Method and device for determining an irradiation plan for a particle irradiation system

1. A method for determining and using an irradiation plan for a particle irradiation system, the method comprising:

defining a target volume within a test object and a predetermined dose distribution;

determining the irradiation plan in order to apply an energy of a particle beam in accordance with the predetermined dose distribution in the target volume, wherein the irradiation plan specifies a number of particles of a specific energy to be applied at a point in the target volume within the test object; and

irradiating, with the particle irradiation system, the target volume within the test object with the particle beam as a function of the irradiation plan,

wherein the irradiation plan is determined as a function of a defined maximum irradiation time at an isoenergy layer in the target volume and as a function of an efficiency factor of the particle irradiation system, the efficiency factor being based on a ratio of a measured intensity of the particle irradiation system to an intensity of the particle irradiation system prescribed in the irradiation plan, and

wherein determining the irradiation plan comprises determining the irradiation plan such that the irradiation time is minimized.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the irradiation plan is determined with the aid of an optimization method, the optimization method determining a measure as a function of a difference between the predetermined dose distribution and an actual dose distribution, and of the irradiation time,

wherein the optimization method determines the irradiation plan with the aid of a best measure, and

wherein when the measure is better, the better the predetermined dose distribution corresponds to the actual dose distribution and the shorter the irradiation time.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the irradiation time further corresponds to a total irradiation time of the irradiation plan.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the total irradiation time T is determined as follows

T

=

numSp

×

TBschl

+

∑

i

=

1

numSp

⁢

⁢

TSp

i

,

wherein numSp corresponds to a number of spills,

wherein TBschl corresponds to a time interval in which particles of a new spill are accelerated,

wherein TSp i corresponds to the irradiation time of the ith spill,

wherein the irradiation time TSp i of the ith spill is determined as follows

TSp

i

=

numPartSp

i

nomInt

i

×

EffF

wherein numPartSp i corresponds to the number of the particles in the ith spill,

wherein nomInt i corresponds to the nominal intensity of the ith spill, and

wherein EffF corresponds to the efficiency factor of the particle irradiation system.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the irradiation time TSp i of the ith spill is determined as follows

TSp

i

=

∑

j

=

1

numSpot

i

⁢

⁢

numPartSpot

j

,

i

Int

j

,

i

,

wherein numSpot i corresponds to the number of the spots of the ith spill,

wherein numPartSpot j,i corresponds to the number of the particles of the jth spot in the ith spill,

wherein Int j,i corresponds to the intensity during the irradiation of the jth spot in the ith spill,

wherein the intensity Int j,i is determined as follows

Int

j

,

i

=

m

×

∑

k

=

1

j

⁢

⁢

numPartSpot

k

,

i

+

b

,

wherein m corresponds to a slope of a straight line, and b corresponds to a y-axis intercept of the straight line, and

wherein the straight line describes an empirically determined profile of the intensity of a spill against the particle number.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the slope has a first slope value, and the y-axis intercept has a first intercept value when the number of particles is less than a threshold value for the number of particles,

wherein the slope has a second slope value, and the y-axis intercept has a second intercept value when the number of particles is greater than the threshold value for the number of particles,

wherein the first slope value is positive, and the second slope value is negative, and

wherein the second intercept value is a linear function of the efficiency factor.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the efficiency factor EffF i for the ith spill is determined as follows

EffF

i

=

realInt

i

nomInt

i

,

wherein realInt i corresponds to the real intensity of the particle irradiation system for the ith spill, and

wherein nomInt i corresponds to the nominal intensity of the particle irradiation system for the ith spill.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the efficiency factor EffF is determined as follows

EffF

=

1

numSp

⁢

∑

i

=

1

numSp

⁢

⁢

realInt

i

nomInt

i

,

wherein numSp corresponds to the number of spills,

wherein realInt i corresponds to a real intensity of the particle irradiation system, and

wherein nomInt i corresponds to the nominal intensity of the particle irradiation system.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the efficiency factor EffF is determined as follows

EffF

=

∑

i

=

1

numSp

⁢

⁢

numPartPlan

nomInt

i

×

TSp

i

,

wherein numSp corresponds to the number of spills,

wherein nomInt i corresponds to a nominal intensity of the ith spill,

wherein TSp i corresponds to the irradiation time of the ith spill, and

wherein numPartPlan corresponds to the total number of the particles in accordance with the irradiation plan.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the efficiency factor is improved when a total irradiation time is shortened by more than a prescribed timing threshold.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

defining a maximum number of spills for the isoenergy layer.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a maximum total irradiation time.

