e.g., a tumor) corresponding to the treatment region, etc.). In some embodiments, the processing module 930 may determine whether any changes or adjustments need to be made to the treatment plan based on the images and their analysis, and / or determine the required adjustments. Based on the determined adjustments, the control module 920 may cause the adjustments to be implemented. For example, the control module 920 may cause the radiation delivery device 110 to deliver an adjusted treatment beam or adjust the position of the subject, and control (or cause) the MLC to adjust the shape of the aperture 830 formed by the blades 820 of the MLC. For example, the processing module 930 may transmit the motion information of the treatment region to the control module 920. The control module 920 may accordingly control (or cause) the radiation delivery device 110 to adjust the delivery of the treatment beam by, for example, pausing the delivery and / or changing the position of the source of the treatment beam. For another example, the control module 920 may accordingly control (or cause) the radiation delivery device 110 to adjust the position of the subject relative to the treatment beam.

[0106] The storage module 940 may store imaging data, control parameters, processed imaging data, treatment plans, adjusted treatment plans, etc., or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the storage module 940 may store one or more programs and / or instructions for the processor of the processing device 140 to perform the exemplary operations described herein. For example, the storage module 940 may store programs and / or instructions executable by the processor of the processing device 140 to acquire imaging data of an object, reconstruct one or more images based on the imaging data, determine a region of interest (ROI) in the image, detect a change in the position or shape of a treatment area of ​​the object based on the image, change the delivery of a treatment beam to the treatment area based on the detected change in the position or shape of the treatment area, and / or adjust the position of the object relative to the treatment beam.

[0107] Fig. 9 One or more of the modules shown in Figure 1 The acquisition module 910 , the control module 920 , the processing module 930 and / or the storage module 940 may be implemented in at least a portion of the radiation system 100 shown in . For example, the acquisition module 910 , the control module 920 , the processing module 930 and / or the storage module 940 may be implemented by the processing device 140 and / or the terminal 130 .

[0108] Fig.10 is a flow chart of an exemplary process for moving a blade according to some embodiments of the present application. In some embodiments, when radiation delivery is turned on, the stop block can be moved to a first reference position, and then when radiation delivery is turned off, the blade corresponding to the stop block can be moved to a first target position defined by the first reference position. In some embodiments, Fig.10 One or more operations of the process 1000 shown may be performed by the processing device 140 (e.g., the control module 920). In some embodiments, one or more operations of the process 1000 may be performed by the processing device 140 (e.g., the control module 920). Figure 1 For example, the process 1000 may be stored in the form of instructions (eg, an application program) in the storage device 150 and / or the memory 220 and executed by the processing device 140 (eg, Figure 2 The processor 210 of the computing device 200 is shown. Figure 3 The CPU 340 of the mobile device 300 is shown. Fig. 9 140, etc.). For another example, a portion of process 1000 may be implemented on radiation delivery device 110. The operations of the process shown below are for illustration purposes only. In some embodiments, process 1000 may be accomplished using one or more additional operations not described, and / or omitting one or more operations discussed above. Fig.10 The order in which the operations of process 1000 are illustrated and described below is not intended to be limiting.

[0109] In some embodiments, the control module 920 can control (or cause) the MLC (e.g., Figure 5 In some embodiments, the control module 920 may control at least one blade of the MLC to move to one or more positions while the radiation delivery is turned off. In some embodiments, the process of controlling (or causing) at least one blade (e.g., blade 610, blade 820) to move to a first target position of one or more positions may be implemented according to one or more of the following operations. It should be understood that the movement of multiple blades of the MLC may be similarly implemented and / or controlled.

[0110] In 1010, when radiation delivery is turned on, the control module 920 can control (or cause) the second drive mechanism (e.g., the second drive mechanism 650) to drive the stop block (e.g., the stop block 670) of the MLC to move to a first reference position corresponding to the first target position. The stop block can be configured to limit the position of the blade (e.g., the blade 610). The stop block can be movable. In some embodiments, one or more target positions of the blade can be adjusted by moving the stop block. In some embodiments, the second drive mechanism may include a drive motor. When radiation delivery is turned on, the drive motor can be configured to drive the stop block to move to the first reference position. The first reference position can be used to define the first target position of the blade.

