Real-time tracking irradiation method, device, medium and equipment for radiotherapy target region

Abstract

The application discloses a real-time tracking irradiation method, device, medium and equipment for a radiotherapy target area. The method provided by the application does not limit each executor to track the target area according to a fixed mode, but determines a position deviation component suitable for the actual situation of each executor according to the state of each executor, so that with the change of the state of each executor, the proportion of the position deviation component that each executor should offset will also change, thereby flexibly coping with various situations in the radiotherapy process, and the efficiency of radiotherapy is significantly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the medical field, and in particular to methods, devices, media, and equipment for real-time tracking and irradiation of radiotherapy target areas. Background Technology

[0002] Radiation therapy is one of the core treatment methods that uses radiation to kill tumors. Its fundamental goal is to apply a high dose of radiation to the tumor area while protecting the surrounding normal tissues to the greatest extent possible.

[0003] Medical linear accelerators (LINACs) are the mainstream radiotherapy equipment for achieving this goal, producing high-energy radiation (such as gamma rays and X-rays). To precisely define the irradiation area, LINACs are equipped with a collimator system, among which the multi-leaf collimator (MLC) is the key component. The MLC consists of dozens of pairs of computer-controlled tungsten alloy blades. By independently driving each pair of blades, an irradiation "field" that is highly consistent with the shape of the tumor projection can be dynamically combined—that is, a specific shaped region formed on the irradiation plane after the radiation beam passes through the MLC.

[0004] However, during radiotherapy, the patient's respiratory movements can cause displacement of tumors and organs within the body. If the target area formed by the MLC (Multiple Target Volume) remains fixed during irradiation, the pre-set irradiation area will deviate from the actual location of the tumor. This not only leads to insufficient dose received by the tumor, affecting the therapeutic effect, but also causes a large amount of radiation to be mistakenly directed at normal organs, causing unnecessary damage. Therefore, addressing the dynamic changes in the target area caused by physiological movement is a key challenge in improving the accuracy of radiotherapy. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a method, apparatus, medium, and equipment for real-time tracking irradiation of a radiotherapy target area, in order to partially solve the aforementioned problems existing in the prior art.

[0006] The technical solution adopted in this application is as follows:

[0007] This application provides a real-time tracking irradiation method for a radiotherapy target area. The method is applied to controlling at least two actuators to move in their respective corresponding motion directions during radiotherapy to form an irradiation area for tracking the target area, including:

[0008] Obtain the status information of the at least two actuators;

[0009] Based on the state information, determine the weight corresponding to each of the at least two actuators; and predict the position of the target area at a specified time as the predicted position, determine the planned position of the irradiation area formed by controlling the at least two actuators at the specified time as the planned position, and determine the positional deviation between the predicted position and the planned position.

[0010] Based on the position deviation and the weight corresponding to each actuator, determine the position deviation component that each actuator should cancel in its corresponding motion direction at the specified time, and use it as the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator;

[0011] Based on the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator, control at least two actuators to track the target area at the specified time.

[0012] Optionally, for any of the at least two actuators, the status information includes at least one of the actuator's time delay, health status, speed margin, and acceleration margin, wherein the health status of the actuator is positively correlated with the tracking accuracy of the actuator during radiotherapy;

[0013] For any actuator, the weight corresponding to the actuator is negatively correlated with the actuator's latency; the weight corresponding to the actuator is positively correlated with the actuator's health; the weight corresponding to the actuator is positively correlated with the actuator's speed margin; and the weight corresponding to the actuator is positively correlated with the actuator's acceleration margin.

[0014] Optionally, based on the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator, the at least two actuators are controlled to track the target area at the specified time, specifically including:

[0015] Based on the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator, the control command for controlling each actuator at the specified time is determined and used as the control command corresponding to each actuator.

[0016] The control instructions corresponding to each actuator are compensated to obtain the compensation instructions corresponding to each actuator;

[0017] According to the compensation command corresponding to each actuator, the at least two actuators are controlled to move synchronously at the specified time to track the target area.

[0018] Optionally, based on the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator, the at least two actuators are controlled to track the target area at the specified time, specifically including:

[0019] Based on the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator, the control command for controlling each actuator at the specified time is determined and used as the control command corresponding to each actuator.

[0020] For each of the at least two actuators, determine whether the actuator satisfies its corresponding constraint conditions when the actuator is controlled at the specified time according to the control instruction corresponding to the actuator;

[0021] If each actuator satisfies its corresponding constraint, then according to the control command corresponding to each actuator, the at least two actuators are controlled to track the target area at the specified time.

[0022] Optionally, the at least two actuators include at least a treatment bed and a multi-leaf collimator;

[0023] When the actuator is a treatment bed, the constraints corresponding to the actuator include: the speed of the actuator during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset speed, the acceleration of the actuator during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset acceleration, the distance the actuator travels during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset distance, and there are no obstacles at the position to be reached by the actuator during radiotherapy.

[0024] When the actuator is a multi-leaf collimator, the constraints corresponding to the actuator include: the speed of the actuator during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset speed; the acceleration of the actuator during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset acceleration; the gap between the blades in the actuator during radiotherapy is not less than a preset gap; and the boundary of the irradiation area formed by the movement of the blades during radiotherapy meets at least one of the preset boundary requirements.

[0025] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0026] When only some actuators in the at least two controllers meet the corresponding constraints, the weights of each actuator are adjusted. Based on the adjusted weights, the control instructions for each actuator are redefined. The redefined control instructions are used to control the actuators that meet the constraints to offset at least a portion of the position deviation components that should be offset by the actuators that do not meet the constraints at the specified time.

[0027] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0028] If neither of the at least two actuators satisfies its corresponding constraint, irradiation of the target area is stopped, and when it is determined that the conditions for resuming radiotherapy are met, the target area is tracked again based on the obtained state information of the at least two actuators.

[0029] This application provides a real-time tracking irradiation device for a radiotherapy target area. The device is used to control at least two actuators to move in their respective corresponding directions during radiotherapy to form an irradiation area for tracking the target area, comprising:

[0030] The acquisition module is used to acquire the status information of the at least two actuators;

[0031] The first determining module is configured to determine the weight corresponding to each of the at least two actuators based on the state information; and to predict the position of the target area at a specified time as the predicted position, determine the planned position of the irradiation area formed by controlling the at least two actuators at the specified time as the planned position, and determine the positional deviation between the predicted position and the planned position.

[0032] The second determining module is used to determine, based on the position deviation and the weight corresponding to each actuator, the position deviation component that each actuator should cancel in its corresponding motion direction at the specified time, as the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator;

[0033] The control module is used to control at least two actuators to track the target area at the specified time according to the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator.

[0034] This application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the above-described method for real-time tracking and irradiation of a radiotherapy target area.

[0035] This application provides a treatment device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the program, it implements the above-mentioned real-time tracking irradiation method for the radiotherapy target area.

