A control system for medical heavy ion accelerator

Abstract

The present invention provides a medical heavy ion accelerator control system, comprising: a patient analysis unit, used to analyze a patient entering a treatment chamber of a treatment system and construct an ion injection scheme; an ion injection control unit, used to control the amount of ions injected into the medical heavy ion accelerator according to the ion injection scheme. The medical heavy ion accelerator control system of the present invention comprehensively analyzes the patient's condition to determine an appropriate ion injection scheme, tries to ensure no deviation from actual use, avoids the occurrence of retained ions, and effectively avoids energy waste.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of heavy ion accelerators, and in particular to a medical heavy ion accelerator control system. Background Art

[0002] Heavy ion accelerators are ion accelerators used to accelerate particles heavier than alpha particles, and sometimes protons. Heavy ion accelerators can accelerate a large number of heavy ions to very high speeds, even close to the speed of light.

[0003] Heavy ions can be used for radiotherapy of cancer patients. The medical heavy ion therapy device is composed of an accelerator system, a therapy system, a therapy planning system and other auxiliary systems used in conjunction with the therapy device. The control and monitoring of the entire device and equipment are realized through four sub-control systems, which are distributed as follows: accelerator control system, therapy control system, therapy planning control system and other auxiliary equipment control systems.

[0004] The medical heavy ion accelerator control system is to ensure the effective operation of the medical heavy ion accelerator system and to ensure that the accelerator equipment works in a highly synchronized and coordinated manner with each other, so as to safely, reliably and efficiently provide the treatment system with the energy and strong radioactive beam required for treatment.

[0005] The existing patent CN201910219743.0, a medical heavy ion accelerator control system, discloses a medical heavy ion accelerator control system used to control the medical heavy ion accelerator to provide the treatment system with the radioactive ion beam with the energy and current required for treatment. The control system is a multi-level distributed computer control system. The control system includes a central monitoring layer, a subsystem control layer, a field control layer and an equipment layer to realize centralized management and decentralized control of the equipment around the accelerator. The control system uses large-scale commercial configuration software for system integration and development; the hardware uses standardized industrial equipment and modules, which is conducive to maintenance and increases reliability; at the same time, the control system includes an independent central interlocking subsystem to ensure the safety of the accelerator equipment; in addition, the control system adopts a three-level hybrid network, and reasonably selects the transmission medium according to the data volume and data characteristics to achieve effective utilization of resources. However, its accelerator control system is strictly distinguished from the treatment control system and the treatment plan control system in design, and the distribution area and function realization are relatively independent of the treatment control and the treatment plan control system; in addition, the information exchanged between the accelerator control system and the treatment control system includes: beam application information, accelerator working mode selection, beam on / off control signal, beam permission signal; the control of the ion injection amount is still based on the selection of the accelerator working mode, and the control is relatively rigid and cannot be changed according to actual conditions. When there is a deviation from actual use, the retained ions are released for no reason or retained in the accelerator for confinement. No matter which method is used, it is a huge waste of energy. Summary of the invention

[0006] One of the purposes of the present invention is to provide a medical heavy ion accelerator control system that comprehensively analyzes the patient's condition to determine an appropriate ion implantation plan, ensuring that there is no deviation from actual use, avoiding the occurrence of retained ions, and effectively avoiding energy waste.

[0007] An embodiment of the present invention provides a medical heavy ion accelerator control system, comprising:

[0008] A patient analysis unit, used to analyze patients entering the treatment chamber of the treatment system and construct an ion implantation plan;

[0009] The ion injection control unit is used to control the amount of ions injected into the medical heavy ion accelerator according to the ion injection plan.

[0010] Preferably, the patient analysis unit comprises:

[0011] A pre-analysis subunit, used for pre-positioning the target according to the patient's test record data;

[0012] The re-examination subunit is used to obtain the patient's re-examination data;

[0013] The positioning correction subunit is used to correct the pre-positioned data based on the re-inspection data to obtain the accurately positioned data;

[0014] The target point extraction subunit comprehensively analyzes the precise positioning data and the position of the ion output end of the treatment chamber to determine the target point and the moving trajectory of the ion output end.

[0015] Preferably, the detection record data includes: CT images.

[0016] Preferably, the re-examination data includes: posture scanning data of the patient.

[0017] Preferably, the pre-positioning data includes: coordinate data of the tumor region located in the corresponding human body model under the posture corresponding to the detection record data.

[0018] Preferably, the precise positioning data includes: coordinate data of the tumor area in the corresponding treatment chamber space coordinate system in the patient's current posture after entering the chamber.

