JP2006192297A - Rotation irradiation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rotation irradiation apparatus which makes up an irradiation chamber floor face of the rotation irradiation apparatus by a door type switching floor. <P>SOLUTION: A frame 1 of a rotation irradiation apparatus (a rotation gantry) is arranged at an outer side of a beam transport machine 7. By overhanging and fixing an irradiation apparatus 8, the length in a thrust direction of the frame 1 can be shortened. Since there is no need for placing a treatment table 9 in the interior of the rotation gantry, spatial restriction can be avoided. Because a frame diameter becomes large, a space can be secured on the undersurface of a floor. A simple structure of a door type switching floor 32 can be adopted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a rotary irradiation apparatus for radiotherapy (hereinafter referred to as a rotary gantry) used in cancer treatment.

In recent years, development and construction of cancer treatment devices using protons and heavy ions have been promoted for radiotherapy devices intended for cancer treatment, and rotary irradiation devices ( A rotating gantry) is often provided.
The rotating gantry is configured to rotate the irradiation device 360 degrees and irradiate the patient with a charged particle beam from an arbitrary rotation angle, ensuring the floor surface inside the irradiation chamber even when the irradiation device comes below the patient. It has been devised to do.

 For example, FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing a conventional technique (for example, see Patent Document 1). The figure shows the structure of a rotating gantry. In the figure, 40 is a rotating gantry, 122 is a radiation irradiator, 126 is a rear panel, 42 is a gantry frame, 44 is a front ring, 46 is a rear ring, 48 is a stand, 50 is a support roll. , 52 is a gantry drive motor, 62 is a stationary ring rail, 64 is a support ring, 72 is a moving ring rail, 80 is a moving bed passage, 82 is a moving bed, and 90 is a magnet support.

 Next, the operation will be described. The front ring 44 and the rear ring 46 are connected by a gantry frame 42 and a magnet support 90, and a support ring 64 is provided therein. The rotating gantry 40 is driven by a gantry driving motor 52 and rotates. At this time, the moving-side ring rail 72 provided inside the support ring 64 is configured to be able to rotate the inner surface of the support ring 64, and rotates in the reverse direction in synchronization with the rotation of the rotating gantry 40. As a result, the position of the moving side ring rail 72 is always kept constant, and the moving floor 82 connected flexibly with a link along with the guide of the fixed side ring rail 62 maintains a kamaboko shape, A horizontal access floor is formed on the lower side.

However, the fixed ring rail 62 and the movable ring rail 72 for guiding the movable floor 82 need to be processed with high accuracy, and the movable ring rail 72 needs to be rotated in synchronization with the rotation of the rotating gantry 40. Therefore, there is a problem that the structure is complicated and the manufacturing cost is increased.
Further, in the moving floor 82, the portion forming the floor surface changes according to the rotation of the rotating gantry 40, and as a result, the portion that was the floor surface may reach the ceiling. There is a problem of falling. This is also due to the fact that the moving floor 82 is a large number of plates connected by links, so that foreign matters such as dust are easily caught. Furthermore, noise is generated when the wheels provided on the moving floor 82 roll in the fixed ring rail 62 and the moving ring rail 72, which is not preferable. This tends to occur greatly at the boundary between the horizontal of the ring rail and the arc.

  Also, as another conventional technique, a method of extending a deck from the building side as needed is described, but this is a problem because the structure becomes complicated and the production cost increases to avoid interference with the treatment table. is there.

JP 11-47287 A

  In the case of a rotating gantry in the prior art, as described above, it is necessary to accurately process the fixed ring rail 62 and the moving ring rail 72 for guiding the moving floor 82, and the moving ring rail 72 is rotated. There is a problem that the structure is complicated and the manufacturing cost is high, for example, it is necessary to rotate in synchronization with the rotation of the gantry 40.