[0111] At 1020, the control module 920 may control (or cause) the brake assembly of the MLC to stop the blade (e.g., blade 610) from moving when the stopper moves. When the stopper moves, radiation delivery may be turned on. In order to shield against unwanted radiation, the blade must remain stationary when radiation delivery is turned on.

[0112] At 1030, when radiation delivery is turned off, the control module 920 can control (or cause) the first drive mechanism (e.g., the first drive mechanism 630) to drive the blade to move to the first target position. When radiation delivery is turned off, the blade can be quickly moved to the first target position. In some embodiments, the first drive mechanism may include a pneumatic drive mechanism (e.g., a cylinder), a spring-based drive mechanism (e.g., a load spring), a charge-based drive mechanism (e.g., an electromagnetic motor, a piezoelectric motor), etc., or any combination thereof. For example, the movement of the blade to the first target position can be driven by compressed gas. For another example, the movement of the blade to the first target position can be driven by a load spring. For another example, the movement of the blade to the first target position can be driven by an electromagnetic motor or a piezoelectric motor.

[0113] In some embodiments of the present application, when radiation delivery is turned on, the second drive mechanism can drive the stop block, which is then moved to the reference position by the drive motor, and the blade remains stationary. When radiation delivery is turned off, the blade may be driven by the first drive mechanism to move quickly until the blade is blocked by the stop block, and the blade may stop at a target position (defined by the reference position). In some embodiments, the blade can move at a first speed, and the stop block can move at a second speed lower than the first speed, so that the reference position can have a relatively high accuracy. Therefore, the duty cycle of the radiation delivery device can be increased, and the overall treatment time can be reduced.

[0114] It should be noted that the above description of process 1000 is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various changes and modifications can be made based on the description of the present application. However, these changes and modifications will not deviate from the scope of the present application. In some embodiments, at least one blade in the MLC can be moved according to process 1000. In some embodiments, two or more blades of the MLC can be moved synchronously or alternately according to process 1000. In some embodiments, process 1000 can be repeated to determine one or more target positions of the blades.

[0115] Fig.11 is a flow chart of another exemplary process for moving blades according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0116] In some embodiments, when radiation delivery is turned on, the blades may be shielded by the shielding assembly, the stopper may be moved to a second reference position, and the blades corresponding to the stopper may also be moved to a second target position corresponding to the second reference position, and then the blades may be exposed by removing the shielding assembly to allow the radiation beam to pass through the blades. In some embodiments, Fig.11 One or more operations of the illustrated process 1100 may be performed by the processing device 140 (eg, the control module 920 ).

[0117] In some embodiments, one or more operations of process 1100 may be performed at Figure 1 For example, the process 1100 may be stored in the form of instructions (eg, an application program) in the storage device 150 and / or the memory 220 and executed by the processing device 140 (eg, Figure 2 The processor 210 of the computing device 200 is shown. Figure 3 The CPU 340 of the mobile device 300 is shown. Fig. 9 140, etc.). For another example, a portion of process 1100 may be implemented on radiation delivery device 110. The operations of the process shown below are for illustration purposes only. In some embodiments, process 1100 may be completed using one or more additional operations not described, and / or omitting one or more operations discussed above. In addition, Fig.11 The order in which the operations of process 1100 are illustrated and described below is not intended to be limiting.

[0118] In some embodiments, the control module 920 can control (or cause) the MLC (e.g., Figure 5 In some embodiments, the control module 920 may control (or cause) at least one blade of the MLC 500 to move to one or more positions when radiation delivery is turned off. In some embodiments, the MLC may include a shielding assembly configured to shield at least a portion of the blades of the MLC. Coordination of such various components may facilitate radiation delivery in various ways depending on the treatment plan.

