Modular radiation shielding

Abstract

The invention relates to radiation shielding. In order to provide an improved mobile shielding solution, an interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit 10 is provided to construct a radiation shielding wall. An interconnectable modular radiation shield unit includes a housing and at least one port. The housing at least partially forms a chamber therein, the chamber configured for holding an X-ray shielding fluid component. At least one port opens into the chamber through the housing and is configured to receive an X-ray shielding fluid component. The housing includes a detachable connection portion configured to be mechanically connected to a detachable connection portion of another interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit in order to construct a radiation shielding wall.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to radiation shielding, and in particular to an interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit, a radiation shielding wall, a treatment / diagnostic device including the radiation shielding wall, a system for constructing the radiation shielding wall, and a method for constructing the radiation shielding wall. Background Art

[0002] Unnecessary exposure to ionizing radiation can be biohazardous to both humans and the environment as it can cause organ damage, cell mutation, component failure and other harmful effects. X-ray mobile systems and containers are equipped with radiation shielding. These shields are implemented using lead, which is heavy and toxic. Summary of the invention

[0003] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved mobile shielding solution.

[0004] The objects of the invention are solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Further embodiments and advantages of the invention are contained in the dependent claims. Furthermore, it should be noted that all embodiments of the invention with respect to the method can be carried out in the order of the steps described, which is however not the only and necessary order of the method steps given herein. The method disclosed herein can be carried out in another order of the disclosed steps without deviating from the corresponding method embodiment, unless the contrary is explicitly mentioned below.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit for constructing a radiation shielding wall. The interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit comprises a housing and at least one port. The housing at least partially forms a chamber therein, which is configured to hold an X-ray shielding fluid component. At least one port passes through the housing into the chamber and is configured to receive the X-ray shielding fluid component. The housing comprises a detachable connecting portion, which is configured to be mechanically connected to a detachable connecting portion of another interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit so as to construct a radiation shielding wall.

[0006] The mobile shielding solution described herein is a modular radiation shield. The modular radiation shield is designed to be temporarily assembled at any desired location and in any desired alignment, and then filled with a radiation attenuating fluid that can be configured for a diagnostic / therapeutic system. In some examples, interconnectable modular radiation shielding units may include geometric wall elements with hollow structures that can be filled and discharged in a simple manner using X-ray absorbing materials. The geometric wall elements may take various shapes and geometric forms (including regular or irregular forms) and may have a cross-section of substantially any shape (circular, triangular, square, rectangular, polygonal, regular or irregular shapes, etc., as well as other symmetrical and asymmetrical shapes, or combinations thereof, among other shapes). At least a portion of the shell is rigid so as to provide support for the radiation shielding wall.

[0007] In some examples, interconnectable modular radiation shielding units may include a flexible radiation shield comprising an air-inflatable polymer.

[0008] The X-ray shielding fluid component can be any suitable type of fluid that provides X-ray shielding and protection. The type and amount of the X-ray shielding fluid component used to attenuate X-ray radiation depends on the energy of the X-ray, the composition of the material, and the density of the material. In some examples, the X-ray shielding fluid component may include one or more of the following: a high-z inert gas, a particle suspension in a liquid carrier, a nano- or micro-powder in a liquid as a homogeneous emulsion, a nano- or micro-powder embedded in a polymer liquid, and water.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the invention, the housing comprises a coating for providing electromagnetic radiation shielding.

[0010] The modular radiation shield may also be suitable for MR / X-ray hybrid mobile modular systems. In this case, the modular radiation shield may have an additional coating for protection against electromagnetic radiation to meet customer requirements for treatment systems that use electromagnetic radiation in combination with X-ray systems. The coating may have one or more conductive fillers to provide the desired resistance and attenuation levels.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the detachable connection portion is configured for radiation protection such that the amount of radiation leaked from the detachable connection portion is within a desired range when coupled with a detachable connection portion of another interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit.

[0012] This will be explained below, especially for Figure 2B and Figure 4B The example shown in is explained.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the invention, there is an overlap between a detachable connection portion of an interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit and a detachable connection portion of another interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit.

[0014] This will be explained below, especially for Figure 2B and Figure 4B The example shown in is explained.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, the housing comprises a plurality of chambers forming a sandwich structure of a plurality of chamber layers such that the interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit has flexible shielding properties depending on the number of filled chamber layers.

[0016] A sandwich structure of multiple layers can be used to form the geometric structural element into the shape (e.g. by air channels) followed by the functional element with the X-ray absorbing material. The sandwich formed by multiple "chamber layers" of X-ray absorbing fluid components can also allow defined shielding properties depending on the number of layers filled. Thus, for low absorption requirements, only one layer must be filled, while for high X-ray absorption performance, all layers of the multiple layers must be filled.