 Further, in the moving floor 82, the portion forming the floor surface changes according to the rotation of the rotating gantry 40, and as a result, the portion that was the floor surface may reach the ceiling. There was a problem of falling. This is also due to the fact that the moving floor 82 is a large number of plates connected by links so that foreign matters such as dust are easily caught.

 Moreover, when the wheel provided in the moving floor 82 rolls in the fixed side ring rail 62 or the moving side ring rail 72, noise is generated, which is not preferable. This tends to occur greatly at the boundary between the horizontal of the ring rail and the arc.

 Moreover, although the method of extending a deck as needed from the building side as the prior art of the above-mentioned Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 11-47287 is also described, in order to avoid interference with a treatment table and its drive device, it has a structure. This is a problem because it is complicated and results in high production costs.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and obtains a suitable rotating gantry by ensuring the maximum access floor with a simple structure and preventing the fall of dust and noise and reducing noise. For the purpose.

  The rotary irradiation apparatus according to the present invention is a rotary irradiation apparatus having an irradiation apparatus for irradiating a charged particle beam to a patient placed on a treatment table fixed to a treatment table base which is a fixed floor. An openable / closable floor in which a portion through which the irradiation device passes is opened / closed, an open / close mechanism having a drive mechanism for driving the openable / closable floor, and a beam transport device that transports a charged particle beam and the irradiation device is disposed at the tip, The frame of the rotary irradiation device is provided outside the beam transport device, and the irradiation device is attached so as to overhang the frame. It is structured to be folded downward with one end of the open / close floor contacting the treatment table base as an axis during operation, and both ends are configured to be slid. In which a structure by which to translate in a horizontal plane along the floor surface which is the upper surface of the Formula floor.

  According to the rotary irradiation apparatus of the present invention, the length of the frame in the thrust direction can be shortened by providing the frame on the outside of the beam transport device and mounting the irradiation apparatus overhang, and the treatment table is rotated and irradiated. Since it is not necessary to store in the inside of an apparatus, it can avoid from space restrictions and workability | operativity improves. In addition, since the frame diameter is increased, as a result, it is possible to secure a space below the floor and to adopt a simplified structure of a door-type opening / closing floor.

Reference Example 1
Hereinafter, Reference Example 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. 1-4 is a figure which shows the structure in the reference example 1, FIG. 1 (a) is a side view in alignment with the rotating shaft of the rotation gantry which shows the whole rotation gantry, FIG.1 (b) is FIG. FIG. 4 is a view showing another entire rotating gantry, and is a side view of the rotating gantry observed from a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis. 2 is a side view of the opening / closing mechanism, FIG. 3 is a top view showing a sliding type opening / closing floor of the opening / closing mechanism, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing an end of the opening / closing floor divided into a plurality of parts.

 In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a frame of a rotating gantry, 2 denotes a rotating ring provided on the frame, 3 denotes a roller that receives the rotating ring 2, a rotation driving device provided with a motor and a reduction gear, and 5 denotes a rotating ring. 2 is a brake device provided with a ring for receiving 2 and a brake or a speed reducer, 6 is a wiring spool into a rotating gantry rotating 360 degrees, a cable spool for supplying piping, 7 is an irradiation device 8 for applying a charged particle beam introduced into the rotating gantry The irradiation device 8 shapes and irradiates the transported charged particle beam according to the irradiation affected area of the patient.

 Further, reference numeral 9 is a treatment table on which a patient is placed, 10 is an II tube device that obtains an X-ray image, 11 is an opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes the floor through which the irradiation device 8 passes, and 12 rotates together with the rotating gantry and II tube device 10 Rotating panel, 13 is a fixed wall fixed to the opening / closing mechanism 11, 14 is a rotating wall that rotates together with the rotating gantry, 15 is a treatment table base on which the treatment table 9 is installed, and 16 is a building. The treatment table base 15 is a fixed floor.

