Toroid Gantry Retractable Cover for Unobstructed Patient Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing particle therapy systems face challenges in providing unobstructed access for patient positioning and imaging within the gantry, limiting the flexibility and precision of radiation delivery and imaging capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A toroid-shaped gantry with a retractable cover and rotatable segments creates an unobstructed opening, allowing a patient couch and imaging system to move freely, coupled with a nozzle for radiation delivery and a control system for precise treatment planning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the gantry has a fixed closed cover, then the structural integrity and shielding are maintained, but the access for patient positioning and imaging is obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The gantry cover is divided into multiple segments that can be independently moved. Specifically, the cover includes a first segment and a second segment that can be rotated relative to each other, allowing the creation of an unobstructed opening while maintaining the overall gantry structure intact during treatment
2Adaptability or versatility
If the gantry has a fixed closed cover, then the shielding is maintained, but the flexibility for different treatment positions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The gantry cover transitions from a static fixed structure to a dynamic reconfigurable structure. The segments can be rotated to different positions (e.g., 45 degrees, 90 degrees) depending on the treatment requirements, enabling vertex field, coplanar field, and other treatment positions while maintaining structural integrity through controlled movement
3Ease of operation
If the cover segments are made rotatable, then the unobstructed opening is created, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is segmented into movable sections with rotation mechanisms that allow controlled opening and closing. The segmentation enables independent movement of cover portions without requiring complete disassembly or complex overall restructuring
Solution Approach 2:
The rotation mechanisms enable dynamic adjustment of cover segments during patient positioning and treatment setup, allowing the system to transition between closed and open states as needed without permanent structural changes
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
Enables flexible patient positioning for vertex and coplanar field radiation therapy, enhances imaging capabilities for adaptive treatment, and improves the precision and accuracy of radiation delivery.
Implementation Method 1
The cover includes one or more segments that are rotatable at least partly around the central axis of the toroid-shaped gantry to create an unobstructed opening in the toroid-shaped gantry
Implementation Method 2
an imaging system coupled to an interior of the toroid-shaped gantry and configured for rotation about the hole in the toroid-shaped gantry, where the imaging system is configured to capture images of a patient on the patient couch
Implementation Method 3
a nozzle coupled to the interior of the toroid-shaped gantry and configured for rotation about the hole in the toroid-shaped gantry. The nozzle is configured to deliver radiation to a target in the patient based on one or more of the images
Implementation Method 4
The beam conduit may include magnetics configured and arranged to direct a particle beam from an output of the particle accelerator to the nozzle
Data Source
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AI summary
An example particle therapy system includes a toroid-shaped gantry having a central axis. The toroid-shaped gantry has a cover. The cover includes one or more segments that are rotatable at least partly around the central axis of the toroid-shaped gantry to create an unobstructed opening in the toroid-shaped gantry. The particle therapy system includes a patient couch configured to move relative to a hole in the toroid-shaped gantry, an imaging system coupled to an interior of the toroid-shaped gantry and configured for rotation about the hole in the toroid-shaped gantry, where the imaging system is configured to capture images of a patient on the patient couch, and a nozzle coupled to the interior of the toroid-shaped gantry and configured for rotation about the hole in the toroid-shaped gantry. The nozzle is configured to deliver radiation to a target in the patient based on one or more of the images.