Evaluation of irradiated foods and other items with telemetric dosimeters and associated methods
First Claim
1. A method for determining an irradiation dose delivered in situ to an object, comprising the steps of:
- irradiating at least one object with a radiation dose which is sufficient to sterilize said object;
positioning a sensor proximate to the object such that it is held proximate thereto during said irradiating step, wherein said sensor has associated operational parameters, and wherein one or more of the operational parameters is configured to change responsive to said irradiating step;
wirelessly transmitting data associated with the change in the operational parameter in the sensor; and
determining the radiation dose received by the object during said irradiating step based on the change in the operational parameter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods for quantifying the irradiation dose received by an item or items, such as food items and medical items, undergoing irradiation-based sterilization, includes the steps of monitoring a selected electronic parameter associated with an economic single use sensor positioned adjacent the item or items and telemetrically relaying data associated with the monitored electronic parameter to a computer. The computer includes a computer program which is configured to determine the radiation dose received by the item or items by correlating the value of the monitored electronic parameter to a corresponding amount of radiation associated with the value. Related sensors and systems are also described.
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Citations
68 Claims
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1. A method for determining an irradiation dose delivered in situ to an object, comprising the steps of:
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irradiating at least one object with a radiation dose which is sufficient to sterilize said object;
positioning a sensor proximate to the object such that it is held proximate thereto during said irradiating step, wherein said sensor has associated operational parameters, and wherein one or more of the operational parameters is configured to change responsive to said irradiating step;
wirelessly transmitting data associated with the change in the operational parameter in the sensor; and
determining the radiation dose received by the object during said irradiating step based on the change in the operational parameter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A radiation dose evaluation system, comprising:
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a radiation or electron beam source;
at least one passive dosimeter sensor adapted to be positioned on an object undergoing irradiation treatment such that said sensor is exposed to an amount of radiation representative of the amount of radiation exposure of the object;
at least one wireless reader operably associated with said sensor such that, in operation, it powers said sensor and receives data associated with said sensor;
a controller operably associated with said wireless reader; and
a computer program operably associated with said controller, said computer program configured to analyze data transmitted from said sensor to said wireless reader to determine a radiation dose associated therewith. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68)
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45. A radiation dose sensor, comprising:
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a capacitor having a dielectric material and two opposing plates configured to sandwich said dielectric material; and
an inductor operably associated with said capacitor, wherein, in operation, said sensor is configured to be inductively powered by a remote receiver and to wirelessly relay data associated therewith, and wherein said sensor is configured such that it alters at least one predetermined electrical property in responsive to exposure to irradiation in a desired operative range associated with the sterilization of objects.
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59. A method for determining the radiation dose of an object or product, comprising the steps of:
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positioning a dosimetry sensor on an object, wherein said sensor comprises a tank circuit with an inductor and capacitor and a selected electronic component which has an operational parameter which alters when exposed to radiation;
irradiating the object and the sensor to a level which is sufficient to sterilize the object and to induce alteration in the selected operational parameter of the sensor, wherein the alteration is representative of the amount of irradiation received by the sensor; and
determining the amount of irradiation based on the value of the altered operational parameter of the sensor.
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Specification