JP2010063725A - Particle beam irradiation system, and method of operating the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a particle beam irradiation system of a high medical treatment throughput which shortens a period of time required for the initializing excitation at the time of the course switching for medical treatment chambers in the particle beam irradiation system having a plurality of medical treatment chambers. <P>SOLUTION: This particle beam irradiation system includes: an accelerator 11 which performs the incidence, the acceleration and the outgoing radiation of a charged particle beam; irradiation apparatus 24A, 24B and 24C which are respectively set in the plurality of medical treatment chambers 2A, 2B and 2C; and a beam transporting apparatus 3 which transports the outgoing radiation of the charged particle beam from the accelerator to the irradiation apparatus. The particle beam irradiation system has switching electromagnets 7A and 7B which switch the beam trajectory of the charged particle beam in such a manner that the beam transporting apparatus 3 may transport the charged particle beam to any one of the irradiation apparatuses. The particle beam irradiation system includes a control apparatus 40 which performs a control in such a manner that when the accelerator is performing the outgoing radiation of the charged particle beam, the switching electromagnets are controlled so that the charged particle beam may be transported to the first irradiation apparatus, and when the accelerator is performing the incidence and the acceleration of the charged particle beam, the other switching electromagnet which is connected to another irradiation apparatus may be excited, and then, the demagnetization may be performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a particle beam therapy apparatus, and more particularly to a particle beam irradiation apparatus that emits an ion beam such as protons and carbon ions, and an operation method thereof.

  2. Description of the Related Art A treatment method is known in which an affected area of a patient such as cancer is irradiated with a charged particle beam (ion beam) such as protons and carbon ions. The particle beam irradiation apparatus used for this treatment method has a treatment room equipped with an ion beam generator, a beam transport device, and an irradiation device.

  In the particle beam irradiation apparatus, an irradiation field is formed by using an ion beam accelerated by an ion beam generating apparatus in accordance with the shape of an affected part of a patient. Irradiation field formation is realized by controlling the ion beam energy in the depth direction of the affected area of the patient and forming a beam shape that matches the shape of the affected area with a collimator or the like. In addition, in order to appropriately irradiate the affected area of the patient with the ion beam, the patient is fixed to the treatment bed in the treatment room before the start of the irradiation treatment, and a positioning operation for aligning the affected area with the beam irradiation axis is performed.

  A synchrotron is mentioned as an ion beam generator mainly used in the particle beam irradiation apparatus. The synchrotron receives a low-energy ion beam from the front stage accelerator and accelerates it to an energy corresponding to the depth of the affected area. In acceleration of the synchrotron, energy is applied to the ion beam that circulates in the synchrotron by a high-frequency voltage, and the magnetic field strength of the electromagnet (deflecting magnet, quadrupole electromagnet, etc.) that constitutes the synchrotron in synchronization with the increase of the ion beam energy Implement control to increase After accelerating the energy of the ion beam to a desired energy, the synchrotron emits the ion beam to the beam transport device by an extraction device provided in the synchrotron. After the emission control is completed, deceleration control is performed to reduce the magnetic field strength of the electromagnets constituting the synchrotron to a strength corresponding to the energy of the incident beam from the pre-stage accelerator. Thus, the synchrotron repeats operation control such as incidence, acceleration, emission, and deceleration, and the beam is emitted out of the synchrotron only during the emission control within this repetition period.

  Patent Document 1 describes a particle beam irradiation apparatus including one synchrotron and a plurality of treatment rooms. The beam transport device branches at a plurality of locations and connects the synchrotron and the plurality of irradiation devices. Each branch point of the beam transport device is provided with a course switching device for switching the beam transport course. The course switching device includes a course switching electromagnet, a course switching electromagnet power supply device, and a course switching control device that instructs the course switching electromagnet to make course switching.

  The electromagnet constituting the beam transport device needs to be excited to a magnetic field intensity corresponding to the energy of the ion beam transported to the treatment room. For this reason, in the case of treatment with an irradiation method using a scatterer, the electromagnet of the beam transport device is operated with a constant magnetic field intensity during the irradiation treatment, and the irradiation device performs control to spread energy in the depth direction of the affected area. In the case of a scanning irradiation method of scanning and irradiating a thin beam, the beam depth direction is controlled by the energy of the ion beam supplied from the ion beam generator. It is also necessary to change the excitation amount of the electromagnet corresponding to the energy supplied from the ion beam generator.

  In a particle beam irradiation apparatus having a plurality of treatment rooms, a treatment room (first treatment room) in which irradiation treatment is performed, and another treatment room (second treatment room) that starts treatment after completion of irradiation treatment in the first treatment room There is a treatment room. While irradiation treatment is performed in the first treatment room, treatment preparation (patient positioning operation, etc.) of the patient to be treated next is performed in parallel in the second treatment room. When the ion beam of the target dose is irradiated to the patient in the first treatment room, the ion beam generator stops emitting the ion beam and completes the irradiation treatment in the first treatment room. Thereafter, the ion beam generator reads the operating conditions for accelerating the energy according to the irradiation conditions of the patient in the second treatment room, and starts preparing for beam acceleration operation. In addition, the beam transport apparatus performs a beam transport course switching operation from the first treatment room to the second treatment room in which the next treatment patient is fixed after the irradiation treatment in the first treatment room is completed. At this time, it is necessary to initialize and excite an electromagnet provided in the beam transport course connected to the second treatment room.

  Since the position of the affected part (position in the depth direction of the irradiation target) is different for each patient, the required energy of the ion beam is also different. When the energy of the ion beam changes, that is, when the excitation amount of the synchrotron electromagnet and the beam transport device electromagnet is changed, the magnetic history (hysteresis) of the electromagnet is generated and the electromagnet needs to be initialized. However, when the initialization excitation is performed, a period in which the ion beam cannot be emitted from the synchrotron occurs, and there arises a problem that the throughput of the particle beam irradiation apparatus decreases. Patent Document 2 describes a two-stage excitation method in which after the ion beam is emitted, the magnetic field strength of the electromagnet provided in the synchrotron and the beam transport course is increased to the maximum magnetic field strength of the electromagnet and then deceleration control is performed. . This eliminates the need for initialization excitation of the electromagnet.

JP 2007-105356 A JP-A-8-298200

  In the conventional particle beam irradiation apparatus, the magnetic field intensity of the electromagnet on the desired beam transport course is applied before the start of the irradiation treatment so that the ion beam is transported to the second treatment room where the next irradiation treatment is performed. Set according to the energy. This work is called course switching. Such a course change was performed after the irradiation treatment in the first treatment room. When switching courses, it is necessary to carry out initialization excitation for the electromagnet of the beam transport device connected to the second treatment room.

