Aperture Assembly Brass Volume Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current radiation therapy apparatuses have a high cost due to the use of expensive brass in the radiation aperture body, with a significant portion of the material being unnecessary and not fully exposed to protons, leading to inefficiencies in cost reduction.
Innovation Solution
The radiation aperture body is reduced in volume by using a stainless steel or other high-density material aperture holder and cover, which are designed to fit snugly around a brass radiation aperture body with frusto-conical portions to prevent radiation leakage, ensuring full exposure to protons and minimizing brass usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a thick brass radiation aperture body is used to control radiation dosing, then radiation shielding and dosing control are improved, but cost increases significantly due to excessive brass material
Solution Approach 1:
The aperture body is divided into two functional zones: a central exposed region made of brass for radiation dosing control, and a peripheral border region replaced by a non-brass frame structure. This segmentation eliminates unnecessary brass material while preserving radiation shielding where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The brass material is extracted only from the central region that requires radiation interaction, while the border region is taken out of the brass composition and replaced with a non-brass frame, reducing brass volume and cost.
2Quantity of substance
If a non-brass frame is used to replace the border region, then cost is reduced, but radiation shielding may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Different materials are used in different regions: brass is used only in the central region where radiation dosing control is needed, while a non-brass frame material is used in the border region where radiation shielding is less critical, optimizing both cost and performance.
3Quantity of substance
If the radiation aperture body is reduced in volume, then cost decreases, but full exposure to protons must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The aperture body is pre-configured with a frustoconical outer surface that matches the proton beam profile, ensuring that the reduced-volume aperture body is fully exposed to protons without requiring post-manufacturing adjustment or alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The frustoconical curved surface of the aperture body is designed to match the divergent proton beam geometry, ensuring uniform exposure across the entire aperture surface while minimizing material volume.
Data Source
AI summary
A radiation therapy apparatus includes a housing, a radiation source carried by the housing, and an aperture assembly carried by the housing. The aperture assembly includes a radiation aperture body, an aperture holder and a cover. The radiation aperture body has a shaped opening therein to control a radiation dosing profile. The aperture holder has an aperture-receiving passageway therein receiving the radiation aperture body, and a recessed end. The cover is received within the recessed end of the aperture holder, and retains the radiation aperture body within the aperture holder. The cover has an opening aligned with the shaped opening in the radiation aperture body. A radiation filter is carried by the housing.