[0017] The flexible design of the shielded room configured using a sandwich structure and in terms of strength with respect to radiation attenuation can have several advantages. For example, the filling of the multilayer structure makes it optimally attenuate the radiation of a dedicated X-ray system. For specific cases, it may be advantageous that the attenuation of the wall structure is not uniform, but optimized only for a portion of the wall structure, so that less fluid is required and the structure is lighter. Moreover, in terms of weight, the sandwich structure can also be configured for the radiation pattern of the source.

[0018] In some examples, the interconnectable modular radiation shielding units further include a sensor configured to measure a liquid level within the chamber. Each interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit may include a sensor disposed within the chamber to measure the liquid level. The sensor may check whether the chamber of the corresponding interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit is completely filled to ensure that there is no radiation leakage.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the invention, the housing comprises X-ray shielding material.

[0020] To achieve good shielding characteristics for the shielding function, the X-ray shielding material may include a high-z material (eg, tantalum).

[0021] Examples of X-ray shielding materials may include, but are not limited to, X-ray opaque materials (e.g., barium sulfate, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, etc.), X-ray attenuating materials, X-ray attenuating ceramic materials, X-ray absorbers, and X-ray scattering materials.

[0022] For example, the X-ray shielding material may include bismuth trioxide particles. Bismuth has received attention in preclinical studies for its ability to attenuate X-rays and its high biocompatibility, which makes it an excellent element for use in biomedical agents or radiation shielding. It has been shown that lead and bismuth have fairly similar X-ray attenuation per unit density over most of the range of incident photons. In some examples, the housing 12 may be made of a plastic composite material, such as PMMA / Bi. 2 O 3 Composite materials.

[0023] The housing may include a large amount of X-ray shielding material to achieve a desired shielding effect. For example, if the X-ray shielding material includes lead, the housing may include a lead thickness of 1 to 5 mm to provide a desired shielding effect.

[0024] Since the housing can provide additional shielding functionality, the shielding effect of the combination of the housing and the X-ray shielding fluid component can be increased. In some embodiments, this can reduce the amount of the X-ray shielding fluid component that needs to be filled into the chamber in order to achieve the desired shielding effect.

[0025] According to one embodiment of the invention, the housing is a rigid housing.

[0026] This will be explained in detail below, especially for Figure 2A , Figure 2B and Figure 3 The examples shown are explained.

[0027] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the shell comprises a carbon fiber material, preferably a composite carbon fiber material.

[0028] Carbon fiber material is a lightweight material used to build lighter designs for mobile vehicles and portable shielding solutions.

[0029] In some examples, the shell may include a composite carbon fiber material. For example, the composite carbon fiber material may include a combination of lead and carbon fiber to achieve stiffness, weight reduction, and radiation absorption. The composite carbon fiber material may be part of each wall. The composite carbon fiber material may be constructed as modular panels or sheets. These sheets may be packed or connected in or on each wall and container. Composite carbon fiber materials, such as composite carbon lead materials, can provide X-ray absorption and electromagnetic absorption. In this way, no additional layers are required for electromagnetic absorption.

[0030] According to one embodiment of the invention, the housing is a flexible housing which is expandable by gas pressure to form staggered volumes defining the chamber.

[0031] This will be explained in detail below, especially for Figure 4A and Figure 4B The example shown in is explained.

[0032] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a radiation shielding wall is provided. The radiation shielding wall comprises a plurality of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units according to the first aspect and any related examples. The plurality of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units are detachably connected to each other to construct the radiation shielding wall.

[0033] This will be explained in detail below, especially for Figure 5 The example shown in is explained.

[0034] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a treatment / diagnostic device comprising a radiation shielding wall according to the second aspect and any related examples.

[0035] The therapeutic / diagnostic device may have an integrated hollow wall which may be filled with an X-ray absorbing liquid so that some parts of the imaging volume are shielded from radiation. The hollow wall may be flat, or may have a curved / bent structure.

[0036] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a system for constructing a radiation shielding wall is provided. The system comprises a plurality of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units, a fluid tank, and a fluid pump according to the first aspect and any related examples. A plurality of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units can be used to construct a radiation shielding wall. The fluid tank is configured to store an X-ray shielding fluid component. The fluid pump is configured to supply the X-ray shielding fluid component stored in the fluid tank to the radiation shielding wall.

[0037] This will be explained in detail below, especially for Figure 5 The example shown in is explained.

[0038] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the system further comprises a radiation monitoring system comprising one or more sensors configured to monitor radiation leakage from the radiation shielding wall and / or shielding quality.

[0039] This will be explained in detail below, especially for Figure 5 The example shown in is explained.

[0040] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the system further comprises a controller configured to control the fluid pump to supply the X-ray shielding fluid component based on the monitored radiation leakage and / or shielding quality.

[0041] This will be explained in detail below, especially for Figure 5 The example shown in is explained.

[0042] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for constructing a radiation shielding wall is provided. The method comprises the following steps:

[0043] - providing a plurality of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units according to the first aspect and any related examples;

[0044] - connecting a plurality of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units to each other in order to construct a radiation shielding wall;

[0045] - providing a fluid tank for storing an X-ray shielding fluid component; and

[0046] - supplying an X-ray shielding fluid composition to the radiation shielding wall using a fluid pump; and

[0047] - Radiation shielding using radiation shielding walls.

