WO2012129804A1

WO2012129804A1 - Apparatus and method for sensing displacement, and radio therapeutic assist system

Info

Publication number: WO2012129804A1
Application number: PCT/CN2011/072333
Authority: WO
Inventors: 季匡华; 田德之
Original assignee: 程鑫实业股份有限公司
Priority date: 2011-03-31
Filing date: 2011-03-31
Publication date: 2012-10-04

Abstract

A displacement sensing apparatus applicable to a tissue includes a loading component, a pressing component and a force sensing module. The pressing component directly or indirectly presses against the tissue. The force sensing module includes at least one stress response component which is provided between the loading component and the pressing component. When the displacement of the tissue occurs, the loading component accepts an external force, and the force sensing module calculates the displacement amount of the tissue by sensing the stress response component. In addition, the invention discloses a method for sensing displacement and a radio therapeutic assist system. By the sensing of the variations of the force in place of the known optical monitoring, the apparatus and method according to the invention provide a technique for accurately sensing displacement in a noninvasive manner.

Description

Displacement measuring device, method and radiotherapy auxiliary system

The present invention relates to a displacement measuring device and method, and more particularly to a displacement measuring device and method for tissue application. The invention also relates to a radiation therapy assist system. Background technique

Radiation therapy is an extremely important medical treatment for cancer and oncology. The main principle is to give the target individual a certain amount of radiation to directly or indirectly kill cancer cells or tumor cells through the energy released by the action. Achieve the purpose of disease control. However, since the radiation acts on all cells indiscriminately, normal tissue is often accidentally injured during the treatment.

In order to avoid the above problems, the research and development of radiation therapy in recent years mostly focus on how to provide new technologies and accurately locate tumors. Among them, positioning technology is more attractive, mainly because of the relatively new technology, tumor localization has The development cost is relatively low, and it can match the characteristics of existing instruments and equipment, and can immediately provide the assistance required by medical personnel.

In general, tumor localization technology is most commonly applied to tumor radiotherapy in the chest and abdomen to solve the tumor displacement caused by the movement of the chest, the intra-abdominal organs or tissues, especially in lung cancer or liver cancer patients. This condition is more obvious, mainly because the location of the tumor is adjacent to the diaphragm, such as the tip of the lung or the upper edge of the liver, so that the breathing is inevitably affected by the rise or fall of the diaphragm, and with the lungs. Or the liver is displaced, affecting the area where the medical staff fixed the radiation therapy, resulting in poor treatment or side effects on normal tissues. In addition, in addition to breathing, other physiological phenomena such as heartbeat, swallowing, or gastrointestinal motility can also cause changes in the position or shape of the tumor.

Although known techniques have been used to reduce the error in treatment by means of inhibiting the above physiological phenomena, such mandatory practices often cause discomfort to the patient and, more importantly, the errors that can be reduced are rather limited. In addition, other alternatives that are clinically available include intermittent exposure or implantable tracking markers, but the former significantly affects the continuity of treatment, while the latter must perform invasive surgery on patients, and it is difficult to call it a good tumor localization technique. . More importantly, the above two methods still do not take the way of using optical technology to monitor the movement of tumor tissue. However, under the influence of factors such as large tumor appearance and changes in physiological conditions of patients, there are naturally considerable judgment errors. Sex.

Therefore, how to provide a technique for measuring tissue displacement, which can replace optical monitoring in a manner that senses a change in force, overcomes the shortcomings of known means, and accurately measures tissue displacement under non-invasive conditions, thereby For example, assisted radiation therapy to reduce the safety margin and the incidence of side effects on normal tissues, while allowing to increase the dose of radiation, improve the therapeutic effect of cancer, has become an important topic of continuous concern in the field. Summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a displacement measuring device, a method and a radiation therapy auxiliary system, It can replace optical monitoring in a way that senses changes in force, overcoming the shortcomings of known means to accurately measure tissue displacement under non-invasive conditions, such as assisted radiation therapy to reduce safety margins and normal tissue The chance of causing side effects, while allowing for an increase in the dose of radiation, enhances the therapeutic effect of the tumor.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a displacement measuring device and method capable of accurately measuring a tissue displacement amount in a manner of sensing a change in force, thereby assisting a medical detection system to eliminate, for example, an image scanning or capturing process. In the case of image artifacts due to normal physiological effects, a model that is more realistic is established.

The present invention can be implemented by the following technical solutions.

A displacement measuring device according to the present invention is applied to a tissue, and the displacement measuring device comprises a load member, a pressing member and a force sensing module. The pressing part directly or indirectly resists the tissue. The force sensing module has at least one force reaction component, and the force reaction component is disposed between the load component and the pressing component. When the tissue is displaced, the load member receives an external force, and the force sensing module calculates the displacement of the tissue by sensing the force response component. Preferably, the tissue is a tumor tissue or a cancer tissue.