  The electromagnet constituting the beam transport device is composed of a magnetic pole made of a magnetic material such as iron and a coil for exciting the magnetic pole. Since the magnetic material has a magnetic history (hysteresis) characteristic, an initialization operation to erase the magnetic history is necessary to obtain a desired excitation amount with high accuracy. The initialization operation is to repeat the operation (initialization excitation) for exciting and demagnetizing the magnetic field of the coil. This initialization operation takes several tens of seconds to several minutes. If the beam transport conditions are changed without carrying out this initialization operation, the magnetic field strength of the electromagnet constituting the beam transport device will deviate from the desired magnetic field strength, so that appropriate beam transport cannot be realized.

  When a plurality of treatment rooms are provided, a course switching electromagnet is installed at each branch point of the beam transport device. This course switching electromagnet also needs to be initialized before starting irradiation treatment. However, if the initial excitation of the other course switching electromagnets is performed during irradiation treatment in another treatment room, the beam may not be properly supplied to the treatment room performing irradiation treatment, The possibility of supplying the beam to another treatment room arises. For this reason, in the conventional particle beam irradiation apparatus, after the irradiation treatment in the treatment room is completed, the initialization operation of the course switching electromagnet connected to the other treatment room has to be performed, and the beam transportation course is switched. It takes time.

  An object of the present invention is to reduce the time required for switching a beam transport course to a treatment room, and to stably excite the magnetic field intensity of the course switching electromagnet to a desired control value and a method for operating the same Is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized by an accelerator for injecting, accelerating, and emitting a charged particle beam, an irradiation device that is installed in each of a plurality of treatment rooms, and emits a charged particle beam to an irradiation target, and an accelerator A beam transport device that transports the charged particle beam emitted from the irradiation device to the irradiation device, and the beam transport device switches a plurality of beam trajectories of the charged particle beam so as to transport the charged particle beam to the first irradiation device. A switching electromagnet is provided, and when the accelerator is emitting a charged particle beam, the switching electromagnet is controlled to transport the charged particle beam to the first irradiation device, and the accelerator enters and accelerates the charged particle beam. In some cases, a control device is provided that performs control to excite other switching electromagnets connected to other irradiation devices and then demagnetize them.

  According to the present invention, the time required for course switching can be shortened, and the throughput of irradiation treatment can be improved.

Example 1
Hereinafter, a particle beam irradiation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the particle beam irradiation apparatus of the present embodiment includes an ion beam generator 1, a plurality of treatment rooms 2A, 2B and 2C, irradiation apparatuses 24A, 24B and 24C installed in each treatment room, and beam transport. The apparatus 3 and the control apparatus 40 which controls these apparatuses are provided. The ion beam generator includes an ion source (not shown), a pre-accelerator (not shown), and a synchrotron 11. The synchrotron 11 includes an output high-frequency electrode 12 and an electromagnet (a deflection electromagnet, a quadrupole electromagnet, or the like). The emission electrode power supply device 51 applies a high frequency electric field to the emission high frequency electrode 12. The beam transport device is controlled according to accelerator beam transport devices (first beam transport devices) 30A and 30B that are controlled according to the energy supplied from the ion beam generator 1, and the beam energy irradiated in each treatment room. Treatment room beam transport devices (second beam transport devices) 31A, 31B, 31C. The beam transport device 3 includes a deflection electromagnet and a steering electromagnet (not shown) that control the beam trajectory, a quadrupole electromagnet (not shown) that controls the beam shape, and course switching electromagnets 7A and 7B. The course switching electromagnets 7A and 7B are deflection electromagnets, and switch the beam trajectory by controlling excitation and non-excitation. An accelerator beam transport device 30 </ b> A is connected to the synchrotron 11. The course switching electromagnet 7A is installed on the downstream side of the accelerator beam transport device 30A and at the branch point between the accelerator beam transport device 30B and the treatment room beam transport device 31A. The course switching electromagnet 7B is installed on the downstream side of the accelerator beam transport device 30B and at a branch point between the treatment room beam transport device 31B and the treatment room beam transport device 31C. The treatment room beam transport device 31A is connected to the irradiation device 24A, the treatment room beam transport device 31B is connected to the irradiation device 24B, and the treatment room beam transport device 31C is connected to the irradiation device 24C. Based on the course switching command signal from the control device 40, the electromagnet power supply 52A excites the course switching electromagnet 7A, and the electromagnet power supply 52B excites the course switching electromagnet 7B. The control device 40 controls the emission electrode power supply device 51 and the electromagnet power supply devices 52A and 52B. The treatment room beam transport devices 31A, 31B, and 31C are each provided with a shutter (not shown). This shutter is provided between the course switching electromagnet 7A and the irradiation device 24A, between the course switching electromagnet 7B and the irradiation device 24B, and between the course switching electromagnet 7B and the irradiation device 24C, and has a function of blocking unnecessary beams. .

  An ion beam (hereinafter referred to as a beam) emitted from the ion beam generator 1 is transported to a desired treatment room via the beam transport device 3. In this embodiment, when the course switching electromagnet 7A is excited (excitation current is ON), the beam that has passed through the accelerator beam transport device 30A is transported to the treatment room beam transport device 31A and is incident on the irradiation device 24A. When the course switching electromagnet 7A is not excited (excitation current is OFF), the beam is transported to the accelerator beam transport device 30B. When the course switching electromagnet 7B is excited, the beam that has passed through the accelerator beam transport device 30B is transported to the treatment room beam transport device 31B and is incident on the irradiation device 24B. When the course switching electromagnet 7B is not excited, the beam is transported to the treatment room beam transport device 31C and enters the irradiation device 24C. The control device 40 controls the excitation current of the course switching electromagnets 7A and 7B (for example, controls excitation and non-excitation) so that the beam is transported to one of the irradiation devices. The control device 40 also has a function as a course switching control device. The beam incident on the irradiation device is emitted to a patient (not shown) fixed to a treatment bed (not shown) in each treatment room 2.

  In this embodiment, a synchrotron 11 is provided as the ion beam generator 1. By applying a high-frequency electric field between the electrodes of the emission high-frequency electrode 12 installed in the synchrotron 11, a beam that goes around the synchrotron 11 is emitted to the accelerator beam transport device 30A.