[0019] Preferably, the steps for determining the target point are as follows:

[0020] Construct a human body model in the current posture;

[0021] Determine the target area in the human body model based on the data of hardcover positioning;

[0022] Screening out at least one effective path from the target area to the human body surface from the human body model;

[0023] According to the order of the effective paths from short to long, determine in turn whether the extension line of each effective path is within the working range of the ion output end;

[0024] When the extension line of the effective path is within the working range of the ion output end, the center of the minimum circumscribed circle of the maximum cross-section of the target area in the vertical direction of the effective path is taken as the target point.

[0025] Preferably, the moving trajectory of the ion output end is the shortest path for the ion output end to move from the current position to the target point according to the direction of the effective path to a corresponding position within the working range of the ion output end.

[0026] Preferably, the steps for constructing the ion implantation scheme are as follows:

[0027] Taking the target point as the center, partition the maximum cross section according to the injection partition of the ion implantation device, partition upward from the maximum cross section along the effective path direction to the surface of the human body model, and partition downward to the last cross section of the target area;

[0028] Extracting tissue features of each partition to obtain a tissue feature parameter set that marks each partition;

[0029] Extracting an injection amount corresponding to the tissue characteristic parameter set from a pre-configured injection amount determination library according to the tissue characteristic parameter set;

[0030] Determine the loss amount from a pre-configured loss determination library according to the distance of the effective path extension line from the surface of the human body model to the working range of the ion output end;

[0031] The ion implantation amount of each implantation partition in the ion implantation scheme is determined according to the sum of the implantation amount and the loss amount of each partition.

[0032] Preferably, the ion implantation control unit performs the following operations:

[0033] Determine the ion implantation amount of each implantation partition of the ion implantation device according to the ion implantation plan;

[0034] The time required for the ion output end in the treatment system to move to the target point of the moving trajectory is monitored. When the time is within the trigger time threshold range, the ion implantation device is controlled to inject ions into each implantation partition and start acceleration.

[0035] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be described in the following description, and partly become apparent from the description, or understood by practicing the present invention. The purpose and other advantages of the present invention can be realized and obtained by the structures particularly pointed out in the written description and the accompanying drawings.

[0036] The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail below through the accompanying drawings and embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present invention, they are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute a limitation of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings:

[0038] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a control system for a medical heavy ion accelerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a patient analysis unit in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the steps for determining the target point in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are only used to illustrate and explain the present invention, and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0042] The embodiment of the present invention provides a medical heavy ion accelerator control system, such as Figure 1 As shown, including:

[0043] Patient analysis unit 1, used to analyze the patient entering the treatment chamber of the treatment system and construct an ion implantation plan;

[0044] The ion injection control unit 2 is used to control the amount of ions injected into the medical heavy ion accelerator according to the ion injection plan.

[0045] The medical heavy ion accelerator control system of the present invention conducts a specific analysis based on the specific conditions of the patient, and constructs an ion implantation plan on this basis to achieve precise ion implantation, ensure no deviation from actual use, avoid the occurrence of retained ions, and effectively avoid energy waste.

[0046] like Figure 2 As shown, in one embodiment, the patient analysis unit includes:

[0047] The pre-analysis subunit 11 is used to pre-position the target according to the patient's test record data; wherein the test record data includes: CT images. Wherein, the pre-positioning data includes: coordinate data of the tumor area located in the corresponding human body model under the posture corresponding to the test record data. The pre-analysis subunit 11 is mainly responsible for analyzing the CT images of the patient's historical tests, and mapping the affected part to a standard human body model suitable for the patient according to the position of the CT image containing the affected part corresponding to the human body, and determining the coordinates of each information point of the affected part (tumor area) according to the coordinate system in the standard human body model. The information points include: sampling points of the tumor boundary, tumor center point, etc.;

[0048] The entry re-examination subunit 12 is used to obtain the patient's entry re-examination data; wherein the re-examination data includes: the patient's posture scanning data. After the patient enters the treatment chamber, the scanning device provided in the treatment chamber is used to scan the patient's surface curve. Specifically, the infrared scanning device can be used to scan the patient's surface curve;

[0049] The positioning correction subunit 13 is used to correct the pre-positioned data based on the re-examination data to obtain the accurate positioning data; wherein the accurate positioning data includes: the coordinate data of the tumor area in the corresponding treatment chamber space coordinate system under the current posture of the patient after entering the chamber. The specific correction purpose is to use the posture difference of the current person's posture to correspond to the standard human body model, and then correct the coordinates of each information point of the affected part according to the pre-configured correction library; then the corrected coordinates are converted according to the current position of the person in the treatment chamber space coordinate system, and converted into coordinate data in the chamber;

[0050] Among them, the current person's posture is feature extracted, and the characteristic values ​​(the offset angle of the head axis, the offset angle of the trunk axis, etc.) are extracted. According to the extracted characteristic values, the corresponding deviation values ​​on each coordinate are retrieved from the correction library, and the coordinates are corrected according to the deviation values; the correction library is constructed in advance based on data analysis, and the characteristic values ​​and deviation values ​​in the correction library are correspondingly associated;