In an embodiment of the invention, the force-responsive component is a resistive, capacitive or strain gauge force sensor.

In an embodiment of the invention, the force-responsive component is disposed below the load member.

In an embodiment of the invention, the force sensing module includes a strained member and a joint support member. The load member is coupled to one end of the strain member, and the connection support member is connected to the other end of the strain member and the pressing member. The force-responsive component is disposed between the load member and the position at which the connection support member is coupled to the strain member.

In an embodiment of the invention, the load member is coupled to a fixture and the external force is provided by the fixture. In an embodiment of the invention, the displacement measuring device further includes a display module electrically connected to the power sensing module.

A radiation therapy assisting system according to the present invention comprises a displacement measuring device, a supporting device and a driving device having the aforementioned technical features. The support device supports a body. The driving device is coupled to the supporting device, and the supporting device moves the individual according to the displacement amount of the tissue measured by the displacement measuring device.

A displacement measuring method according to the present invention is applied to an organization. The tissue displacement measurement method is combined with a displacement measuring device. The displacement measuring device includes a load member, a pressing member, and a force sensing module. The force sensing module has at least one force reaction component, and the force reaction component is disposed between the load member and the pressing member. The displacement measuring method comprises the following steps: pressing the member directly or indirectly against the tissue; when the tissue is displaced, receiving an external force by the load member; and calculating the displacement of the tissue by sensing the force reaction component by the force sensing module the amount. Preferably, the tissue is a tumor tissue or a cancer tissue.

In an embodiment of the invention, the force sensing module includes a strained member and a joint support member. The load member is coupled to one end of the strain member, and the other end of the strain member is coupled to the support member. Resist the parts. The force-responsive component is disposed between the load member and the position at which the connection support member is coupled to the strain member.

In an embodiment of the invention, the load member is coupled to a fixture and the external force is provided by the fixture. In an embodiment of the invention, the displacement measuring device further includes a display module electrically connected to the power sensing module. The displacement measurement method further includes the following steps: displaying the force sensing module to sense a force obtained by the reaction component in the display module.

According to the above description, a displacement measuring device and method according to the present invention can sense a change in force generated by a displacement corresponding to a target tissue through a setting of a force sensing module and a force-responsive component thereof, thereby calculating a The amount of displacement of the tissue is a real-time measurement technique. In addition, since the pressing member is directly or indirectly pressed against the target tissue, and the load member can be simply fixed, the measurement can be performed, so that even if the target tissue is located in the body cavity of the individual, no additional surgery is required, which is also called A simple and non-invasive measurement technique.

More importantly, the displacement measuring device and method of the present invention provides an alternative to optical monitoring means as compared to known techniques, and this technique does not require indirect access to complex camera systems and tags. The screen does not need to perform a large number of subsequent image analysis through software programs, but instead directly changes the power to avoid possible errors, and at the same time, the device can be simplistic and easy to integrate with existing medical instruments. When applied, for example, to a radiation therapy assist system, the control drive can drive the individual to move in the opposite direction, offsetting the displacement of the tumor tissue caused by the individual during breathing, and achieving the goal that the tumor is stationary or almost stationary relative to the radiation therapy device. Therefore, the treatment of high irradiation dose can be concentrated, and the tumor control rate is high, and a better therapeutic effect is obtained.

DRAWINGS

1 is a schematic structural view of a displacement measuring device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the structure of the displacement measuring device of FIG. 1 pressed against a chest;

3 is a system block diagram of a power sensing module according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a schematic view showing the appearance of a displacement measuring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a side view showing the displacement measuring device shown in FIG.

6 is a schematic diagram of a system of a radiation therapy assisting system according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the steps of a displacement measuring method according to an embodiment of the invention.

The main component symbol description:

I, 4, 6: Displacement measuring device

I I, 41: Load parts

12, 42: Compressed parts

13, 43: Power Sensing Module

131, 431: Force response components

132: housing

133: Sensing circuit

134: Amplifier

135: Processing components 136: Storage component

14: Display module

15: External fixture

41 1: Load platform

412: Lower extension

437: Strain material

438: Joint support member

45: Fixing device

7: Support device

8: drive unit

AS : Radiation Therapy Assist System

B : Chest

BD: Individual

F _D , F _D ,: Displacement force

F _x , Fx' : fixed external force

Τ, Τ' : Organization

Χ,, Υ, Υ, Ζ' : axial

S71~S75: Steps Detailed Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a displacement measuring device and method and a radiation therapy assisting system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same elements will be described with the same reference numerals.

