Radiation Source Path Optimization Skipping Unused Nodes
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Solution Overview
Problem
The CyberKnife radiation treatment system faces challenges in determining optimized paths for its robotic arm due to its infinite degrees of freedom, leading to time-consuming collision-free path determination and increased treatment times, as it must visit all template nodes even if radiation is only delivered at a partial set.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a direct path mapping method to identify collision-free paths between template nodes, allowing for the selection of a partial set of nodes for radiation delivery, and using a look-up table to optimize path traversal, reducing the need to visit all nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the radiation source visits all template nodes to ensure collision-free path, then safety is improved, but treatment time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary template nodes required for radiation delivery from the complete set of template nodes. By identifying and removing unnecessary nodes from the path, the system maintains collision-free safety while reducing treatment time. The treatment planning system determines a subset of template nodes that are sufficient for delivering the prescribed radiation dose, eliminating the need to visit all nodes in the superset.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the robotic arm has infinite degrees of freedom for flexibility, then adaptability is improved, but path determination complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the continuous workspace into discrete template nodes arranged in structured layers. This segmentation transforms the infinite degrees of freedom into a manageable finite set of predefined positions. The robotic arm's flexible movement is constrained to transitions between these segmented nodes, simplifying path determination while maintaining adaptability through the layered structure that allows flexible navigation between different spatial regions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If arbitrary positions are created along the sphere surface for treatment, then adaptability is improved, but path optimization difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic path optimization approach where the system determines an optimized traversal sequence of template nodes based on the specific treatment requirements. Rather than using fixed arbitrary positions, the system dynamically selects and orders template nodes from the superset according to the target geometry and treatment plan, making the path optimization adaptable to each specific case while managing complexity through the predefined node structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for determining optimized path traversal in a radiation delivery system is described. In one embodiment, determining an optimized path traversal in a radiation delivery system involves providing a plurality of spatial nodes used in a treatment plan, where each of the plurality of spatial nodes represents a position of a radiation source made available to the treatment plan for delivering radiation to a target, identifying a number of unused spatial nodes, from among the plurality of spatial nodes, at which radiation is not delivered according to the treatment plan, and skipping travel to one or more of the unused nodes by the radiation source when administering the treatment plan. Other embodiments are also described.