[0048] This will be explained in detail below, especially for Figure 6 The example shown in is explained.

[0049] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises:

[0050] - providing radiation information indicating the radiation intensity in the area to be shielded;

[0051] - providing position information indicating a position within the area where the radiation shielding wall is planned to be arranged;

[0052] -Provide radiation shielding properties of X-ray shielding fluid; and

[0053] - Determining a configuration of the radiation shielding wall based on the radiation information, the position information and the radiation shielding properties.

[0054] In some examples, the configuration of the radiation shielding wall may include a number of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units.

[0055] In some examples, the configuration of the radiation shielding wall can include an amount of X-ray shielding fluid used to construct the radiation shielding wall. For example, the amount of X-ray shielding fluid can be the total amount of X-ray shielding fluid used to construct the radiation shielding wall. For example, the amount of X-ray shielding fluid can be the amount of X-ray shielding wall of each interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit.

[0056] In some examples, configuration of a radiation shielding wall may include an arrangement of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units in the radiation shielding wall.

[0057] This will be explained in detail below, especially for Figure 6 The example shown in is explained.

[0058] It should be understood that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in more detail below (provided that such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of the claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are contemplated as part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein.

[0059] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiment(s) described hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same parts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.

[0061] Figure 1 An example of a mobile radiation shielding wall for protecting medical personnel from secondary radiation generated by a diagnostic scanner is shown.

[0062] Figure 2A A perspective view of exemplary interconnectable modular radiation shielding units for constructing a radiation shielding wall is shown.

[0063] Figure 2B Shows Figure 2A Another view of an exemplary interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit is shown in FIG.

[0064] Figure 3 An exemplary radiation shielding wall is shown.

[0065] Figure 4A Another example of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units is shown.

[0066] Figure 4B An exemplary connection method is shown.

[0067] Figure 5 A system for constructing a radiation shielding wall is shown.

[0068] Figure 6 A flow chart describing a method for constructing a radiation shielding wall is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] X-ray mobile systems and containers are equipped with radiation shielding. These shielding are implemented using lead, which is heavy and toxic.

[0070] To this end, the present disclosure proposes a mobile shielding solution. The proposed mobile shielding solution is a modular radiation shielding that can be configured for a diagnostic / treatment system. The modular radiation shielding is designed to be temporarily assembled in any alignment at any desired position and then filled with a radiation attenuation fluid. The proposed mobile shielding solution has a lightweight radiation shielding and is more flexible. In this way, a lighter design of mobile vehicles and portable solutions can be constructed. The radiation shielding can be installed or added locally in the hospital. Mobile hospital solutions (which need to be configured and protect the diagnostic area from radiation within a certain time interval) require a lightweight, easy-to-install and modular concept solution. There are also applications in which modular radiation shielding can be connected and combined with fixed, mobile and portable X-ray systems. In addition to its use in a medical environment, the proposed mobile shielding solution can also be used in industrial radiography and non-destructive testing (NDT) applications. Therefore, the proposed mobile shielding solution can be used to shield various types of X-ray emission systems, including but not limited to medical systems, cabinet X-ray systems, closed X-ray systems, X-ray inspection systems, X-ray screen systems, X-ray security systems, and baggage X-ray systems. The proposed mobile shielding solution can be used to shield various types of sources, such as cobalt, iridium, cesium, iodine, and uranium. In some examples, the housing of the interconnectable modular radiation shielding units may have a coating for providing electromagnetic radiation shielding. The coating may have one or more conductive fillers for providing the desired resistance and attenuation levels. Therefore, the proposed modular radiation shield can be used in a MR / X-ray hybrid mobile modular system.

[0071] Figure 1 An example of a mobile radiation shield wall 100 is shown for protecting medical personnel from secondary radiation generated by a diagnostic scanner 50 in, for example, a radiology department, diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine, a cath lab, an OR, or a specialty operating room.

[0072] exist Figure 1 In the example shown, the diagnostic scanner 50 is completely surrounded by the mobile radiation shielding wall 100. In some other examples (not shown), the mobile radiation shielding wall 100 can be used as a radiation shielding barrier and is used to provide radiation shielding in a specific direction. The radiation shielding wall 100 is constructed of a plurality of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units, which will be explained in detail below.

[0073] Figure 2A A perspective view of exemplary interconnectable modular radiation shielding units 10 for forming a radiation shielding wall 100 is shown.

