Array type machine head multi-angle irradiation system and method based on linear accelerator

Abstract

The invention particularly relates to an array type machine head multi-angle irradiation system and method based on a linear accelerator, the array type machine head multi-angle irradiation system comprises a power source module, a microwave synthesis and distribution network module and an accelerator array module, and the power source module is used for generating microwaves based on the current power requirement of the array type machine head multi-angle irradiation system; the microwave synthesis and distribution network module is used for performing power synthesis on the microwaves generated by the power source module, and distributing the synthesized microwaves to a single accelerating tube to be distributed of the accelerator array module based on the current distribution requirement of the array type machine head multi-angle irradiation system; and a microwave field for accelerating charged particles is established in the accelerating tube after microwaves are fed in. Therefore, the problems of low speed, long consumed time and the like of a method for performing multi-angle radiation field radiotherapy and imaging by using a single machine head comprising an accelerating tube in a mechanical rotation mode in the related technology are solved, and efficient and accurate multi-angle rapid irradiation is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of ray source control technology, and in particular to an array-type head multi-angle irradiation system and method based on a linear accelerator. Background Art

[0002] Electron linear accelerators can generate electron beams of specific energy, directly lead out electron beams or use electron beams for target shooting, and generate X-rays through bremsstrahlung radiation. They can be used as stable, reliable and controllable electron sources or X-ray sources, and are widely used in many fields such as radiotherapy, CT imaging technology, industrial irradiation, etc., making great contributions to people's health, improvement of living standards, and development of the national economy.

[0003] Multi-angle irradiation is a necessary condition in many application scenarios. Radiotherapy requires the use of multi-angle and multi-irradiation fields to ensure that the dose distribution is accurately conformed to the target area; CT technology needs to obtain multi-angle projection information of the irradiated object that meets the three-dimensional reconstruction conditions. Currently, most devices that use accelerators as radiation sources use a single accelerator as a radiation source, and mechanically move the radiation source to the target position and angle for irradiation, combining into a multi-angle radiation field. With the development of technology, cutting-edge technologies in radiotherapy and CT imaging have put forward the need for multi-angle rapid irradiation.

[0004] In recent years, many studies have shown that ultra-high dose rate (≥40Gy / s) instantaneous (<1s) irradiation can significantly reduce the toxic response of normal tissues caused by ionizing radiation. This effect is called the FLASH effect. The FLASH effect has been verified in many animal models such as zebrafish, mice, mini pigs, cats, and large dogs. The biological mechanism of the FLASH effect has not yet been clearly determined, but even without considering its special biological advantages, ultra-high dose rate radiotherapy equipment has obvious advantages in shortening the single treatment time, improving treatment efficiency, and "freezing" organ movement, and has broad application prospects.

[0005] In the related technology, static CT equipment proposes an imaging method that uses distributed radiation sources to irradiate in sequence instead of mechanically moving a single radiation source, so as to improve imaging accuracy, shorten imaging time, and realize CT imaging of fast motion processes. The X-ray energy in accelerator-based static CT is higher and the penetration ability is stronger. It can be used as a CT imaging method for industrial inspection of metal products with higher atomic numbers and greater thickness.

[0006] However, the size and weight of equipment using a single accelerator as a radiation source are large, making it difficult to achieve rapid movement; at high speeds, high position accuracy is also difficult to guarantee. The cost and difficulty of accelerator distributed arrays are high. Currently, manufacturers around the world have proposed several static CT equipment solutions based on X-ray tubes as radiation sources, but no static CT solution based on accelerators has been seen, which urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present application provides an array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system and method based on a linear accelerator to solve the problems of slow speed and long time consumption of multi-angle irradiation field radiotherapy and imaging methods performed by mechanically rotating a single handpiece including an accelerator tube used in the related art, thereby achieving efficient and accurate multi-angle irradiation.

[0008] The first embodiment of the present application provides an array-type head multi-angle irradiation system based on a linear accelerator, comprising: a power source module, a microwave synthesis and distribution network module and an accelerator array module.

[0009] Wherein, the power source module is used to generate microwaves based on the current power demand of the array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system;

[0010] The microwave synthesis and distribution network module is used to synthesize the microwaves generated by the power source module, and based on the current distribution requirements of the array-type head multi-angle irradiation system, distribute the synthesized microwaves to a single accelerating tube to be distributed in the accelerator array module, so as to establish a microwave field for accelerating charged particles inside the accelerating tube after the microwaves are fed in.

[0011] Optionally, the linear accelerator-based array-type head multi-angle irradiation system further includes:

[0012] A frame includes a plurality of accelerating tube installation positions, so that the plurality of accelerating tubes of the accelerator array module can be installed one by one at the plurality of accelerating tube installation positions; the center position of the frame is a passing aperture for a radiotherapy patient or an industrial CT object to be imaged.

[0013] Optionally, when the linear accelerator-based array-type head multi-angle irradiation system is in beam-emitting operation, the frame is in a stationary state.

[0014] Optionally, when the linear accelerator-based array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system is in a non-beam-emitting working state, at least one accelerating tube is adjusted to a corresponding required angle according to actual usage requirements.

[0015] Optionally, in the accelerator array module, microwave distribution is switched and after power synthesis, all of the power is transmitted to a certain accelerating tube load at a certain moment.