[0051] The target point extraction subunit 14 comprehensively analyzes the precise positioning data and the position of the ion output end of the treatment chamber to determine the target point and the moving trajectory of the ion output end; first, the target point corresponding to the treatment (the calibration point of the affected part) is determined, and then the moving trajectory is determined on this basis;

[0052] Among them, Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the steps for determining the target point are as follows:

[0053] Step 1: Construct a human body model in the current posture;

[0054] The human body model library composed of various postures associated with the standard human body model is retrieved based on the characteristic values ​​(the offset angle of the head axis, the offset angle of the trunk axis, etc.) obtained by feature extraction based on the current posture of the person, that is, the human body model library is pre-configured and the human body models corresponding to various postures in the library are associated with the characteristic values; of course, the retrieved human body model needs to be placed in the coordinate system corresponding to the treatment chamber;

[0055] Step 2: Determine the target area in the human body model based on the data of hardcover positioning;

[0056] The target area (tumor area) located in the corresponding coordinate system of the treatment chamber can be directly determined according to the coordinates of the data;

[0057] Step 3: selecting at least one effective path from the target area to the human body surface from the human body model;

[0058] Since the target area is located inside the human body, and the particles need to penetrate from the outside, the human body model and the target area are analyzed to screen out the effective paths that meet the requirements, so that the effective paths for the ions to enter the human body and reach the target area can be determined; the effective path needs to avoid bones, important blood vessels, etc., so the traversal method is used for screening and extraction. First, the shortest path from the target area to the surface of the human body is determined, and the target area is intercepted in the vertical direction of the path to obtain a cross section. The largest cross section is gradually moved from the target area to the surface of the human body. During the movement, it is determined whether the cross section passes through interference objects (bones, important blood vessels, etc.). If not, the shortest path is used as a valid path and the screening is terminated; when passing, the cross section avoids the distance in at least four directions of the interference object, determines at least four directions and angles for correction from the shortest path, and the corrected angles and directions are re-intercepted to the largest cross section and gradually moved from the target area to the surface of the human body with the largest cross section. During the movement, it is determined whether the cross section passes through the interference object. If not, the path at this time is used as a valid path. When passing, the interference object avoidance and path extraction are repeated until the interference object avoidance operation is invalid, and the extracted paths are respectively used as a valid path;

[0059] Step 4: Arrange the effective paths in order from short to long, and determine in turn whether the extension line of each effective path is within the working range of the ion output end;

[0060] The working range of the ion output end is the area constructed by the position to which the ion output end can move in the coordinate system in the chamber; the extension line of the effective path is within the working range of the ion output end, which means that the ion output end can irradiate the target area in the opposite direction of the effective path at the intersection of the extension line of the effective path and the working range; the calculation is performed according to the order of the effective path from short to long, which can ensure that the ion flow causes minimal harm to the human body;

[0061] Step 5: When the extension line of the effective path is within the working range of the ion output end, the center of the minimum circumscribed circle of the maximum cross-section of the target area in the vertical direction of the effective path is taken as the target point.

[0062] The moving trajectory of the ion output end is the shortest path for the ion output end to move from the current position to the target point according to the direction of the effective path to the corresponding position within the working range of the ion output end.

[0063] In one embodiment, the steps of constructing the ion implantation scheme are as follows:

[0064] Taking the target point as the center, the maximum cross section is partitioned according to the injection partition of the ion implantation device, starting from the maximum cross section, the partition is upwardly partitioned along the effective path direction to the surface of the human body model, and the partition is downwardly partitioned to the last cross section of the target area; the injection of the ion implantation device corresponding to the present invention is configured by partitioning, and the injection partitioning includes circular ring and hole grid; the circular ring is a plurality of nested injection partitions divided by a plurality of concentric circles, and the hole grid is each separate injection area divided by equally spaced dividing wires;

[0065] Extracting tissue features of each partition to obtain a tissue feature parameter set indicating each partition; the tissue feature parameter set includes: a parameter indicating tissue type, a parameter indicating the length of each type of tissue along an effective path, a parameter indicating the consumption of ions by each type of tissue, a parameter indicating the cross-sectional area of ​​the partition, etc.; wherein the parameter indicating the consumption of ions by each type of tissue is an average consumption value calculated in advance after an experiment of ions penetrating each type of tissue;

[0066] Extracting the injection amount corresponding to the tissue characteristic parameter set from a pre-configured injection amount determination library according to the tissue characteristic parameter set; the injection amount determination library is configured by professionals in advance, and in the library, the tissue characteristic parameter set is correspondingly associated with the injection amount;

[0067] According to the distance of the effective path extension line from the surface of the human body model to the working range of the ion output end, the loss amount is determined from a pre-configured loss determination library; the loss determination library is pre-configured, and the loss amount and the distance are correspondingly associated in the library;

[0068] The ion implantation amount of each implantation partition in the ion implantation scheme is determined according to the sum of the implantation amount and the loss amount of each partition.