[0074] The interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit 10 of the illustrated example includes a housing 12, in which a chamber 14 is at least partially formed. At least a portion of the housing is rigid so as to provide support for the radiation shielding wall. In this way, no additional support is required to fix the radiation shielding wall. Depending on the application, the housing 12 can take various shapes and geometric forms (including regular or irregular forms) and can have a cross-section of substantially any shape (among other shapes, circular, triangular, square, rectangular, polygonal, regular or irregular shapes, etc., as well as other symmetrical and asymmetrical shapes, or combinations thereof). The housing 12 can be flat, curved or bent. The housing 12 of the interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit 10 is preferably made of a lightweight material. In some examples, the housing can be made of a carbon fiber material. The carbon fiber material may include a composite material for radiation protection. For example, the carbon fiber material may include bismuth trioxide particles. Bismuth has received attention in preclinical studies for its ability to attenuate X-rays and high biocompatibility, making it an excellent element for biomedical agents or radiation shielding. Lead and bismuth have been shown to have fairly similar X-ray attenuation per unit density over a large portion of the range of incident photons. In some embodiments, the housing may include a composite carbon fiber material. For example, the composite carbon fiber material may include a combination of lead and carbon fiber to achieve stiffness, weight reduction, and radiation absorption. The composite carbon fiber material may be part of the various walls. The composite carbon fiber material may be constructed as modular panels or sheets. These sheets may be packed or connected within or on the various walls and containers. Composite carbon fiber materials, such as composite carbon lead materials, may provide both X-ray absorption and electromagnetic absorption. In this way, no additional layers are required for electromagnetic absorption. In some examples, the housing 12 may be made of a plastic composite material, such as PMMA / Bi. 2 O 3 Composite materials.

[0075] The shell 12 may include an X-ray shielding material. In order to achieve good shielding characteristics for the shielding function, the X-ray shielding material may include a high-z material (e.g., tantalum). Examples of X-ray shielding materials may include, but are not limited to, X-ray opaque materials (e.g., barium sulfate, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, etc.), X-ray attenuating materials, X-ray attenuating ceramic materials, X-ray absorbers, and X-ray scattering materials. For example, the X-ray shielding material may include bismuth trioxide particles. Bismuth has attracted attention in preclinical studies for its ability to attenuate X-rays and its high biocompatibility, making it an excellent element for biomedical agents or radiation shielding. It has been shown that lead and bismuth have fairly similar X-ray attenuation per unit density over most of the range of incident photons. In some examples, the shell 12 may be made of a plastic composite material, such as PMMA / Bi. 2 O 3Composite materials. The housing may include a large amount of X-ray shielding material in order to achieve the desired shielding effect. For example, if the X-ray shielding material includes lead, the housing may include a lead thickness of 1 to 5 mm in order to provide the desired shielding effect.

[0076] The chamber 14 is configured to hold an X-ray shielding fluid composition. For example, the chamber 14 is a hollow structure inside the housing 12 that can be filled and drained with an X-ray shielding fluid composition. At least one port 16 passes through the housing into the chamber 14 and is configured to receive the X-ray shielding fluid composition. Figure 1 In the example of , the at least one port includes an inlet port 16a and an outlet port 16b. The outlet port 16b may be fluidly coupled to the inlet port 16a of another interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit to form a circulation network of radiation shielding walls.

[0077] The X-ray shielding fluid composition can be any suitable type of fluid that provides X-ray shielding and protection.The type and amount of X-ray shielding fluid composition used to attenuate X-ray radiation depends on the energy of the X-rays, the composition of the material, and the density of the material.

[0078] In some examples, the X-ray shielding fluid may include a high-z noble gas, such as xenon.

[0079] In some examples, the X-ray shielding fluid may include a suspension of particles in a liquid carrier. In some examples, the X-ray shielding fluid component may include nano or micro powders in a liquid as a homogeneous emulsion, or nano or micro powders embedded in a polymer liquid. In some examples, the particles and / or nano or micro powders may include one or more X-ray opaque materials, such as barium sulfate, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, etc. In some examples, the particles and / or nano or micro powders may include one or more X-ray attenuating materials. In some examples, the particles and / or nano or micro powders may include one or more X-ray attenuating ceramic materials. In some examples, the particles and / or nano or micro powders may include one or more X-ray absorbers. In some examples, the particles and / or nano or micro powders may include one or more X-ray scattering materials. For example, the X-ray shielding fluid component may be a suspension of polymer bubbles or insoluble salts in a suitable liquid carrier. The suspension-based shielding system may be equipped with a suitable filtration / centrifugation system to separate (and recover) the suspended particles from the suspension after operation to achieve lightweight storage / transportation. Before operation, the particles or powders may be resuspended in the carrier fluid.

[0080] The previous examples are all based on specific liquid shielding materials that are relatively expensive, not abundant, and chemically reactive. In some embodiments, instead of being a shielding material, water can be used in modular constructions because it is ubiquitous and therefore does not necessarily need to be stored between uses. Other known liquid shielding materials need to be transported with the mobile system or stored and readily available at the location where the mobile system will be installed. Water can be released into the environment at the first location and refilled at the new location. In fact, this advantage can outweigh the fact that the layer thickness required for shielding using water is at least an order of magnitude greater than that of lead or bismuth. However, at the moderate energies used in X-ray therapy (0.5MeV–5MeV), the mass of water required is comparable to that of lead shielding, and the water layer thickness is about 10-20 times that of lead, making water shielding particularly suitable for these medical applications. Water is compatible with standard pumps and pipes. It is liquid enough to be easily pumped between containers. If it is not available in large quantities, water can be stored and reused. After radiation shielding, it can be used for other purposes, such as in hospitals, agriculture, or industry.