1 is a schematic structural view of a displacement measuring device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the displacement measuring device 1 is applied to a tissue, and includes a load member 1 1 , a pressing member 12 and a force sensing module 13 . It should be noted, however, that the main structure of the displacement measuring device 1 shown in Fig. 1 is not an integral part, especially the force sensing module 13, and the relevant details will be further explained as follows.

The load member 1 1 can be used to load an external structure or an external force, and the pressing member 12 can be directly or indirectly pressed against the tissue. The force sensing module 13 has at least one force reaction component 13 1, and the force reaction component 131 is disposed between the load member 1 1 and the pressing member 12. In the present embodiment, the force sensing module 13 has only one force reaction component 131, and the force reaction component 13 1 is disposed under the load member 1 1 as an example, but in other embodiments, the force The sensing module 13 can have two or three force-reactive components 13 1 and surround the central axis of the load component 1 1 to increase accuracy for different targets or with average values, respectively.

According to the above structure, when the tissue is displaced, a displacement external force is applied to the pressing member 12 to drive the pressing member 12 to move, but since the load member 11 has been indirectly fixed by the external structure or the external force is directly fixed, The intermediate force-receiving component 13 1 is at least partially deformed. Because there is a certain function between the deformation of the force-reactive component 131, the external force of displacement, and the displacement of the tissue. The displacement of the tissue reaction module 131 can be sensed by the force sensing module 13 to calculate the displacement of the tissue. The following is an explanation of the situation in which the tissue displacement is generated by the individual inhalation. Please refer to FIG. 2 , which is a schematic diagram of the displacement measuring device of FIG. 1 pressing against the tissue located in the chest. In the present embodiment, the tissue T in the chest B and the chest B is inevitably driven at the same time due to the individual inhaling. While being displaced in, for example, the axial direction Y, when the displacement measuring device 1 is placed above the chest B and the pressing member 12 is indirectly pressed against the tissue T, a displacement external force F _{D is} received by the pressing member 12. The displacement external force F _D should be lifted up and the moving part 12 is moved, but since the load member 11 is connected to the non-movable or adjustable external fixing device 15, the load member 11 will thus bear the external fixing device 15 Another external force (hereinafter referred to as a fixed external force F _x ) is provided. Therefore, under the joint action of the displacement external force F _D and the fixed external force F _x , the force reaction component 131 is partially deformed, and the force sensing module 13 senses the shape variable as a basis for calculating the T displacement amount of the tissue.

The force reaction component 131 may specifically be a resistive, capacitive or strain force sensor, and depending on the type, the corresponding housing or other component structure is selected. For example, if the force-reaction component 131 is a capacitive force sensor, it may be two thin conductive plates with an insulating buffer material interposed therebetween, and the upper and lower outer sides are provided with a protective member, when subjected to a displacement external force F _D With fixed external force? At this time, the two thin conductive plates are each deformed and the pitch is shortened to form a sensible capacitance change. Referring to FIG. 2, if the force-responsive component 131 is the strain-type force sensor of the embodiment, it may be a strain gauge disposed in the housing 132, and the strain gauge may also be deformed under the action of two external forces. , causing a change in the resistance value, which becomes an object for sensing and judging the magnitude of the force value.

In order to calculate the amount of tissue T displacement, the force sensing module 13 includes, for example, a sensing circuit, an amplifier, a processing component, or a memory component in addition to the partial structure shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. Referring to FIG. 3, it is a system block diagram of the power sensing module according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and the force-responsive component 131 is a strain-type force sensor as an example. The force sensing module 13 is electrically connected to the force response component 131 by the sensing circuit 133, and senses the voltage difference generated by the force response component 131 due to the resistance change after the force is applied. Preferably, the sensing circuit 133 can be a Wheatstone bridge circuit to improve sensing sensitivity and stability.

The sensing circuit 133 can be reconnected to the amplifier 134 to amplify the sensed voltage difference signal. The signal output by the amplifier 134 is sent to the processing component 135, and combined with the data of a series of tissues T stored in the storage component 136, the amount of displacement of the tissue T can be calculated. The data related to the organization T may be, for example but not limited to, power-displacement parameter data, which is jointly established by the force magnitude data and the fluorescence photography photo data acquired at the same time. Of course, the data established by other methods and data may also be used. The invention is not limited in use. In addition, in order to reduce the error of the above-mentioned power-displacement parameter data and the actual situation, for example, an error caused by a change in the individual physiological condition or a different pressing position, in the present embodiment, the displacement measuring device 1 can cooperate with the learning before the operation. The mode or correction mode is used as an aid to obtain a set of learning data or correction data in advance.