[0119] As an example only, according to a specific treatment plan, in the first radiation interval, a specific part of the subject may not need radiation, while in the second radiation interval, the specific part of the subject may need to be exposed to radiation. To this end, in the first radiation interval, one or more blades may be shielded by the shielding assembly so that radiation can be shielded from the specific part of the subject as needed, and at least one of the one or more blades can be adjusted to the target position; in the second radiation interval, one or more blades can be exposed by removing the shielding assembly from one or more blades so that radiation can reach the specific part of the subject as needed.

[0120] For another example, according to a specific treatment plan, in a first radiation interval, the first portion of the blades may be shielded (by the shielding assembly) and moved to their respective target positions; the second portion of the blades may form a first aperture at their respective open positions and may achieve a first shape. In a second radiation interval immediately following the first radiation interval, since the first portion of the blades are already prepared, the second radiation interval may be performed immediately after the radiation delivery of the first radiation interval is completed, which may save time. In the second radiation interval, the second portion of the blades may be shielded and moved to their respective target positions.

[0121] In some embodiments, one or more blades may be moved to a target position according to one or more of the following operations: It should be understood that movement of multiple blades of an MLC may be similarly implemented and / or controlled.

[0122] In 1110, the control module 920 may control (or cause) the position of the shielding assembly of the MLC so that the blade (e.g., blade 610) is shielded by the shielding assembly. In some embodiments, the shielding assembly may be made of one or more substantially radiation-impermeable materials that can block radiation. In some embodiments, when a portion of the object does not need to be irradiated within the radiation interval, the control module 920 may control (or cause) the shielding assembly to shield the blade.

[0123] In 1120, when radiation delivery is turned on, the control module 920 can control (or cause) the second drive mechanism to drive the limit block (e.g., limit block 670) to move to a second reference position corresponding to the second target position. The limit block can be configured to limit the position of the blade (e.g., blade 610). The limit block can be movable. One or more target positions of the blade can be adjusted by moving the limit block. In some embodiments, the second drive mechanism may include a drive motor. When radiation delivery is turned on, the drive motor can drive the limit block to move to the second reference position. The second reference position can be used to define the second target position of the blade.

[0124] In 1130, when radiation delivery is turned on, the control module 920 can control (or cause) the first drive mechanism to drive the blade to move to the second target position. Because the blade is shielded by the shielding assembly (e.g., in the first radiation interval), when radiation delivery is turned on, the blade can move quickly to the second target position, and the shape of the interval may not be affected. In some embodiments, the first drive mechanism may include a pneumatic drive mechanism (e.g., a cylinder), a spring-based drive mechanism (e.g., a load spring), a charge-based drive mechanism (e.g., an electromagnetic motor, a piezoelectric motor), etc., or any combination thereof. For example, the movement of the blade to the second target position can be driven by compressed gas. For another example, the movement of the blade to the second target position can be driven by a load spring. For another example, the movement of the blade to the second target position can be driven by an electromagnetic motor or a piezoelectric motor.

[0125] In 1140, the control module 920 can control (or cause) the blade to be exposed by moving the shielding assembly from the blade to open the radiation (e.g., before the second radiation interval). After the blade is moved to the second target position, the control module 920 can switch the shielding assembly to expose the blade. In this way, the radiation interval between the first radiation interval and the second radiation interval can be reduced, and the duty cycle can be increased.

[0126] It should be noted that the above description of process 1100 is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various changes and modifications can be made according to the description of the present application. However, these changes and modifications will not deviate from the scope of the present application. In some embodiments, one or more operations may be added. For example, when the stop block is moving, the blade can be stopped from moving by the brake assembly. In some embodiments, the shielding assembly can be configured to shield the first part blade or the second part blade. The shielding assembly can be able to switch from shielding the first part blade to shielding the second part blade, or switch from shielding the second part blade to shielding the first part blade.

