Radiotherapy Patient Positioning with Floor-Mounted Sensor Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current radiotherapy systems face challenges in accurately monitoring and maintaining patient positioning during treatment, particularly due to real-world effects like sag, flex, stress, and strain of the patient support surface, which can lead to inaccuracies in delivering targeted radiation doses and protecting healthy tissues.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a system with sensors mounted below the patient support surface, such as floor-mounted sensors, to continuously monitor and correct the patient's position relative to the radiotherapy device, using a feedback loop to adjust the patient support surface or treatment apparatus to ensure precise alignment with the treatment plan.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a patient positioning apparatus is configured to move the patient in multiple degrees of freedom, then the versatility and adaptability of the positioning system is improved, but the complexity of monitoring patient position accurately increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where sensors continuously monitor patient position and support surface status, and the system automatically adjusts positioning based on this feedback. This resolves the contradiction by providing automated closed-loop control that manages the complexity of monitoring multiple degrees of freedom while maintaining high positioning versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-monitoring and self-correction of patient positioning through integrated sensors and automated control. The positioning apparatus monitors its own state and makes adjustments without external intervention, reducing the operational complexity despite the multiple degrees of freedom available.
2Measurement precision
If sensors are mounted below the patient support surface to monitor position continuously, then the measurement precision of patient position is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the patient support surface itself as an intermediary structure that integrates sensor mounting. By placing sensors below the support surface rather than on top or beside it, the system achieves continuous position monitoring while using the existing structural elements as part of the sensing system, thereby reducing overall device complexity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the patient support surface is made rigid to maintain positioning stability, then the stability of patient position is improved, but the support surface becomes more susceptible to sag and flex under patient weight
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensors to detect sag and flex of the support surface in real-time and provides feedback to the control system. This allows the system to compensate for structural deformation by adjusting positioning actuators, thereby maintaining position stability despite the support surface experiencing sag and flex under patient weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts positioning parameters based on detected support surface deformation. By changing positioning parameters in response to measured sag and flex, the system maintains accurate patient positioning despite the structural limitations of the support surface.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a method of positioning a patient for radiotherapy treatment using a radiotherapy system. The method comprises determining a first target position for the patient for radiotherapy treatment; implementing a spatial relationship between the patient and at least a part of the radiotherapy device, at a first time (t1), according to the first target position; providing radiotherapy treatment to the patient; determining a current position of the patient, at a second, subsequent time (t2); and determining whether a change of a spatial relationship between the patient and at least a part of the radiotherapy device should be made, according to the first target position.