[0016] Optionally, when there is a coplanar requirement for the array-type head multi-angle irradiation system, the multiple accelerating tubes of the accelerator array module are coplanarly distributed;

[0017] When there is a non-coplanar requirement for the array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system, the multiple accelerating tubes of the accelerator array module are distributed non-coplanarly.

[0018] Optionally, after the microwave synthesis and distribution network module distributes the synthesized microwave to a single accelerating tube to be distributed of the accelerator array module, the microwave synthesis and distribution network module is further used to:

[0019] Determine the target accelerating tube in the accelerator array module based on the accelerating tube switching requirement,

[0020] Based on the target accelerating tube, according to the microwave distribution network characteristics, determining the target microwave characteristics or the target distribution device state that meet the target accelerating tube;

[0021] Based on the target microwave characteristics or the target distribution device state, the synthetic microwave is switched from the single accelerating tube to be distributed to the target accelerating tube.

[0022] A second aspect of the present application provides a control method for an array-type head multi-angle irradiation system, comprising the following steps:

[0023] Obtaining the current power demand and current allocation demand of the linear accelerator-based array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system;

[0024] Based on the current power demand, control the power source module of the array-type head multi-angle irradiation system of the linear accelerator to generate microwaves based on the current power demand, and use the microwave synthesis and distribution network module to perform power synthesis on the microwaves generated by the power source module;

[0025] A single accelerating tube to be allocated of the accelerator array module is determined based on the current allocation demand, and the synthesized microwave is allocated to the single accelerating tube to be allocated, so as to establish a microwave field for accelerating charged particles inside the accelerating tube after the microwave is fed into the accelerating tube.

[0026] Optionally, determining a single accelerating tube to be allocated of the accelerator array module based on the current allocation demand, and allocating the synthesized microwave to the single accelerating tube to be allocated, comprises:

[0027] Based on the single accelerating tube to be allocated, and according to the microwave distribution network characteristics, determining a first microwave characteristic or a first distribution device state that satisfies the single accelerating tube to be allocated;

[0028] Based on the first microwave characteristic or the first distribution device state, the synthesized microwave is distributed to the single accelerating tube to be distributed.

[0029] Optionally, after the microwave synthesis and distribution network module distributes the synthesized microwave to a single accelerating tube to be distributed of the accelerator array module, the method further includes:

[0030] Determine whether an acceleration tube switching request is received;

[0031] If an accelerating tube switching requirement is received, a target accelerating tube in the accelerator array module is determined based on the switching requirement, and based on the target accelerating tube and according to the microwave distribution network characteristics, a second microwave characteristic or a second distribution device state that satisfies the target accelerating tube is determined;

[0032] Based on the second microwave characteristic or the second distribution device state, the synthetic microwave is switched from the single accelerating tube to be distributed to the target accelerating tube.

[0033] The third aspect of the present application provides an electronic device, comprising: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are configured to execute the control method of the array head multi-angle irradiation system as described in the above embodiment.

[0034] Therefore, after obtaining the current power demand and current allocation demand of the array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system based on the linear accelerator, the embodiment of the present application controls the power source module of the array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system based on the linear accelerator to generate microwaves of the current power demand based on the current power demand, and uses the microwave synthesis and distribution network module to synthesize the power of multiple microwaves, and then based on the current allocation demand, distributes the synthesized microwave to the single accelerating tube to be distributed of the accelerator array module, so as to establish a microwave field for accelerating charged particles inside the accelerating tube after the microwave is fed in. Thus, the problems of slow speed and long time consumption of multi-angle irradiation field radiotherapy and imaging methods in a mechanically rotating manner used in the related art are solved, and efficient and accurate multi-angle irradiation is achieved.

[0035] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be given in part in the description below, and in part will become apparent from the description below, or will be learned through the practice of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and easily understood from the following description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0037] Figure 1 A block diagram of a linear accelerator-based array head multi-angle irradiation system provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of a linear accelerator-based array head multi-angle irradiation system provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the microwave synthesis and distribution network principle of a linear accelerator-based array-head multi-angle irradiation system provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 4 A functional schematic diagram of a 3dB coupler of a linear accelerator-based array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a 4-4 level microwave synthesis and distribution network based on phase control, consisting of four 3dB couplers, of a linear accelerator-based array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a linear accelerator-based array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of controlling the emission of macro pulses from each radiation source in a control method for an array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a single-ray source macro-pulse-micro-pulse time structure of a control method for an array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Fig. 9 It is a flow chart of a control method of an array-type head multi-angle irradiation system provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present application, and should not be construed as limiting the present application.

[0048] The following describes the array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system and method based on a linear accelerator in the embodiment of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings. In view of the problem that the single handpiece containing an accelerator tube used in the related art mentioned in the above background technology is slow and time-consuming to perform multi-angle irradiation field radiotherapy and imaging methods in a mechanically rotating manner, the present application provides an array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system based on a linear accelerator, the power source module is used to generate microwaves based on the current power demand of the array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system; the microwave synthesis and distribution network module is used to synthesize the microwaves generated by the power source module, and based on the current distribution demand of the array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system, the synthesized microwaves are distributed to a single accelerating tube to be distributed of the accelerator array module, so as to establish a microwave field for accelerating charged particles inside the accelerating tube after the microwave is fed in. As a result, the problems of slow speed and long time-consuming to perform multi-angle irradiation field radiotherapy and imaging methods in a mechanically rotating manner using a single handpiece containing an accelerator tube used in the related art are solved, and efficient and accurate multi-angle irradiation is achieved.