[0036] The above-mentioned technical solution adopted in this application can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0037] This application first acquires the state information of at least two actuators, and determines the weight corresponding to each actuator based on the state information. Simultaneously, it predicts the position of the target area at a specified time as the predicted position, and determines the position of the irradiation area formed by the at least two actuators at the specified time as the planned position, and determines the positional deviation between the predicted and planned positions. Then, based on the positional deviation and the weight corresponding to each actuator, it determines the positional deviation component that each actuator should offset in its corresponding motion direction at the specified time, as the positional deviation component for each actuator. Finally, it controls the at least two actuators to track the target area at the specified time using the positional deviation components corresponding to each actuator.

[0038] As can be seen from the above method, the method provided in this application does not restrict each actuator to perform target tracking in a fixed pattern. Instead, it determines the position deviation component suitable for its own actual situation for each actuator according to its own state. Therefore, as the state of each actuator changes, the proportion of the position deviation component that each actuator should cancel will also change, thereby flexibly responding to various situations during radiotherapy and significantly improving the efficiency of radiotherapy. Attached Figure Description

[0039] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this specification and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments of this application and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings:

[0040] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a real-time tracking irradiation method for a radiotherapy target area provided in this application;

[0041] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the respective motion directions of two actuators on the isocentric plane where the patient is lying down, as provided in this application;

[0042] Figure 3 A detailed schematic diagram illustrating the process of real-time tracking of the target area within one cycle, as provided in this application;

[0043] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a real-time tracking irradiation device for a radiotherapy target area provided in this application;

[0044] Figure 5 The corresponding to this application Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the treatment equipment. Detailed Implementation

[0045] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0046] Currently, when using radiotherapy to treat tumors, physiological movements such as breathing can cause displacement of the tumor and organs within the patient's body. If the field shape formed by the MLC (Multiple Radiographic Treatment) remains fixed during irradiation, the pre-set irradiation area will deviate from the actual location of the tumor. This not only leads to insufficient dose received by the tumor, affecting the therapeutic effect, but also causes a large amount of radiation to be mistakenly directed at normal organs, causing unnecessary damage.

[0047] To address the above issues, the following solutions are currently available:

[0048] The first type is free-breathing gating, which controls the on / off of radiation irradiation based on the patient's respiratory cycle. During tumor radiotherapy, markers are placed on the patient or an optical surface monitoring system tracks their breathing signals in real time. When breathing enters a preset timing window, the treatment system automatically activates the radiation; if breathing deviates from this window, the system immediately stops radiation irradiation. The entire process is like a "smart door," only "opening" for irradiation when all conditions are met.

[0049] The second type is Deep Inspiration Breath Hold (DIBH) / Active Breathing Coordinator (ABC). DIBH describes the process of a patient taking a deep breath and holding it, while ABC is the hardware system that enables this process.

[0050] In DIBH-based radiotherapy, the patient actively holds their breath to stop chest movement. Typically, the patient takes a deep breath and holds it, filling the lungs and thus moving critical organs such as the heart away from the radiation-exposed area. Each breath-hold lasts 15-30 seconds to complete part of the irradiation. The ABC system measures lung volume to guide the treatment system to irradiate or deactivate radiation. Irradiation is only initiated when the patient's breath-holding reaches the preset standard; conversely, if the patient's breath-holding deviates from the preset standard, the system stops irradiation to ensure accuracy and safety.

[0051] The third type is real-time target-tracking irradiation, which involves adjusting the irradiation position or field shape in real time according to the patient's respiratory rate. Typically, the irradiation position can be adjusted by adjusting the MLC (Multi-Loop Control Unit) or the treatment bed. The treatment bed, through the coordinated extension and retraction of multiple linkages, allows for a certain range of forward, backward, left, right, and up-down movement when the patient is lying on it. This allows for adjustment of the irradiation area on the patient even when the MLC is stationary. Alternatively, the irradiation position or field shape can also be changed directly by adjusting the MLC.

[0052] As can be clearly seen from the above descriptions of the three methods, the first method cannot achieve continuous irradiation during treatment, resulting in lower treatment efficiency, while the second method requires the patient to hold their breath, leading to a poor patient experience. Therefore, the third method represents the main direction for future research.

[0053] For the third method, there are currently three main implementation methods:

[0054] 1. Dynamic MLC Real-time Tracking: This method only uses MLC, that is, the radiation irradiation range is changed only by adjusting the MLC during treatment.

[0055] 2. Real-time tracking using a hybrid MLC and treatment bed: This method primarily decomposes the target area into two components orthogonal to the beam axis of the radiation. The treatment bed compensates for one component, and the MLC compensates for the other (e.g., if the patient's supine position is considered a two-dimensional plane formed by the x-axis and y-axis, then these two components can be seen as one x-axis and one y-axis). Therefore, when the patient receives radiotherapy, by moving the treatment bed along one component and the MLC along the other component, real-time tracking of the target area is achieved, ensuring that the radiation irradiation range is always controlled within the location of the tumor in the patient's body.

[0056] 3. Heuristic real-time tracking of MLC and treatment bed hybrid: This method does not limit the treatment bed and MLC to move along fixed components. Instead, by evaluating the treatment effect of the treatment bed and MLC under different clinical conditions and different division of labor, it is determined that the treatment bed is responsible for low-frequency, large-amplitude movement, while the MLC is responsible for high-frequency, small-amplitude movement. This enables real-time tracking of the target area, so that the radiation irradiation range is always controlled within the location of the tumor in the patient's body.

[0057] Although all three methods can achieve real-time target tracking and irradiation, they all have certain problems.

[0058] Specifically, the first real-time target tracking irradiation method, due to the use of only MLC (Multi-Layer Cavity), has limited adjustment of the radiation range, potentially hindering effective target tracking. The second method restricts the treatment bed and MLC to fixed modes of operation, meaning they can only move along fixed components. This makes it difficult to flexibly address tumor displacement caused by patient respiration during radiotherapy, further complicating target tracking. The third method is similar to the second, operating only in a fixed mode and also facing difficulties in real-time target tracking, especially when limited by the treatment bed or MLC firmware, sometimes even rendering tracking impossible.

[0059] To address the problems existing in current real-time target tracking irradiation methods, this application provides a real-time tracking irradiation method for radiotherapy target areas. By acquiring the state information of each actuator, the weight corresponding to each actuator is determined. These weights can reflect the state of each actuator. Then, by determining the weight corresponding to each actuator, the position deviation component that each actuator should cancel at a specified time is determined. By using the position deviation component that should be canceled, each actuator is controlled at the specified time to achieve target area tracking irradiation.

[0060] As can be seen from the above method, the method provided in this application does not restrict each actuator to perform target tracking in a fixed pattern. Instead, it determines the position deviation component suitable for its own actual situation for each actuator according to its own state. Therefore, as the state of each actuator changes, the proportion of the position deviation component that each actuator should offset will also change, thereby flexibly responding to various situations during radiotherapy and significantly improving the efficiency of radiotherapy.

