Electron Beam System with Feedback Control for Shallow Depth Precision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electron beam machines lack precision in delivering targeted radiation at shallow depths, leading to excessive exposure to healthy tissues and inadequate treatment of superficial targets, particularly in surgeries like scar treatment and vascular procedures, due to coarse penetration depth adjustments and inability to operate without significant shielding.
Innovation Solution
A compact, lightweight electron beam system with integrated feedback control that allows for precise adjustment of penetration depth in fine increments using a combination of sensors and control systems to stabilize and modulate electron beam energy, enabling controlled and adjustable radiation delivery at shallow depths without the need for extensive shielding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional electron beam machines are used for therapeutic radiation, then deep tissue targets can be treated, but healthy surrounding tissues receive excessive radiation exposure and precision at shallow depths is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback control system that continuously monitors electron beam energy and adjusts accelerating voltage in real-time to maintain precise penetration depth. Sensors detect beam characteristics and feed this information back to the control system, which modifies operating parameters to compensate for drift, achieving precision of ±1 mm or better in penetration depth control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the accelerating voltage parameter to precisely control electron beam energy and penetration depth. By varying voltage in fine increments (e.g., 1 kV steps), the system can adjust penetration depth in 1 mm increments, allowing selective targeting of shallow lesions while sparing deeper healthy tissues.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional electron beam machines with coarse penetration depth adjustments are used, then device complexity is reduced, but treatment precision for shallow targets cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
A feedback control system continuously monitors electron beam energy and adjusts accelerating voltage in real-time. Sensors detect beam characteristics and feed this information back to the control system, which modifies operating parameters to compensate for drift, achieving precision of ±1 mm or better in penetration depth control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical adjustment mechanisms (such as physical absorbers or collimators) with electronic control of accelerating voltage. This substitution allows continuous, fine-grained adjustment of penetration depth through voltage modulation rather than discrete mechanical steps, achieving 1 mm precision without complex mechanical components.
3Reliability
If therapeutic radiation is delivered in many daily fractions to allow normal tissue recovery, then healthy tissues can repair radiation damage, but treatment time is extended and permanent damage can still occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables delivery of the complete therapeutic radiation dose in a single fraction during the surgical procedure itself, before the patient leaves the operating room. This preliminary action eliminates the need for multiple daily treatments, allowing immediate treatment of the target while the patient is already under anesthesia and the surgical site is exposed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system integrates radiation therapy capability directly into the surgical workflow, segmenting the treatment into a single comprehensive intervention rather than separate surgical and radiation phases. This integration allows the electron beam machine to be positioned in the operating room and deliver therapy immediately after lesion exposure.
4Manufacturing precision
If electron beam energy is adjusted in large increments, then device complexity is reduced, but fine adjustment capability for precise shallow depth treatment is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical adjustment mechanisms (such as physical absorbers or collimators) with electronic control of accelerating voltage. This substitution allows continuous, fine-grained adjustment of penetration depth through voltage modulation rather than discrete mechanical steps, achieving 1 mm precision without complex mechanical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the accelerating voltage parameter to precisely control electron beam energy and penetration depth. By varying voltage in fine increments (e.g., 1 kV steps), the system can adjust penetration depth in 1 mm increments, allowing selective targeting of shallow lesions while sparing deeper healthy tissues.
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 system provides stable, precise electron beam radiation that can be adjusted in increments as small as 1 mm, minimizing exposure to healthy tissues and allowing for intraoperative use, enhancing the effectiveness of treatments by enabling immediate radiation application during or after surgery.
Implementation Method 1
a feedback system, comprising: first and second sensors presented to the electron beam in a manner effective to detect first and second characteristics of the electron beam
Implementation Method 2
an accelerator system configured to receive the electron beam from the electron beam source and to receive the microwave energy from the microwave network in a manner effective to accelerate the electron beam toward the target site
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides electron beam therapies with improved feedback control that delivers controlled and adjustable doses of electron beam radiation to variable shallow depths with little radiation exposure to both nearby tissues and tissues below the target. In order to control radiation to accurately penetrate to shallow depths and to allow the radiation to be adjusted to other depth settings in very small or even continuous increments, the present invention senses a plurality of different electron beam characteristics and then uses these to derive a composite characteristic, or analog, of the electron beam energy. The composite analog provides a strong correlation to energy that allows this precision. In another aspect, the present invention relates to implementing this feedback control by adjusting power levels used to establish the electron beam. In other embodiments, feedback control adjusts absorbing components with variable electron beam absorption depending on how such components are presented to the electron beam.