[0049] Specifically, Figure 1 A block diagram of a linear accelerator-based array head multi-angle irradiation system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0050] like Figure 1 As shown, the linear accelerator-based array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system 10 includes: a power source module 100, a microwave synthesis and distribution network module 200 and an accelerator array module 300.

[0051] Among them, the power source module 100 is used to generate microwaves based on the current power demand of the array-type head multi-angle irradiation system 10; the microwave synthesis and distribution network module 200 is used to synthesize the power of the microwaves generated by the power source module 100, and based on the current distribution demand of the array-type head multi-angle irradiation system 10, distribute the synthesized microwaves to a single accelerating tube to be distributed of the accelerator array module 300, so as to establish a microwave field for accelerating charged particles inside the accelerating tube after the microwave is fed in.

[0052] It is understandable that, combined with Figure 1 and Figure 2 ,in, Figure 2A schematic diagram of the structure of a linear accelerator-based array head multi-angle irradiation system 10 provided in an embodiment of the present application, the power source module 100 may include one or more power sources, the power source is a device that provides microwave power in the accelerator system, the beam power and dose rate generated by the accelerator are directly related to the power value that the power source can provide; to achieve ultra-high dose rate irradiation, the power source module 100 is required to partially generate a larger microwave power; to achieve the peak microwave power required by the system, the microwave powers of several power sources in the power source module 100 can be synthesized. Microwave power synthesis will be carried out in the microwave synthesis and distribution network module 200. Before synthesis, each power source is required to generate microwaves with amplitude and phase that meet the synthesis requirements. Commonly used power sources in accelerator systems include klystrons and magnetrons.

[0053] In some embodiments, the klystron is equivalent to an amplifier. When the klystron is used as a power source, the frequency and phase difference of the final microwave can be guaranteed by the frequency and phase control of the previous excitation source; the magnetron is equivalent to an oscillating device. The phase output by a single magnetron is random, but phase synthesis can also be achieved by phase locking of several magnetrons. The number of power sources is determined according to the actual performance parameters required by the accelerator system.

[0054] It can be understood that the microwave synthesis and distribution network module 200 includes two major functions: synthesis and distribution. Synthesis is to synthesize the microwaves generated by the first part of the power source module that meet the specific amplitude and phase requirements into a microwave with a higher amplitude. Distribution is to transmit all the synthesized microwaves to a specific branch, and the transmission of the specific branch can be switched and controlled in some way. For a system consisting of M power sources and N accelerating tubes, the microwave synthesis and distribution network is an M-input and N-output microwave network. Compared with the method of allocating a fixed ratio to each accelerating tube or each accelerating tube with its own power source, the embodiment of the present application has a higher power fed to a single accelerating tube when the total number of power sources is the same, so a higher dose rate can be achieved.

[0055] It should be noted that, in some embodiments, in the microwave synthesis part, the first-stage synthesis network can use a fixed ratio power synthesizer with M input and 1 output, such as Figure 3 As shown in (a), Figure 3 (a) is a schematic diagram of a microwave network based on a fixed ratio power synthesizer. As another embodiment, a synthesis network based on a 3dB coupler (3dB hybrid) can be used, such as Figure 3 As shown in (b), Figure 3(b) is a schematic diagram of a microwave network synthesized based on a 3dB coupler. The network has a certain distribution function based on phase control. The combined network based on the above two devices can also be used for microwave power synthesis. The 3dB coupler is a mature microwave synthesis and distribution network based on phase control. It has 4 ports, including 2 input ports and 2 output ports. Its function is equivalent to an amplitude quadrature adder of the input microwave, such as Figure 4 When the input amplitudes of the two input ports are the same (both are A), and When the phase difference of the microwave is ±90°, the microwaves are synthesized and all output from one output port. Based on this function, the phase difference of the two input microwaves can be controlled and the output port of the synthesized power can be selected. Based on the above principle, 2 x -2 x (i.e. 2 x A microwave synthesis and distribution network based on phase control has input ports and output ports, x is an integer). Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the principle of realizing a 4-4 level microwave synthesis and distribution network based on phase control through series and parallel connection of 3dB couplers.

[0056] It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the microwave distribution network needs to transmit all input microwaves to a specific output branch or with lower loss, and the output branch can be switched by a certain adjustment amount. The distribution network can use active devices, that is, the function of branch switching is realized by changing the structure or state of the microwave device; passive devices can also be used, that is, changing the frequency, phase and other parameters of the input microwave without changing the microwave device itself can passively match the output branch. In the embodiments of the present application, active devices include mechanical power dividers (or mechanical branch switches) and microwave switches (such as actively generating plasma to switch microwaves on and off), etc., and embodiments of passive devices include devices that control the switching of output branches according to characteristics such as the frequency or phase of the input microwave. Representative devices that control the phase for branch switching include the 3dB coupler mentioned above.