[0061] The technical solutions provided in the various embodiments of this specification are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0062] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a real-time tracking irradiation method for a radiotherapy target area provided in this application includes the following steps:

[0063] S101: Obtain the status information of the at least two actuators.

[0064] In this application, at least two actuators used for tumor treatment of a patient can move in their respective directions to form an irradiation area that tracks the target region. The combination of at least two actuators can take various forms; for example, one actuator could be a treatment bed on which the patient lies during tumor treatment, and the other could be a multi-leaf collimator for irradiating the patient. Another example is that one actuator could be the aforementioned treatment bed, while the other could be the rotating gantry of a medical linear accelerator (the rotating gantry is the largest component of a medical linear accelerator; it is a huge ring structure that rotates around the patient, and the radiation head emitting the radiation is mounted on the rotating gantry). Other combinations of two actuators will not be illustrated here.

[0065] In addition, the actuators that track the target area can be three or more. Taking three actuators as an example, one actuator can be the treatment bed mentioned above, one actuator can be the multi-leaf collimator mentioned above, and the remaining actuator can be the rotating gantry mentioned above.

[0066] It is important to emphasize that, regardless of the combination of actuators, their respective directions of motion must not be exactly the same when forming the irradiation area for target tracking. In other words, each actuator moves in a slightly different direction, and the resulting irradiation area effectively tracks the target.

[0067] For example, in real-time target tracking using two actuators, suppose the isocenter plane (with a reference point around which the linear accelerator gantry, treatment bed, and multi-leaf collimator can rotate, and thus the reference point is the isocenter, and the cross-section passing through it is the isocenter plane) orthogonal to the main beam axis of the medical linear accelerator is considered as the two-dimensional plane in which the patient lies supine. The target area can then be viewed as a region on this isocenter plane. Based on this, the y-axis on this isocenter plane can be considered the motion direction of one actuator, and the x-axis as the motion direction of the other actuator (these two actuators are located on different planes in the three-dimensional space; therefore, the motion direction mentioned here can be understood as the direction formed by the projection of the motion of each actuator onto the isocenter plane). The two actuators move in their respective directions of motion, which is equivalent to them moving on their respective coordinate axes on the isocentric plane. Thus, the coordinate points located on the isocentric plane after the two actuators have moved on their respective coordinate axes can be regarded as the location of the target area to be tracked.

[0068] Of course, the above examples illustrating the motion directions of each actuator are simply based on the x-axis and y-axis in the isocentric plane. In practical applications, the motion directions of each actuator can also be within a certain angle or arc range, such as... Figure 2 As shown.

[0069] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the respective motion directions of two actuators on the isocentric plane where the patient is lying down, as provided in this application.

[0070] For example, assuming the target area is still considered as a region on the aforementioned isocentric plane, such as... Figure 2 As shown, in this isocentric plane, the dark area can be regarded as the actuator along the treatment bed. Figure 2 The direction of motion is indicated by the arrow marked in the middle, while the rest of the area can be regarded as the direction of motion corresponding to the multi-leaf collimator.

[0071] from Figure 2 As can be seen, the two actuators do not simply move along the two coordinate axes in the isocentric plane; instead, each is responsible for a specific angular range on the isocentric platform. It should be noted that... Figure 2 The motion directions of the two actuators shown do not overlap, but in practical applications, the motion directions of the two actuators may overlap to some extent.

[0072] Each of the three actuators has its own direction of motion, and by moving in their respective directions, they can achieve real-time tracking of the target area. In other words, the direction of motion of each of the three actuators can be regarded as dividing the aforementioned isocentric plane into three non-overlapping or partially overlapping sector regions, and each actuator moves within its corresponding sector region.

[0073] For ease of explanation, the following example uses one actuator as the treatment bed and the other actuator as a multi-leaf collimator, with the motion directions of these two actuators corresponding to two coordinate axes on the isocentric plane, to illustrate the real-time tracking irradiation method for the radiotherapy target area provided in this application.

[0074] Furthermore, the executing entity used to perform the method provided in this application can take many forms. For example, it can be a terminal device such as a desktop computer or laptop computer. The terminal device establishes a communication connection with each actuator via wired or wireless means, and sends control commands to each actuator by obtaining the status information of each actuator, so that each actuator can track the target area in real time. Another example is that the executing entity can be a treatment device (or system) with a processor. The two actuators can be part of the treatment device. On this basis, the treatment device can control the two actuators to achieve real-time tracking of the target area. Yet another example is that the executing entity can also be a software client or application. The client or application can be deployed in the device used to control each actuator, thereby achieving real-time tracking of the target area.

[0075] For ease of explanation, the following description uses a treatment device as the primary example to illustrate the real-time tracking and irradiation method for the radiotherapy target area provided in this application.

[0076] During radiotherapy, the treatment equipment can analyze the status of each actuator by acquiring its status information. Based on the analysis results and the status of each actuator, it can then determine how to control each actuator in the future.

[0077] The aforementioned status information can include various forms. For example, for a treatment bed, the corresponding status information can include: the treatment bed's time delay, the treatment bed's health status, the treatment bed's speed margin, the treatment bed's acceleration margin, etc.

[0078] The so-called time delay refers to the time interval after the actuator performs the corresponding action after the control command is issued. Generally, if this time interval is long, it means that the time delay is long and the actuator responds too slowly after the control command is issued. Conversely, it means that the actuator responds quickly after the control command is issued.

[0079] Speed ​​margin represents the difference between the maximum speed the actuator can move at and its current speed. A larger difference indicates that the actuator has more room to adjust its speed further from the current speed, while a smaller difference indicates that the actuator has less room to adjust its speed further from the current speed.

[0080] The acceleration margin is similar to the velocity margin mentioned above; it represents the difference between the maximum acceleration that the actuator can achieve and the current acceleration of the actuator. The larger this difference, the more ample the margin for further adjustment of the actuator's acceleration based on its current state; conversely, the smaller the difference, the less room there is for further adjustment of the actuator's acceleration in the current process.

[0081] Health score reflects the tracking accuracy of the actuator during radiotherapy. A higher health score indicates higher tracking accuracy during radiotherapy, while a lower health score indicates lower tracking accuracy.

[0082] There are several ways to determine the aforementioned health status. For example, when the actuator is a multi-leaf collimator, the tracking accuracy of the multi-leaf collimator can be determined by calculating the root mean square (RMS). The multi-leaf collimator works by controlling the positions of its multiple leaflets, allowing the emitted radiation to form different irradiation ranges on the patient, i.e., the field shape mentioned earlier. (The multiple leaflets in the multi-leaf collimator block the emitted radiation beam; adjusting the leaflet positions causes them to block different parts of the radiation beam, thus changing the final irradiation range formed by the radiation on the patient.)

[0083] Therefore, the positions of different blades in the multi-leaf collimator need to be planned according to the treatment plan. However, in actual application, the positions of the blades in the multi-leaf collimator will deviate from the planned positions. The greater the deviation, the greater the deviation between the final irradiation range formed on the patient and the ideal required range (the ideal range can be seen as the actual location of the tumor in the patient), and thus the lower the tracking accuracy. Conversely, the greater the deviation, the higher the tracking accuracy.

