Apparatus for displaying isodose curves of radiation with program for digital computer coupled thereto determined in relation to source of radiation

Claim 2

Apparatus for displaying a predetermined number of isodose curves representative of respective doses of radiation to be absorbed by an object within an area of a coordinate plane preselected in said object, and for selecting a particular plurality of said parameters for operating a selected radiation source placed at least at one preselected spacial relation relative to said object, said apparatus comprising: an input device adapted to be set in compliance with a combination of values of such operating parameters and to generate second digital signals representative thereof, an electronic digital computer coupled to the output of said input device and operable in compliance with input signals and a program associated with a preselected radiation source to produce output signals, said output signals being representative of the coordinates of a plurality of quantized points at which said doses are to be absorbed by said object, and said input signals including said second digital signals and first digital signals representative of parameters for calculations including a step size for quantizing the points on said coordinate plane; and a display output device operatively coupled to said computer and responsive to said output signals for visually displaying said isodose curves,

Claim 3

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a permanent record output device to be coupled to said computer and responsive to said output signals for recording said isodose curves and said operating parameters on a recording medium, said input device including a first selector switch for selecting one of said display output device and said permanent record output device to which said computer should supply said output signals.

Claim 4

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, said operating parameters and said parameters for calculation having their respective allowable ranges, wherein said input device includes a plurality of manually operable switches for setting said operating parameters and said parameters for calculation thereon, respectively, and a plurality of indicator members assigned to said operating parameters and said parameters for calculation, each of said indicator members capable of indicating the presence of an error in at least one of the operating parameters and the parameters for calculation assigned thereto in response to an error signal produced by said computer in compliance with the program when said at least one of the operating parameters and the parameters for calculation is set on said input device by the corresponding at least one of said manually operable switches beyond the allowable range for said at least one of the operating parameters and the parameters for calculation.

Claim 5

Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said radiation source is a rotatable X-ray linear accelerator, and wherein said operataing parameters comprise the number of portals through which said radiation is to be directed to said object, the size of a field of said object that is perpendicular to the direction of said radiation to be directed to said object through each of said portals and at which the last-mentioned radiation is to be absorbed, an integrated dose of said radiation to be absorbed by each of the fields during the whole duration of said radiation, the distance between said linear accelerator and the surface of said object adjacent to said linear accelerator for each of said portals, the thickness of said object in the direction of said radiation for each of said portals, the angle formed between each of said field and a predetermined one of orthogonal coordinate axes of said coordinate plane, and the angle formed between the tangent to said object at the surface and the direction of said radiation for each of said portals and said parameters for calculation comprise the scope of said area, the coordinates of the origin of said area, said step size, and that range of the doses to be absorbed by said object which is to be represented by each of said isodose curves.

Claim 6

Apparatus in accordance with claim 3, wherein one of said manually operable switches is for setting on said input device a reference dose based on which said isodose curves should be displayed and said input device comprises a second selector switch for selectively making said computer, when operatively coupled to said input device, produce output signals representative of the coordinates of the isodose curves based on said reference dose.

Claim 7

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a predetermined number of manually operable display intensifying switches for specifying said isodose curves, respectively, said display output device comprising means responsive to manual operation of at least one of said display intensifying switches for intensifying the visual display of at least one of said isodose curves that corresponds to said at least one of said display intensifying switches.

Claim 8

Apparatus for displaying the distribution of radiation to be absorbed by an object, said radiation being produced by a selected radiation emission device, comprising: input means having digital switches for generating digital signals representative of the operating parameters of said radiation emission device and the characterizing feature of said object, each of said digital switches comprising a plurality of wheels independently manually rotatable to generate a digital signal representing one of said operating parameters or charaterizing features associated with said digital switch, said one operating parameter or characterizing feature comprising a number of digits equal to the number of wheels included in said digital switch; data processing means coupled to said input means and responsive to said digital signals for determining in a predetermined manner associated with said radiation emission device the distribution of radiation to be absorbed by said object; and display means coupled to said processing means for visually displaying said distribution of radiation determined by said processing said display means comprising a cathoderay tube responsive to signals representing the distribution of radiation determined by said data processing means for displaying a predetermined number of isodose curves associated with said object, each of said isodose curves representing a discrete amount of radiation to be absorbed by said object in accordance with said digital signals generated by said input means.

Claim 9

Apparatus for displaying the distribution of radiation to be absorbed by an object, said radiation being produced by a selected radiation emission device, comprising: input means having digital switches for generating digital signals representative of the operating parameters of said radiation emission device and the characterizing feature of said object, each of said digital switches comprising a plurality of wheels independently manually rotatable to generate a digital signal representing one of said operating parameters or charaterizing features associated with said digital switch, said one operating parameter or characterizing feature comprising a number of digits equal to the number of wheels included in said digital switch; data processing means coupled to said input means and responsive to said digital signals for determining in a predetermined manner associated with said radiation emission device the distribution of radiation to be absorbed by said object; and display means coupled to said processing means for visually displaying said distribution of radiation determined by said processing said display means comprising a cathoderay tube responsive to signals representing the distribution of radiation determined by said data processing means for displaying a predetermined number of isodose curves associated with said object, each of said isodose curves representing a discrete amount of radiation to be absorbed by said object in accordance with said digital signals generated by said input means.

Claim 10

Apparatus for displaying the distribution of radiation to be absorbed by an object in accordance with Claim 7 and further comprising numeral display means responsive to said signals representing the distribution of radiation determined by said data processing means for displaying the maximum radiation dose associated with said object, said maximum radiation dose representing the maximum amount of radiation to be absorbed by said object in accordance with said digital signals generated by said input means.

Claim 11

Apparatus for displaying the distribution of radiation to be absorbed by an object in accordance with claim 7 and further comprising a plurality of manually operable switches equal in number to said isodose curves for intensifying at least one of said isodose curves that corresponds to an operated one of said manually operable switches.

Claim 12

Apparatus for displaying the distribution of radiation to be absorbed by an object in accordance with claim 7 wherein said operating parameters and said characterizing features admit of predetermined allowable ranges, and further comprising indicator means associated with said digital switches for indicating those digital switches that have been manually operated to exceed their respective predetermined allowable ranges.