[0057] It is understandable that the accelerator array module 300 can be a ray source array composed of multiple accelerating tubes. After microwaves are fed in, a microwave field that accelerates charged particles will be established inside the accelerating tube. When there is no microwave feeding, the beam cannot be accelerated and then output. Therefore, the microwave synthesis and distribution network controls the output of the first part of the power source and synthesizes the distribution branch of the microwave. The synthesis function of the network can transmit the synthesized microwave power to a specific accelerating tube load in full or with low loss. The switching function of the network can switch the microwave power to different accelerating tubes. If the accelerating tubes are installed at different angles, switching between multi-angle radiation fields can be achieved.

[0058] Optionally, in some embodiments, Figure 6As shown, the linear accelerator-based array head multi-angle irradiation system 10 further includes: a rack 400. The rack 400 includes a plurality of accelerating tube installation positions, so that the plurality of accelerating tubes of the accelerator array module 300 can be installed in the plurality of accelerating tube installation positions in a one-to-one correspondence; the center position of the rack 400 is the through aperture of the radiotherapy patient or the industrial CT imaging object.

[0059] Optionally, in some embodiments, when the linear accelerator-based array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system 10 is in beam-emitting operation, the gantry 400 is in a stationary state.

[0060] Among them, the beam-emitting working state refers to the embodiment of the present application that is performing actual irradiation operation, that is, microwaves are fed into the accelerator tube to generate a high-energy particle beam (such as an electron beam) or X-rays, and irradiate the target area (such as a patient or an object to be imaged) from a specified angle; during this process, all components are in normal operating state to ensure safe, accurate and efficient irradiation.

[0061] It can be understood that the array-type head multi-angle irradiation system 10 realizes multi-angle irradiation of the target object through the installation positions of multiple accelerating tubes at different angles on the rack 400. This multi-angle irradiation method can ensure the uniform distribution of irradiation dose and improve the irradiation effect; the center position of the rack 400 is provided with a through aperture for radiotherapy patients or industrial CT objects to be imaged, allowing the patient or the object to be imaged to be located at the geometric center of the system, ensuring uniform irradiation or imaging from all angles, and improving the accuracy of dose distribution and image quality. When the embodiment of the present application is in beam-emitting operation, the rack 400 remains stationary, and the entire irradiation process does not rely on mechanical movement to change the irradiation angle, but realizes multi-angle irradiation by flexibly switching and activating different accelerating tubes through the microwave synthesis and distribution network module, eliminating the positioning error caused by mechanical movement, greatly improving work efficiency, reducing mechanical wear and failure risks, increasing the stability and reliability of the system, simplifying the design, and facilitating maintenance.

[0062] Optionally, in some embodiments, when the linear accelerator-based array-type head multi-angle irradiation system 10 is in a non-beam-emitting working state, at least one accelerating tube is adjusted to a corresponding required angle according to actual usage requirements.

[0063] Among them, the non-beam-emitting working state refers to the embodiment of the present application when no actual irradiation operation is performed, that is, the time period when no microwave is fed into the accelerator tube to generate a high-energy particle beam or X-ray, including the system initialization, calibration, maintenance, and preparation stages for treatment or imaging plans.

[0064] It can be understood that in the non-beam-emitting state, the embodiment of the present application can safely move the accelerating tube to adapt to the requirements of different application scenarios; the embodiment of the present application can be adjusted manually or automatically; the embodiment of the present application can perform angle adjustment within a certain range to meet the requirements of different irradiation angles, and the specific angle range depends on the design and application requirements of the system; after the adjustment is completed, the embodiment of the present application will confirm whether the actual angle of each accelerating tube meets the expectations through built-in sensors or external measurement tools; in order to ensure the accuracy of subsequent beam-emitting work, the embodiment of the present application may perform a series of calibration operations, such as testing the microwave transmission path, checking the dose rate, etc., to ensure that each accelerating tube can achieve optimal performance when working.

[0065] Optionally, in some embodiments, when there is a coplanar requirement for the array-type head multi-angle irradiation system 10, the multiple accelerating tubes of the accelerator array module 300 are distributed in a coplanar manner; when there is a non-coplanar requirement for the array-type head multi-angle irradiation system 10, the multiple accelerating tubes of the accelerator array module 300 are distributed in a non-coplanar manner.

[0066] It is understandable that when there is a coplanar requirement in the application scenario of the embodiment of the present application, the position where the accelerating tube is installed on the rack 400 ensures coplanarity, providing multi-angle irradiation within a plane, which is suitable for imaging tasks that require two-dimensional projection data. If there is a non-coplanar requirement in the application scenario, the accelerating tube will be arranged in a non-coplanar distribution to achieve multi-angle irradiation in three-dimensional space, which helps to improve the accuracy and complexity of the dose distribution and meet higher-level treatment planning requirements. The design flexibility of the embodiment of the present application allows the spatial layout of the accelerating tube to be adjusted according to different clinical or industrial applications, thereby optimizing the irradiation effect. Regardless of whether it is a coplanar or non-coplanar configuration, the embodiment of the present application can accurately control the working state of each accelerating tube through a microwave synthesis and distribution network, and achieve fast, high-precision multi-angle irradiation switching.