[0081] The housing 12 further includes a detachable connection portion 18 configured to be mechanically connected to a detachable connection portion of another interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit so as to construct the radiation shielding wall 100. The detachable connection portion 18 is configured to be radiation-proof so that when coupled with a detachable connection portion of another interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit, the amount of radiation leaked from the detachable connection portion is within a desired range. For example, Figure 2B As shown, there is an overlap between the detachable connection portion of an interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit and the detachable connection portion of another interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit.

[0082] Figure 3 Shown by Figure 2A Another example of a mobile radiation shielding wall 100 formed by some interconnectable modular radiation shielding units 10 is shown. In this example, each interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit 10 has an overlapping chamber structure. When two interconnectable modular radiation shielding units 10 are connected, the overlapping chamber structure can achieve continuous shielding performance and no (or only a limited amount of) radiation leakage. Although Figure 3 The detachable connecting portion 18 is shown to include overlapping chamber structures as an example, but it should be understood that in some embodiments, the detachable connecting portion 18 may not include any chamber structure, but only include shell materials, such as carbon fiber materials with composite materials, to provide radiation protection.

[0083] Figure 2A and Figure 2BAn exemplary interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit with a single layer is shown. In some examples (not shown), the housing 12 includes a plurality of chambers, thereby forming a sandwich structure of multiple chamber layers. A multi-layer sandwich structure can be used to form a geometric structural element into this shape (for example, by air channels), followed by a functional element with an X-ray absorbing material. A sandwich of multiple "chamber layers" for X-ray absorbing fluid components can also allow defined shielding properties depending on the number of layers filled. Thus, for low absorption requirements, only one layer must be filled, while for high X-ray absorption performance, all layers of multiple layers must be filled. Therefore, the sandwich can also be a sandwich formed by multiple chambers in parallel, and multiple chambers can be filled according to the desired shielding quality. For example, the shielding quality can be monitored by a sensor, which can be used to control the selection of the number of chamber layers to be filled in order to achieve the desired shielding quality.

[0084] The flexible design of the shielded room configured by using a sandwich structure and in terms of strength with respect to radiation attenuation can have several advantages. For example, the filling of the multilayer structure makes it optimally attenuate the radiation of a dedicated X-ray system. For specific cases, it may be advantageous that the attenuation of the wall structure is not uniform, but optimized only for a portion of the wall structure, so that less fluid is required and the structure is lighter. Moreover, in terms of weight, the sandwich structure can also be configured for the radiation pattern of the source.

[0085] It should be understood that the interconnectable modular radiation shielding units 10 described above can also be used to construct a therapeutic / diagnostic device. For example, the therapeutic / diagnostic device may have an integrated hollow wall that can be filled with an X-ray absorbing liquid so that some parts of the imaging volume are shielded from radiation. The hollow wall can be flat, or can have a curved or bent structure.

[0086] Figure 4A Another example of an interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit 10a is shown. In this example, the housing of the interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit 10a shown is a flexible housing that can be expanded by gas pressure to form interlaced volumes that define a chamber (not shown). The flexible interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit 10a is also referred to as a flexible shield. The flexible housing may include any suitable flexible material, such as a polymer. The chamber may be filled with an X-ray shielding fluid composition, such as about Figure 2A and Figure 2B Any of the X-ray shielding fluid compositions described in the examples shown in .

[0087] exist Figure 4AIn the example shown, the interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit 10a can be in the form of a modular flexible tent. A patient PAT or X-ray equipment (not shown) can be located within the modular flexible tent. The modular flexible tent can be inflated by air pressure and contains staggered volumes that can be filled with X-ray radiation shielding fluid.

[0088] The flexible tent 10a may be connected to a support structure, such as Figure 4A The rigid modular radiation shielding panel 10b shown. The modular radiation shielding panel 10b may also be referred to as a fixed shield. The modular radiation shielding panel 10b may be made of any suitable radiation shielding material, such as a carbon fiber material with a composite material, a plastic composite material, a polymer, etc. The flexible modular radiation shielding unit 10a and the rigid modular radiation shielding panel 10b may be connected in any way that radiation cannot escape. For example, Figure 4B As shown, the detachable connection portions 18a of the flexible interconnectable modular radiation shielding units 10a and the detachable connection portions 18b of the rigid modular radiation shielding panels 10b are interlaced to prevent radiation leakage.

[0089] Figure 5 An example of a system 200 is shown for constructing a radiation shielding wall 100 for shielding radiation generated by a diagnostic scanner 50. The system 200 includes a plurality of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units 10, fluid tanks 20, fluid pumps 30, radiation monitoring systems 40, and controllers 50 that can be used to construct the radiation shielding wall.

