Abstract: An apparatus and a method for monitoring a signal are proposed. The apparatus comprises: a first detector (10) to which the signal is supplied and which, when the signal exceeds the predetermined first threshold value, emits a trigger signal, a second detector (20) to which the signal is also supplied and which, when the signal exceeds the predetermined second threshold value, emits an exceed signal, a signal generator (30) to which the output of the first detector (10) is supplied and which starts to emit a window signal of a predetermined duration as soon as the trigger signal appears at its input side, an AND gate (40) to which the output of the first detector (10) and the output of the signal generator (30) are supplied at its input side and which generates a peak-detection signal when the window signal and the exceed signal are present at its input side.

Abstract: The invention relates to an ion beam scanning system having an ion source device, an ion acceleration system and an ion beam guidance system comprising an ion beam outlet window for a converging centered ion beam, and a mechanical alignment system for the target volume to be scanned. For that purpose, the ion acceleration system can be set to an acceleration of the ions required to obtain a maximum depth of penetration. The scanning system also has energy absorption means arranged in the path of the ion beam between the target volume and the ion beam outlet window transverse to the center of the ion beam. The energy absorption means can be displaced transverse to the center of the ion beam in order to vary the energy of the ion beam, so enabling, in the target volume, depth modulation of the ion beam, which is effected by means of a linear motor and the transverse displacement of the energy absorption means, with depth-staggered scanning of volume elements of the target volume in rapid succession.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and to a method for adapting the size of an ion beam spot in tumor irradiation. For that purpose, the apparatus has a raster scanning device composed of raster scanning magnets (20) for raster scanning the ion beam (19). In addition, the apparatus comprises quadrupole magnets (10) determining the size of the ion beam spot, which quadrupole magnets (10) are arranged directly in front of the raster scanning magnets (20), and finally two magnet power supply units (18) for the quadrupole doublet of the quadrupole magnets (10) determining the size of the ion beam spot, the apparatus having a control loop for obtaining current correction values, by comparing desired and actual values of the prevailing dimension of the beam, for two magnet power supply units (18) of the quadrupole doublet arranged directly in front of the raster scanning magnets (20), for defined homogenization and/or for defined variation of the size of the ion beam spot.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for pre-acceleration of ions and optimized matching of beam parameters used in a heavy ion application comprising a radio frequency quadruple accelerator (RFQ) having two mini-vane pairs supported by a plurality of alternating stems accelerating the ions from about 8 keV/u to about 400 keV/u and an intertank matching section for matching the parameters of the ion beam coming from the radio frequency quadruple accelerator (RFQ) to the parameters required by a subsequent drift tube linear accelerator (DTL).

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for generating, extracting and selecting ions used in a heavy ion cancer therapy facility. The apparatus comprises an independent first (ECRIS 1) and an independent second electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS 2) for generating heavy and light ions, respectively. Further is enclosed downstream of spectrometer magnet (SP1, SP2) for selecting heavy ion species of one isotopic configuration positioned downstream of each ion source (ECRIS 1, ECRIS 2): a magnetic quadrupole triplet (QT1, QT2) positioned downstream of each spectrometer magnet (SP1, SP2); a switching magnet (SM) for switching between high-LET ion species and low-LET ion species of said two independent first and second ion source.

Abstract: A method for the verification of the calculated radiation dose of an ion beam therapy system that comprises a grid scanner device, arranged in a beam guidance system (6, 8), having vertical deflection means (13) and horizontal deflection means (14) for the vertical and horizontal deflection of a treatment beam (11) perpendicular to its beam direction, with the result that the treatment beam (11) is deflected by the grid scanner device to an isocentre (10) of the irradiation site and scans a specific area surrounding the isocentre (10), irradiation being carried out on the basis of automatically calculated radiation dose data. The accuracy of the calculation of the radiation dose data is verified by using a phantom, a discrepancy between the radiation dose calculated for the at least one measurement point of the phantom and a radiation dose measured for the at least one measurement point being determined and evaluated.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of checking the beam generation means and beam acceleration means of an ion beam therapy system that comprises a grid scanner device, arranged in a beam guidance system, having vertical deflection means and horizontal deflections means for the vertical and horizontal deflection of a treatment beam perpendicular to its beam direction, with the result that the treatment beam is deflected by the grid scanner device to an isocentre of the irradiation site, and a specific area surrounding the isocentre is scanned, wherein the type of ion, the ion beam energy, the ion beam intensity and the blocking of the accelerator and also the means for terminating extraction are checked.

