Design of the MPRI Control System
The Indiana University Cyclotron Facility (IUCF) is in the process of building the Midwest Proton Radiation Institute (MPRI). This involves refurbishing the 200MeV cyclotron and building new facilities for the purpose of providing clinical treatment of human cancer tumors. First patients are expected in the Spring of 2003. This paper presents the design and implementation to date of the controls, hardware and software, for both accelerator and treatment areas. Particular attention is placed on issues of personnel safety and control system security, development of inexpensive VMEbus boards with emphasis on the use of MicroChip PIC processors, beam diagnostics and monitoring and the use of commercial robots and vision systems for patient positioning.