[0090] The interconnectable modular radiation shielding units 10 may be interconnected to form a radiation shielding wall 100. Depending on the application of the radiation shielding wall, the interconnectable modular radiation shielding units 10 may include Figure 2A , Figure 2B and Figure 3 One or more rigid interconnectable modular radiation shielding units and / or Figure 4A and Figure 4B One or more flexible, interconnectable modular radiation shielding units are shown in FIG. Figure 5 A limited number of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units may be shown by way of example, but it should be understood that in some embodiments, a greater or lesser number of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units may be used.

[0091] The fluid tank 20 stores an X-ray shielding fluid composition. The fluid tank 20 may include one or more reservoirs configured to store and supply the X-ray shielding fluid composition to or from the fluid tank 20. In some examples, the fluid tank 20 may store two or more different X-ray shielding fluid compositions.

[0092] The fluid pump 30 is in fluid communication with the fluid tank 20 and the radiation shielding wall 100, and is configured to supply the X-ray shielding fluid component stored in the fluid tank to the radiation shielding wall. Examples of the fluid pump 30 may include, but are not limited to, a mechanical pump, a magnetic pump, a centrifugal pump, a diaphragm pump, a gear pump, a flexible impeller pump, a peristaltic pump, a piston pump, and a rotary valve pump.

[0093] The radiation monitoring system 40 includes one or more sensors 42 configured to monitor radiation leakage from the radiation shielding wall. The radiation monitoring system 40 can continuously monitor the quality of the radiation shielding. For example, Figure 5 As shown, the radiation monitoring system 40 includes four sensors 42. Each sensor 42 can be set on a corresponding interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit 10. In some examples, the sensor 42 may include one or more sensors configured to obtain at least a portion of the penetrating X-ray radiation stimulus generated by the diagnostic scanner 50 and convert the penetrating X-ray radiation stimulus into at least one measurement indicating radiation leakage. As previously described, the X-ray shielding fluid component can be a suspension of particles or nano or micro powders (e.g., polymer bubbles or insoluble salts) in a suitable liquid carrier. In the case where the suspended particles tend to settle, it is necessary to ensure sufficient suspension density at all levels within the support. In this case, two or more sensors 42 can be set on a single interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit 10 to monitor the shielding quality at different locations. Based on this information, the fluid pump 30 can maintain an equal suspension density. Examples of sensors may include, but are not limited to, scintillators, dosimeters, photoluminescence detectors, photodiode arrays, charge coupled devices (CCDs), and complementary element oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices. In some examples, the sensor 42 may include one or more sensors for measuring the mechanical and electromagnetic quality of the shield. In some examples, sensors 42 may include one or more sensors for detecting the presence of human subjects in the environment. The acquired sensor data may be fed to a trained neural network, which may be part of the controller. The output of the trained network controls the devices to maintain the safety and quality of the shielding. In some examples, the sensor data may be further transmitted to a remote command center for real-time monitoring and control.

[0094] The fluid pump 30, the radiation monitoring system 40, and the diagnostic scanner 50 are connected to the controller 60 in a communicative manner. The communication may be wired or wireless. The controller 60 may include various physical and / or logical components for communicating and manipulating information, which may be implemented as hardware components (e.g., computing devices, processors, logic devices), executable computer program instructions to be executed by various hardware components (e.g., firmware, software), or any combination thereof, as desired by a given set of design parameters or performance constraints. In some implementations, the controller 60 may be implemented as a device or apparatus (e.g., a server, a workstation, or a mobile device) or implemented therein. The controller 60 may include one or more microprocessors or computer processors that execute appropriate software. The software may have been downloaded and / or stored in a corresponding memory, such as a volatile memory (e.g., RAM) or a non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory). The software may include instructions for configuring one or more processors to perform the functions described herein. It is noteworthy that the controller 60 may be implemented with or without a processor, and may also be implemented as a combination of dedicated hardware for performing some functions and a processor (e.g., one or more programmed microprocessors and associated circuits) for performing other functions. For example, the functional units of the controller 60 may be implemented in a device or apparatus in the form of programmable logic, for example as a field programmable gate array (FPGA). In general, each functional unit of an apparatus may be implemented in the form of a circuit.

[0095] The controller 50 is operable to manage the flow of the X-ray shielding fluid component to or from the fluid tank 20 and along one or more chambers of the interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit 10. In some examples, during operation, the radiation monitoring system 40 can monitor radiation leakage from the radiation shielding wall 100 to check whether the radiation shielding wall 100 is activated or functioning to provide radiation shielding. In response to detecting an actual or potential exposure event, the controller 60 can activate the flow of the X-ray shielding fluid component from the fluid tank 20 to the chamber of the interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit 10. In other words, the radiation monitor can directly control the fluid pump to prevent radiation leakage.

[0096] Figure 6 A flow chart describing a method 300 for constructing a radiation shielding wall is shown.

[0097] At block 310, a plurality of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units are provided. The plurality of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units may include one or more rigid interconnectable modular radiation shielding units (e.g., Figure 2A , Figure 2B and Figure 3 ), and / or one or more flexible, interconnectable modular radiation shielding units (e.g. Figure 4A and Figure 4B The unit shown in ).