Abstract: A method for operation of an ion beam therapy system that comprises a grid scanner device, arranged in a beam guidance system (6, 8), having vertical deflection means (13) and horizontal deflection means (14) for the vertical and horizontal deflection of a treatment beam (11) perpendicular to its beam direction, with the result that the treatment beam (11) is deflected by the grid scanner device to an isocentre (10) of the irradiation site and scans a specific area surrounding the isocentre (10) using a specific radiation dose. Both the depth dose distribution and the transverse dose distribution of the grid scanner device (13, 14) at various positions in the region of the isocentre (10) are measured and evaluated, it being concluded that the radiation dose distribution is adequately homogeneous if the degree of variation in the radiation dose values measured at the individual positions does not exceed a specific tolerance limit value.

Abstract: The invention relates to an ion beam system for irradiating tumor tissues at various irradiation angles in relation to a horizontally arranged patient couch and to a method of carrying out ion irradiations, wherein the patient couch has an apparatus for rotation about a vertical axis and the ion beam system has at least one of the following irradiation systems: a first irradiation system having an asymmetrical scanning system of fixed location, which has a central ion beam deflection region for deflection angles of up to ±15° with respect to the horizontal direction and makes possible scanning of a tumor volume in the central ion beam deflection region, and which has an additional lifting device for the patient couch; a second irradiation system, which has an ion beam deflection apparatus for a deflection angle greater than the first irradiation system and a symmetrical scanning unit for scanning the tumor volume, which scanning unit is arranged downstream of the ion beam deflection apparatus and i

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for irradiating tumor tissue (3) of a patient (10) by means of an ion beam (2). For that purpose, the apparatus has a deflecting device (1) for the ion beam (2) for slice-wise and area-wise scanning of the tumor tissue (3) and an ion beam energy control device for slice-wise and depth-wise scanning of the ion beam (2). An electromechanically driven ion-braking device (11, 12) is provided as a depth-wise scanning adaptation apparatus (5) for adapting the range of the ion beam (2) and has faster depth-wise adaptation than the energy control device of an accelerator. The movement of a patient is monitored by means of a movement detection device (7) for detecting a temporal and positional change in the location of the tumor tissue (3) in a treatment space (8).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a scanning System for a heavy ion gantry comprising a scanner magnet (1-2; 3-4) for a high energy ion beam used in a heavy ion cancer therapy facility having a maximal bending angle (&agr;) of about 1.5. degree; a curvature radius of about 22 m; a path length of about 0.6 m and a gap height (h) and a gap width (w) in the range of 120 mm to 150 mm. Further each scanner magnet (1-2, 3-4) comprises one glued yoke element made of steel plates having a thickness of up to 0.3 mm and being alloyed with up to 2% silicon. This yoke element has a width in the range of 300 mm to 400 mm, a height in the range of 200 mm to 250 mm and a length in the range of 500 to 600 mm. A coil for each scanner magnet (1-2; 3-4) has a number of windings in the range of 50 to 70.