[0084] Therefore, by calculating the RMS, the deviation between the actual position and the planned position of each blade in the multi-leaf collimator can be reflected. This RMS can effectively reflect the tracking accuracy of the multi-leaf collimator, and further, the health of the multi-leaf collimator can be calculated through this RMS.

[0085] Of course, the above-mentioned methods for determining health status can also be used in other ways besides RMS. Taking a multi-leaf collimator as an example again, the average deviation can be obtained by calculating the deviation between the actual position and the planned position of each leaf in the multi-leaf collimator. This average deviation can then be used to measure the tracking accuracy of the multi-leaf collimator. Other methods will not be illustrated here.

[0086] As can be seen from the various status information listed above, each item reflects the quality of the actuator's status to some extent. For any actuator, a higher health level indicates higher tracking accuracy and a better actuator status. Consequently, more positional deviations can be eliminated through this actuator in subsequent control. A larger speed margin indicates a larger maneuverable space (a larger speed margin means the actuator's current speed is further from the maximum speed limit, thus allowing for greater maneuverability), resulting in a better actuator status. Similarly, more positional deviations can be eliminated through this actuator in subsequent processes. A smaller delay indicates that the actuator can quickly respond to control commands, demonstrating a faster reaction time. Therefore, a higher actuator status allows for the elimination of more positional deviations through its rapid response in subsequent processes.

[0087] Therefore, the treatment device needs to acquire the status information of each actuator in order to evaluate the status of each actuator in subsequent processes.

[0088] Of course, in addition to the status information mentioned above, other forms of status information can also be included. For example, for any actuator, its corresponding status information can also include things like motor temperature and motor current. Specifically, a higher motor temperature indicates more significant overheating of the actuator, a higher probability of risk during subsequent operation (such as motor burnout), and a worse state of the actuator. Similarly, a higher motor current indicates a higher probability of motor overload, a higher risk, and a worse state of the actuator.

[0089] In the embodiments of this application, the above-mentioned state information can be determined in a variety of ways. For example, when determining the delay of the actuator, conventional methods such as command / feedback alignment, cross-correlation, perturbation injection, and pole fitting can be used to estimate it.

[0090] The command / feedback alignment mentioned above refers to comparing the "time point when the control command is sent" with the "time point when the actuator begins to change after responding to the control command".

[0091] Cross-correlation refers to calculating the "similarity" between control commands and feedback signals at different time offsets, with the offset having the highest similarity being the estimated time delay.

[0092] Disturbance injection refers to injecting a known, specific disturbance signal (such as a pulse, step, or pseudo-random sequence) into an actuator, and then analyzing the relationship between the actuator's output response and the input disturbance to fit a transfer function model that includes time delay, with the time delay being estimated as part of the model.

[0093] Pole fitting refers to the process where, for an actuator with a time delay, it can be represented by a transfer function with a time delay term. By fitting experimental data, the poles or zeros of this transfer function can be obtained, and thus the time delay term in the transfer function can be fitted.

[0094] It should be noted that the methods mentioned above for estimating time delay are existing conventional methods, and will not be described in detail in this application embodiment. The speed margin and acceleration margin mentioned above can be obtained by monitoring the current speed or acceleration of the actuator.

[0095] S102: Based on the state information, determine the weight corresponding to each of the at least two actuators; and predict the position of the target area at a specified time as the predicted position, determine the planned position of the irradiation area formed by controlling the at least two actuators at the specified time as the planned position, and determine the positional deviation between the predicted position and the planned position.

[0096] The focus of this application's embodiments is not on how to determine the aforementioned state information, but rather on how, after obtaining the aforementioned state information, positional deviations are offset based on the status of each actuator, thereby achieving real-time tracking of the target area.

[0097] Therefore, the aforementioned status information can be determined by each actuator and transmitted to the treatment device, or it can be calculated by the treatment device through monitoring data obtained after monitoring each actuator.

[0098] After obtaining the above status information, the treatment device can determine the weight of each actuator based on the obtained status information.

[0099] The weights corresponding to each actuator can be understood as indicators reflecting the state of each actuator. Taking any actuator as an example, if the weight value of the actuator is larger, it means that the state of the actuator is better and the position deviation that should be offset is greater. Conversely, if the weight value of the actuator is smaller, it means that the state of the actuator is worse and the position deviation that should be offset is smaller.

[0100] Therefore, in this embodiment of the application, the relationship between the above weights and each state information is as follows:

[0101] For any executor, the weight of the executor is negatively correlated with the executor's latency; that is, the smaller the latency, the larger the weight, and the larger the latency, the smaller the weight.

[0102] The weight of the actuator is positively correlated with the health of the actuator; that is, the lower the health, the lower the weight, and the higher the health, the higher the weight.

[0103] The weight of the actuator is positively correlated with the speed margin of the actuator; that is, the smaller the speed margin, the smaller the weight, and the larger the speed margin, the larger the weight.

[0104] The weight of the actuator is positively correlated with the acceleration margin of the actuator; that is, the smaller the acceleration margin, the smaller the weight, and the larger the acceleration margin, the larger the weight.

[0105] Therefore, the treatment device can determine the weight of each actuator based on the above relationship.

[0106] For example, assuming the acquired state information includes: velocity margin, acceleration margin, time delay, and health status, the treatment device can determine the weight of the actuator according to the following formula:

[0107] (1)

[0108] In the above formula (1), This is used to represent the weight corresponding to executor i, where different values ​​of i correspond to different executors. This represents the weights corresponding to different executors. Used to represent the delay of actuator i, Used to indicate the health status of actuator i. Used to represent the speed margin of actuator i Used to represent the acceleration margin of actuator i. Greater than 0.

[0109] For functions In general, it can take many forms, as long as it is an increasing function. For example, the function... It can be in the following form:

[0110] = (2)

[0111] in, and All are greater than 0.

[0112] For example, functions It can be in the following form:

[0113] (3)

[0114] Of course, other monotonically decreasing functions can also be used for the time delay term in formula (1) above. For example, the time delay term can also be in the following form:

[0115]

[0116] The formulas listed above are only used to illustrate how to determine weights through various state information. In practical applications, the formulas used to determine weights are not limited to the above formulas. That is, they can also be other forms besides the above formulas, as long as the weights and various state information satisfy the above correlation.

[0117] After determining the weights for each actuator using the above method, the determined weights can be further normalized so that the sum of the weights for each actuator is 1. Of course, in practical applications, weight normalization can be omitted. Instead, during the determination of the position deviation components for each actuator, the position deviation components for each actuator can be determined from the subsequently determined position deviations by using the proportion of each weight to the sum of the weights.

[0118] In addition to determining the weights of each actuator mentioned above, the treatment device also needs to further determine the "positional deviation" mentioned above.