13. A device for determining and using an irradiation plan, the device comprising:

an input device;

a computer in communication with the input device;

an output device in communication with the computer; and

a particle irradiation system,

wherein the particle irradiation system is operable to irradiate a target volume within a test object with a particle beam as a function of the irradiation plan,

wherein the input device is operable to define the target volume and a predetermined dose distribution, and

wherein the computer is configured to determine the irradiation plan in order to apply energy of the particle beam in accordance with the predetermined dose distribution in the target volume, wherein the irradiation plan specifies a number of particles of a specific energy to be applied at a point in the target volume within the test object,

wherein the output device is configured to output the irradiation plan to the particle irradiation system, and

wherein the computer is configured to determine the irradiation plan as a function of a defined maximum irradiation time at an isoenergy layer in the target volume and as a function of an efficiency factor of the particle irradiation system, the efficiency factor being based on a ratio of a measured intensity of the particle irradiation system to an intensity of the particle irradiation system prescribed in the irradiation plan, and wherein the irradiation plan is determined such that the irradiation time is minimized.

14. A system comprising a device for determining and using an irradiation plan, the device comprising:

an input device;

a computer in communication with the input device;

an output device in communication with the computer; and

a particle irradiation system,

wherein the particle irradiation system is operable to irradiate a target volume within a test object with a particle beam as a function of the irradiation plan,

wherein the input device is operable to define the target volume and a predetermined dose distribution, and

wherein the computer is configured to determine the irradiation plan in order to apply energy of the particle beam in accordance with the predetermined dose distribution in the target volume, wherein the irradiation plan specifies a number of particles of a specific energy to be applied at a point in the target volume within the test object,

wherein the output device is configured to output the irradiation plan, and

wherein the computer is configured determine the irradiation plan as a function of a defined maximum irradiation time at an isoenergy layer in the target volume and as a function of an efficiency factor of the particle irradiation system, the efficiency factor being based on a ratio of a measured intensity of the particle irradiation system to an intensity of the particle irradiation system prescribed in the irradiation plan, and wherein the irradiation plan is determined such that the irradiation time is minimized.

15. A non-transitory computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a program executable by a programmable controller of a particle irradiation system to determine and use an irradiation plan for the particle irradiation system, the program comprising instructions, the instructions comprising:

defining a target volume within a test object and a predetermined dose distribution;

determining the irradiation plan in order to apply an energy of a particle beam in accordance with the predetermined dose distribution in the target volume, wherein the irradiation plan specifies a number of particles of a specific energy to be applied at a point in the target volume within the test object; and

irradiating, with the particle irradiation system, the target volume within the test object with the particle beam as a function of the irradiation plan,

wherein the irradiation plan is determined as a function of a defined maximum irradiation time at an isoenergy layer in the target volume and as a function of an efficiency factor of the particle irradiation system, the efficiency factor being based on a ratio of a measured intensity of the particle irradiation system to an intensity of the particle irradiation system prescribed in the irradiation plan, and

wherein determining the irradiation plan comprises determining the irradiation plan such that the irradiation time is minimized.

16. A non-transitory electronically readable data carrier on which there is stored electronically readable control information configured such that when the non-transitory electronically readable data carrier is used in a controller of a particle irradiation system, the electronically readable control information determines and uses an irradiation plan for the particle irradiation system, the electronically readable control information comprising:

defining a target volume within a test object and a predetermined dose distribution;

determining the irradiation plan in order to apply an energy of a particle beam in accordance with the predetermined dose distribution in the target volume, wherein the irradiation plan specifies a number of particles of a specific energy to be applied at a point in the target volume within the test object; and

irradiating, with the particle irradiation system, the target volume within the test object with the particle beam as a function of the irradiation plan,

wherein the irradiation plan is determined as a function of a defined maximum irradiation time at an isoenergy layer in the target volume and as a function of an efficiency factor of the particle irradiation system, the efficiency factor being based on a ratio of a measured intensity of the particle irradiation system to an intensity of the particle irradiation system prescribed in the irradiation plan, and

wherein determining the irradiation plan comprises determining the irradiation plan such that the irradiation time is minimized.