[0067] Optionally, in some embodiments, after the microwave synthesis and distribution network module 200 distributes the synthesized microwave to a single accelerating tube to be distributed in the accelerator array module 300, the microwave synthesis and distribution network module 200 is further used to: determine a target accelerating tube in the accelerator array module based on an accelerating tube switching requirement; based on the target accelerating tube, determine a target microwave characteristic or a target distribution device state that satisfies the target accelerating tube according to the microwave distribution network characteristics; and based on the target microwave characteristic or the target distribution device state, switch the synthesized microwave from the single accelerating tube to be distributed to the target accelerating tube.

[0068] It can be understood that by precisely controlling the microwave characteristics and the state of the distribution device, the working states of different accelerating tubes can be quickly switched without moving the mechanical parts of the rack, which significantly improves the response speed and irradiation accuracy of the system; the embodiment of the present application can flexibly adjust the working time and dose rate of each accelerating tube; the embodiment of the present application reduces the complexity of controlling multiple accelerating tubes at the same time, making the entire system more stable and reliable; the embodiment of the present application does not require physical movement of the accelerating tube or the rack, reduces mechanical wear and failure risks, and increases the safety of the system and the reliability of long-term operation.

[0069] In some cases, multiple accelerator tubes may be set to the same microwave duration / pulse allocation ratio in order to simplify control logic, balance overall system performance, or meet the needs of specific imaging / treatment modes; for example, when performing static CT imaging, in order to ensure the quality of image reconstruction, it may be necessary to obtain projection data from multiple evenly distributed angles. At this time, setting some accelerator tubes to the same microwave duration / pulse allocation ratio can ensure the consistency of ray output at these angles, thereby improving imaging accuracy. By flexibly adjusting the microwave duration / pulse allocation ratio of each accelerator tube in the accelerator array module 300, the optimal irradiation solution is provided in different application scenarios, which not only increases the adaptability and efficiency of the system, but also provides a wider range of possibilities for future medical and technological development.

[0070] Furthermore, the irradiation system of the embodiment of the present application includes M power sources for generating the microwave power required by the system. After passing through the microwave synthesis and distribution network, each microwave is synthesized into a microwave with higher power, and can be switched by branching through control. The synthesized power is transmitted in full or with less loss to one of the N accelerating tubes of the accelerator array module 300. The working state switching of any single accelerating tube in the accelerator array module 300 is further realized through microwave branching switching. The accelerating tubes are installed at various angles on the rack 400, so that multi-angle switching can be realized. There is no mechanical movement of the rack 400 during the process, and fast switching can be realized. The schematic diagram of the system embodiment in the radiotherapy application scenario is shown in FIG. Figure 6 When used for industrial static CT, it is also necessary to equip it with a distributed detector and replace the treatment bed with a transport device for the imaged object.

[0071] In order for those skilled in the art to further understand the linear accelerator-based array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system of the embodiment of the present application, the control method corresponding to the linear accelerator-based array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system is described below by way of example.

[0072] As a specific embodiment, according to the specific implementation method of the microwave synthesis and distribution network in the embodiment of the present application, the microwave power can be switched and transmitted to a certain accelerating tube terminal in the accelerator array module by controlling the microwave characteristics generated by the power source (in conjunction with a passive microwave distribution device) or the structure and state of the microwave distribution device (in conjunction with an active microwave distribution device); the irradiation time of a single-angle accelerating tube radiation source can be changed by changing the dwell time of the microwave characteristics or structural state; the dose rate of the radiation source at each angle can be further adjusted by technical methods such as power level, micro-pulse width, duty cycle, and grid voltage of the accelerating tube grid-controlled gun, thereby changing the total dose of the beam emitted by the single-angle radiation source to meet the needs of different application scenarios; for example, in radiotherapy, the distribution of the beam dose at each angle can form a dose distribution that is more in line with the delineation of the target area, as well as the imaging needs of objects with irregular shapes, angles, thicknesses, and materials in industrial static CT.

[0073] like Figure 7 As shown, A i is the dose rate of the accelerating tube radiation source numbered i, T i is the beam-out time of the accelerating tube radiation source numbered i, and the illustrated area is the total dose corresponding to the accelerating tube radiation source numbered i. In a simple application, the radiation source dose rate at each angle is the same, and the beam-out dose at each angle can be changed by controlling the beam-out time of the radiation source; for more complex application scenarios, the dose rate of the radiation source at each angle can be different, and even within the beam-out time of a single radiation source, the dose rate can be adjusted to meet actual application needs.

[0074] The total dose of the radiation source at each angle can be controlled through a pre-designed plan; or the feedback control loop involving dose monitoring can intervene in the control when the beam is close to the end point. If the measured dose reaches the target value in advance, the beam will be terminated in time. If the target dose is not reached by the beam time, the beam will continue to be emitted. The dose rate of each radiation source can be adjusted individually to improve the accuracy of feedback control.

