Varian Medical Systems Patent Grants

Template matching method for image-based detection and tracking of irregular shaped targets

Granted: June 6, 2023
Patent Number: 11669967
A method of generating a template image includes: receiving an input from a user representing identifications of an object in different respective slices of a volumetric image; using the input to determine a volume-of-interest (VOI) that includes voxels in a subset of the volumetric image; and determining the template image using at least some of the voxels in the VOI, wherein the act of determining the template image comprises performing a forward projection of the at least some of the…

Radiotherapy methods, systems, and workflow-oriented graphical user interfaces

Granted: May 30, 2023
Patent Number: 11660473
Disclosed herein are radiotherapy systems and methods that can display a workflow-oriented graphical user interface(s). In an embodiment, a system comprises a radiotherapy machine comprising: a couch; and a gantry having a camera in communication with a server, wherein the server is configured to: present for display, in real time on a screen associated with the radiotherapy machine, images received from the camera, wherein when the gantry changes its orientation, the camera revises at…

Radiotherapy methods, systems, and workflow-oriented graphical user interfaces

Granted: May 23, 2023
Patent Number: 11654303
A method comprises presenting, by a server for display on a screen associated with a radiotherapy machine, a series of consecutive graphical user interfaces (GUIs), wherein a first GUI comprises: a first graphical indicator (GI) corresponding to a first attribute associated with configuration of the radiotherapy machine, and a second GI corresponding to a second attribute associated with the patient; when the server receives an indication that a user interacting with a pendant in…

Refillable ion chamber with automated purging system

Granted: May 16, 2023
Patent Number: 11651931
An apparatus includes an ion chamber and a valve assembly. The ion chamber may include a housing enclosing a gas and one or more electrodes. The valve assembly is coupled to the ion chamber allowing control of replacement of the gas within the housing.

Beam spot tuning in a radiation therapy system based on radiation field measurements

Granted: May 16, 2023
Patent Number: 11648421
An example computer-implemented method for tuning a beam spot in a radiation therapy system based on radiation field measurements has been disclosed. The example method includes configuring an electron beam to generate a first beam spot on an electron-beam target of the radiation therapy system, determining a value for one or more radiation field quality metrics for a first radiation beam that originates from the first beam spot, and based on the value, determining whether the first…

Method and apparatus to facilitate generating an optimized radiation treatment plan using direct-aperture optimization that includes fluence-based sub-optimization

Granted: May 9, 2023
Patent Number: 11642550
After accessing optimization information for a particular patient and for a particular radiation treatment platform, a control circuit generates an optimized radiation treatment plan by processing the optimization information using direct-aperture-optimization that includes fluence-based sub-optimization. By one approach, the control circuit includes the fluence-based sub-optimization in at least some, but not necessarily all, iterations of the direct-aperture-optimization. By one…

Method and apparatus to facilitate generating an optimized radiation treatment plan using direct-aperture optimization that includes fluence-based sub-optimization

Granted: May 9, 2023
Patent Number: 11642550
After accessing optimization information for a particular patient and for a particular radiation treatment platform, a control circuit generates an optimized radiation treatment plan by processing the optimization information using direct-aperture-optimization that includes fluence-based sub-optimization. By one approach, the control circuit includes the fluence-based sub-optimization in at least some, but not necessarily all, iterations of the direct-aperture-optimization. By one…

Radiotherapy methods, systems, and workflow-oriented graphical user interfaces

Granted: May 2, 2023
Patent Number: 11638840
Disclosed herein are radiotherapy methods and systems that can display a workflow-oriented graphical user interface(s). In an embodiment, a method comprises presenting, by a server, a graphical user interface for display on a screen positioned on a gantry of a radiotherapy machine, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a page corresponding to a radiotherapy treatment of a patient, wherein the page comprises a first graphical element indicating at least one attribute of alignment…

Monitor for high dose rate electron therapy, system and method

Granted: April 25, 2023
Patent Number: 11633628
A radiotherapy dose rate monitor system includes an electrode configured to be impinged by radiotherapy radiation, and a current measurement circuit configured to measure a current through the electrode. An emission of secondary electrons emitted from the electrode provides a majority of current through the electrode.

