PBS machine interlocks using EWMA

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Delivery of pencil beam scanning (PBS) requires the on-line measurement of several beam parameters. If the measurement is outside of specified tolerances and a binary threshold algorithm is used, the beam will be paused. Given instrumentation and statistical noise such a system can lead to many pauses which could increase the treatment time. Statistical quality control methods are typically used on manufacturing lines to monitor a process and give early detection of a gradual problem and stop the process if a deviation is statistically significant. These methods can be used to develop a more intuitive algorithm for (PBS) delivery systems that is robust and safe and leads to decreased treatment times. The Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) control scheme monitors deviations in beam properties which are averaged over a specified number of measurements with greater weight applied to the more recent ones. Simulation of an EWMA-style algorithm safely detected shifts in random and systematic delivery errors without false alarms. Binary and EWMA methods can be combined for improved reliability without sacrificing patient safety. In the EWMA method, the mean of a beam property can be related to systematic uncertainties and the standard deviation can be related to random uncertainties. This method allows one to have separate interlock levels for each type of uncertainty and to detect systematic trends.