[0119] Specifically, in the embodiments of this application, this positional deviation is mainly used to measure the difference between the actual position of the target area and the position of the irradiation area (i.e., the planned position) formed by each actuator of the treatment device at the specified time when radiotherapy is performed at a subsequent specified time.

[0120] Since the specified time is to be reached in the future compared to the current time, in the process of tracking the target area, it is necessary to estimate the position of the target area at the specified time in advance based on the position of the target area at the current time, that is, the predicted position. This predicted position can be regarded as a reflection of the actual position of the target area at the specified time.

[0121] The planned locations mentioned above can be determined through a pre-set treatment plan. A treatment plan can be understood as a pre-planned location of the irradiation range at various times, based on the location of the tumor within the patient's body. The planned location of the irradiation range at each time should correspond to the location of the target area at each time.

[0122] Because there are often discrepancies between the plan and the actual situation during radiotherapy, the actual location of the target area also deviates from the planned irradiation range. In order to prevent damage to the patient's normal organs during radiotherapy, it is necessary to eliminate the impact of this deviation as much as possible in subsequent processes.

[0123] Therefore, the treatment device needs to predict the position of the target area at a specified time, as the predicted position, and the planned position mentioned above, and determine the positional deviation between the predicted position and the planned position. Taking a multi-leaf collimator and a treatment bed as examples, the specific formula can be referred to as follows:

[0124] (4)

[0125] In the above formula (4), Used to indicate a specified time. Used to indicate the predicted target area at a specified time, i.e., the predicted location. This is used to indicate the position of the radiated beam in a specified coordinate system (such as the world coordinate system) after the planned multi-leaf collimator (MLC) has undergone motion at a specified time. This is used to indicate the position of the planned treatment bed in the same specified coordinate system after movement at a specified time. This refers to the planned location, which indicates the position of the irradiation area formed by the planned MLC and treatment bed at a specified time. This is used to represent the aforementioned positional deviation.

[0126] It should be emphasized that, whether planned or actual, the position of the treatment bed mentioned in this application does not refer to the position of the base of the treatment bed in contact with the ground, but rather to the position of the entire movable part of the treatment bed. Assuming that the bed surface of the treatment bed can move in the horizontal direction, and the base of the treatment bed remains in contact with the ground and its position remains unchanged, then the so-called position of the treatment bed after movement refers to the position of the bed surface after it has moved in the horizontal direction.

[0127] After determining this positional deviation, the subsequent treatment equipment needs to eliminate the adverse effects of this positional deviation by determining the weight of each actuator, so that the position of the irradiation area formed by controlling each actuator at the specified time coincides as closely as possible with the actual position of the target area.

[0128] The current location of the aforementioned target area can be determined in various ways. For example, it can be tracked and determined using methods such as infrared markers, surface imaging, or implanted metal markers combined with X-ray imaging. After determining the current location of the target area, the treatment device can predict the location of the target area at a specified time using methods such as preset position-time functions or pre-trained position estimation models.

[0129] It is also important to emphasize that there is no strict limitation on the order in which the determination of the aforementioned positional deviation and the determination of the aforementioned weights are made for the treatment equipment. The weights can be determined first, followed by the positional deviation; or the positional deviation can be determined first, followed by the weights; or both can be determined simultaneously.

[0130] S103: Based on the position deviation and the weight corresponding to each actuator, determine the position deviation component that each actuator should offset in its corresponding motion direction at the specified time, and use it as the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator.

[0131] Once the aforementioned positional deviations are determined, the treatment device can, based on the respective weights of each actuator, determine the positional deviation components that the two actuators should cancel out in their respective directions of motion. The specific formula is as follows:

[0132] (5)

[0133] In the above formula (5), Used to represent the normalized weights, Used to represent the aforementioned positional deviation. This is used to represent the position deviation components corresponding to different actuators, where different values ​​of i correspond to different actuators.

[0134] S104: Based on the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator, control the at least two actuators to track the target area at the specified time.

[0135] After determining the position deviation component corresponding to each of the above actuators, the treatment device can further determine the control commands for different actuators based on the determined position deviation components.

[0136] Then, the treatment device can send its corresponding control commands to each actuator, thereby controlling each actuator.

[0137] It should be noted that in actual control, due to the different time delays of different actuators, the time it takes for the control command to reach the actuator and the time it takes for the actuator to respond based on the control command also differ. Furthermore, due to the influence of the actuator's own inertia and damping, the final position the actuator moves to after receiving the control command will deviate slightly from the expected position.

[0138] Therefore, after determining the control command corresponding to each actuator, the treatment device also needs to compensate the control command corresponding to each actuator to obtain the compensation command corresponding to each actuator. Then, based on the compensation command corresponding to each actuator, the device controls each actuator to move synchronously at a specified time, thereby achieving target area tracking.

[0139] This compensation process mainly addresses two aspects. First, it compensates for the impact of time delays caused by different actuators. This requires adjusting the sending time of these two control commands so that each actuator can move synchronously at the specified time. Second, it compensates for motion deviations caused by the actuators' own inertia, damping, etc., so that the position of the irradiation area formed by each actuator after movement coincides as closely as possible with the actual position of the target area.

[0140] Therefore, the above compensation instructions not only include control quantities for the actuator (such as movement distance), but also parameters such as the sending time of the compensation instructions.

[0141] In the embodiments of this application, the treatment device can complete the above-mentioned compensation process in various ways. For example, the treatment device can use Smith predictive control to compensate for the transmission time of control commands, thereby eliminating the impact of time delay. It can also adjust the control quantity of the actuator through feedforward, so that the position of the final irradiation area corresponds to the target area. As another example, a PID control system can be used to adjust the control quantity of the actuator, and a preset time delay elimination model can be used to compensate for the transmission time of control commands. Other methods will not be described in detail here.

[0142] Therefore, the specified time mentioned above can refer to the time when each actuator synchronously executes the tracking action after receiving the control command, or it can refer to the time when each control command arrives at each actuator synchronously.

[0143] It should also be emphasized that, considering the many limitations the actuators are subject to in their environment, it is necessary to further ensure that the control commands (or compensation commands) for each actuator determined above meet the preset constraints, so that each actuator can successfully track the target area in real time according to the determined control commands.

[0144] Specifically, the constraints differ for different actuators. For example, when the actuator is a treatment bed, the corresponding constraints may include: the speed of the actuator during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset speed; the acceleration of the actuator during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset acceleration; the distance the actuator travels during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset distance; and there are no obstacles at the position the actuator is to reach during radiotherapy.

[0145] As can be seen from the above constraints, these constraints actually stipulate that the actuator (i.e., the treatment bed) should not move too fast, should not move too far (because the distance that the treatment bed can move is limited), and should ensure that there is no risk of the actuator touching obstacles during the movement.

[0146] For example, when the actuator is a multi-leaf collimator, the corresponding constraints may include: the speed of the actuator during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset speed; the acceleration of the actuator during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset acceleration; the gap between each leaf in the actuator during radiotherapy is not less than a preset gap; and the boundary of the irradiation area formed by the movement of the leaves during radiotherapy meets preset boundary requirements.