  The synchrotron 11 periodically performs a series of operations of beam incidence, acceleration, emission, and deceleration. In general, the operation period of the synchrotron is 2 to 3 seconds. A series of operations of acceleration, extraction, and deceleration of the circular beam is controlled based on a timing signal output from the control device 40 (specifically, a timing system (not shown)). By performing the control based on this timing signal, the synchrotron 11 composed of a plurality of components can be controlled synchronously. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a deflection electromagnet (not shown) provided in the synchrotron 11 increases the excitation amount during acceleration, maintains a constant excitation amount during emission, and reduces the excitation amount during deceleration. Reduce. That is, the deflection electromagnet is operated in a pattern of static definite, excitation, static definite, and demagnetization. FIG. 2 shows the magnetic field strength (FIG. 2A) of the deflecting magnet and the change in the output high-frequency voltage (FIG. 2B) during one operation period of the synchrotron. In FIG. 2, one operation cycle of the synchrotron is Tp, and similarly, the beam incident control time to the synchrotron 11 is Tinj, the acceleration control time is Tacc, the emission control time is Text, and the deceleration control time is Tdea. Further, it is assumed that the deflection magnetic field intensity when the beam is incident on the synchrotron 11 is Bi, and the deflection magnetic field intensity at the time of beam emission control is Be1. In the incident control, the deflection magnetic field intensity is held at Bi for a time Tinj. During this time, the beam is incident on the synchrotron 11 from the front stage accelerator. Thereafter, the deflection magnetic field strength of the deflection electromagnet is increased from Bi to Be in time Tacc, and the beam is accelerated to a desired energy. After the end of the acceleration control, the deflection magnetic field strength of the deflection electromagnet is set to Be and held for the emission control time Text. A high-frequency voltage is applied to the high-frequency electrode for emission 12 in the emission control section. A beam is emitted from the synchrotron 11 while the emission high-frequency voltage is applied. After the emission control is completed, the deflection magnetic field strength of the deflection electromagnet is demagnetized from Be to Bi at time Tdea.

  A case where an electromagnet is used without performing initial excitation will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In general, an electromagnet includes a magnetic pole formed by laminating magnetic materials such as iron plates and an exciting coil. The magnetic body constituting the magnetic pole draws a hysteresis ring line (magnetic history curve) as shown in FIG. 4 with excitation. First, when the electromagnet is not excited (when the excitation current is 0 A), the magnetic material is not magnetized (the magnetic field strength B is zero). From there, the magnetic field H increases as the exciting current of the electromagnet is increased, and the magnetic body is excited toward this point a (saturated line Oa in FIG. 4). Thereafter, when the excitation current is lowered, the magnet is demagnetized from point a to point b. At this time, even if the excitation current is returned to 0 A (the magnetic field H is zero), the magnetic field does not become 0, but has a certain value Br determined by the magnetic material. This is called residual magnetization or residual magnetic flux density. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a case is considered in which the electromagnet is excited to the magnetic field H1 and then demagnetized to the magnetic field H2. As described above, when the operation is performed such that the two magnetic fields H1 and H2 are reciprocated, the state of the magnetic field transitions in the order of point d → point e → point f → point g due to the history characteristics described above. Then, even if the electromagnet is excited in the same magnetic field H1, the magnetic field strengths show different values (point d and point f), and the generated magnetic field differs by ΔB1. Also, different magnetic field strengths (point e and point g) are shown with respect to the magnetic field H2, and the magnetic field differs by ΔB2. Thus, even if the same exciting current is supplied to the electromagnet, different magnetic field strengths are exhibited, and appropriate beam transport becomes difficult.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, for example, control is performed to repeat excitation and demagnetization of the electromagnet so as to reciprocate between the point a excited to the saturation magnetic flux density and the point b where the magnetic field H becomes zero. Thus, the magnetic history of the magnetic material so far can be erased, and a desired magnetic field can be excited with a predetermined current by defining a history curve. Such excitation operation is called initialization excitation. By performing the initialization excitation, the predetermined magnetic field is excited by the predetermined magnetic field, and the magnetic field can be accurately excited by controlling the electromagnet current.

  An example of the initialization excitation pattern of the course switching electromagnet in the present embodiment is shown in FIG. Processing of magnetic field stabilization, excitation, stabilization, and demagnetization is performed at times Tl, Tinc, Th, and Tdec, respectively. The time required for this one-cycle operation is Ti. When initializing excitation control of the electromagnets installed in the course switching electromagnet 7, the accelerator beam transport devices 30A and 30B, or the treatment room beam transport devices 31A, 31B, and 31C, the minimum value of the excitation current is controlled to be zero.

  Next, control of the particle beam irradiation apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The control device 40 of the particle beam irradiation apparatus includes a doctor terminal 401, a treatment planning system 402, a scheduler 403, an entire system server 410, an interlock system 411, a timing system 412, a respiratory synchronization system 413, a storage device 414, and an operator terminal. 415, comprising each subsystem. The treatment planning system 402 makes a treatment plan based on the diagnosis result of the patient by the doctor. The treatment plan includes information such as patient identification information, beam energy to be irradiated to the patient, irradiation direction, irradiation field size, and irradiation method (presence / absence of respiratory synchronization irradiation). The treatment plan formulated by the treatment plan system 402 is stored in the storage device 414 as treatment plan information 414A. The accumulated treatment plan information 414A is read by the entire system server 410 and reflected in operation control when the corresponding treatment is performed. In addition, an irradiation schedule is registered in the scheduler 403 according to the irradiation plan of the patient. The scheduler 403 refers to the treatment schedule information 414B and determines the order of irradiation treatment performed on the day including the irradiation treatment. The treatment schedule information 414B is prepared for each treatment room, and irradiation treatment is performed in each treatment room in the order based on the treatment schedule.

  The storage device 414 stores operation pattern / setting value information 414C in addition to the above-described treatment plan information 414A and treatment schedule 414B. In the operation pattern information, the operation pattern data of the device whose setting values are changed with time such as the synchrotron 11 and the course switching electromagnet according to the energy of the irradiated beam and the irradiation condition, and the initial reference to be referred to at the time of initialization excitation. The excitation pattern data is stored. The set value information stores a fixed set value of a device whose set value does not change with time during irradiation treatment. These operation pattern data and set values are transmitted to each subsystem via the entire system server 410. The control device constituting each subsystem operates the device according to these operation pattern data and set values.

  The treatment room 2 has a plurality of control modes according to the patient's entrance situation and the execution situation of irradiation treatment. The control mode of the treatment room 2 is constantly monitored by the entire system server 410. In this embodiment, three treatment modes, “standby mode”, “preparation mode”, and “irradiation mode”, will be described. The standby mode is a state in which a patient can enter the treatment room. In the preparation mode, the entrance and authentication of the patient to be treated in the treatment room are completed, the patient positioning work before the treatment irradiation, the preparation for the treatment such as the initialization excitation of the treatment room beam transport device 31, and the irradiation treatment are performed. After completion, the patient can leave the room. The irradiation mode is a state in which a patient who has completed positioning work is in the treatment room and treatment irradiation is possible. Operation control such as acceleration and extraction of the beam in the synchrotron 11 can be performed only in a state where any one of the plurality of treatment rooms 2 is changed to the irradiation mode. Further, in the particle beam irradiation apparatus shown in the present embodiment, since treatment irradiation cannot be performed in a plurality of treatment rooms at a time, the two treatment rooms do not simultaneously enter the “irradiation mode”. The control mode of each treatment room described above is transmitted to an accelerator scheduler (not shown), and manages the order of treatment rooms for supplying ion beams. The treatment room order management information stored in the accelerator scheduler is sequentially monitored by the entire system server 410. If a plurality of treatment rooms have been shifted to the preparation mode, control for shifting to the irradiation mode is performed in the order in which irradiation preparation is completed.

