Patents by Inventor Harald Sepp Heese

Harald Sepp Heese has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230248996
    Abstract: The present application describes a computing system, a computer readable medium, and/or related method for supporting decision making in adaptive therapy. An input interface of receives an input image. A machine learning module predicts, based at least in part on the input image, a dose distribution associated with a first planning technique or a first treatment modality. A comparator compares a planned dose distribution as per a current treatment plan with the predicted dose distribution, to obtain a comparison result. The comparison result enables a user to gauge whether an actual re-planning would yield a dosimetric benefit before committing time or computational resources.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2021
    Publication date: August 10, 2023
    Inventors: MARIA LUIZA BONDAR, ROLF JÜRGEN WEESE, TORBJOERN VIK, TOM BROSCH, JENS WIEGERT, HARALD SEPP HEESE
  • Patent number: 11633624
    Abstract: A resource management system for better operation of a plurality of devices. The system comprises an input interface (IN) for receiving input data including one or more characteristics of at least one work object (P1-P3) and/or including context data. The at least one work object (P1-P3) can be processed by one or more processing devices (Mij). The said processing is specified in a respective work specification (S1-S3). A predictor component (PC) of the system is configured to predict, based on the input data, a change to the work specification. The system comprises an output interface (OUT) for providing output data that represents said predicted change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Harald Sepp Heese, Torbjoern Vik, Steffen Renisch, Daniel Bystrov, Heinrich Schulz
  • Publication number: 20230001236
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system for determining a radiation therapy plan for a radiation therapy system (100), comprising a multi-leaf collimator. The radiation therapy plan determination system (110) comprises a therapy system characteristics providing unit (111), wherein the characteristics comprise possible leaf positions and possible radiation fluence values, a planning objectives providing unit (112), wherein the planning objectives are indicative of a desired therapeutic radiation dose distribution, an optimization function providing unit (113), wherein the optimization function is indicative of a deviation of a radiation dose distribution from the planning objectives and of an uncertainty of the radiation dose distribution at edges of the possible apertures, and a therapy plan optimization unit (114) adapted to determine a sequence of possible apertures and possible radiation fluence values for which the optimization function is optimized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Inventors: HARALD SEPP HEESE, TORBJOERN VIK, ROLF JÜRGEN WEESE
  • Patent number: 11439846
    Abstract: A system includes a computing system with a processor and computer readable storage medium with computer readable and executable instructions, including a radiation plan module, a radiation plan optimization module and a radiation plan visualization module. The processor is configured to execute the instructions, which causes the processor to construct and visually present, via a display monitor, a two-dimensional plot with three-dimensions of data from a radiation plan, and two dimensions along two axes of the plot and a third dimension represented through intensity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Torbjoern Vik, Harald Sepp Heese, Christoph Neukirchen, Alfonso Agatino Isola, Rolf Juergen Weese
  • Publication number: 20220203124
    Abstract: The invention relates to a planning apparatus for planning a radiation therapy. A medical image, in which a target to be irradiated is indicated, is reformatted based on ray geometries to be used during the radiation therapy to be planned, resulting in several reformatted medical images. Radiation therapy parameters being indicative of intensities of rays 5 to be used for irradiating a target 4 are determined based on the reformatted medical images by using a neural network unit. This allows to determine high quality radiation therapy parameters and hence allows for an improved planning of a radiation therapy. In particular, radiation and absorptions physics can be captured better, which can lead to the improved quality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Inventors: Nick FLAESCHNER, Harald Sepp HEESE, Maria Luiza BONDAR, Kay SUN, Jens WIEGERT, Rolf Juergen WEESE
  • Publication number: 20220193448