[0147] Similar to the constraints corresponding to the treatment bed, the constraints corresponding to the multi-leaf collimator need to prevent it from moving too fast during radiotherapy, and also need to ensure that the gaps between the blades in the actuator and the boundaries of the irradiation area formed meet the preset requirements.

[0148] Therefore, after determining the control instructions (or compensation instructions) corresponding to each actuator, it is necessary to determine in turn whether each actuator satisfies its corresponding constraint conditions when controlling each actuator according to each control instruction.

[0149] When it is determined that each actuator meets its corresponding constraints, it means that the control commands determined by the treatment device can be executed normally. Then, the treatment device can send each control command to each actuator, so that each actuator can track the target area at a specified time.

[0150] If only some actuators meet their corresponding constraints (when using two controllers, only one actuator meets its corresponding constraints), then the treatment device can adjust the weights of each actuator to redetermine the control instructions for each actuator based on the adjusted weights. The redetermined control instructions can then be used to control the actuators that meet the constraints to offset at least a portion of the position deviation components that should have been offset by the actuators that do not meet the constraints at a specified time.

[0151] In this process, the treatment device gradually reduces or even sets the weights of actuators that do not meet the constraints to 0. This means that the position deviation components that should have been offset by those actuators are gradually, or even entirely, transferred to actuators that meet the constraints. It's important to note that the portion of the position deviation components that the actuators meeting the constraints offset at a specified time, which should have been offset by the actuators that did not meet the constraints, refers to the position deviation components that the actuators that did not meet the constraints were determined to offset before the weight adjustment. For example, assuming the two actuators are a treatment bed and a multi-leaf collimator, when the control command corresponding to the treatment bed does not meet its corresponding constraints, the multi-leaf collimator needs to offset the position deviation component corresponding to the treatment bed (this position deviation component is the one determined before the weight adjustment).

[0152] Therefore, although it is stated above that each actuator has its own corresponding direction of motion, and the directions of motion of each actuator are not exactly the same, in fact each actuator has the ability to individually eliminate positional deviations. This also means that each actuator can actually move in various directions, and is not limited to moving in only one direction of motion.

[0153] To put it another way, when each actuator can move smoothly in coordination to track the target area, their respective directions of motion may not be exactly the same. However, if any one actuator moves alone (i.e., one moves while the others stop), the directions of motion of each actuator can be considered to be the same.

[0154] If the control commands for each of the aforementioned actuators do not meet their respective constraints, the treatment device will stop irradiating the target area and wait for the radiotherapy conditions to be restored. Once it is determined that the conditions for resuming radiotherapy are met, the treatment device will re-track the target area based on the acquired status information of each actuator.

[0155] The restoration of conditions for radiotherapy mentioned here can be achieved through methods such as reminding the patient to lower their breathing rate and adjusting their position on the treatment bed. Once the conditions for radiotherapy are met, the treatment equipment can, based on the received response signals (e.g., after the doctor confirms that the patient's position on the treatment bed meets the requirements, they can activate the equipment by pressing a touch-sensitive start button; the equipment will then generate and receive a corresponding response signal), reacquire the status information of each actuator, and perform operations such as re-determining weights and re-determining positional deviation components, thereby enabling continued tracking of the target area.

[0156] Furthermore, in the case where only some actuators meet the constraints, this can be viewed as transferring the position deviation components that the non-constrained actuators should have offset to the actuators that meet the constraints. Therefore, a maximum number of migration attempts can be set in the treatment device. In other words, the treatment device needs to transfer the position deviation components that should have been offset by the non-constrained actuators to the actuators that meet the constraints within a specified number of attempts.

[0157] Therefore, during the aforementioned weight adjustment process, the treatment device can reduce the weight of actuators that do not meet the constraints and increase the weight of actuators that meet the constraints. This will decrease the position deviation component of actuators that do not meet the constraints, while increasing the position deviation component of actuators that meet the constraints, thus achieving a migration process from actuators that do not meet the constraints to actuators that do meet the constraints.

[0158] During the migration process, the treatment equipment needs to adjust the weights according to a certain range (e.g., decreasing or increasing the weights by a fixed value each time). After each migration, the control command determined by the adjusted weights needs to be verified against the constraints corresponding to each actuator. If the constraints are not met, the migration continues until a control command that meets the constraints is determined within the maximum number of migration attempts. If, before exceeding the maximum number of migration attempts, the constraints are still not met even after reducing the weights of actuators that do not meet the constraints to 0, radiation irradiation is stopped. Once the conditions for radiotherapy are restored, control of each actuator is resumed based on the acquired status information.

[0159] If the preset maximum number of migration attempts is reached and the constraints are still not met, then considering the impact on treatment efficiency, radiation irradiation can still be stopped. Once the conditions for radiotherapy are restored, the actuators can be controlled again based on the acquired status information.

[0160] As can be seen from the above method, the method provided in this application does not restrict each actuator to perform target tracking in a fixed pattern. Instead, it determines the position deviation component suitable for each actuator based on its own state. Therefore, as the state of each actuator changes, the proportion of the position deviation component that each actuator should offset will also change, thereby flexibly responding to various situations during radiotherapy and significantly improving the efficiency of radiotherapy.

[0161] It should be noted that in actual radiotherapy, target tracking is usually performed on a cycle-by-cycle basis. The following will explain the target tracking process within a single cycle in detail, such as... Figure 3 As shown.

[0162] Figure 3 This is a detailed schematic diagram illustrating the process of real-time tracking of the target area within one cycle, as provided in this application.

[0163] The entire radiotherapy process consists of multiple cycles. For any given Δt cycle, the treatment device can first determine the current position of the target area and then predict the position of the target area at a specified time within the Δt cycle (i.e., the predicted position mentioned above) based on that current position.

[0164] Subsequently, the treatment device can acquire the status information of each actuator and calculate the weight corresponding to each actuator using the acquired status information. Then, using the calculated weights, it further calculates the positional deviation between the predicted position of the target area and the planned irradiation area position (i.e., the planned position mentioned above) at a specified time. The current position and status information of the treatment device in the determined target area can be obtained from the logs generated in the previous cycle.

[0165] The treatment device can further determine the position deviation component that each actuator should offset at a specified time based on the determined weights, and in the subsequent process, compensate for the control commands determined based on the position deviation component from the perspective of time delay and control deviation.

[0166] To meet preset constraints and ensure smooth control of the actuators, the treatment device also needs to check whether the determined control commands satisfy the preset constraints. Once all actuators have passed the check, the determined control commands can be issued to them for execution, thereby achieving real-time tracking of the target area. The status information after real-time tracking is completed, the position of the irradiated area, and other information are recorded in the log. If any actuator fails the check, the maximum number of migration attempts mentioned above is used to determine whether a migration operation can proceed.