It should be noted that, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in the embodiment, the housing 132 is covered with the force-reactive component 131, and the sensing circuit 133 is further disposed to form a whole body. Directly utilized unit. Specifically, the unit can be a load cell, and the application can be operated only by connecting the exposed circuit of the sensing circuit 133. In the above aspect, the processing component 135 and the storage group The device 136 can additionally be part of a stand-alone computer to provide functionality over a line connection, as can the amplifier 134. It can be seen that the power sensing module 13 in the present invention may be a combination of a plurality of units or components connected through a line without being limited to be all disposed in the same housing.

Continuing the above, in other words, the user can selectively configure the components shown in FIG. 3 as needed, for example, in other aspects, only the force-reactive component 131 can be disposed between the load member 11 and the pressing member 12. The external sensing circuit 133 and the like are not particularly limited in the present invention. In addition, in the embodiment, the displacement measuring device 1 further includes a display module 14 electrically connected to the power sensing module 13, preferably electrically connected to the amplifier 134 of the power sensing module 13 for the user. Directly observe the sensing results or data.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a displacement measuring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 5 is a side view showing the displacement measuring device shown in Fig. 4. Referring first to FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the force sensing module 43 of the displacement measuring device 4 includes a strain member 437 and a joint supporting member 438. The load member 41 has a load platform 411 and a lower extension portion 412. The load platform 411 is coupled to the fixture 45, and the lower extension portion 412 is coupled to one end of the strain member 437. The joint support member 438 connects the other end of the strain member 437 and the pressing member 42. Further, the force reaction assembly 431 is disposed between the load member 41 and the position where the connection support member 438 is coupled to the strain member 437.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the above structure, when the tissue T is displaced in the axial direction Y, the simultaneously generated displacement external force F _D ' and the fixed external force F _x ' are separated from the strained member 437 by the two stress points. At the end, the strain member 437 and the force-receiving member 431 thereon exert a large deformation effect, so that the difference value can be increased proportionally and the sensitivity can be enhanced.

In accordance with the foregoing features, the displacement measuring device of the present invention can be used in a variety of applications, including medical testing and therapeutic assistance, but preferably as a radiation therapy assisting system. Therefore, please refer to FIG. 6, which is a schematic diagram of a system of a radiation therapy assisting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the radiation therapy assisting system AS includes a displacement measuring device 6 having the foregoing features. A supporting device 7 and a driving device 8 are connected to each other by wire or wirelessly, but the contents of the drawings are clear, and the devices are not drawn to scale. The support device 7 supports a body BD, usually a cancer patient, and the displacement measuring device 6 is adapted to measure the displacement of the tumor tissue T' or cancer tissue in the individual BD. Preferably, the displacement measuring device 6 is adapted to measure the displacement of the tumor tissue T, or the cancer tissue located in the thoracic cavity or the abdominal cavity, or adjacent to the diaphragm, and is disposed on the chest or abdominal cavity of the individual BD.

When receiving radiation therapy, since the individual BD inevitably breathes, the resulting chest undulation or diaphragmatic levitation may cause the tumor tissue T' or cancer tissue to be displaced, but if combined with the radiation therapy assisting system AS of the present invention, The displacement amount of the tumor tissue is measured according to the displacement measuring device 6 and outputs a signal, and the driving device 8 drives the support device 7 to move the individual BD-relative amount in the reverse direction according to the signal, thereby using the tumor tissue T 'Displacement offsets each other, maintains the position of tumor tissue T', reduces the safety margin and the probability of side effects in normal tissues, and can also increase the dose of radiation, thereby improving the therapeutic effect of the tumor. It should be additionally noted that, due to the tumor tissue T, the displacement is not limited to the axial direction Y', but may also be in the axial direction X, or Z, so that the supporting device 7 can be correspondingly simultaneously or sequentially in three Individual BDs are moved in any combination of axes.

Of course, based on the same principle, the displacement measuring device can also be applied to, for example, computed tomography. ( computed tomography, CT for short) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or positron emission tomography (PET) or proton therapy or phototherapy (tomotherapy), etc. The ground assists, for example, the displacement of the target object when the individual breathes, to eliminate image artifacts and improve resolution.