[0127] In some embodiments, the MLC 500 may include at least two blade pairs configured to shield a radiation beam. In some embodiments, the MLC 500 may include a driver configured to drive at least one blade of the at least two blade pairs to translate between a first set of predetermined positions at a first speed. In some embodiments, the MLC 500 may include a positioner that moves asynchronously with the driver in a second set of predetermined positions at a second speed lower than the first speed. The positioner may be configured to place at least one blade at each position of the first set of predetermined positions. In some embodiments, the MLC 500 may include a position holder releasably connected to at least one blade. When the positioner moves from a first predetermined position of the second set of predetermined positions to a second predetermined position of the second set of predetermined positions, the position holder may be configured to hold at least one blade at each position of the first set of predetermined positions. In some embodiments, the positioner may include a motor for driving the positioner to move at a second speed. In some embodiments, the driver may be Figures 6A-7B , 10 and 11. In some embodiments, the positioner may be Figure 5-7B and the stopper shown in 9-11. In some embodiments, the position retainer can be Figures 6A-7B and the brake assembly shown in 9-11. In some embodiments, the first set of predetermined positions and / or the second set of predetermined positions can be predefined according to one or more treatment plans.

[0128] In some embodiments, the MLC 500 may include at least two blade pairs configured to shield the radiation beam. In some embodiments, the MLC 500 may include a drive assembly configured to drive each blade of the at least two blade pairs to completely and (substantially) instantly translate from the first operating position to the second operating position. In some embodiments, the drive assembly may be Figures 6A-7B , 10 and 11. In some embodiments, the blades fully translate may mean that the translation of the blades from the first operating position to the second operating position is done directly. In some embodiments, the blades (substantially) immediately translate may mean that the translation of the blades from the first operating position to the second operating position is done in a relatively short time (i.e., the blades move at a relatively high speed). In some embodiments, the operating position of the blades may refer to a position in which the blades are in an open state to form an aperture.

[0129] In some embodiments, the MLC 500 may include at least two blade pairs configured to shield the radiation beam. In some embodiments, the MLC 500 may include a drive assembly configured to drive each blade of the at least two blade pairs to translate from a first position where the at least two blade pairs form a first aperture to a second position where the at least two blade pairs form a second aperture. In some embodiments, because each blade can translate at a relatively high speed, the first aperture can be quickly changed to the second aperture. In some embodiments, the drive assembly may be Figures 6A-7B , 10 and 11 shown in the first drive mechanism.

[0130] In some embodiments, the radiation system 100 may include a radiation source (e.g., a first radiation source 113). In some embodiments, the radiation system 100 may include an MLC 500. In some embodiments, the MLC 500 may include at least two blade pairs emitted from the radiation source, configured to shield the radiation beam. In some embodiments, the MLC 500 may include a drive assembly configured to drive the blades of the at least two blade pairs to move. In some embodiments, the drive assembly may include a drive subassembly configured to drive each blade of the at least two blade pairs to completely and (substantially) immediately move it from a first operating position to a second operating position during the period when the radiation beam is turned off. In some embodiments, the drive assembly may include a position holding subassembly configured to hold each blade in the first operating position or the second operating position during the period when the radiation beam is turned on. In some embodiments, the drive subassembly may be Figures 6A-7B , 10 and 11. In some embodiments, the position holding subassembly may be Figure 5-7B and the stoppers shown in 9-11 and / or Figures 6A-7B and the brake assembly shown in 9-11.

[0131] Please note that the terms "first", "second", etc. are only for convenience of description and do not represent a specific order or name. For example, the first target position of the blade does not necessarily mean the first arrival position of the blade. For another example, the second target position of the blade does not necessarily mean the second arrival position of the blade.

[0132] The basic concepts have been described above. Obviously, for those of ordinary skill in the art who have read this application, the above invention disclosure is only for example and does not constitute a limitation of this application. Although not explicitly stated here, those of ordinary skill in the art may make various modifications, improvements and amendments to this application. Such modifications, improvements and amendments are suggested in this application, so such modifications, improvements and amendments still belong to the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this application.

