Abstract: A beam transport system for a hadron therapy facility comprises: a main beam transport line; secondary beam transport lines branching off from the main beam transport line for delivering the hadron beam into the patient treatment stations; and switching electromagnets for deviating the hadron beam from the main beam transport line into the secondary beam transport line. A discharge circuit associated with each switching electromagnet comprises a discharge accelerating circuit capable of generating a voltage opposing the counter electromotive force induced in the electromagnet coil of the switching electromagnet when the energization of the electromagnet coil producing the hadron beam deviation is interrupted, wherein this voltage stays substantially constant or increases as the current induced in the electromagnet coil decreases.

Abstract: A beam transport system for a hadron therapy facility comprises: a main beam transport line; secondary beam transport lines branching off from the main beam transport line for delivering the hadron beam into the patient treatment stations; and switching electromagnets for deviating the hadron beam from the main beam transport line into the secondary beam transport line. A discharge circuit associated with each switching electromagnet comprises a discharge accelerating circuit capable of generating a voltage opposing the counter electromotive force induced in the electromagnet coil of the switching electromagnet when the energisation of the electromagnet coil producing the hadron beam deviation is interrupted, wherein this voltage stays substantially constant or increases as the current induced in the electromagnet coil decreases.

Abstract: A charged particle irradiation device (10) and method for irradiating a target volume (50), adapted for receiving a treatment plan (70) defining a series of prescribed irradiation points (140) having each a prescribed dose to be delivered is provided. The device includes an irradiation unit (40) having at least one scanning magnet (100; 110), and at least one beam position monitor (130) installed in between the said scanning magnet (100; 110) and said target volume (50) is provided. A controller (80) comprises means for calculating for any said prescribed irradiation point corresponding nominal magnetic settings of the scanning magnet such that a beam (90) is pointing to said prescribed irradiation point when corresponding magnetic settings are applied, and means for calculating corresponding expected position at said beam position monitor (130) according to said first correction.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a detector for measuring characteristics of an energetic particle beam generated by a radiation source, the detector including means to vary the incoming particle beam energy; a plurality of sensors arranged in parallel; and processing means capable of processing signals coming from said sensors in correlation with said energy variation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for obtaining a shielding element for minimizing the penumbra of a beam of hadrons outside a target area, the hadron beam being guided in a longitudinal direction by an irradiation unit, and the beam having a width (?). The method includes: (i) defining a closed or open contour of said target area; (ii) providing a block having a longitudinal thickness capable of blocking the passage of said beam and having a lateral surface perpendicular to said longitudinal thickness; (iii) forming an aperture of a shape similar to said contour and crossing said longitudinal thickness of said block for letting through said beam, said aperture forming a longitudinal internal surface; and (iv) trimming said block so as to form a longitudinal external surface around said longitudinal internals surface, said longitudinal internal and longitudinal external surfaces delimiting a side wall.

Abstract: A charged particle irradiation device (10) and method for irradiating a target volume (50), adapted for receiving a treatment plan (70) defining a series of prescribed irradiation points (140) having each a prescribed dose to be delivered is provided. The device includes an irradiation unit (40) having at least one scanning magnet (100; 110), and at least one beam position monitor (130) installed in between the said scanning magnet (100; 110) and said target volume (50) is provided. A controller (80) comprises means for calculating for any said prescribed irradiation point corresponding nominal magnetic settings of the scanning magnet such that a beam (90) is pointing to said prescribed irradiation point when corresponding magnetic settings are applied, and means for calculating corresponding expected position at said beam position monitor (130) according to said first correction.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a particle therapy system that comprises a spot scanning system to irradiate with a particle beam a plurality of spots in a layer of a target with prescribed spot doses for each spot of the layer. The therapy system is further adapted to perform multiple paintings of the layer and to deliver partial spot doses to selected spots of the layer during each painting time so that each spot of the layer will have received its prescribed dose after completion of the multiple paintings. The therapy system further comprises means for setting the partial spot doses and the number of times that a spot will be selected for irradiation in the course of the multiple paintings to such values that any spot of the layer will never have to be irradiated with a partial dose which would fall below a minimum dose deliverable by the system, and this whatever the number chosen for the number of layer paintings. The invention also relates to a corresponding irradiation method.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a detector for measuring characteristics of an energetic particle beam generated by a radiation source, the detector including means to vary the incoming particle beam energy; a plurality of sensors arranged in parallel; and processing means capable of processing signals coming from said sensors in correlation with said energy variation.

Abstract: The present invention is related to a method for treating or irradiating a target volume with a particle beam produced by an accelerator, comprising the steps of: deflecting said particle beam with the help of scanning means in two orthogonal (X, Y) directions, thereby constituting an irradiation plane perpendicular to the direction (Z) of the beam, defining in the irradiation plane a scanning field which circumscribes the area of intersection of target volume and irradiation plane and scanning said scanning field by drawing scan lines which form a scan pattern comprising interleaved frames of triangle waves. The scan pattern is preferably continuous and represents contiguous rhombi figures. The invention is equally related to a device and a software program or sequencer implementing the method.

Abstract: A method for treating or irradiating a target volume (10) with a charged particle beam (100), to the target volume being associated three coordinates according to a X, Y and Z direction, the Z coordinate corresponding to the beam direction while the X and Y coordinates correspond to directions perpendicular to the Z direction, said charged particle beam producing in said target volume an irradiation spot (101), the method comprising the following steps:—continuously scanning said spot in the X and Y directions and applying a continuous movement to said spot in the Z direction by seamlessly modifying the energy of said beam, the step of applying a continuous movement in Z direction and the step of continuous scanning in X and Y direction being performed simultaneously, thereby performing a continuous 3D scanning of the target volume.