Voxel-Based Dose Estimation for Ionizing Radiation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for dose estimation during ionizing radiation irradiation, such as Monte-Carlo simulations, have high algorithmic complexity, leading to significant computational effort and time requirements, limiting their widespread use.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that reduces computational effort by using a spatially discrete modeling of the object's material composition to determine an effective homogeneous material composition, allowing for a simulation-based dose estimation with reduced resolution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If Monte-Carlo simulation is used for dose estimation, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The object is divided into spatial elements (voxels) and processed in discrete segments. The patent applies segmentation by dividing the continuous object into a grid of volumetric pixels, where each voxel represents a discrete material composition unit. This allows the complex dose estimation problem to be broken down into manageable discrete units that can be processed more efficiently than full Monte-Carlo simulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameters of the simulation approach by transitioning from continuous particle transport modeling to discrete voxel-based material composition representation. This parameter change involves representing the object as a three-dimensional array of voxels with assigned material properties, fundamentally altering how the dose estimation problem is formulated and solved.
2Measurement precision
If Monte-Carlo simulation is used for dose estimation, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the computational domain into discrete voxels, allowing parallel processing and optimized calculation paths. By dividing the object into a three-dimensional grid of spatial elements, the computation can be distributed and optimized in ways that reduce overall computational time while maintaining dose estimation accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses simplified voxel representations as computationally inexpensive proxies for complex continuous material distributions. Each voxel serves as a discrete, easily processable unit that approximates the continuous material composition, enabling faster computation at the expense of some computational detail but maintaining sufficient accuracy for dose estimation.
3Measurement precision
If high-resolution voxel models are used, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent fundamentally changes the representation parameters from continuous material fields to discrete voxel grids with quantized material compositions. This parameter transformation allows high-resolution modeling while maintaining computational tractability by restricting material compositions to a finite set of discrete values assigned to each voxel.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies homogeneity within each voxel by assigning a single material composition value to represent the entire voxel volume. This homogenization approach simplifies the complex continuous material distribution into discrete uniform units, reducing model complexity while preserving the essential spatial variations in material composition.
Data Source
AI summary
In accordance with a method for dose estimation for the irradiation of an object, a model with a total number of spatial elements is provided on a memory element. For each spatial element, the model specifies a material composition of the object. A neighborhood material composition is determined for a neighborhood of spatial elements depending on the model by a computing unit. A radiation dose for the neighborhood with regard to an ionizing radiation is determined with aid of a simulation depending on the neighborhood material composition. A dose distribution for the object with regard to the ionizing radiation is determined based on the radiation dose for the neighborhood.