  The interlock system 411 monitors the state of each device so that the beam is not erroneously transported to the treatment room 2 other than the irradiation mode according to the control mode of each treatment room. For example, the excitation current corresponding to the outgoing beam is not supplied to the electromagnet equipment constituting the treatment room beam transport device 31 leading to the treatment room for which the irradiation mode is not selected in synchronization with the emission control period of the synchrotron 11. Thus, an excitation phase detection device (not shown) is provided. The interlock system 411 controls opening and closing of shutters provided in the treatment room beam transport devices 31A, 31B, and 31C. Specifically, the shutter of the treatment room beam transport device connected to the treatment room in the irradiation mode is opened, and the shutter of the treatment room beam transport device connected to another treatment room that is not in the irradiation mode (the treatment room in the standby mode or the preparation mode) is closed. .

  The timing system 412 outputs a timing signal that serves as a reference for cooperative control of devices that constitute the particle beam irradiation apparatus. In the present embodiment, the control signal for realizing the operation control of the equipment constituting the synchrotron 11 and the cooperative control of the equipment constituting the treatment room beam transport devices 31A, 31B, 31C for supplying beams to the treatment rooms. One.

  The all-system server 410 receives an input from the operator terminal 415 and outputs a control mode designation for the treatment room 2 and an operation command for each subsystem device based on the input. The all-system server 410 always determines whether the input from the operator is appropriate while referring to the treatment plan information 414A and the treatment schedule 414B in the storage device, and outputs an error to an incorrect input. have.

  Each subsystem such as the synchrotron control system 421 and the course switching electromagnet control systems 422A and 422B operates in response to a timing signal from the timing system 412 and a command from the entire system server 410. The power supply of each device is controlled according to the pattern and setting value. The synchrotron control system 421 applies a high-frequency voltage to the emission electrode 12 in the synchrotron 11, and the electromagnet power supply devices 52A and 52B excite the course switching electromagnets 7A and 7B at predetermined operation control timings, respectively.

  The relationship between the treatment room control mode and the interlock system 411 will be described. The interlock system 411 manages the operation of the devices constituting the particle beam irradiation apparatus according to the control mode of each treatment room.

  First, the case where all of the treatment rooms 2A, 2B, and 2C are in the “standby mode” will be described. In this case, a high frequency voltage is not applied to the synchrotron control system 421 so that the beam is not emitted from the synchrotron 11, and the course switching electromagnets 7A and 7B are not excited. When the control mode of any one of the treatment rooms 2A, 2B, and 2C is “preparation mode”, for example, when the treatment rooms 2A and 2C are in the standby mode and the treatment room 2B is in the preparation mode, the treatment room 2B The course switching electromagnet 7B of the treatment room beam transport device 31B leading to is permitted to be excited, and the course switching electromagnet 7A of the other treatment room beam transport device 31A is prohibited from initialization excitation. Similarly, initialization excitation is permitted for the electromagnets constituting the accelerator beam transport device 30. The treatment room beam transport device 31B of the treatment room 2B in the “preparation mode” performs initialization excitation. Initialization excitation is performed according to the procedure shown in FIG. At the start of initialization excitation, an appropriate initialization excitation pattern is called from the operation pattern information 414C from the energy of the beam irradiated to the patient specified by the treatment plan information 414A and read into the electromagnet control system of the treatment room beam transport apparatus. Make it. Based on the read initialization excitation pattern and the timing signal from the timing system 412, initialization excitation is performed a required number of times at an appropriate timing.

  A case where the control mode of any one of the treatment rooms 2A and 2B is the “irradiation mode” will be described. In this case, it is necessary to transport a beam of desired energy to the treatment room in the irradiation mode based on the patient treatment plan information. Therefore, initialization excitation of the electromagnets of the synchrotron 11 and the accelerator beam transport device 30 is performed before irradiation. Thereafter, the operation of the electrode power supply 41 for emission is permitted. And each apparatus of the synchrotron 11, the accelerator beam transport apparatus 30, and the corresponding treatment room beam transport apparatus 31 is controlled to the set value given from the entire system server based on the operation parameter / set value information 414C in the storage device. .

  Here, the transition process between each control mode of a treatment room is described. As shown in FIG. 11, there are four treatment room control modes: “standby mode to preparation mode”, “preparation mode to irradiation mode”, “irradiation mode to standby mode”, and “preparation mode to standby mode”. It is. The control flow at the time of state transition between each control mode is shown in FIGS.

  FIG. 12 shows the transition process from the standby mode to the preparation mode in the treatment room control mode. For example, when the patient enters the treatment room 2A, the patient information designated by the treatment scheduler is compared with the patient information before entering the room. As a result of the collation, if it can be determined that they are the same, the patient can enter the treatment room 2A, and the treatment room 2A shifts to the preparation mode. If the patient information cannot be matched, the patient is not permitted to enter the treatment room 2A, and the control mode of the treatment room maintains the standby mode.

  In the preparation mode, after the patient enters the treatment room 2A, initialization excitation of the treatment room beam transport device 31 is started together with irradiation preparation work such as patient positioning work. At this time, the initialization excitation cycle is in reverse phase to the operation cycle of the synchrotron 11, that is, the treatment room beam transport device 31 is controlled to make the magnetic field strength zero while the synchrotron 11 is in the emission control operation. By performing such control, the operation in which the beam is not transported to the irradiation device 24A of the treatment room 2A being prepared for treatment is ensured.

  FIG. 13 shows a transition process from the preparation mode to the irradiation mode. After the irradiation preparation work is completed, the irradiation preparation completion is transmitted to the entire system server 410. When the irradiation preparation completion signal is transmitted from the treatment room 2A, the entire system server 410 confirms the control mode of the other treatment rooms 2B and 2C. At this time, if the other treatment rooms 2B and 2C are not in the irradiation mode, the treatment room 2A that has transmitted the irradiation preparation completion signal is shifted to the irradiation mode. For example, when the treatment room 2B is already in the irradiation mode, after the treatment irradiation of the treatment room 2B is completed and the control mode of the treatment room 2B is changed from the irradiation mode to the preparation mode, the treatment room 2A is changed to the irradiation mode. The whole system server 410 sequentially confirms the control mode of each treatment room, and after completing the currently performed irradiation treatment, reads the operating conditions of the irradiation room for which treatment preparation has been completed, whereby the ion beam generator and the accelerator beam transport are read. The switching of the operating conditions of the device 30 is realized.

  After confirming the completion of the patient positioning operation and the initialization excitation of the treatment room beam transport device 31, it is possible to transition to the irradiation mode after confirming that the radiologist has left the room. At this time, if a series of conditions cannot be satisfied, the treatment room 2A cannot transition from the preparation mode to the irradiation mode.

