Thyratron Start-Up Time Monitoring for Radiotherapy Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Radiotherapy devices, particularly those with thyratrons, face challenges in predictive maintenance due to complex operations and abundant data, leading to inefficient scheduling of repairs or replacements, resulting in inconvenient and costly downtime.
Innovation Solution
A method is developed to determine whether a thyratron in a radiotherapy device needs repair or replacement by analyzing the start-up time and its rate of change, using sensors to provide signals indicative of voltage thresholds, allowing for remote monitoring and scheduling of maintenance based on predefined criteria.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If predictive maintenance techniques are applied to radiotherapy machines, then maintenance scheduling can be improved, but the complexity of analyzing the abundant data from complex machines makes fault diagnosis difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and monitors specific critical parameters (start-up time, safety override events, component operating hours) from the abundant data generated by radiotherapy machines. By focusing on these key indicators rather than analyzing all available data, the system simplifies the diagnostic process while maintaining predictive maintenance effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms raw operational data into meaningful predictive indicators by monitoring changes in parameters over time. Specifically, it tracks the rate of change of start-up time and compares it against threshold values, converting complex operational data into simple binary decisions about maintenance needs.
2Ease of operation
If field service engineers are sent to diagnose faults after safety overrides occur, then machine downtime increases, and the type of problem is not known in advance
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary monitoring and analysis of thyratron start-up time trends before actual failure occurs. By detecting when the rate of change of start-up time exceeds thresholds, the system predicts potential failures in advance, allowing maintenance to be scheduled proactively rather than reactively after safety overrides.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors start-up time parameters and provides feedback about the thyratron's health status. This feedback mechanism enables early warning signals before failure, allowing operators to schedule maintenance during convenient times rather than experiencing unexpected downtime.
3Reliability
If maintenance is scheduled after multiple safety overrides or component failure, then diagnostic testing must be performed on-site, but this results in significant machine downtime and inconvenient scheduling
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary assessment of thyratron condition by monitoring start-up time trends remotely before the component actually fails. This advance detection allows maintenance to be planned and scheduled during convenient downtime periods rather than requiring immediate on-site diagnostic testing that causes unplanned machine unavailability.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a method of determining whether repair or replacement of thyratron of a radiotherapy device should be scheduled. The radiotherapy device comprising a linear accelerator and being configured to provide therapeutic radiation to a patient. The radiotherapy device comprising a thyratron; and at least one sensor configured to provide a signal indicative of a start-up time associated with the thyratron. The method comprises receiving the start-up time and based on the start-up time, determining whether repair or replacement of the thyratron should be scheduled.