 In FIG. 2, reference numeral 17 denotes an openable / closable floor in the open / close mechanism 11, 18 a positioning pin provided at the tip of the openable floor 17, 19 a slide rail attached to the openable floor 17, 20 a base, and 21 An air cylinder which is a drive mechanism for sliding the openable floor 17, 22 is a roller provided on the base 20 and rolls inside the frame 1, and 23 is provided on the base 20 in the thrust direction (rotation axis direction) of the open / close mechanism 11. A guide roller that regulates and guides movement and inclination, 24 a guide rail that guides the guide roller 23, 25 a moving scraper provided on the openable floor 17, and 26 a treatment table side fixed scraper. Other components are the same as those in FIG. The position of the opening / closing mechanism 11 in the radial direction (circumferential direction) is regulated by the inner surface of the rotating gantry and the roller 22.

Moreover, in FIG. 3, the code | symbols 17a-17p show the open / close-type floor 17 provided 16 units | sets separately. Other components are the same as those in FIGS.
In FIG. 4, reference numeral 27 denotes an opening / closing mechanism side fixed scraper. Other components are the same as those shown in FIGS.

 Next, the operation will be described. The charged particle beam introduced into the rotating gantry in FIG. 1 is transported to an irradiation device 8 by a beam transport device 7 made of a deflecting electromagnet, a quadrupole electromagnet, etc., and shaped by the irradiation device 8 according to the shape of the patient's irradiated area. Irradiated. The patient is fixed on the treatment table 9 and positioned, and a charged particle beam is irradiated to a predetermined irradiated region. Since the treatment table 9 needs to be operated so that the irradiated area of the patient coincides with the isocenter that is the irradiation position, the treatment table 9 can normally perform multi-axis positioning operations such as up and down, left and right, front and rear, and rotation. In addition to this, the rotating gantry can rotate the beam transport device 7 and the irradiation device 8 to irradiate the patient with a beam from 360 degrees freely, and the patient remains in a supine state. The beam can be irradiated from various directions. This is the same as in the prior art.

 A feature of the rotating gantry according to the reference example 1 is that an opening / closing mechanism 11 that opens and closes a portion of the floor that passes when the irradiation device 8 comes below the patient is provided inside the frame 1 of the rotating gantry instead of the building side, and is opened and closed. By securing a necessary space such as a space occupied when the floor 17 is opened, the structure of the opening / closing mechanism 11 is simplified. Details will be described with reference to FIGS. The openable / closable floor 17 is configured to slide in the horizontal direction by the air cylinder 21. When the floor is closed, a positioning pin 18 provided at the tip of the openable / closable floor 17 is provided in a positioning hole provided in the treatment table base 15. Inserted and connected.

 The base 20 to which the openable / closable floor 17 and the air cylinder 21 are attached is supported by a roller 22 on the inner surface of the rotating gantry. Even when the rotating gantry rotates, the roller 20 rolls and the opening / closing mechanism 11 is opened and closed by its own weight. The entire mechanism 11 operates so as to be positioned at the lowermost part inside the rotating gantry so as to always coincide with the inner surface center of the frame 1. For this purpose, the center of gravity of the entire opening / closing mechanism 11 needs to be accurately centered, and it is preferable that the center of rotation of the rotating gantry and the inner surface of the frame 1 are less eccentric and the rolling friction by the roller 22 is less. It is better to take measures such as machining the rolling part.

 Further, guide rollers 23 are provided so as to sandwich the guide rails 24 provided inside the frame 1, and these are provided at both ends of the openable floor 17. Tilt is regulated.