Abstract: An ion beam therapy system and method for operating the system includes a source of ions (300), an accelerator system (400) and an ion beam transport system (60) for directing an ion beam to a plurality of treatment stations (100) to treat patients. The ion beam transport system (60) includes a gantry (8) carrying a vertical deflection system (45) and horizontal deflection system (55) positioned upstream from a last bending magnet (65) so as to provide a parallel scanning mode by an edge focusing effect.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for the feedback control of a grid scanner in ion therapy. An apparatus of that kind for the feedback control of a grid scanner has scanner magnet current supply devices for ion beam scanner magnets that deflect horizontally and vertically with respect to the middle of the ion beam, the supply devices being controlled by control and read-out modules for the scanner magnets. Furthermore, the apparatus has a location-sensitive detector for location measurement, which is controlled by means of a control and read-out module. A sequence control device controls the activation and read-out sequence among the devices of the apparatus, the apparatus also having in the sequence control device a circuit arrangement having a feedback loop between the control and read-out modules for the scanner magnets and the control and read-out module of the location-sensitive detector.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of checking an isocentre and a patient-positioning device of an ion beam therapy system that comprises a grid scanner device, arranged in a beam guidance system, having vertical deflection means and horizontal deflection means for the vertical and horizontal deflection of a treatment beam perpendicular to its beam direction, with the result that the treatment beam is deflected by the grid scanner device onto an isocentre of the irradiation site, and a specific area surrounding the isocentre is scanned, wherein a check of the isocentre and a patient-positioning device is carried out and the patient-positioning device comprises a patient table rotatable about an axis of rotation of the table. For the checking, a target point within a spherical phantom is represented by means of a special specimen body and the centre point of the specimen body is visibly represented by means of several image-forming methods.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of checking the beam guidance of an ion beam therapy system that comprises a grid scanner device, arranged in a beam guidance system (6, 8), having vertical deflection means (13) and horizontal deflection means (14) for the vertical and horizontal deflection of a treatment beam (11) perpendicular to its beam direction, with the result that the treatment beam (11) is deflected by the grid scanner device to an isocentre (10) of the irradiation site, and a specific area surrounding the isocentre (10) is scanned, wherein redundancy means are used for a redundant termination of extraction and their functionality is checked and checking of the ability of beam guidance dipoles in the beam guidance to connect and disconnect is carried out.

Abstract: The invention relates to a gantry system for adjusting and aligning an ion beam onto a target from a freely determinable effective treatment angle. The ion beam therein is introduced in the horizontally arranged gantry rotation axis of the gantry system and is firstly deflected away from the gantry rotation axis by means of magnetic optics. The ion beam is then so aligned onto a target at adjustable angles of from 0 to 360° around the gantry rotation axis that the ion beam intersects the gantry rotation axis in the isocentre of the gantry system. Besides the gantry, the gantry system has a target carrier system having a rotatable target carrier, the carrier rotation axis of which is arranged in the isocentre in a vertical direction with the respect to the gantry rotation axis. The final deflection magnet so deflects the ion beam that the ion beam intersects the gantry rotation axis in the isocentre at an angle of between greater than or equal to 45° and less than 90°.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of checking the calculated [sic] irradiation control unit of an ion beam therapy system which comprises a raster scanning device arranged in a beam guidance system and having vertical deflection means and horizontal deflection means for the vertical and horizontal deflection of a treatment beam at right angles to its beam direction, so that the treatment beam is deflected by the raster scanning device onto an isocenter of the irradiation station and scans a specific area surrounding the isocenter, data sets and permanently stored data of a control computer, parameters of measuring sensors and desired current values of scanner magnets being checked.

Abstract: A method for the operation of an ion beam therapy system that comprises a grid scanner device, arranged in a beam guidance system (6, 8), having vertical deflection means (13) and horizontal deflection means (14) for the vertical and horizontal deflection of a treatment beam (11) perpendicular to its beam direction, with the result that the treatment beam (11) is deflected by the grid scanner device to an isocentre (10) of the irradiation site and scans a specific area surrounding the isocentre (10). For monitoring the operational stability and operational safety of the therapy system, the beam position of the treatment beam (11) in the region of the isocentre (10) is monitored and evaluated, intervention in the ion beam therapy system being carried out if the evaluation of the beam position shows a departure, from a predetermined desired value, that exceeds a specific tolerance value based on a required half-value width of the beam profile.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of checking emergency shutdown of an ion beam therapy system which comprises a raster scanning device arranged in a beam guidance system and having vertical deflection means and horizontal deflection means for the vertical and horizontal deflection of a treatment beam at right angles to its beam direction, so that the treatment beam is deflected by the raster scanning device onto an isocenter of the irradiation station and scans a specific area surrounding the isocenter, a check of emergency shutdown being carried out.

Abstract: An arrangement and a method for controlling a radiation device, in particular for heavy ion therapy, are described. The arrangement comprises a chain of circuit modules (11-17), each circuit module (11-17) having a separate communication connection to a preceding circuit module and a separate communication connection to a following circuit module. In the method for controlling the radiation device by means of control modules (11-17) arranged in a chain, each control module (11-17) communicates separately with a preceding control module and separately with a following control module.