[0167] If migration is determined to be feasible, the weights of each actuator are adjusted, the position deviation component that each actuator needs to offset at a specified time is redefined, and the control commands derived from the redefined position deviation components are then checked.

[0168] If it is determined that migration cannot be performed or the maximum number of migration attempts has been reached, the treatment device can stop irradiation and log the event.

[0169] After the Δt cycle ends, the treatment device can continue to track the target area in real time for the next cycle until the entire radiotherapy is completed.

[0170] Furthermore, the above description uses a combination of two actuators for real-time target area tracking as an example to illustrate the method provided in this application. However, as described in step S101, the method provided in this application is also applicable to combinations of three or more actuators. For combinations of three or more actuators, the process is essentially the same as for combinations of two actuators: first, the state information of each actuator is acquired, and then the weight corresponding to each actuator is determined. Next, the position deviation component that each actuator should offset at a specified time is determined using the weight of each actuator. Based on the determined position deviation component, each actuator is controlled to achieve real-time target area tracking. During this process, the acquired state information and the constraints used for verification are affected by the specific type of actuator used. For example, when using a treatment bed and a multi-leaf collimator, and also controlling the movement of the rotating gantry to achieve real-time target area tracking, the constraints corresponding to the rotating gantry are essentially the same as those corresponding to the treatment bed, and may include conditions for limiting movement speed, movement distance, and preventing obstacle collisions. Detailed examples of each combination will not be provided here.

[0171] The above describes a real-time tracking irradiation method for radiotherapy target areas provided by one or more embodiments of this application. Based on the same concept, this application also provides a corresponding real-time tracking irradiation device for radiotherapy target areas, such as... Figure 4 As shown.

[0172] Figure 4 This application provides a schematic diagram of a real-time tracking irradiation device for a radiotherapy target area. The device is used to control at least two actuators to move in their respective corresponding directions during radiotherapy to form an irradiation area for tracking the target area. Specifically, it includes:

[0173] Acquisition module 401 is used to acquire the status information of the at least two actuators;

[0174] The first determining module 402 is configured to determine the weight corresponding to each of the at least two actuators based on the state information; and to predict the position of the target area at a specified time as the predicted position, determine the planned position of the irradiation area formed by controlling the at least two actuators at the specified time as the planned position, and determine the positional deviation between the predicted position and the planned position.

[0175] The second determining module 403 is used to determine, based on the position deviation and the weight corresponding to each actuator, the position deviation component that each actuator should cancel in its corresponding motion direction at the specified time, and use it as the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator.

[0176] The control module 404 is used to control the at least two actuators to track the target area at the specified time according to the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator.

[0177] Optionally, for any of the at least two actuators, the status information includes at least one of the actuator's time delay, health status, speed margin, and acceleration margin, wherein the health status of the actuator is positively correlated with the tracking accuracy of the actuator during radiotherapy;

[0178] For any actuator, the weight corresponding to the actuator is negatively correlated with the actuator's latency; the weight corresponding to the actuator is positively correlated with the actuator's health; the weight corresponding to the actuator is positively correlated with the actuator's speed margin; and the weight corresponding to the actuator is positively correlated with the actuator's acceleration margin.

[0179] Optionally, the control module 404 is specifically configured to: determine control instructions for controlling each actuator at a specified time based on the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator, and use these as control instructions for each actuator; compensate for the control instructions for each actuator to obtain compensation instructions for each actuator; and control the at least two actuators to move synchronously at the specified time according to the compensation instructions for each actuator, so as to track the target area.

[0180] Optionally, the control module 404 is specifically configured to: determine, based on the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator, a control instruction for controlling each actuator at the specified time, as the control instruction corresponding to each actuator; for each of the at least two actuators, determine whether the actuator satisfies its corresponding constraint condition when controlled according to the control instruction corresponding to the actuator at the specified time; if each actuator satisfies its corresponding constraint condition, then control the at least two actuators to track the target area at the specified time according to the control instruction corresponding to each actuator.

[0181] Optionally, the at least two actuators include at least a treatment bed and a multi-leaf collimator;

[0182] When the actuator is a treatment bed, the constraints corresponding to the actuator include: the speed of the actuator during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset speed, the acceleration of the actuator during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset acceleration, the distance the actuator travels during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset distance, and there are no obstacles at the position to be reached by the actuator during radiotherapy.

[0183] When the actuator is a multi-leaf collimator, the constraints corresponding to the actuator include: the speed of the actuator during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset speed; the acceleration of the actuator during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset acceleration; the gap between the blades in the actuator during radiotherapy is not less than a preset gap; and the boundary of the irradiation area formed by the movement of the blades during radiotherapy meets at least one of the preset boundary requirements.

[0184] Optionally, the control module 404 is further configured to, when only some actuators among the at least two controllers meet the corresponding constraint conditions, adjust the weight corresponding to each actuator, and redetermine the control command for each actuator according to the adjusted weight, so as to control the actuators that meet the constraint conditions to offset at least part of the position deviation component that should be offset by the actuators that do not meet the constraint conditions at the specified time through the redetermined control command.

[0185] Optionally, the control module 404 is further configured to, if the at least two actuators do not meet their respective constraints, stop irradiating the target area, and when it is determined that the conditions for resuming radiotherapy are met, re-track the target area based on the obtained status information of the at least two actuators.

[0186] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that can be used to execute the above-described... Figure 1 A method for real-time tracking and irradiation of the target area in radiotherapy is provided.

[0187] This application also provides Figure 5 The diagram shows a schematic structural representation of the treatment device. Figure 5 At the hardware level, the treatment device includes a processor, internal bus, network interface, memory, and non-volatile memory, and may also include other hardware required for various operations. The processor reads the corresponding computer program from the non-volatile memory into memory and then runs it to achieve the above-mentioned functions. Figure 1 The method for real-time tracking and irradiation of the radiotherapy target area is described above. Of course, besides software implementation, this application does not exclude other implementation methods, such as logic devices or a combination of hardware and software, etc. That is to say, the execution entity of the following processing flow is not limited to individual logic units, but can also be hardware or logic devices.

[0188] In the 1990s, improvements to a technology could be clearly distinguished as either hardware improvements (e.g., improvements to the circuit structure of diodes, transistors, switches, etc.) or software improvements (improvements to the methodology). However, with technological advancements, many methodological improvements today can be considered direct improvements to the hardware circuit structure. Designers almost always obtain the corresponding hardware circuit structure by programming the improved methodology into the hardware circuit. Therefore, it cannot be said that a methodological improvement cannot be implemented using hardware physical modules. For example, a Programmable Logic Device (PLD) (such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)) is such an integrated circuit whose logic function is determined by the user programming the device. Designers can program and "integrate" a digital system onto a PLD themselves, without needing chip manufacturers to design and manufacture dedicated integrated circuit chips. Furthermore, nowadays, instead of manually manufacturing integrated circuit chips, this programming is mostly implemented using "logic compiler" software. Similar to the software compiler used in program development, the original code before compilation must also be written in a specific programming language, called a Hardware Description Language (HDL). There are many HDLs, such as ABEL (Advanced Boolean Expression Language), AHDL (Altera Hardware Description Language), Confluence, CUPL (Cornell University Programming Language), HDCal, JHDL (Java Hardware Description Language), Lava, Lola, MyHDL, PALASM, and RHDL (Ruby Hardware Description Language). Currently, the most commonly used are VHDL (Very-High-Speed ​​Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language) and Verilog. Those skilled in the art should also understand that by simply performing some logic programming on the method flow using one of these hardware description languages ​​and programming it into an integrated circuit, the hardware circuit implementing the logical method flow can be easily obtained.