  FIG. 14 shows a transition process at the time of transition from the irradiation mode to the preparation mode. Transition conditions from the irradiation mode to the preparation mode include when the irradiation dose to the affected area has expired, when the irradiation treatment to the patient is completed, and when an apparatus abnormality occurs during the irradiation treatment. First, when a transition condition from the irradiation mode to the preparation mode occurs, the entire system server 410 stores information such as the irradiation dose to the affected area and beam energy in the storage device 414 in association with the treatment plan information as an irradiation record. Thereafter, the entire system server shifts the control mode of the treatment room (for example, treatment room 2A) where the irradiation treatment is completed from the irradiation mode to the preparation mode. The whole system server 410 takes in the operating conditions of the treatment room (for example, the treatment room 2B) scheduled for the next operation condition of the ion beam generator 1 and the accelerator beam transport apparatus 30 from the treatment plan information, and performs initialization excitation. Start. The transition from the preparation mode to the standby mode is performed when a patient who has completed irradiation treatment leaves the treatment room 2B. After confirming that the patient has left the room, the control mode of the treatment room 2A is changed from the preparation mode to the standby mode. The mode can be changed only by the above four mode transition procedures.

  Here, a method of switching the treatment rooms, which is a feature of the present embodiment, will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which irradiation treatment is performed in the treatment room 2B using a beam of energy Eb, and irradiation treatment is performed in the treatment room 2A using the beam of the same energy Eb after the end of the irradiation. In other words, the course is switched to the treatment room 2A from the state where the positioning operation is proceeding in the treatment room 2A while the irradiation treatment is being performed in the treatment room 2B, and the treatment room 2A is switched to the treatment room 2A. A description will be given assuming control of starting radiation therapy.

  When the treatment room 2B is in the irradiation mode and the treatment apparatuses 2A and 2C are in the standby mode, the beam emitted from the synchrotron 11 is transported to the irradiation apparatus 24B in the treatment room 2B. The treatment room 2B performs irradiation treatment with an ion beam of energy Eb. The deflection electromagnet in the synchrotron 11 is operated with an excitation pattern as shown in FIG. The accelerator beam transport device 30A and the treatment room beam transport device 31B are each excited with a set value capable of transporting an ion beam of energy Eb. As shown in FIG. 16C, the course switching electromagnet 7A connected to the other treatment room 2A has an excitation amount of zero (excitation current is OFF). For this reason, the beam that has passed through the accelerator beam transport device 30A is transported to the treatment room beam transport device 31B. The course switching electromagnet 7B is excited with a set value capable of transporting the ion beam of energy Eb to the treatment room 24B (FIG. 16D).

  When the treatment room 2A changes from the standby mode to the preparation mode, the initialization operation of the course switching electromagnet 7A is started. That is, while the synchrotron 11 is injecting, accelerating and decelerating the beam, the course switching electromagnet 7A connected to another treatment room is excited to the saturation magnetic field strength and then demagnetized to zero. In the initialization operation, the course switching electromagnet 7A is repeatedly excited and demagnetized (initialized excitation). The initialization excitation of the course switching electromagnet 7A may be performed by increasing the magnetic field strength to the saturation magnetic field strength and then demagnetizing to zero. Note that while the synchrotron 11 emits the beam, the excitation amount of the course switching electromagnet 7A is controlled to be zero (excitation current is OFF). Furthermore, the patient positioning operation in the treatment room 2A and the initialization operation of the treatment room beam transport device 31A are performed. The treatment room beam transport device 31A and the course switching electromagnet 7A are initially excited when the synchrotron 11 is incident, accelerated and decelerated with the ion beam. The emission excitation timing of the synchrotron 11 (while the ion beam is emitted from the synchrotron 11) is controlled so that the excitation amounts of the treatment room beam transport device 31A and the course switching electromagnet 7A become zero. Thus, the excitation pattern of the course switching electromagnet 7A and the excitation pattern of the synchrotron 11 electromagnet are deviated and excited, so that the ion beam of energy Eb is transferred to the treatment room B regardless of the excitation amount of the course switching electromagnet 7A. Proper transportation is possible.

  When the irradiation dose to the patient affected area in the treatment room B reaches the treatment planned dose, the beam emitted from the synchrotron 11 is stopped and the beam irradiation to the patient is stopped as shown in FIG. After the stop, the control mode of the treatment room B shifts from the irradiation mode to the preparation mode, and the patient leaves the treatment room B when the irradiation to the patient is completed. In addition, when performing irradiation treatment from another direction on the patient, the positioning operation based on the treatment plan information is continuously performed, and the setting of the beam energy, the irradiation angle, and the patient-specific tool is advanced.

  When the positioning operation in the treatment room A is completed as the control mode of the treatment room B is changed to the standby mode, the treatment room A is changed from the preparation mode to the irradiation mode. With the transition to the irradiation mode, the entire system server 410 sets the operation conditions of the synchrotron 11 and the accelerator beam transport device 30A to the control instruction value corresponding to the energy Eb based on the treatment plan information of the treatment room A.

  According to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) The particle beam irradiation apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an irradiation apparatus installed in each of a plurality of treatment rooms, and a beam transport apparatus 3 that transports a beam emitted from the synchrotron 11 to the irradiation apparatus. The transport device 3 has a plurality of course switching electromagnets that switch the beam trajectory so as to transport the beam to any one irradiation device (first irradiation device). When the synchrotron 11 emits a beam, this beam is transported to the first irradiation device, and when the synchrotron 11 is incident and accelerated, the course is switched to an irradiation device other than the first irradiation device. A control device 40 is provided for controlling the electromagnet to perform initial excitation. With such a configuration, the switching electromagnet connected to the other irradiation device can be initialized during the irradiation treatment in the first irradiation device in the irradiation mode, so that the beam irradiation in the first irradiation device is completed and the other It is possible to shorten the time required to start beam irradiation with the irradiation apparatus. Thereby, the time required for beam switching is shortened and the throughput is improved. In addition, while the beam is not emitted from the synchrotron 11, the beam is erroneously transported to another treatment room (the treatment room not in the irradiation mode) by performing the initialization operation of the beam switching electromagnet connected to the other treatment room. Can be prevented.

  (2) In the present embodiment, the control device 40 performs control so that the magnetic field strength of the beam switching electromagnet connected to another treatment room (the treatment room not in the irradiation mode) is excited to the saturation magnetic field strength and then demagnetized to zero. And initialization operation. By controlling in this way, a beam of desired energy can be appropriately transported to the irradiation apparatus. In this embodiment, initialization excitation is performed in which excitation is performed up to the saturation magnetic field strength and then demagnetization is performed to zero, but excitation is performed to a certain value that is greater than or equal to the maximum magnetic field used by the electromagnet, and then zero. The same effect can be obtained even if the initialization excitation is performed to demagnetize up to.