Training artificial intelligence models for radiation therapy

Granted: March 28, 2023
Patent Number: 11612761
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for iteratively training artificial intelligence models using reinforcement learning techniques. With each iteration, a training agent applies a random radiation therapy treatment attribute corresponding to the radiation therapy treatment attribute associated with previously performed radiation therapy treatments when an epsilon value indicative of a likelihood of exploration and exploitation training of the artificial intelligence model satisfies…

Modular multi-room proton therapy system

Granted: March 21, 2023
Patent Number: 11607567
Embodiments of the present invention describe systems and methods for providing proton therapy treatment using a beam line where the ESS is reduced or eliminated. For multi-room configurations, a beam line is included having quadrupole and steerer magnets to align and focus a particle beam extracted by an accelerator and guided by a bend section. A degrader is disposed between the bend section and the treatment room, and the energy analyzing functionality is performed by the gantry.

Radiotherapy methods, systems, and workflow-oriented graphical user interfaces

Granted: March 21, 2023
Patent Number: 11607563
Disclosed herein are radiotherapy methods and systems that can display a workflow-oriented graphical user interface(s). In an embodiment, a method comprises presenting, by a server, a graphical user interface for display on a screen associated with a radiotherapy machine, wherein the graphical user interface contains a page corresponding to one or more stages of radiotherapy treatment for the patient, and transitioning, by the server, the graphical user interface from a first page…

Systems and methods for real-time target validation for image-guided radiation therapy

Granted: March 21, 2023
Patent Number: 11607130
Systems and methods for real-time target validation during radiation treatment therapy based on real-time target displacement and radiation dosimetry measurements.

Radiotherapy methods, systems, and workflow-oriented graphical user interfaces

Granted: March 14, 2023
Patent Number: 11604564
Disclosed herein are radiotherapy systems and methods that can display a workflow-oriented graphical user interface(s). In an embodiment, a system comprises a first display in communication with a server, the first display configured to display a first graphical user interface; a second display in communication with the server, the second display configured to display a second graphical user interface, wherein the server is configured to: present the first graphical user interface for…

Systems and methods for combining clinical goals with knowledge based dose prediction in treatment planning

Granted: March 14, 2023
Patent Number: 11602643
A treatment planning apparatus includes: a modeler configured to obtain a model definition, wherein the model definition comprises a first quality metric of a first clinical goal; and a treatment planner having: a model trainer configured to obtain a set of existing treatment plans following desired clinical practice, and to perform model training to obtain a trained model based on the existing treatment plans and the first quality metric of the first clinical goal; an objective…

Systems, methods, and devices for multi-energy x-ray imaging

Granted: March 14, 2023
Patent Number: 11602319
A system can have an x-ray source that generates a series of individual x-ray pulses for multi-energy imaging. A first x-ray pulse can have a first energy level and a subsequent second x-ray pulse in the series can have a second energy level different from the first energy level. An x-ray imager can receive the x-rays from the x-ray source and can detect the received x-rays for image generation. A generator interface box (GIB) controls the x-ray source to provide the series of individual…

Dose rate monitor, system and method

Granted: March 7, 2023
Patent Number: 11596806
A radiotherapy dose rate monitor system includes an emitting electrode configured to be impinged by radiotherapy radiation; a collecting electrode configured to form an electrical circuit with said emitting electrode, a current measurement device configured to measure a current through said emitting and collecting electrodes indicative of a dose of said radiotherapy radiation, and a chamber enclosing a gas. Emission of secondary electrons from the emitting electrode provides a majority…

Assessing treatment parameters for radiation treatment planning

Granted: February 28, 2023
Patent Number: 11590363
Information associated with a radiation treatment plan includes, for example, values of dose per voxel in a target volume, values of dose rate per voxel in the target volume, and values of parameters used when generating the values of dose per voxel and the values of dose rate per voxel. Renderings that include, for example, a rendering of an image of or including the target volume, and a rendering of selected values of the radiation treatment plan, are displayed. When a selection of a…

Material inserts for radiation therapy

Granted: February 28, 2023
Patent Number: 11590364
A system for treating a patient during radiation therapy is disclosed. The system includes a shell, a plurality of material inserts disposed in the shell, where each material insert of the plurality of material inserts respectively shapes a distribution of a dose delivered to the patient by a respective beam of a plurality of beams emitted from a nozzle of a radiation treatment system, and a scaffold component disposed in the shell that holds the plurality material inserts in place…