[0189] The controller can be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, it can take the form of a microprocessor or processor and a computer-readable medium storing computer-readable program code (e.g., software or firmware) executable by the (micro)processor, logic gates, switches, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic controllers, and embedded microcontrollers. Examples of controllers include, but are not limited to, the following microcontrollers: ARC 625D, Atmel AT91SAM, Microchip PIC18F26K20, and Silicon Labs C8051F320. A memory controller can also be implemented as part of the control logic of the memory. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that, in addition to implementing the controller in purely computer-readable program code form, the same functionality can be achieved by logically programming the method steps to make the controller take the form of logic gates, switches, application-specific integrated circuits, programmable logic controllers, and embedded microcontrollers. Therefore, such a controller can be considered a hardware component, and the means included therein for implementing various functions can also be considered as structures within the hardware component. Alternatively, the means for implementing various functions can be considered as both software modules implementing the method and structures within the hardware component.

[0190] The systems, devices, modules, or units described in the above embodiments can be implemented by computer chips or entities, or by products with certain functions. A typical implementation device is a computer. Specifically, a computer can be, for example, a personal computer, laptop computer, cellular phone, camera phone, smartphone, personal digital assistant, media player, navigation device, email device, game console, tablet computer, wearable device, or any combination of these devices.

[0191] For ease of description, the above devices are described in terms of function, divided into various units. Of course, in implementing this specification, the functions of each unit can be implemented in one or more software and / or hardware components.

[0192] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of the present invention can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present invention can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0193] This invention is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0194] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0195] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0196] In a typical configuration, a computing device includes one or more processors (CPU), input / output interfaces, network interfaces, and memory.

[0197] Memory may include non-persistent storage in computer-readable media, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM) or flash RAM. Memory is an example of computer-readable media.

[0198] Computer-readable media includes both permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media that can store information using any method or technology. Information can be computer-readable instructions, data structures, modules of programs, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase-change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile optical disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic tape, magnetic magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transferable medium that can be used to store information accessible by a computing device. As defined herein, computer-readable media does not include transient computer-readable media, such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

[0199] It should also be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0200] Those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments of this specification can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this specification may take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this specification may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0201] This specification can be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions that are executed by a computer, such as program modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform a specific task or implement a specific abstract data type. This specification can also be practiced in distributed computing environments, where tasks are performed by remote processing devices connected via a communication network. In distributed computing environments, program modules can reside in local and remote computer storage media, including storage devices.

[0202] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments. In particular, the system embodiments are basically similar to the method embodiments, so the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions in the method embodiments.

[0203] The above description is merely an embodiment of this specification and is not intended to limit this specification. Various modifications and variations can be made to this specification by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this specification should be included within the scope of the claims of this specification.

Claims

1. A real-time tracking irradiation device for a radiotherapy target area, the device being used to control at least two actuators to move in their respective corresponding motion directions during radiotherapy to form an irradiation area for tracking the target area, characterized in that, include: The acquisition module is used to acquire the status information of the at least two actuators; The first determining module is used to determine the weight corresponding to each of the at least two executors based on the state information; In addition, the position of the target area at a specified time is predicted as the predicted position, the position of the planned irradiation area formed by the at least two actuators at the specified time is determined as the planned position, and the positional deviation between the predicted position and the planned position is determined. The second determining module is used to determine, based on the position deviation and the weight corresponding to each actuator, the position deviation component that each actuator should cancel in its corresponding motion direction at the specified time, as the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator; The control module is used to control at least two actuators to track the target area at the specified time according to the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, For any of the at least two actuators, the status information includes at least one of the actuator's time delay, health status, speed margin, and acceleration margin. The health status of the actuator is positively correlated with the tracking accuracy of the actuator during radiotherapy. For any actuator, the weight corresponding to the actuator is negatively correlated with the actuator's latency; the weight corresponding to the actuator is positively correlated with the actuator's health; the weight corresponding to the actuator is positively correlated with the actuator's speed margin; and the weight corresponding to the actuator is positively correlated with the actuator's acceleration margin.

3. The apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control module is specifically used for: Based on the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator, the control command for controlling each actuator at the specified time is determined and used as the control command corresponding to each actuator. The control instructions corresponding to each actuator are compensated to obtain the compensation instructions corresponding to each actuator; According to the compensation command corresponding to each actuator, the at least two actuators are controlled to move synchronously at the specified time to track the target area.

4. The apparatus as described in claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, The control module is specifically used for: Based on the position deviation component corresponding to each actuator, the control command for controlling each actuator at the specified time is determined and used as the control command corresponding to each actuator. For each of the at least two actuators, determine whether the actuator satisfies its corresponding constraint conditions when the actuator is controlled at the specified time according to the control instruction corresponding to the actuator; If each actuator satisfies its corresponding constraint, then according to the control command corresponding to each actuator, the at least two actuators are controlled to track the target area at the specified time.

5. The apparatus as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The at least two actuators include at least a treatment bed and a multi-leaf collimator; When the actuator is a treatment bed, the constraints corresponding to the actuator include: the speed of the actuator during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset speed, the acceleration of the actuator during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset acceleration, the distance the actuator moves during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset distance, and there are no obstacles at the position to be reached by the actuator during radiotherapy. When the actuator is a multi-leaf collimator, the constraints corresponding to the actuator include: the speed of the actuator during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset speed; the acceleration of the actuator during radiotherapy does not exceed a preset acceleration; the gap between the blades in the actuator during radiotherapy is not less than a preset gap; and the boundary of the irradiation area formed by the movement of the blades during radiotherapy meets at least one of the preset boundary requirements.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that, The control module is also used for: When only some of the at least two actuators meet the corresponding constraints, the weights of each actuator are adjusted. Based on the adjusted weights, the control commands for each actuator are redefined. The redefined control commands are used to control the actuators that meet the constraints to offset at least a portion of the position deviation components that should be offset by the actuators that do not meet the constraints at the specified time.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that, The control module is also used for: If neither of the at least two actuators satisfies its corresponding constraint, irradiation of the target area is stopped, and when it is determined that the conditions for resuming radiotherapy are met, the target area is tracked again based on the obtained state information of the at least two actuators.

8. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the execution logic of the device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A treatment device, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that, When the processor executes the program, it implements the execution logic of the device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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