[0133] At the same time, the present application uses specific words to describe the embodiments of the present application. For example, "one embodiment", "an embodiment", and / or "some embodiments" refer to a certain feature, structure or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or more in different positions in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, some features, structures or characteristics in one or more embodiments of the present application can be appropriately combined.

[0134] In addition, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various aspects of the present application may be illustrated and described by a number of patentable categories or situations, including any new and useful process, machine, product, or combination of substances, or any new and useful improvements thereto. Accordingly, various aspects of the present application may be performed entirely by hardware, entirely by software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or by a combination of hardware and software. The above hardware or software may all be referred to as "units", "modules" or "systems". In addition, various aspects of the present application may be represented as computer products located in one or more computer-readable media, the product including computer-readable program code.

[0135] A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal containing computer program code, such as in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such propagated signals may be in a variety of forms, including electromagnetic, optical, etc., or any suitable combination. A computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium other than a computer readable storage medium, which may be connected to an instruction execution system, device or apparatus to communicate, propagate or transmit a program for use. The program code on a computer readable signal medium may be propagated via any suitable medium, including radio, cable, fiber optic cable, RF, etc., or any combination of the above.

[0136] The computer program code required for the operation of each part of the present application can be written in any one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, Scala, Smalltalk, Eiffel, JADE, Emerald, C++, C#, VB.NET, Python, etc., conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as C programming language, Visual Basic, Fortran2103, Perl, COBOL 2102, PHP, ABAP, dynamic programming languages ​​such as Python, Ruby and Groovy, or other programming languages, etc. The program code can be run entirely on the user's computer, or run on the user's computer as an independent software package, or run partially on the user's computer and partially on the remote computer, or run entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter case, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer through any network form, such as a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet), or in a cloud computing environment, or used as a service such as software as a service (SaaS).

[0137] In addition, unless explicitly stated in the claims, the order of the processing elements and sequences described in this application, the use of alphanumeric characters, or the use of other names are not intended to limit the order of the processes and methods of this application. Although the above disclosure discusses some invention embodiments that are currently considered useful through various examples, it should be understood that such details are only for illustrative purposes, and the attached claims are not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, the claims are intended to cover all modifications and equivalent combinations that are consistent with the essence and scope of the embodiments of this application. For example, although the implementation of the various components described above can be embodied in a hardware device, it can also be implemented as a pure software solution, such as installation on an existing server or mobile device.

[0138] Similarly, it should be noted that in order to simplify the description disclosed in this application and thus facilitate the understanding of one or more embodiments of the invention, in the foregoing description of the embodiments of the present application, multiple features are sometimes grouped into one embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, this method of the present application should not be interpreted as reflecting the intention that the claimed object material to be scanned requires more features than those expressly stated in each claim. On the contrary, the subject matter of the invention should have fewer features than the single embodiment described above.

[0139] In some embodiments, numbers describing the number of components and attributes are used. It should be understood that such numbers used in the description of the embodiments are modified by the modifiers "about", "approximately" or "substantially" in some examples. Unless otherwise specified, "about", "approximately" or "substantially" indicate that the numbers are allowed to vary by ±20%. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters used in the specification and claims are approximate values, which may change according to the required features of individual embodiments. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should take into account the specified significant digits and adopt the general method of retaining digits. Although the numerical domains and parameters used to confirm the breadth of their range in some embodiments of the present application are approximate values, in specific embodiments, the setting of such numerical values ​​is as accurate as possible within the feasible range.

[0140] All patents, patent applications, patent application publications, and other materials (such as papers, books, specifications, publications, records, things, and / or the like) referred to herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes, except any prosecution record related to such documents, any such documents that are inconsistent or conflicting with this document, or any such documents that have the effect of limiting the broad scope of the claims that may or may not be related to this document. For example, if there is any inconsistency or conflict between the description, definition, and / or use of terms associated with any incorporated material and the terminology associated with this document, the description, definition, and / or terminology used in this document shall control.

