Refillable Ion Chamber Purging for Stable Radiation Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Sealed ion chambers in radiation machines deteriorate over time, leading to signal transients and false positive errors, necessitating frequent replacements, especially in flash mode operations, resulting in high costs and machine downtime.
Innovation Solution
A refillable ion chamber integrated with a valve assembly that allows for purging and refilling with pristine gas, reducing contamination and extending the ion chamber's performance without the need for retuning or recommissioning the machine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sealed ion chambers are used in radiation machines, then the machine can operate reliably, but the ion chambers deteriorate with aging leading to signal transients and false positive errors requiring frequent replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the ion chamber from sealed to refillable, allowing the gas parameter to be renewed. The housing is designed with a valve assembly that enables evacuation and refilling of the ionizable gas, effectively resetting the ion chamber's performance characteristics and extending its service life while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a process where the degraded gas is evacuated and discarded from the housing, and fresh ionizable gas is introduced. This discarding and recovering approach allows the ion chamber to be refurbished in place, eliminating the need for replacement while maintaining reliable operation.
2Reliability
If ion chambers are replaced frequently to maintain performance, then reliability is maintained, but machine downtime and replacement costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the ion chamber to be serviced in place through the valve assembly that allows evacuation and refilling of gas without removing the chamber from the radiation machine. This self-service capability eliminates the need for machine downtime associated with physical replacement and retuning, while maintaining ion chamber performance through periodic refurbishment.
3Productivity
If ion chambers operate in flash mode with short pulse durations, then treatment efficiency increases, but tolerance for beam-on transients decreases leading to higher replacement rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by evacuating degraded gas and refilling with fresh ionizable gas before the ion chamber is needed for flash mode operations. This preventive maintenance approach ensures the ion chamber is in optimal condition to handle the stringent requirements of flash mode, reducing the likelihood of beam-on transients and false positive errors that would trigger interlocks.
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 solution effectively prolongs the performance of ion chambers, reduces downtime, and lowers replacement costs by allowing continuous or scheduled refurbishment of ion chambers, eliminating the need for frequent replacements and associated retuning.
Implementation Method 1
The ion chamber comprises a housing enclosing a gas that may be ionizable by radiation
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes an ion chamber and a valve assembly. The ion chamber may include a housing enclosing a gas and one or more electrodes. The valve assembly is coupled to the ion chamber allowing control of replacement of the gas within the housing.