 Next, operations of the irradiation device 8 and the openable / closable floor 17 will be described with reference to FIG. The irradiation device 8 rotates ± 180 degrees from a position vertically above the patient. FIG. 3 shows a case where the irradiation device 8 moves from the upper side of the drawing and reaches a maximum rotation stroke, that is, a state immediately below. Although the openable floors 17a to 17l corresponding to the portion through which the irradiation device 8 passes are opened, the passage of the irradiation device 8 is secured, but when the positioning of the irradiation device 8 is completed and stopped, the passages 17a to 17d become passages. Since this can be closed, this portion is closed to ensure the maximum access floor. When the rotating gantry is rotated (moving) in this way, the openable floor 17 existing at the position that becomes the passage route and stop position of the irradiation device 8 can be opened and closed after the rotation (moving) is completed. It is possible to secure the maximum access floor by closing the part.

In FIG. 3, the number of the openable / closable floors 17 is 16. However, by further subdividing, the gap with the irradiation device 8 can be reduced.
In this way, the floor to be opened and closed is determined according to the movement position of the irradiation device 8, but it is usually necessary to position the rotating gantry with a fine accuracy of 0.1 degrees, such as a sequencer or a computer. Since it is controlled by the controller, it is possible to easily make such a determination.
In addition, regarding the opening / closing of the openable / closable floor 17, it has been described that the openable / closable floor 17 is opened before rotating, and the portion that can be closed is closed after the rotation is completed, but in synchronization with the position of the irradiation device 8 Even if it is opened and closed, the same effect is obtained.

 Further, the opening / closing type floor 17 that can be closed after the rotation is stopped is described to be closed, but if it is configured so that the irradiation device 8 is not broken by the thrust of the air cylinder 21, it is opened as a passage. It is possible to perform a simple operation in which all the openable / closable floors 17 that have been operated are closed and the openable / closable floor 17 at the position where the irradiation device 8 is stopped and hits the irradiation device 8 is stopped.

 By operating as described above, at least four of the openable and closable floors 17a to 17p can always be closed. Therefore, the treatment table base that becomes a fixed floor by the positioning pin 18 at the tip of the openable and closable floor 17 is used. 15 is also connected and fixed, and acts as a detent for the entire opening / closing mechanism 11. This is because at least one openable / closable floor 17 that exists in a position that does not become the passage or stop position of the irradiation device 8 even when the rotation stroke of the rotating gantry is extended to about ± 190 degrees in consideration of the positioning and fine adjustment below. If it can be connected to the treatment table base 15 side which is a fixed floor, it is possible to obtain the same effect as a detent.

 In the worst case, even if a case occurs in which the irradiation device 8 moves to the position of the openable floor 17p, the irradiation apparatus 8 stops once and closes the openable floors 17a to 17d located on the upstream side of the rotation. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a similar effect as a detent because it is always possible to close at least one place by a method such as rotating again.

 Next, measures for foreign matters such as dust will be described. First, as for the interior of the treatment room inside the rotating gantry, a fixed wall 13 is provided as an interior for a portion where the roller of the opening / closing mechanism 11 which is the deepest as viewed from the treatment table 9 rolls, and is fixed to the base 20. Does not rotate. On the treatment table 9 side from the fixed wall 13, a rotating wall 14 that is fixed to the frame 1 and rotates together with the frame 1 is provided. By providing the fixed wall 13, it is possible to hide the scratches generated when the roller 22 rolls on the inner surface of the frame 1. Further, as described above, since accuracy is required for the surface on which the roller 22 rolls, it is not preferable to configure the interior of the treatment room so that the roller 22 slides, because the degree of freedom in selecting the material of the interior decreases.

 Next, the structure of the openable floor 17 will be described in more detail. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional view of the end of the openable / closable floor 17 constituting the open / close mechanism 11, and as shown in the figure, the openable / closable floor 17 has a shape that partially overlaps the adjacent openable / closable floor 17. The trash that has fallen on the floor surface is prevented from falling directly. In addition, even if dust falls on the inner surface of the rotating wall 14 or the frame 1, the moving scraper 25, the treatment device side fixed scraper 26, and the open / close so that foreign matter such as dust does not go above the floor surface due to rotation of the rotating gantry The mechanism side scraper 27 acts.