[0141] Finally, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this application are only used to illustrate the principles of the embodiments of the present application. Other variations may also fall within the scope of the present application. Therefore, as an example and not a limitation, the alternative configurations of the embodiments of the present application may be considered to be consistent with the teachings of the present application. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present application are not limited to the embodiments explicitly introduced and described in the present application.

Claims

1. A multi-leaf collimator, comprising: a plurality of blades for shielding the radiation beam, at least two of the plurality of blades moving in directions parallel to each other, wherein each blade of at least a portion of the plurality of blades moves between at least two positions, at least one of the at least two positions being adjustable; A plurality of stoppers corresponding to the plurality of blades, each of the plurality of stoppers being configured to limit the position of a corresponding blade among the plurality of blades, wherein: Each of the plurality of blades includes a protrusion, the stopper corresponding to the blade includes a notch, and the protrusion is configured to be operably coupled to the notch.

2. The multi-leaf collimator according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the radiation beam is turned off, at least a portion of the plurality of blades move simultaneously.

3. The multi-leaf collimator according to claim 1, characterized in that: Further including: The first driving mechanism is configured to drive each of the blades to move from the first position to the second position.

4. The multi-leaf collimator according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first drive mechanism includes at least one of a pneumatic drive mechanism, a spring-based drive mechanism, or an electric charge-based drive mechanism.

5. The multi-leaf collimator according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the stop blocks is movable, and each of the at least two positions of the corresponding blade is adjusted by moving each of the stop blocks.

6. The multi-leaf collimator according to claim 5, characterized in that: Also includes: The second driving mechanism is configured to drive the at least two limit blocks to move, wherein: The second driving mechanism includes at least two driving motors, each of which is configured to move at least one of the plurality of limiting blocks to one or more target positions, wherein the one or more target positions are used to define one or more positions of at least one corresponding blade.

7. The multi-leaf collimator according to claim 6, characterized in that: Also includes: At least one brake assembly is configured to hold corresponding one or more blades of the plurality of blades from moving when one or more stop blocks move.

8. A leaf assembly of a multi-leaf collimator, characterized in that: include: a blade configured to shield a portion of the radiation beam, the blade being movable between at least three positions; a first driving mechanism configured to drive the movement of the blade; A limit block configured to limit the at least three positions of the blade; as well as The second driving mechanism is configured to drive the limit block to move to define the at least three positions; wherein: The blade includes a protrusion, the stopper corresponding to the blade includes a recess, and the protrusion is configured to be operably coupled to the recess.

9. A system for controlling a multi-leaf collimator, characterized in that: include: at least one storage device comprising a set of instructions for controlling movement of at least one leaf of the multi-leaf collimator; A stopper corresponding to the blade, the stopper being configured to limit the position of the blade, wherein: The blade includes a protrusion, the stopper corresponding to the blade includes a notch, and the protrusion is configured to be operably coupled to the notch; at least one processor in communication with the at least one storage device, wherein when executing the set of instructions, the at least one processor is configured to cause the system to: controlling at least one leaf of the multi-leaf collimator to move between one or more positions, wherein, in order to move one leaf of the at least one leaf to a first target position of the one or more positions, the system, When the radiation beam is turned on, the second driving mechanism drives the stopper of the multi-leaf collimator to move to a first reference position corresponding to the first target position; and When the radiation beam is turned off, the blade is driven by a first driving mechanism to move to the first target position.

10. A radiation system comprising: Radioactive sources; as well as Multi-leaf collimator, including: at least two blade pairs configured to shield a radiation beam emitted from the radiation source; a plurality of stoppers corresponding to the plurality of blades, each of the plurality of stoppers being configured to limit a position of a corresponding blade among the plurality of blades; and Drive components, including: a drive subassembly configured to drive each blade of the at least two blade pairs to fully and immediately translate it from a first operational position to a second operational position when the radiation beam is turned off; and a position holding subassembly configured to hold each blade in the first operating position or the second operating position when the radiation beam is turned on; wherein: Each of the plurality of blades includes a protrusion, the stopper corresponding to the blade includes a notch, and the protrusion is configured to be operably coupled to the notch.

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