[0075] Furthermore, the control of each ray source is introduced by taking 3dB coupler and Multiplexer device as accelerator array modules of microwave synthesis and distribution network as examples. The 3dB coupler has the function of microwave synthesis and microwave distribution according to microwave phase. When the microwave power levels of two input ports are the same and P, controlling the phase difference between the two input ports can control the power distribution ratio of the two output ports. When the phase difference is ±90°, the output power is 2P and is output only from a certain output port. The Multiplexer device has the function of microwave distribution according to microwave frequency. When the frequency of the input microwave is in the passband corresponding to a certain output branch, the microwave can be output from the branch. Therefore, the 3dB coupler can be used as the first stage of the microwave synthesis and distribution network to synthesize the microwaves generated by the power source and perform primary distribution according to the phase characteristics of the microwaves; the Multiplexer can be used as the second stage of the microwave synthesis and distribution network to perform secondary distribution according to the frequency characteristics of the microwaves. Each output branch terminal of the secondary distribution is connected to the accelerating tubes installed at different angles, so that the microwaves can be switched and transmitted to a certain accelerating tube in the accelerator array module at a certain moment by controlling the phase and frequency characteristics of the generated microwaves. By controlling the time that the generated microwaves maintain a certain phase and frequency characteristics, the beam emission time of each ray source can be controlled, thereby controlling the dose of the single-angle beam. Figure 8 As shown, the accelerator system usually works in pulse mode, and the beam time (macro pulse) is t i The micro-pulse is composed of many micro-pulses, each with a pulse width t pi By changing the power level, micro-pulse width, duty cycle, and customizing the performance of the accelerating tubes at each angle and the grid voltage of the accelerating tube grid control gun, the dose rate of each accelerating tube can be finely adjusted, and even the dose rate can be controlled in real time, thus achieving fine control of the dose rate and dose control of the radiation source at each angle.

[0076] According to the linear accelerator-based array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system proposed in the embodiment of the present application, the power source module is used to generate multi-channel microwaves based on the current power demand of the array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system; the microwave synthesis and distribution network module is used to synthesize the multi-channel microwaves to obtain synthesized microwaves, and based on the current distribution demand of the array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system, the synthesized microwaves are distributed to a single accelerating tube to be distributed or multiple accelerating tubes to be distributed of the accelerator array module, so as to establish a microwave field for accelerating charged particles inside the accelerating tube after the microwave is fed in. Thus, the problems of slow speed and long time consumption of multi-angle irradiation field radiotherapy and imaging methods using a single handpiece including an accelerating tube in a mechanically rotating manner used in the related art are solved, and efficient and accurate multi-angle irradiation is achieved.

[0077] Next, a control method for the array-type head multi-angle irradiation system proposed in accordance with an embodiment of the present application will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0078] Fig. 9 It is a flow chart of a control method of an array-type head multi-angle irradiation system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0079] like Fig. 9 As shown, the control method of the array-type head multi-angle irradiation system includes the following steps:

[0080] In step S901, the current power demand and current allocation demand of the linear accelerator-based array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system are obtained.

[0081] Optionally, in some embodiments, the current allocation requirement is an allocation requirement for a single accelerating tube installed at a certain angle in the accelerator array module.

[0082] Specifically, the task objectives to be performed by the embodiments of the present application are clarified; for example, irradiation of a specific tumor site in radiotherapy or scanning of an object in static CT imaging, according to the application objectives, necessary input parameters are collected, including but not limited to patient or object information, treatment or imaging plan and real-time monitoring data; based on the above input parameters, the current power demand is calculated, and the total power required to meet the treatment or imaging requirements and the microwave power that each power source should generate are calculated using a preset algorithm or model; according to the working time and dose rate of the radiation sources at each angle specified in the treatment or imaging plan, a specific microwave allocation strategy is designed, and the allocation requirements of a single accelerating tube need to be taken into account. When a single accelerating tube is working, only one accelerating tube is activated at a time, and it is necessary to specify which one is selected and its corresponding microwave power.

[0083] In step S902, based on the current power demand, the power source module of the array head multi-angle irradiation system of the linear accelerator is controlled to generate microwaves based on the current power demand, and the microwaves generated by the power source module are power synthesized using the microwave synthesis and distribution network module.

[0084] Among them, power synthesis refers to combining microwave signals generated by multiple power sources into a higher power microwave signal to meet the requirements of the embodiments of the present application for high dose rate and efficient energy transmission.

[0085] Specifically, according to the current power demand, adjust the output settings of each power source, including frequency, phase and other related parameters, to ensure that the microwaves generated by all power sources can meet the requirements of subsequent synthesis; for applications that require phase consistency, ensure that the microwaves output by all power sources are synchronized in phase, select an appropriate microwave synthesis network, such as a fixed ratio power synthesizer or a synthesis network based on a 3dB coupler, and feed the microwave signals from multiple power sources into the synthesis network, which will merge multiple microwaves into a higher power synthesized microwave. Losses should be minimized during the synthesis process to ensure efficiency.

[0086] In step S903, a single accelerating tube to be allocated of the accelerator array module is determined based on the current allocation demand, and the synthesized microwave is allocated to the single accelerating tube to be allocated, so as to establish a microwave field for accelerating charged particles inside the accelerating tube after the microwave is fed into the accelerating tube.

[0087] Optionally, in some embodiments, a single accelerating tube to be allocated of the accelerator array module is determined based on the current allocation demand, and the synthesized microwave is allocated to the single accelerating tube to be allocated, including: based on the single accelerating tube to be allocated, according to the microwave distribution network characteristics, determining a first microwave characteristic or a first distribution device state that satisfies the single accelerating tube to be allocated; based on the first microwave characteristic or the first distribution device state, the synthesized microwave is allocated to the single accelerating tube to be allocated.