    Abstract: The invention relates a system for assisting in planning a radiation therapy treatment provided using a treatment plan comprising irradiation parameters for controlling a delivery of radiation. The system is configured to (i) receive a first dose distribution, (ii) obtain a first objective function, which depends upon at least one parameter and a dose distribution, (iii) determine a first value of the parameter such that the first objective function fulfills a predefined criterion when being evaluated for the first value of the parameter and for a second dose distribution derived from the first dose distribution, (iii) provide the first objective function in connection with the first value of the at least one parameter to a user for modifying the first objective function to generate a second objective function, and (v) determine the treatment plan using the second objective function. Further, the invention relates to a corresponding method and computer program.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2021
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: Rolf Juergen WEESE, Alfonso Agatino ISOLA, Maria Luiza BONDAR, Torbjoern VIK, Nick FLAESCHNER, Jens WIEGERT, Harald Sepp HEESE
  • Publication number: 20220168592
    Abstract: A device for optimizing a radiation therapy plan (30) for delivering therapeutic radiation to a patient using a therapeutic radiation source (16) while modulated by a multi-leaf collimator (MLC) (14) includes at least one electronic processor (25) connected to a radiation therapy device (12). A non-transitory computer readable medium (26) stores instructions readable and executable by the at least one electronic processor to perform a radiation therapy plan optimization method (102) including: optimizing MLC settings of the MLC respective to an objective function wherein the MLC settings define MLC leaf tip positions for a plurality of rows of MLC leaf pairs at a plurality of control points (CPs). The optimizing is performed in two or more iterations with a resolution of the MLC settings increasing in successive iterations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2020
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Inventors: Christoph NEUKIRCHEN, Alfonso Agatino ISOLA, Harald Sepp HEESE, Torbjoern VIK, Rolf Jürgen WEESE, Matthieu Frédéric BAL
  • Patent number: 11147985
    Abstract: The invention relates to a dynamic sliding-window-like initialization for, for example, iterative VMAT algorithms. Specifically, a dynamic sliding window conversion method is contemplated where typical dynamic VMAT constraints are taken into account to find an optimal set of suitable openings (i.e. binary masks) that can be used as quasi-feasible start initialization for any VMAT algorithm that can refine until a deliverable plan is reached. Here, a multileaf leaf tip trajectory least square constrained optimization is performed to find a set of optimal unidirectional trajectories for all MLC leaf pairs of all arc points. To ensure that a quasi-feasible (or better quasi-deliverable) solution is returned, for example, a maximum dose rate, a maximum gantry speed, a maximum leafs speed, and a maximum treatment time may be enforced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Alfonso Agatino Isola, Christoph Neukirchen, Torbjoern Vik, Harald Sepp Heese, Rolf Juergen Weese
  • Publication number: 20210138266
    Abstract: The invention relates to the planning of a radiation therapy treatment of at least one structure in a region of a patient body. A planning unit obtains a first treatment plan generated on the basis of a planning image of the body region and on the basis of dose objectives. Moreover, the planning unit receives a further image of the body region of the patient body, determines a transformation for generating an adapted treatment plan from the first treatment plan and/or for generating an adapted dose distribution from the dose distribution corresponding to the first treatment plan on the basis of the further image and determines an adapted treatment plan on the basis of the transformation and/or the adapted dose distribution. In accordance with the invention, the transformation on the basis of the dose objectives.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2018
    Publication date: May 13, 2021
    Inventors: Alfonso Agatino ISOLA, Rolf Juergen WEESE, Christoph NEUKIRCHEN, Steffen RENISCH, Harald Sepp HEESE, Torbjoern VIK
  • Publication number: 20210023395
    Abstract: The invention relates to a planning system (7) for planning a volumetric modulated arc radiation therapy procedure, wherein the volumetric modulated arc radiation therapy procedure includes rotating a radiation source (2), which is configured to emit a radiation beam (3) for treating a subject (4), along an arc around the subject, in order to apply the radiation beam to the subject in different treatment directions. A sequence of sub-arcs groups is provided, wherein a respective sub-arcs group comprises several sub-arcs of the arc, which are evenly distributed along the arc, wherein a treatment plan is generated by sequentially determining for each sub-arcs group treatment parameters, which define a property of the radiation beam, in the provided sequence. Determining the treatment parameters by using this sequence leads to an increased likelihood that really an optimal treatment plan is generated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Inventors: Harald Sepp HEESE, Torbjoern VIK, Rolf Juergen WEESE, Alfonso Agatino ISOLA, Christoph NEUKIRCHEN, Matthieu Frédéric BAL
