Charged Particle Therapy Gantry Rotation

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current particle therapy systems for tumor treatment face challenges in achieving minimal patient setup and treatment time while providing conformal dose distributions with high precision, often exposing healthy tissue and critical organs to unnecessary radiation due to the use of static fields and high costs.

Innovation Solution

A charged particle therapy system that modulates the energy, intensity, and beam shape of charged particles during rotation around the tumor using a multi-leaf collimator and gantry capable of 360-degree rotation, allowing for concurrent beam shaping and energy modulation to optimize dose delivery, reducing treatment time and improving conformity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If static fields are used in particle therapy systems, then device complexity is reduced, but treatment time increases and dose conformity deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem complexityVSAvoidtreatment time

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the dynamics principle by transitioning from static radiation fields to dynamic rotating fields. The radiation source rotates around the patient's body, continuously changing the irradiation angle and position. This dynamic approach allows the system to deliver radiation from multiple angles during a single rotation, eliminating the need for multiple static field setups and significantly reducing treatment time while maintaining dose conformity through controlled beam modulation during rotation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Device complexity

If static fields are used in particle therapy systems, then device complexity is reduced, but dose conformity to tumor region deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem complexityVSAvoiddose conformity

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The dynamic rotating field system delivers radiation from continuously changing angles, allowing the beam to conform to the tumor's three-dimensional shape. By modulating beam intensity and position during rotation, the system achieves superior dose conformity compared to static fields, as the rotating source can sculpt the radiation dose distribution to match the tumor geometry while sparing surrounding healthy tissues

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces rotational motion as an additional dimension to the radiation delivery system. Instead of delivering radiation from fixed planar angles, the rotating source adds a temporal and angular dimension, enabling three-dimensional dose conformality. This dimensional enhancement allows the system to target tumors with complex spatial distributions more effectively than static two-dimensional field arrangements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Manufacturing precision

If rotating delivery device is used, then dose conformity is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedose conformityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The rotating delivery device integrates multiple functions into a single system: radiation delivery, angular positioning, beam modulation, and treatment field arrangement. By combining these functions into one universal rotating platform, the system achieves complex dose conformity requirements without proportionally increasing overall system complexity, as the same rotating mechanism performs multiple therapeutic functions simultaneously

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Manufacturing precision

If rotating delivery device with beam modulation is used, then dose conformity is improved, but treatment time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedose conformityVSAvoidtreatment time

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system maintains continuous useful action by delivering radiation throughout the entire rotation cycle without interruption. Beam modulation occurs continuously during rotation, allowing dose conformity to be achieved through temporal and spatial modulation rather than through discrete positioning steps. This continuous delivery approach eliminates idle positioning time between fields, maintaining treatment efficiency while achieving precise dose conformity through real-time beam control during rotation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach significantly reduces treatment time and enhances dose conformity to the tumor site while minimizing radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue and critical organs, improving the overall efficiency and precision of particle therapy.

Implementation Method 1

Because of the 'Bragg peak' effect, charged particles release most of their energy around the area where they stop

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectBragg peak:

Data Source

PatentEP2280765B1Treatment of patient tumors by charged particle therapy

Publication Date: 2023.01.25 VARIAN MEDICAL SYSTEMS INC

Figure 1~2C
Figure 3
Figure 4

AI summary

A method of irradiating a target in a subject using charged particle therapy includes the steps of positioning a subject on a supporting device, positioning a delivery device adapted to deliver charged particles, and delivering charged particles to a target in the subject wherein 5 the delivery device rotates around the target during delivery of at least a portion of the charged particles.