[0088] Optionally, in some embodiments, after the microwave synthesis and distribution network module distributes the synthesized microwave to the single accelerating tube to be distributed in the accelerator array module, it also includes: judging whether an accelerating tube switching demand is received; if the accelerating tube switching demand is received, determining the target accelerating tube in the accelerator array module based on the switching demand, and based on the target accelerating tube, determining the second microwave characteristics or the second distribution device state that meets the target accelerating tube according to the microwave distribution network characteristics; based on the second microwave characteristics or the second distribution device state, switching the synthesized microwave from the single accelerating tube to be distributed to the target accelerating tube.

[0089] Among them, the microwave field for accelerating charged particles refers to the electromagnetic field that accelerates charged particles through microwave energy in a linear accelerator; this microwave field is established inside the accelerating tube. When the microwave is fed into the accelerating tube, a standing wave or traveling wave pattern is formed in a specifically designed structure, thereby generating a strong electric field. These strong electric fields can exert force on the charged particles, causing them to obtain high energy and move along a predetermined path. The first microwave characteristics and the first distribution device state refer to the key parameters used to ensure that the microwave energy is correctly transmitted to the subsequent distribution network or directly reaches the target accelerating tube during the initial power distribution stage (i.e., the first level of distribution from multiple power sources to the microwave synthesis and distribution network). The second microwave characteristics and the second distribution device state refer to the key parameters used to ensure that each accelerating tube receives the correct microwave characteristics and power when the synthesized microwave is further distributed to multiple accelerating tubes after the first level of power synthesis.

[0090] It can be understood that by precisely controlling the microwave characteristics and the state of the distribution device, it is possible to ensure that the synthesized microwave is correctly transmitted to the selected accelerating tube, thereby achieving high-precision dose distribution; the embodiments of the present application support rapid switching from one accelerating tube to another, thereby improving the response speed and flexibility of the system; the embodiments of the present application reduce the loss during microwave transmission, thereby ensuring that more available energy is effectively utilized for the operation of the accelerating tube; the embodiments of the present application reduce the complexity of simultaneously controlling multiple accelerating tubes, thereby being more stable and reliable.

[0091] Therefore, after the power generated by a few power sources is synthesized, all the power is switchedly transmitted to one of the accelerating tubes in the accelerating tube array composed of multiple accelerators through the microwave power distribution network, realizing an irradiation system with multi-angle switching irradiation of the array-type head. After all the power is synthesized, it is switchedly transmitted to one of the accelerating tubes in the accelerating tube array. Compared with the method of allocating a fixed proportion to each accelerating tube or each accelerating tube is individually equipped with a power source, a higher dose rate can be achieved; the number of power sources does not depend on the number of accelerating tubes, and the number of power sources is determined according to the dose rate required by the embodiment of the present application. For the miniaturization and cost control of the array-type head multi-angle irradiation system, the number of power sources can be less than the number of accelerating tubes; by controlling the microwave switching supply to the accelerating tube, the irradiation time and dose of a single ray source can be controlled to meet the needs of actual application scenarios.

[0092] It should be noted that the aforementioned explanation of the embodiment of the array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system based on the linear accelerator is also applicable to the control method of the array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system of this embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0093] According to the control method of the array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system proposed in the embodiment of the present application, after obtaining the current power demand and current allocation demand of the array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system based on the linear accelerator, based on the current power demand, the power source module of the array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system based on the linear accelerator is controlled to generate microwaves of the required power level, and the multi-channel microwaves are synthesized by using the microwave synthesis and distribution network module to obtain a synthesized microwave; based on the current allocation demand, the synthesized microwave is distributed to a single accelerating tube to be distributed in the accelerator array module, so as to establish a microwave field for accelerating charged particles inside the accelerating tube after the microwave is fed in. After the accelerating tube completes the beam emission of the current allocation demand, the power can be quickly distributed to another accelerating tube in the accelerator array module by microwave characteristic adjustment or distribution device state change. In this way, the problems of slow speed and long time consumption of multi-angle irradiation field radiotherapy and imaging methods in a mechanically rotating manner used in the related art are solved, and efficient and accurate multi-angle irradiation is achieved.

[0094] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The electronic device may include:

[0095] A memory 1001 , a processor 1002 , and a computer program stored in the memory 1001 and executable on the processor 1002 .

[0096] When the processor 1002 executes the program, the linear accelerator-based array head multi-angle irradiation system provided in the above embodiment is implemented.

[0097] Furthermore, the electronic device further comprises:

[0098] The communication interface 1003 is used for communication between the memory 1001 and the processor 1002 .

[0099] The memory 1001 is used to store computer programs that can be executed on the processor 1002 .

[0100] The memory 1001 may include a high-speed RAM memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as at least one disk memory.

[0101] If the memory 1001, the processor 1002 and the communication interface 1003 are implemented independently, the communication interface 1003, the memory 1001 and the processor 1002 can be connected to each other through a bus and communicate with each other. The bus can be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Fig.10 Only one thick line is used in the diagram, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0102] Optionally, in a specific implementation, if the memory 1001, the processor 1002 and the communication interface 1003 are integrated on a chip, the memory 1001, the processor 1002 and the communication interface 1003 can communicate with each other through an internal interface.

[0103] The processor 1002 may be a central processing unit (CPU), or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of the present application.

[0104] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or N embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, without contradiction.