As a result, it is possible to prevent the problem that foreign matters such as dust fall from above even if the rotating gantry is rotated. Further, since only the floor surface needs to be cleaned, maintenance is facilitated.
Each scraper can be placed along the inner surface of the frame 1 and the rotating wall 14 so as to scrape the inner surface of the rotating wall 14, so that fine foreign matters such as dust can be contained in the lower surface of the floor. For this reason, a fine gap may be provided. Further, the contact surface of the scraper may be made of a soft material such as rubber, or may be protected by being pressed with a weak force using a spring.

As described above, the portion through which the irradiation device 8 passes is divided into the openable / closable floor 17, and the openable / closable floor 17 and the open / close mechanism 11 having the drive mechanism are configured to be housed in the frame 1 of the rotating gantry. Interference with the treatment table 9 and its driving device can be prevented, and a maximum access floor can be secured with a simple configuration.
In addition, it is possible to prevent foreign matters such as dust from falling and to facilitate maintenance.

 Furthermore, since the open / close floor 17 configured to slide with a linear guide is simply opened and closed by the air cylinder 21, an unnecessary noise is not generated, and a comfortable environment that does not cause discomfort to the patient is realized. Is possible. Moreover, although the case where the open / close type floor 17 is driven using the air cylinder 21 is shown in the above example, a mechanism or a driving method such as a hydraulic cylinder, a motor cylinder, a motor and a ball screw, a motor and a chain may be used.

Reference Example 2
In the reference example 1, the open / close floor 17 is individually operated using the air cylinder 21, but a plurality of open / close floors 17 may be operated collectively by a spring.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration in Reference Example 2. In the figure, reference numeral 28 denotes a spring attached to the openable / closable floor 17, 29 denotes a slide base that slides by an air cylinder 21 that is a drive mechanism, 30 denotes a slide rail for a slide base attached to the slide base 29, and 31 denotes a base. . Other components are the same as those shown in FIGS.

 Next, the operation will be described. In FIG. 5, the position of the entire opening / closing mechanism is regulated by the roller 22, the guide roller 23, the guide rail 24, the positioning pin 18, etc., and the opening / closing type floor 17 is for reference when the irradiation device 8 is opened. Similar to Example 1. The difference from the reference example 1 is that the openable / closable floor 17 is attached to the slide base 29 via the spring 28, and the air cylinder 21 slides the slide base 29. Further, the openable floor 17 attached to the slide base 29 via a spring is not one, but a plurality of the floors 17 are attached. Here, plural means that, for example, four openable floors 17 are operated by one slide base 29.

 By interposing this spring 28 between the openable / closable floor 17 and the slide base 29, the openable / closable floor 17 that hits the irradiation device 8 even when the multiple openable floors 17 are operated by one air cylinder 21. Can be stopped without disturbing the operation of the slide base 29 by compressing the spring 28. The opening / closing type floor 17 that has not hit the irradiation device 8 is completely closed.

By adopting the configuration as described above, it is possible to operate a plurality of openable floors 17 with one air cylinder 21, the structure can be simplified, and the number of divisions of the openable floor 17 is increased. In comparison with Reference Example 1, it is possible to deal with the problem more easily. As a result, the gap between the irradiation device 8 and the openable / closable floor 17 can be reduced to ensure the maximum access floor.
Further, when the opening / closing type floor 17 located in the passage is closed after the irradiation device 8 stops rotating, it is only necessary to close all the opened slide bases 29, so that the control logic can be simplified. is there.