  • Patent number: 10872445
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for tomosynthesis image reconstruction. It is described to provide (210) a first projection image data set and a second projection image data set acquired after acquisition of the first projection image data set, wherein, the first projection image data set comprises first projection data, and the second projection image data set comprises second projection data, and wherein the first projection image data set is useable for the reconstruction of a tomosynthesis image of at least a region of interest of a body part and wherein the second projection image data set is useable for the reconstruction of a tomosynthesis image of at least the region of interest of the body part. A subset of the first projection data is selected (220).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Harald Sepp Heese, Klaus Erhard, Frank Bergner, Ruediger Grewer, Hans Barschdorf, Thomas Buelow
  • Publication number: 20200197728
    Abstract: A system (10) includes a computing system (124) with a processor (130) and computer readable storage medium (126) with computer readable and executable instructions (128), including a radiation plan module (136), a radiation plan optimization module (138) and a radiation plan visualization module (140). The processor is configured to execute the instructions, which causes the processor to construct and visually present, via a display monitor (132), a two-dimensional plot with three-dimensions of data from a radiation plan, and two dimensions along two axes of the plot and a third dimension represented through intensity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Inventors: Torbjoern VIK, Harald Sepp HEESE, Christoph NEUKIRCHEN, Alfonso Agatino ISOLA, Rolf Juergen WEESE
  • Patent number: 10675483
    Abstract: A radiation planning system includes a predictor-corrector optimizer unit which computes a predicted dose based on a collection of control points with a current approximate dose, each control point with a corresponding set of leaf positions, and determines an additional control point with a corresponding set of leaf positions based on a difference of the predicted fluence and the current approximate fluence through a least cost or shortest path in a layered graph structure of realizable leaf positions. Tools are described to help a planner to evaluate the effect of parameter changes to the current plan based on an identified zone of influence. The planner interactively views the current plan based on a visualization of the plan objectives and correlations between the objectives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Torbjoern Vik, Harald Sepp Heese, Daniel Bystrov, Juergen Weese, Christoph Neukirchen, Alfonso Agatino Isola, Matthieu Frederic Bal
  • Publication number: 20200069969
    Abstract: A resource management system for better operation of a plurality of devices. The system comprises an input interface (IN) for receiving input data including one or more characteristics of at least one work object (P1-P3) and/or including context data. The at least one work object (P1-P3) can be processed by one or more processing devices (Mij). The said processing is specified in a respective work specification (S1-S3). A predictor component (PC) of the system is configured to predict, based on the input data, a change to the work specification. The system comprises an output interface (OUT) for providing output data that represents said predicted change.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Inventors: Harald Sepp HEESE, Torbjoern VIK, Steffen RENISCH, Daniel BYSTROV, Heinrich SCHULZ
  • Patent number: 10548570
    Abstract: A system and a method are provided for enabling a user to interactively navigate through a set of slice images, the set of slice images jointly representing an image volume showing an anatomical structure of a patient. A user may be enabled to switch from a static viewing mode to a navigation mode based on navigation commands received from a user input device operable by the user. A display processor may be configured for, in the static viewing mode, generating an output image comprising one slice image of the set of slice images. The display processor may be configured for, in the navigation mode, replacing the said one slice image in the output image by a volume rendering of a slab of the image volume, the slab comprising more than one slice image. The system and method thus selectively switch to volume rendering, namely during navigation, whereas in a static (i.e., non-navigation) viewing mode, a slice image is shown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Daniel Bystrov, Torbjoern Vik, Astrid Ruth Franz, Harald Sepp Heese, Rafael Wiemker, Dominik Benjamin Kutra