[0098] At block 320 , a plurality of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units are interconnected to construct a radiation shielding wall. Figure 5 An exemplary radiation shielding wall is shown. A mechanical locking mechanism may be provided to assist in the coupling and decoupling of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units. For example, individual wall elements may be snapped together to form a frame.

[0099] At block 330 , a fluid tank storing an X-ray shielding fluid composition is provided.

[0100] At block 340, the X-ray shielding fluid composition is supplied to the radiation shielding wall using a fluid pump. A mobile vehicle can be equipped and loaded with these components, tanks, and pumps. The liquid shielding can be easily replaced, recycled, and transported.

[0101] At block 350 , radiation shielding is performed using a radiation shielding wall.

[0102] In some embodiments, it may be desirable to determine the number of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units and the amount of radiation shielding fluid used to construct the radiation shielding wall, for example, after any changes to the radiation generating equipment, or after any changes to the number, location, and / or arrangement of radiation shielding units in the radiation shielding wall. In one example, if Figure 1 is changed to a different diagnostic scanner (e.g., with a higher radiation intensity), then the radiation shielding wall 100 may have to be reconfigured to provide the desired shielding effect. In another example, if Figure 1 If the radiation shielding wall 100 shown in FIG. 1 can be relocated (e.g., at a closer distance to the diagnostic scanner 50), the radiation shielding wall 100 may also have to be reconfigured to provide the desired shielding effect. The number of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units and / or the amount of radiation shielding fluid used to construct the radiation shielding wall can be determined as follows:

[0103] First, radiation information is provided to indicate the radiation intensity in the area to be shielded. The radiation information may also include a radiation pattern. In some examples, the radiation generating device (e.g. Figure 1 The radiation information may be determined based on technical data of a diagnostic scanner (eg, a CT scanner) as shown in FIG. 1 . In some examples, the radiation information may be determined based on previous measurements of radiation intensity.

[0104] Secondly, position information is provided, which is used to indicate the location within the area where the radiation shielding wall is to be arranged. In some examples, the position information may include a relative distance between the radiation shielding wall and the radiation generating device. The relative distance may be a three-dimensional distance between the radiation generating device (e.g., a CT scanner) and the radiation shielding wall.

[0105] Third, radiation shielding properties of the radiation shielding fluid composition are provided. For example, the radiation shielding properties may include attenuation coefficients and material densities, which may be used to estimate, for example, the transmission of X-ray radiation through the X-ray shielding fluid.

[0106] Fourth, based on the radiation information, the position information and the radiation shielding characteristics, the configuration of the radiation shielding wall is determined so as to achieve the desired radiation attenuation.

[0107] In some examples, the configuration of the radiation shielding wall may include a number of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units.

[0108] In some examples, the configuration of the radiation shielding wall can include an amount of X-ray shielding fluid used to construct the radiation shielding wall. For example, the amount of X-ray shielding fluid can be the total amount of X-ray shielding fluid used to construct the radiation shielding wall. For example, the amount of X-ray shielding fluid can be the amount of X-ray shielding wall of each interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit.

[0109] In some examples, configuration of a radiation shielding wall may include an arrangement of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units in the radiation shielding wall.

[0110] The above-described method for determining the number of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units and / or the amount of radiation shielding fluid for constructing a radiation shielding wall can be performed by computer program instructions running on a device that provides data processing functionality in the context of the present disclosure. Such a device can, for example, be embedded in a personal computer, a smart phone, etc. The result of the calculation, i.e., the number of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units and / or the amount of radiation shielding fluid, can be communicated to a user, for example, via a graphical user interface (e.g., a display), so as to provide guidance for constructing a radiation shielding wall.

[0111] All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and / or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

[0112] The indefinite articles "a" and "an" as used herein in the specification and claims, unless expressly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean "at least one".

[0113] The term "and / or" as used herein in the specification and claims should be understood to refer to "either or both" of the elements so connected (i.e., elements that are present jointly in some cases and separately in other cases). Multiple elements listed with "and / or" should be interpreted in the same manner, i.e., "one or more" of the elements so connected. In addition to the elements specifically identified by the "and / or" clause, other elements may optionally be present, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.

[0114] As used herein in the specification and claims, the term "at least one" when referring to a list of one or more elements should be understood to refer to at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the element list, but does not necessarily include each and every one of the elements specifically listed in the element list, and does not exclude any combination of elements in the element list. This definition also allows that in addition to the elements specifically identified in the element list to which the term "at least one" refers, elements may optionally be present, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.

[0115] In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a computer program or a computer program element is provided, characterized in that it is adapted to execute the method steps of the method according to one of the preceding embodiments on a suitable system.

[0116] Therefore, the computer program element can be stored on a computer unit, which can also be a part of an embodiment of the present invention. The computing unit can be suitable for executing or causing the execution of the steps of the above method. In addition, it can be suitable for operating the components of the above device. The computing unit can be suitable for automatic operation and / or running the user's command. The computer program can be loaded into the working memory of the data processor. Therefore, the data processor can be equipped to perform the method of the present invention.