  (3) The excitation phase of the excitation pattern of the treatment room beam transport device 31 being prepared for treatment is shifted with respect to the excitation pattern of the ion beam generator 1, the accelerator beam transport device 30 and the treatment room beam transport device 31 during irradiation treatment. This enables initialization excitation of the course switching electromagnet 7 in the path of the accelerator beam transport device 30 and the treatment room beam transport device 31 being prepared for treatment even during irradiation treatment, thereby shortening the time required for course switching. And the treatment throughput of the particle beam irradiation apparatus can be improved.

  (4) An accelerator scheduler is provided in the particle beam irradiation apparatus, and the entire system server 410 manages the control mode of the treatment room 2 based on the treatment room sequence management information stored in the accelerator scheduler. From the treatment room sequence management information stored in the accelerator scheduler, the entire system server 410 reads information on a treatment room in which irradiation treatment is performed next to the treatment room currently under irradiation treatment. The entire system server 410 can reduce the time required for course switching by initializing and exciting the course switching electromagnet 7 and the treatment room beam transport device 31 in the treatment room where the irradiation treatment is performed next, and the particle beam The treatment throughput of the irradiation apparatus can be improved.

  (5) A course for switching the transport course to the electromagnet constituting the treatment room beam transport apparatus and the treatment room in parallel with the irradiation preparation work such as the patient positioning work in the treatment room other than the treatment room performing the radiation treatment. Initializing excitation pattern of switching electromagnet, and initializing excitation pattern of treatment room beam transport device and course switching electromagnet connected to the treatment room where irradiation preparation work is being carried out as operation pattern of deflection magnetic field strength of synchrotron In contrast, excitation is performed by shifting the phase. Specifically, if the course switching electromagnet that switches the beam transport course to the treatment room that is performing the irradiation preparation work in the beam extraction control section from the synchrotron is not excited, the beam transport during the treatment is not affected. . In addition, if the synchrotron performs initialization excitation in the deceleration to acceleration control section, there is no ion beam in the beam transport device that connects the synchrotron and the treatment room. The ion beam is not transported to the treatment room.

  In this embodiment, the initializing excitation of the course switching electromagnet was controlled to demagnetize immediately after exciting the electromagnet. However, when performing the initialization excitation control of the course switching electromagnet connected to the treatment room where irradiation treatment is not performed while the synchrotron 11 is incident, accelerated, and decelerated, as shown in FIG. The deflection electromagnet and the electromagnet for initialization excitation control may be controlled to operate in opposite phases. In this case, the times Tl, Tinc, Th, and Tdec shown in FIG. 7 are controlled to be equal to Text, Tdea, Tinj, and Tacc shown in FIG. When the electromagnet of the synchrotron 11 is excited, the electromagnet of the treatment room beam transport device is demagnetized. Conversely, when the electromagnet of the synchrotron 11 is demagnetized, the electromagnet of the treatment room beam transport device is excited. Will be. Such operation control prevents the beam from being erroneously transported to the treatment room in the preparation mode.

  In the present embodiment, the course switching electromagnet 7A performs one excitation and demagnetization during one operation cycle of the synchrotron 11, but if it is during the incidence, acceleration and deceleration of the synchrotron 11, You may control to repeat excitation and demagnetization several times. Thereby, the time required for the initialization excitation can be further shortened, and the throughput can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which irradiation treatment in the treatment room 2A is performed with the same energy Eb after performing irradiation treatment in the treatment room 2B using an ion beam with energy Eb is shown. However, the invention described in this embodiment can also be applied to the case where the irradiation treatment in the treatment room 2A is performed with ion beams having different energy Ea after the irradiation treatment in the treatment room 2B. At this time, initialization of the electromagnet installed in the synchrotron 11 and the accelerator beam transport device 30 may be required.

(Example 2)
Below, the particle beam irradiation apparatus which is other embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG.

  The particle beam irradiation apparatus of the present embodiment has the same configuration as the particle beam irradiation apparatus of the first embodiment. In Example 1, the energy of the ion beam emitted from the synchrotron 11 was a constant value Eb while the ion beam was emitted to one patient in a certain treatment room. During ion beam irradiation treatment, the energy of the ion beam emitted from the synchrotron 11 is changed stepwise. For example, the irradiation method of this embodiment can be used in the case of a scanning irradiation method in which an affected area of a patient is divided into a plurality of layers in the beam traveling direction and an ion beam is irradiated for each layer. Hereinafter, control different from that of the first embodiment will be described.

  When the treatment room 2B is in the irradiation mode and the treatment rooms 2A and 2C are in the standby mode, the ion beam emitted from the synchrotron 11 is transported to the irradiation device 24B in the treatment room 2B. In FIG. 17, the synchrotron 11 emits an ion beam having a different energy (for example, energy E1, E2, E3... Changed) for each synchrotron operation cycle (one cycle of incidence, acceleration, emission, and deceleration). Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 17A, the deflection electromagnet of the synchrotron 11 is first excited to a magnetic field intensity B11 (first magnetic field intensity) that accelerates the ion beam to energy E1. When the excitation amount reaches B11, the excitation amount is fixed. After the ion beam is emitted from the synchrotron 11, the excitation amount of the deflection electromagnet is re-excited again from B11 to B1max (second magnetic field strength), and the magnetic field generated by the deflection electromagnet becomes the saturation magnetic field, and then demagnetized. The deflecting electromagnet of the synchrotron 11 excites the incident ion beam to the magnetic field intensity B12 that accelerates to the energy E2, and fixes the excitation amount when the excitation amount reaches B12. After the extraction of the ion beam is completed, the excitation amount is re-excited again from B12 to B1max, and then demagnetized. As described above, the magnetic field strength of the deflecting electromagnet installed in the synchrotron 11 is increased to the first magnetic field strength, and after the ion beam is emitted from the synchroton 11, the magnetic field strength of the deflecting electromagnet is further increased to the second magnetic field strength. Then, by demagnetizing thereafter, the residual magnetic field of the deflection electromagnet can be made constant regardless of the emission energy of the ion beam. Thereby, the initialization excitation of the electromagnet installed in the synchrotron 11 becomes unnecessary.

  The electromagnet of the beam transport device 3 connected to the treatment room 2 </ b> B during irradiation treatment is excited with an excitation amount corresponding to this energy for each cycle of the synchrotron 11. Specifically, the electromagnets of the accelerator beam transport devices 30A and 30B and the treatment room beam transport device 31B change their excitation amounts step by step in accordance with the energy of the ion beam emitted from the synchrotron 11.

