Combined Function Magnets for Compact Medical Particle Therapy Gantry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medical cancer therapy facilities have large and expensive gantry systems due to their complex magnet arrangements, which hinder the adoption of advances in particle accelerator design for a more compact and cost-effective design.
Innovation Solution
A particle therapy gantry with a compact design utilizing combined function magnets, including fixed-field and superconducting magnets arranged in triplets, which perform both bending and focusing/defocusing functions, reducing the size and weight of the gantry while maintaining precise beam control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional separate function magnets are used in the gantry, then the beam can be guided and focused, but the gantry becomes large and heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines separate bending dipole magnets and focusing quadrupole magnets into integrated combined-function magnets. Each combined-function magnet simultaneously performs both bending and focusing operations on the particle beam, eliminating the need for separate magnet assemblies and reducing overall gantry weight from hundreds of tons to a manageable size.
Solution Approach 2:
The combined-function magnets are designed to perform multiple functions (bending and focusing) within a single magnetic field structure. This multi-functionality allows the gantry to maintain precise beam control while using fewer, lighter components compared to conventional systems that require separate dedicated magnets for each function.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional complex magnet arrangements are used, then the gantry can deliver precise particle beams, but the system becomes expensive and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple magnetic field functions into unified combined-function magnet structures. By merging the bending dipole magnets and focusing quadrupole magnets into single components, the system reduces the total number of magnets required and simplifies the overall magnetic arrangement while preserving beam delivery precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The combined-function magnets are engineered to simultaneously provide bending and focusing capabilities through carefully designed magnetic field configurations. This multi-functionality reduces system complexity by eliminating the need for separate dedicated magnets for each function, thereby reducing both the number of components and the overall system complexity.
3Reliability
If conventional large gantry systems are used, then beam delivery is reliable, but the facility becomes less accessible and more expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple heavy magnet components into integrated combined-function magnets, dramatically reducing the total weight and physical footprint of the gantry system. This consolidation makes the gantry more manageable and accessible for installation in facilities with limited space and budget constraints, while maintaining reliable beam delivery through the unified magnetic field design.
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
The compact gantry design significantly reduces the size and weight of the gantry system, simplifies control systems, and allows for precise particle beam focusing and delivery, making it more affordable and efficient for cancer therapy.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of magnets sequentially arranged along the beam tube for guiding the particle beam along the particle path
Implementation Method 2
magnets sequentially arranged along the beam tube for guiding the particle beam along the particle path
Data Source
AI summary
A particle therapy gantry for delivering a particle beam to a patient includes a beam tube having a curvature defining a particle beam path and a plurality of superconducting, variable field magnets sequentially arranged along the beam tube for guiding the particle beam along the particle path. In a method for delivering a particle beam to a patient through a gantry, a particle beam is guided by a plurality of variable field magnets sequentially arranged along a beam tube of the gantry and the beam is alternately focused and defocused with alternately arranged focusing and defocusing variable field magnets.