[0117] This exemplary embodiment of the invention covers both a computer program that right from the beginning uses the invention and a computer program that by means of an update turns an existing program into a program that uses the invention.

[0118] Furthermore, the computer program element can provide all necessary steps to complete the procedures of an exemplary embodiment of the method as described above.

[0119] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a computer readable medium, for example a CD-ROM, is proposed, wherein the computer readable medium has a computer program element stored thereon, the computer program element being described by the preceding sections.

[0120] The computer program may be stored and / or distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium provided with or as part of other hardware, but may also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems.

[0121] However, the computer program may also be presented over a network like the World Wide Web and can be downloaded from such a network into a working memory of a data processor. According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a medium for making a computer program element available for downloading is provided, the computer program element being arranged for performing a method according to one of the aforementioned embodiments of the present invention.

[0122] Although multiple creative embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will readily conceive of a variety of other devices and / or structures for performing the functions described herein and / or obtaining the results and / or one or more advantages described herein, and each of such variations and / or modifications is considered to be within the scope of the creative embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are exemplary, and that actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and / or configurations will depend on one or more specific applications in which the creative teachings are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize or be able to determine many equivalents of the specific creative embodiments described herein using only routine experiments. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing examples are presented only by way of example, and within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, these creative embodiments may be practiced in a manner different from that specifically described and claimed. The creative embodiments of the present disclosure relate to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and / or method described herein. In addition, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits and / or methods are not inconsistent with each other, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits and / or methods is also included in the inventive scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit (10) for constructing a radiation shielding wall, comprising: - a housing (12) in which a chamber (14) is at least partially formed, the chamber being configured for holding an X-ray shielding fluid composition; and - at least one port (16a, 16b) opening through the housing into the chamber and configured to receive the X-ray shielding fluid component; Therein, the housing comprises a detachable connecting portion (18) configured to be mechanically connected to a detachable connecting portion of another interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit in order to construct the radiation shielding wall.

2. The interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit according to claim 1, in, The housing includes a coating for providing electromagnetic radiation shielding.

3. The interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit according to claim 1 or 2, in, The detachable connection portion is configured for radiation protection such that an amount of radiation leaked from the detachable connection portion is within a desired range when coupled to the detachable connection portion of the another interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit.

4. The interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit according to claim 3, in, There is an overlap between the detachable connection portion of the interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit and the detachable connection portion of the other interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit.

5. Interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit according to any one of the preceding claims, in, The housing comprises a plurality of chambers forming a sandwich structure of a plurality of chamber layers such that the interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit has flexible shielding properties depending on the number of chamber layers filled.

6. Interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit according to any one of the preceding claims, in, The housing includes X-ray shielding material.

7. Interconnectable modular radiation shielding unit according to any of the preceding claims, in, The shell comprises a rigid shell and optionally comprises a carbon fiber material, preferably a composite carbon fiber material.

8. Interconnectable modular radiation shielding units according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in, The housing comprises a flexible housing that is expandable by gas pressure to form staggered volumes defining the chamber.

9. A radiation shielding wall (100), comprising: - A plurality of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a plurality of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units are detachably connected to each other in order to construct the radiation shielding wall.

10. A treatment / diagnostic device comprising a radiation shielding wall according to claim 9.

11. A system (200) for constructing a radiation shielding wall, comprising: - a plurality of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units according to any one of claims 1 to 9 which can be used to construct the radiation shielding wall; - a fluid tank (20) configured to store an X-ray shielding fluid component; as well as - a fluid pump (30) configured to supply the X-ray shielding fluid component stored in the fluid tank to the radiation shielding wall.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein: The system further comprises: - a radiation monitoring system (40) comprising one or more sensors (42) configured to monitor radiation leakage from the radiation shielding wall and / or shielding quality.

13. The system according to claim 11 or 12, wherein: The system further comprises: - a controller (60) configured to control the fluid pump to supply the X-ray shielding fluid component based on the monitored radiation leakage and / or the monitored shielding quality.

14. A method (300) for constructing a radiation shielding wall, comprising: - providing (310) a plurality of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units according to any one of claims 1 to 8; - connecting a plurality of interconnectable modular radiation shielding units to each other (320) so as to construct the radiation shielding wall; - providing (330) a fluid tank storing an X-ray shielding fluid component; as well as - supplying the X-ray shielding fluid composition to the radiation shielding wall using (340) a fluid pump; as well as - Using (350) the radiation shielding wall for radiation shielding.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The method further comprises: - providing radiation information indicating the radiation intensity in the area to be shielded; - providing position information indicating a position within the area where the radiation shielding wall is planned to be arranged; - providing radiation shielding properties of said X-ray shielding fluid composition; and - determining a configuration of the radiation shielding wall based on the radiation information, the position information and the radiation shielding properties.

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