  As shown in FIG. 17D, the course switching electromagnet 7B is excited by the magnetic field intensity B21 that transports the ion beam of energy E1 until the synchrotron 11 starts emitting the ion beam (between incidence and acceleration). The When the excitation amount reaches B21, the excitation amount is fixed. After the extraction of the ion beam from the synchrotron 11 is completed, the excitation amount of the electromagnet is re-excited again from B21 to the saturation magnetic field B2max, and demagnetized after the magnetic field generated by the electromagnet becomes the saturation magnetic field. Thereafter, the course switching electromagnet 7B is excited to the magnetic field strength B22 in accordance with the energy E2 of the next ion beam, and is fixed to the excitation amount when the excitation amount reaches B22. After the extraction of the ion beam is completed, the excitation amount of the electromagnet is re-excited from B22 to the saturation magnetic field Bmax, and demagnetized after the magnetic field generated by the electromagnet becomes the saturation magnetic field. When the synchrotron 11 emits an ion beam, the control device controls the course switching electromagnet 7B so as to transport the ion beam to the irradiation device 24B in the treatment room 2B.

  Since the course switching electromagnet 7A connected to the other treatment room 2A is in the standby mode as shown in FIG. 17C, the excitation amount is zero (excitation current is OFF).

  When the treatment room 2A changes from the standby mode to the preparation mode, the initialization operation of the course switching electromagnet 7A is started. That is, while the synchrotron 11 is incident, accelerated and decelerated with the ion beam, the course switching electromagnet 7A is excited to the saturation magnetic field strength and then demagnetized to zero. While the synchrotron 11 emits the ion beam, the excitation amount of the course switching electromagnet 7A is set to zero (excitation current is zero). Thus, when the synchrotron 11 is incident, accelerated, and decelerated with the ion beam (while the ion beam is not emitted), the course switching electromagnet 7A is initialized and the synchrotron 11 is activated with the ion beam. By controlling the excitation amount of the course switching electromagnet 7A to be zero when the beam is being emitted, initialization excitation can be performed even during irradiation treatment in the other treatment room 2B.

  In the present embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, the following effects can be obtained.

  (6) The particle beam irradiation apparatus of the present embodiment increases the magnetic field strength of the deflection electromagnet installed in the synchrotron 11 to the first magnetic field strength, and after the beam is emitted from the synchroton 11, the magnetic field strength of the deflection electromagnet. Is further increased to the second magnetic field strength, and thereafter a control device 40 is provided for demagnetizing. With such a configuration, the residual magnetic field of the deflecting electromagnet can be made constant regardless of the beam emission energy, and the initialization excitation of the electromagnet installed in the synchrotron 11 becomes unnecessary. As a result, the time from the completion of beam irradiation in the first irradiation apparatus in the irradiation mode to the start of beam irradiation in another irradiation apparatus can be shortened, the time required for beam switching is shortened, and the throughput is improved. .

  In this embodiment, the course switching electromagnet 7A performs one excitation and demagnetization during one operation cycle of the synchrotron 11. However, during the incidence, acceleration and deceleration of the synchrotron 11. For example, it may be controlled to repeat excitation and demagnetization multiple times. Thereby, the time required for the initialization excitation can be further shortened, and the throughput can be improved.

(Example 3)
Below, the particle beam irradiation apparatus which is other embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG.3, FIG15 and FIG.18.

  The particle beam irradiation apparatus according to the present embodiment has a configuration including a respiratory detector (not shown) and a respiratory synchronization system 413 in the particle beam irradiation apparatus according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, a configuration and control different from those in the first embodiment will be described.

  The respiratory detector is installed in each treatment room 2A, 2B, and 2C, and measures the movement of the patient's body surface. The respiration detector measures the position of the body surface that changes due to respiration, and outputs a measurement result (respiration detection signal) to the respiration synchronization system 413 as shown in FIG. The respiratory synchronization control system 413 generates a respiratory gate signal (beam extraction permission signal) shown in FIG. 3B based on the respiratory detection signal. This breathing gate signal is input to the accelerator control system 421, the course switching electromagnet control system 422A, and the course switching electromagnet control system 422B. The accelerator control system 421 controls the operation cycle (incidence, acceleration, standby, emission, deceleration, and standby) of the synchrotron 11 based on the respiratory gate signal. As shown in FIG.3 (c), the driving | running period of the synchrotron 11 changes synchronizing with a patient's respiration. In the respiratory synchronized irradiation method, the beam is emitted when the respiratory gate signal from the treatment room is ON and the beam in the synchrotron 11 can be emitted (accelerated to a predetermined energy). Is done. The synchrotron 11 can store (standby) the accelerated beam in the synchrotron 11 until the respiratory gate signal is turned ON after beam acceleration. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3 (e), the magnetic field of the deflecting electromagnet of the synchrotron 11 is held by Be, the time Tw stored in the synchrotron 11 without emitting the accelerated beam and the beam emission control time Text. The time Tp required for one cycle of operation is variable. Other operations are the same as the pattern of the first embodiment, and the incidence, acceleration, and deceleration are performed at times Tinj, Tacc, and Tdea, respectively.

  Example 1 or Example 2 can be adopted for the initialization excitation of the switching electromagnet in the case of the respiratory synchronization irradiation method. Also in this embodiment, initialization excitation of the course switching electromagnet 7A connected to the treatment room 2A is performed during the irradiation treatment in the treatment room 2B.

  In addition, when the excitation excitation control of the electromagnet is performed while the synchrotron 11 is in operation, the deflection electromagnet of the synchrotron 11 and the electromagnet for initialization excitation control may be controlled to be in opposite phases. In this case, the time Tl, Tinc, Th, Tdec shown in FIG. 7 is controlled to be equal to the sum of Tw and Text, Tdea, Tinj, Tacc shown in FIG. When the control of the synchrotron 11 to which the respiratory synchronized irradiation method is applied is performed, when the initialization excitation control is performed on the electromagnet of the treatment room beam transport device 31, Tl and Ti are variable.

Also in this embodiment, the same effects as those in Embodiments 1 and 2 can be obtained.
In this embodiment, the course switching electromagnet 7A performs one excitation and demagnetization during one operation cycle of the synchrotron 11. However, during the incidence, acceleration and deceleration of the synchrotron 11. For example, it may be controlled to repeat excitation and demagnetization multiple times. Thereby, the time required for the initialization excitation can be further shortened, and the throughput can be improved.
In Examples 1 to 3, although the particle beam irradiation apparatus including two treatment rooms and three course switching electromagnets is used, any particle beam irradiation apparatus including a plurality of treatment rooms and a plurality of course switching electromagnets may be applied. it can.