Although the closing operation of the openable / closable floor 17 after the rotation of the irradiation device 8 is described as being performed for all the slide bases 29 that have been opened, when all the openable / floorable floors 17 hit the irradiation device 8 and stop. It may be determined that the closing operation is not performed.
Further, in this reference example 2, an example in which the open / close floor 17 is driven using the air cylinder 21 is shown. However, a mechanism and a driving method such as a hydraulic cylinder, a motor cylinder, a motor and a ball screw, a motor and a chain may be used. Needless to say.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
In the reference example 1 described above, the opening / closing mechanism 11 is built in the frame of the rotating gantry so as to secure a necessary space as a device. However, the irradiation device 8 is attached to the frame 1 in an overhanging manner. A space in the floor portion may be secured and the opening / closing mechanism 11 may be provided in the space.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration in the first embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 32 denotes a door-type open / close floor (a kind of open / close floor). Other components are the same as those shown in FIGS.

Unlike the case of the reference example 1, the frame 1 is provided outside the beam transport device 7, and the irradiation device 8 positioned at the tip of the beam transport device 7 is attached to the frame 1 in an overhanging manner. Moreover, the rotation ring 2 is provided at both ends of the frame 1, and a rotation drive device 3 and a brake device 5 are provided respectively. Further, since the irradiation device 8 is configured to be mounted in an overhanging manner, the rotating wall 14 can be made to have an arbitrary size, and the diameter thereof is increased as compared with the reference example 1. Furthermore, it is not necessary to place the treatment table 9 inside the rotating gantry, and it can be avoided from spatial restrictions, and workability is improved.
This makes it possible to secure a space below the floor surface. In the first embodiment, the opening / closing mechanism 11 is provided on the building side using this space.

 The door-type opening / closing floor 32 is attached to the treatment table base 15 as a structure that can be rotated by pins or the like, and operates by configuring or storing the floor surface by the air cylinder 21. Such a system is only a central part that interferes with the treatment table 9 and its driving device, and both ends that have no problem of interference have a sliding opening / closing floor as in Reference Example 1 and interference with the rotating wall 14. Is preventing.

By setting it as the above structures, it becomes possible to provide the opening-and-closing mechanism 11 in the building side, and it can be simplified more.
Further, the inner diameter of the rotating wall 14 can be increased, and the workability of medical staff can be improved during treatment.

It is a side view which shows the whole rotation gantry in the reference example 1. FIG. It is a side view which shows the opening-and-closing mechanism in the reference example 1. 5 is a top view showing an openable floor in Reference Example 1. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the open / close type floor in Reference Example 1. It is a side view which shows the opening-and-closing mechanism in the reference example 2. It is a side view which shows the whole rotation gantry in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the prior art.

Explanation of symbols

1 frame, 2 rotating ring, 3 rotating drive,
5 Brake device, 6 Cable spool, 7 Beam transport equipment,
8 Irradiation device, 9 Treatment table, 10 II tube device, 11 Opening / closing mechanism,
12 rotating panel, 13 fixed wall, 14 rotating wall, 15 treatment table base,
16 building, 17 (ap) openable floor, 18 positioning pin,
19 slide rail, 20 base, 21 air cylinder,
22 rollers, 23 guide rollers, 24 guide rails,
25 mobile scraper, 26 treatment table side fixed scraper,
27 Opening / closing mechanism side fixed scraper, 28 Spring,
29 slide base, 30 slide rail for slide base,
31 base, 32 door type open / close floor.

Claims (1)

  In a rotary irradiation apparatus having an irradiation apparatus for irradiating a charged particle beam to a patient mounted on a treatment table fixed to a treatment table base which is a fixed floor, a portion through which the irradiation apparatus passes is opened and closed. An openable / closable floor, an open / close mechanism having a drive mechanism for driving the openable / closable floor, and a beam transport device that transports a charged particle beam and the irradiation device is disposed at a tip thereof. Provided outside the beam transport device, and the irradiation device is attached to the frame so as to overhang, and the openable floor is configured as a door at the center, and the treatment of the openable floor during opening operation It is structured to be folded downward with one end in contact with the base as an axis, both ends are configured to slide, and along the floor surface, which is the upper surface of the openable floor when opening Rotating irradiation apparatus which is a structure by which to translate in a horizontal plane.

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