Linear Accelerator Timing Control for Charged Particle Beam Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The operation period of linear accelerators in charged particle beam systems is restricted, leading to increased irradiation time intervals and reduced efficiency due to instability and thermal load issues, limiting the ability to inject charged particles into circular accelerators at arbitrary timings, especially when synchronizing with patient movements or treating multiple layers of a diseased area.
Innovation Solution
A charged particle beam generation apparatus that allows the linear accelerator to operate in a predetermined period longer than the shortest period, with a control device generating an after-end-of-emitting-process timing signal to stop and restart the linear accelerator based on a synchrotron pattern start signal, ensuring synchronization with the circular accelerator's operation and reducing stand-by times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the operation period of the linear accelerator is set to the shortest period (0.5 sec or less) to enable arbitrary timing injection into the circular accelerator, then the irradiation time interval can be shortened, but thermal load increases and device stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The linear accelerator's operation period is made dynamically adjustable rather than fixed. The control device can set different operation periods (0.5 sec or more for stability, or less for reduced irradiation time) based on treatment requirements, enabling flexible adaptation between stability and speed needs
Solution Approach 2:
The operation period parameter of the linear accelerator is changed from a fixed value to a variable parameter that can be adjusted between 0.5 sec and shorter durations. This parameter change allows the system to optimize between thermal load management and irradiation time reduction
2Reliability
If the operation period of the linear accelerator is extended to three or four times the shortest period to improve stability, then device reliability improves, but the irradiation time interval increases due to required stand-by time
Solution Approach 1:
The operation period is made dynamically adjustable, allowing the system to use longer periods (3-4 times shortest) when stability is prioritized, and shorter periods when rapid irradiation is needed, eliminating the need for fixed long stand-by times
Solution Approach 2:
The control device prepares and sets the appropriate operation period in advance based on the treatment plan requirements, so that the linear accelerator is ready to operate at optimal parameters before injection timing, eliminating unnecessary stand-by periods
3Reliability
If the linear accelerator operation period is fixed to maintain high frequency power supply stability, then beam characteristics are maintained, but flexibility to synchronize with patient movement or treat multiple layers is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The operation period transitions from a fixed value to a dynamically adjustable parameter, allowing the system to adapt timing to patient movement (breathing, heart rate) and multi-layer treatment requirements while maintaining beam quality through controlled operation periods
Solution Approach 2:
The operation period parameter can be changed based on treatment conditions - maintaining standard periods for stable beam characteristics, or adjusting to shorter/longer periods as needed for timing synchronization with patient physiology or treatment sequence requirements
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a charged particle beam generation apparatus, a charged particle beam irradiation apparatus, a particle beam therapy system, and a charged particle beam generation apparatus operating method capable of implementing injection of a charged particle beam into a circular accelerator at an arbitrary timing by setting a normal operation period of a linear accelerator to be larger than a shortest period and securing a stability of the beam. In timing control of controlling injecting, accelerating, emitting, and decelerating processes of a synchrotron (200), after an end of the emitting process, a linear accelerator (111) is allowed to stop repetition of an operation based on an after-end-of-emitting-process timing signal to be in a stand-by state and is allowed to be start the repetition of the operation in a constant period based on a master signal.