It is a block diagram of the particle beam irradiation apparatus of Example 1 which is one suitable Example of this invention. (A) The time change of the magnetic field intensity of the deflection electromagnet of the synchrotron 11 is shown, (b) It is a figure which shows the time change of the high frequency voltage for extraction. (A) Respiration detection signal, (b) Respiration gate signal, (c) Change in magnetic field strength of deflecting electromagnet of synchrotron 11, and (d) Time change of output beam current value when applying respiration synchronization irradiation. is there. It is a figure showing the relationship between the magnetic flux density in a magnetic body, and a magnetic field. It is the figure which showed the response of the magnetic flux density with respect to the magnetic field change in the magnetic body which does not implement initialization excitation control. It is the figure which showed the response of the magnetic flux density with respect to the magnetic field change in the magnetic body which implemented initialization excitation control. It is a figure which shows the time change of the magnetic field intensity of the switching electromagnet at the time of initialization excitation control implementation. It is a figure which shows the structure of the control system of the particle beam irradiation apparatus of Example 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process at the time of the initialization excitation control start of the treatment room beam transport system 31. FIG. (A) It is a figure which shows the time change of the magnetic field strength of the deflection electromagnet of the synchrotron 11, and (b) shows the time change of the magnetic field strength at the time of the initialization excitation control of the treatment room beam transport system 31. The state transition diagram between the control modes of the treatment room 2 is shown. It is a flowchart which shows a process when the treatment room 2 changes from standby mode to preparation mode. It is a flowchart which shows a process when the treatment room 2 changes from a preparation mode to irradiation mode. It is a flowchart which shows a process when the treatment room 2 changes from irradiation mode to preparation mode. It is a block diagram of the particle beam irradiation apparatus which is the other Example of this invention. (A) Excitation amount of the synchrotron deflecting electromagnet, (b) Outgoing beam from the synchrotron, (c) Excitation amount of the course switching electromagnet 7A in Embodiment 1 which is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, (d) It is a figure which shows the time change of the excitation amount of the course switching electromagnet 7B. In another embodiment of the present invention, (a) the excitation amount of the synchrotron deflecting electromagnet, (b) the outgoing beam from the synchrotron, (c) the excitation amount of the course switching electromagnet 7A, and (d) the excitation of the course switching electromagnet 7B. It is a figure which shows the time change of quantity. In another embodiment of the present invention, (a) the excitation amount of the synchrotron deflecting electromagnet, (b) the outgoing beam from the synchrotron, (c) the excitation amount of the course switching electromagnet 7A, and (d) the excitation of the course switching electromagnet 7B. It is a figure which shows the time change of quantity and (e) respiration synchronous signal.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ion beam generator 2A, 2B, 2C Treatment room 11 Synchrotron 12 High frequency electrode for extraction 24A, 24B, 24C Irradiation device 30 Accelerator beam transport device 31A, 31B, 31C Treatment room beam transport device 40 Control device 51 Extraction electrode power supply device 52A, 52B Electromagnet power supply 401 Doctor's terminal 402 Treatment planning system 403 Scheduler 410 Whole system server 411 Interlock system 412 Timing system 413 Respiration synchronization system 414 Storage device 421 Synchrotron control system 422A, 422B Course switching electromagnet control system

Claims (11)

An accelerator for entering, accelerating and exiting a charged particle beam;
An irradiation device installed in each of a plurality of treatment rooms and emitting the charged particle beam to an irradiation target;
A beam transport device that transports the charged particle beam emitted from the accelerator to the irradiation device;
The beam transport device has a plurality of switching electromagnets that switch a beam trajectory of the charged particle beam so as to transport the charged particle beam to the first irradiation device,
Controlling the switching electromagnet to transport the charged particle beam to the first irradiation device when the accelerator is emitting the charged particle beam;
When the accelerator is injecting and accelerating the charged particle beam, the accelerator further includes a control device that excites the other switching electromagnet connected to the other irradiation device and performs demagnetization thereafter. Particle beam irradiation device. The control device includes:
2. The particle beam therapy system according to claim 1, wherein when the accelerator is injecting and accelerating the charged particle beam, the other switching electromagnet is excited to a saturation magnetic field strength and then demagnetized. . The control device includes:
The particle beam irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the other switching electromagnet is controlled to repeat the excitation and the demagnetization. The control device includes:
When accelerating, the magnetic field strength of the deflection electromagnet used in the accelerator is increased to the first magnetic field strength, and after the charged particle beam is emitted from the accelerator, the magnetic field strength of the deflection electromagnet is further increased to the second magnetic field strength. The particle beam therapy system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the magnetism of the deflecting electromagnet is demagnetized thereafter. The beam transport device comprises:
A first beam transport device connected to the accelerator;
A plurality of second beam transport devices branched from the first beam transport device and connected to the respective irradiation devices;
The control device includes:
When the accelerator is injecting and accelerating the charged particle beam, the electromagnet of the second beam transport device connected to the other irradiation device is excited and then demagnetized. The particle beam therapy system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A first scheduler for managing the order of patients entering each of the plurality of treatment rooms;
A second scheduler for managing the order of the treatment rooms for transporting the charged particle beam;
The first scheduler transmits patient information of a patient entering the room to the control device,
The second scheduler then sends information about the treatment room that transports the charged particle beam to the controller,
Based on the received patient information and treatment room information, the control device excites the switching electromagnet connected to the treatment room and the electromagnet provided in the second beam transport device connected to the treatment room, and then decreases the electromagnet. The particle beam irradiation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein magnetizing control is performed. A method of operating a particle beam irradiation apparatus that transports the charged particle beam emitted from an accelerator that enters, accelerates, and emits a charged particle beam to any one first irradiation apparatus among a plurality of irradiation apparatuses using a switching electromagnet. There,
Controlling the switching electromagnet to transport the charged particle beam to the first irradiation device when the accelerator is emitting the charged particle beam;
A method of operating a particle beam irradiation apparatus, wherein when the accelerator is incident and accelerating the charged particle beam, another switching electromagnet connected to another irradiation apparatus is excited and then demagnetized. .   8. The particle beam according to claim 7, wherein when the accelerator is incident and accelerating the charged particle beam, the other switching electromagnet is excited to a saturation magnetic field strength and then demagnetized to zero. Operation method of the irradiation device.   The method of operating a particle beam irradiation apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein excitation and demagnetization of the switching electromagnet are repeated a plurality of times.   10. The magnetic field strength of a deflecting electromagnet used in the accelerator is increased to a saturation magnetic field strength of the deflecting electromagnet after the charged particle beam is emitted from the accelerator, and then demagnetized. The operation method of the particle beam irradiation apparatus of any one of these. In the operation method of the particle beam irradiation apparatus for transporting the charged particle beam emitted from the accelerator for injecting, accelerating and emitting the charged particle beam to the first irradiation apparatus in the irradiation mode among the plurality of irradiation apparatuses using a switching electromagnet. There,
Controlling the switching electromagnet to transport the charged particle beam to the first irradiation device when the accelerator is emitting the charged particle beam;
A particle beam characterized by exciting the switching electromagnet connected to another irradiation device when the accelerator is incident and accelerating the charged particle beam, and then demagnetizing and initializing the switching magnet. Operation method of the irradiation device.

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