Figure Ί is a flow chart showing the steps of a displacement measurement method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7, in the embodiment, the displacement measurement method is applied to a tissue and cooperates with a displacement measuring device. The displacement measuring device comprises a load component, a pressing component and a force sensing module. The force sensing module has at least one force reaction component, and the force reaction component is sandwiched between the load component and the pressing component. The detailed technical features of the displacement measuring device are substantially the same as those described in the first embodiment. For reference, the foregoing description is omitted. The displacement measuring method comprises the steps of: directly or indirectly pressing the tissue against the pressing member (S71); when the tissue is displaced, receiving an external force with the load member (S73); and transmitting the force through the force sensing module The reaction component calculates the amount of displacement of the tissue (S75). In addition, in other embodiments, the displacement measurement method may further include a step of displaying the data obtained by the force sensing module sensing the force response component in the display module after the step S75.

In summary, according to the displacement measuring device and method of the present invention, the force sensing module and its force reaction component can be set to sense the change of the force generated by the displacement corresponding to the target tissue, thereby calculating the The amount of displacement of the tissue is a real-time measurement technique. In addition, since the pressing member is directly or indirectly pressed against the target tissue, and the load member can be simply fixed, the measurement can be performed, so that even if the target tissue is located in the body cavity of the individual, no additional surgery is required, and it can also be called a A simple and non-invasive measurement technique.

More importantly, the displacement measuring device and method of the present invention provides an alternative to optical monitoring means as compared to known techniques, and this technique does not require indirect access to complex camera systems and tags. The screen does not need to perform a large number of subsequent image analysis through software programs, but instead directly feels the change of power to avoid possible errors, and at the same time, the device can be simplistic and easy to integrate with existing medical instruments. When applied, for example, to a radiation therapy assist system, the control drive can drive the individual to move in the opposite direction, offsetting the displacement of the tumor tissue caused by the individual during breathing, and achieving the goal that the tumor is stationary or almost stationary relative to the radiation therapy device. Therefore, the treatment of high irradiation dose can be concentrated, and the tumor control rate is high, and a better therapeutic effect is obtained.

The above is merely illustrative and not limiting. Equivalent modifications or variations of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

Claim

A displacement measuring device applied to a tissue, wherein the displacement measuring device comprises:

a load member;

Abutting the member directly or indirectly against the tissue;

a force sensing module, the force sensing module has at least one force reaction component, and the force reaction component is disposed between the load component and the pressing component,

Wherein, when the tissue is displaced, the load member receives an external force, and the force sensing module senses the displacement amount of the tissue by sensing the force-responsive component.

2. The displacement measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the force-receiving component is a resistive, capacitive or strain-type force sensor.

3. The displacement measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the force-responsive component is disposed under the load member.

4. The displacement measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the force sensing module comprises:

a strain member, the load member is coupled to one end of the strain member;

A joint supporting member that connects the other end of the strain member and the pressing member, wherein the force-responsive member is disposed between a position at which the load member and the joint supporting member are joined to the strain member.

The displacement measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the load member is coupled to a fixing device, and the external force is supplied by the fixing device.

The displacement measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the tissue is a tumor tissue or a cancer tissue.

The displacement measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising: a display module electrically connected to the force sensing module.

A radiation therapy assisting system, comprising: the displacement measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, a supporting device, and a driving device, wherein the supporting device supports a body, The driving device couples the supporting device, and drives the supporting device to move the individual according to the displacement amount of the tissue measured by the displacement measuring device.

9. A displacement measuring method applied to a tissue, the tissue displacement measuring method cooperating with a displacement measuring device, the displacement measuring device comprising a load member, a pressing member and a force sensing module The force sensing module has at least one force reaction component, and the force reaction component is clamped Between the load member and the pressing member, the displacement measuring method includes the following steps:

Pressing the tissue directly or indirectly with the pressing member;

Receiving an external force with the load member when the tissue is displaced;

The amount of displacement of the tissue is calculated by sensing the force-responsive component by the force sensing module.

10. The displacement measuring method according to claim 9, wherein the force-responsive component is a resistive, capacitive or strain-type force sensor.

The displacement measuring method according to claim 9, wherein the force-responsive component is disposed under the load member.

The displacement measuring method according to claim 9, wherein the force sensing module comprises:

a strain member, the load member is coupled to one end of the strain member;

A joint supporting member that connects the other end of the strain member and the mortgage member, wherein the force-responsive member is disposed between a position at which the load member and the joint support member are joined to the strain member.

The displacement measuring method according to claim 9, wherein the load member is coupled to a fixing device, and the external force is supplied by the fixing device.

The displacement measuring method according to claim 9, wherein the tissue is a tumor tissue or a cancer tissue.

The displacement measuring method according to claim 9, wherein the displacement measuring device further comprises a display module electrically connected to the force sensing module, and the displacement measuring method further comprises The following steps:

Displaying, by the force sensing module, a data obtained by sensing the force-responsive component is in the display module.