  • Publication number: 20190388709
    Abstract: The invention relates to a dynamic sliding-window-like initialization for, for example, iterative VMAT algorithms. Specifically, a dynamic sliding window conversion method is contemplated where typical dynamic VMAT constraints are taken into account to find an optimal set of suitable openings (i.e. binary masks) that can be used as quasi-feasible start initialization for any VMAT algorithm that can refine until a deliverable plan is reached. Here, a multileaf leaf tip trajectory least square constrained optimization is performed to find a set of optimal unidirectional trajectories for all MLC leaf pairs of all arc points. To ensure that a quasi-feasible (or better quasi-deliverable) solution is returned, for example, a maximum dose rate, a maximum gantry speed, a maximum leafs speed, and a maximum treatment time may be enforced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2018
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Inventors: Alfonso Agatino ISOLA, Christoph NEUKIRCHEN, Torbjoern VIK, Harald Sepp HEESE, Rolf Juergen WEESE
  • Patent number: 10485992
    Abstract: It is an object of the invention to provide for a system, method and computer program product enabling monitoring of effects of intrafraction motion during the radio therapy treatment. According to a first aspect of the invention this object is achieved by an ultrasound guided radiotherapy system, comprising a radiotherapy system configured for providing a radiation treatment by means of a radiation beam to a treatment target. The ultrasound guided radiotherapy system further comprises an ultrasound imaging system configured for acquiring a 3D online image of the treatment target and/or an organ at risk during the radiation treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Inventors: Harald Sepp Heese, Torbjorn Vik, Heinrich Schulz, Christian Buerger, Jochen Peters
  • Publication number: 20190259187
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for tomosynthesis image reconstruction. It is described to provide (210) a first projection image data set and a second projection image data set acquired after acquisition of the first projection image data set, wherein, the first projection image data set comprises first projection data, and the second projection image data set comprises second projection data, and wherein the first projection image data set is useable for the reconstruction of a tomosynthesis image of at least a region of interest of a body part and wherein the second projection image data set is useable for the reconstruction of a tomosynthesis image of at least the region of interest of the body part. A subset of the first projection data is selected (220).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Inventors: Harald Sepp HEESE, Klaus ERHARD, Frank BERGNER, Ruediger GREWER, Hans BARSCHDORF, Thomas BUELOW
  • Publication number: 20190090849
    Abstract: A system and a method are provided for enabling a user to interactively navigate through a set of slice images, the set of slice images jointly representing an image volume showing an anatomical structure of a patient. A user may be enabled to switch from a static viewing mode to a navigation mode based on navigation commands received from a user input device operable by the user. A display processor may be configured for, in the static viewing mode, generating an output image comprising one slice image of the set of slice images. The display processor may be configured for, in the navigation mode, replacing the said one slice image in the output image by a volume rendering of a slab of the image volume, the slab comprising more than one slice image. The system and method thus selectively switch to volume rendering, namely during navigation, whereas in a static (i.e., non-navigation) viewing mode, a slice image is shown.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2017
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Inventors: Daniel Bystrov, Torbjoern Vik, Astrid Ruth Franz, Harald Sepp Heese, Rafael Wiemker, Dominik Benjamin Kutra
  • Publication number: 20180147419
    Abstract: It is an object of the invention to provide for a system, method and computer program product enabling monitoring of effects of intrafraction motion during the radio therapy treatment. According to a first aspect of the invention this object is achieved by an ultrasound guided radiotherapy system, comprising a radiotherapy system configured for providing a radiation treatment by means of a radiation beam to a treatment target. The ultrasound guided radiotherapy system further comprises an ultrasound imaging system configured for acquiring a 3D online image of the treatment target and/or an organ at risk during the radiation treatment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2016
    Publication date: May 31, 2018
    Inventors: Harald Sepp Heese, Torbjorn Vik, Heinrich Schulz, Christian Buerger, Jochen Peters