[0105] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, "N" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0106] Any process or method description in a flowchart or otherwise described herein may be understood to represent a module, fragment or portion of code comprising one or more executable instructions for implementing the steps of a custom logical function or process, and the scope of the preferred embodiments of the present application includes alternative implementations in which functions may not be performed in the order shown or discussed, including performing functions in a substantially simultaneous manner or in reverse order depending on the functions involved, which should be understood by technicians in the technical field to which the embodiments of the present application belong.

[0107] It should be understood that the various parts of the present application can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the N steps or methods can be implemented by software or firmware stored in a memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented by hardware, as in another embodiment, it can be implemented by any one of the following technologies known in the art or their combination: a discrete logic circuit having a logic gate circuit for implementing a logic function for a data signal, a dedicated integrated circuit having a suitable combination of logic gate circuits, a programmable gate array (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.

[0108] A person skilled in the art may understand that all or part of the steps in the method for implementing the above-mentioned embodiment may be completed by instructing related hardware through a program, and the program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which, when executed, includes one or a combination of the steps of the method embodiment.

Claims

1. An array-type head multi-angle irradiation system based on a linear accelerator, characterized in that: include: Power source module, microwave synthesis and distribution network module and accelerator array module, among which, The power source module is used to generate microwaves based on the current power demand of the array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system; The microwave synthesis and distribution network module is used to synthesize the microwaves generated by the power source module, and based on the current distribution requirements of the array-type head multi-angle irradiation system, distribute the synthesized microwaves to a single accelerating tube to be distributed in the accelerator array module, so as to establish a microwave field for accelerating charged particles inside the accelerating tube after the microwaves are fed in.

2. The linear accelerator-based array head multi-angle irradiation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A frame includes a plurality of accelerating tube installation positions, so that the plurality of accelerating tubes of the accelerator array module can be installed one by one at the plurality of accelerating tube installation positions; the center position of the frame is a passing aperture for a radiotherapy patient or an industrial CT object to be imaged.

3. The linear accelerator-based array head multi-angle irradiation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the linear accelerator-based array-type head multi-angle irradiation system is in beam-emitting operation, the frame is in a stationary state.

4. The linear accelerator-based array head multi-angle irradiation system according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the linear accelerator-based array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system is in a non-beam-emitting working state, at least one accelerating tube is adjusted to a corresponding required angle according to actual use requirements.

5. The linear accelerator-based array head multi-angle irradiation system according to claim 2, characterized in that: When there is a coplanar requirement for the array-type head multi-angle irradiation system, the multiple accelerating tubes of the accelerator array module are distributed in the same plane; When there is a non-coplanar requirement for the array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system, the multiple accelerating tubes of the accelerator array module are distributed non-coplanarly.

6. The linear accelerator-based array head multi-angle irradiation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: After the microwave synthesis and distribution network module distributes the synthesized microwave to a single accelerating tube to be distributed of the accelerator array module, the microwave synthesis and distribution network module is further used to: Determine the target accelerating tube in the accelerator array module based on the accelerating tube switching requirement, Based on the target accelerating tube, according to the microwave distribution network characteristics, determining the target microwave characteristics or the target distribution device state that meet the target accelerating tube; Based on the target microwave characteristics or the target distribution device state, the synthetic microwave is switched from the single accelerating tube to be distributed to the target accelerating tube.

7. A control method for an array-type head multi-angle irradiation system, characterized in that: The linear accelerator-based array head multi-angle irradiation system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is used, wherein the method comprises the following steps: Obtaining the current power demand and current allocation demand of the linear accelerator-based array-type handpiece multi-angle irradiation system; Based on the current power demand, control the power source module of the array-type head multi-angle irradiation system of the linear accelerator to generate microwaves based on the current power demand, and use the microwave synthesis and distribution network module to perform power synthesis on the microwaves generated by the power source module; A single accelerating tube to be allocated of the accelerator array module is determined based on the current allocation demand, and the synthesized microwave is allocated to the single accelerating tube to be allocated, so as to establish a microwave field for accelerating charged particles inside the accelerating tube after the microwave is fed into the accelerating tube.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The step of determining a single accelerating tube to be allocated of the accelerator array module based on the current allocation demand, and allocating the synthesized microwave to the single accelerating tube to be allocated, comprises: Based on the single accelerating tube to be allocated, and according to the microwave distribution network characteristics, determining a first microwave characteristic or a first distribution device state that satisfies the single accelerating tube to be allocated; Based on the first microwave characteristic or the first distribution device state, the synthesized microwave is distributed to the single accelerating tube to be distributed.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: After the microwave synthesis and distribution network module distributes the synthesized microwave to a single accelerating tube to be distributed of the accelerator array module, the method further includes: Determine whether an acceleration tube switching request is received; If an accelerating tube switching requirement is received, a target accelerating tube in the accelerator array module is determined based on the switching requirement, and based on the target accelerating tube and according to the microwave distribution network characteristics, a second microwave characteristic or a second distribution device state that satisfies the target accelerating tube is determined; Based on the second microwave characteristic or the second distribution device state, the synthetic microwave is switched from the single accelerating tube to be distributed to the target accelerating tube.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: A memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the program to implement the control method of the array-type head multi-angle irradiation system as described in any one of claims 7 to 9.

Images