[0069] For actual control, the control of the accelerator is mainly divided into the following stages: ion injection, accelerator operation mode (different operation modes are set corresponding to different target speeds to which the ions are accelerated), and ion output. Therefore, in order to achieve control without delay, in one embodiment, the ion injection control unit performs the following operations:

[0070] Determine the ion implantation amount of each implantation partition of the ion implantation device according to the ion implantation plan;

[0071] The time required for the ion output end in the treatment system to move to the target point of the moving trajectory (the total length of the remaining trajectory divided by the average moving speed) is monitored, and when the time is within the trigger time threshold range (0 to the average time taken for the ions to accelerate to the required speed), the ion implantation device is controlled to inject ions into each implantation partition and start acceleration;

[0072] The working mode is determined by querying a pre-configured mode selection table according to the total length of the valid path; the mode selection table is pre-configured, and each mode in the table corresponds to a length range; the working mode is adopted according to the length range corresponding to the mode in which the total length is located;

[0073] The control timing of ion output is after receiving an ion output request from the treatment system and approving the request.

[0074] In addition, for equipment that requires multiple injections, that is, when a single injection cannot achieve the injection volume required by the ion injection plan, multiple injections can be performed; and the timing of the second injection can track the position of the ions that have been injected into the accelerator, and the time when the position of the terminal ion in the accelerator during the ion output process has passed the point on the constrained orbit corresponding to the ion injection position is used as the time for the next ion injection; it is sufficient to ensure that the total amount of multiple injections meets the corresponding injection volume in the injection plan.

[0075] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A medical heavy ion accelerator control system, characterized in that: include: A patient analysis unit, used to analyze patients entering the treatment chamber of the treatment system and construct an ion implantation plan; An ion injection control unit, used to control the amount of ions injected into the medical heavy ion accelerator according to the ion injection plan; Wherein, the patient analysis unit comprises: A pre-analysis subunit, used for pre-positioning the target according to the patient's test record data; The re-examination subunit is used to obtain the patient's re-examination data; The positioning correction subunit is used to correct the pre-positioned data based on the re-inspection data to obtain the accurately positioned data; The target point extraction subunit comprehensively analyzes the precise positioning data and the position of the ion output end of the treatment chamber to determine the target point and the moving trajectory of the ion output end; The steps for determining the target point are as follows: Construct a human body model in the current posture; Determine the target area in the human body model based on the data of hardcover positioning; Screening out at least one effective path from the target area to the human body surface from the human body model; According to the order of the effective paths from short to long, determine in turn whether the extension line of each effective path is within the working range of the ion output end; When the extension line of the effective path is within the working range of the ion output end, the center of the minimum circumscribed circle of the maximum cross-section of the target area in the vertical direction of the effective path is taken as the target point.

2. The medical heavy ion accelerator control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detection record data includes: CT image.

3. The medical heavy ion accelerator control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The re-examination data includes: patient's posture scanning data.

4. The medical heavy ion accelerator control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pre-positioning data includes: coordinate data of the tumor area located in the corresponding human body model under the posture corresponding to the detection record data.

5. The medical heavy ion accelerator control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The precise positioning data includes: the coordinate data of the tumor area in the corresponding treatment chamber space coordinate system under the patient's current posture after entering the chamber.

6. The medical heavy ion accelerator control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The moving trajectory of the ion output end is the shortest path for the ion output end to move from the current position to the target point according to the direction of the effective path to the corresponding position within the working range of the ion output end.

7. The medical heavy ion accelerator control system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The steps for constructing an ion implantation scheme are as follows: Taking the target point as the center, partition the maximum cross section according to the injection partition of the ion implantation device, partition upward from the maximum cross section along the effective path direction to the surface of the human body model, and partition downward to the last cross section of the target area; Extracting tissue features of each partition to obtain a tissue feature parameter set that marks each partition; Extracting an injection amount corresponding to the tissue characteristic parameter set from a pre-configured injection amount determination library according to the tissue characteristic parameter set; Determine the loss amount from a pre-configured loss determination library according to the distance of the effective path extension line from the surface of the human body model to the working range of the ion output end; The ion implantation amount of each implantation partition in the ion implantation scheme is determined according to the sum of the implantation amount and the loss amount of each partition.

8. The medical heavy ion accelerator control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ion implantation control unit performs the following operations: Determine the ion implantation amount of each implantation partition of the ion implantation device according to the ion implantation plan; The time required for the ion output end in the treatment system to move to the target point of the moving trajectory is monitored. When the time is within the trigger time threshold range, the ion implantation device is controlled to inject ions into each implantation partition and start acceleration.

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