DEVICE AND ARRANGEMENT FOR SENSING AND DISPLAYING RADIATION

• US 20090078882A1
• Filed: 01/05/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unfors Raysafe AB (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Tomas Unfors
• Inventors: Unfors, Tomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,786,449 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/394
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/026 Semiconductor dose-rate meters

Abstract

An arrangement for detecting and initiating indication of doses of radiation includes radiation dose receiving elements and function handling elements for storing and displaying received radiations/radiation doses. The arrangement is operable by one or several power sources, and includes one or several portable meters exhibiting miniature external dimensions and having internal power sources. The respective meter is provided with radiation receiving elements and function handling elements. Each meter includes one or several preferably continuously connected first components, requiring low power, and temporarily connectable second components, requiring increased or increasing power in relation to the low power. One or several third components, handling the temporary connection and disconnection of the second component or components, is/are included. The first components are activated at low radiation intensities and the second components are connected when high radiation intensities are occurring. The third components connect and disconnect the second components at the different intensities.

Claims

1-40. -40. (canceled)

41. Arrangement for detecting and initiating indication of doses of radiation (16), including radiation dose receiving means (13a, 17;

13b, 18;

13c, 19) and function handling means (20) for storing and displaying received radiations/radiation doses, said means being operable by means of one or several power sources (11), including one or several portable meters (1) exhibiting miniature external dimensions and having a power source assigned thereto, and wherein the respective meter is provided with radiation dose receiving means and function handling means of its own,

characterized in that said meter includes one or several first components (22, 23, 24), requiring low power and being activated when receiving low radiation intensities, one or several temporarily connectable second components (29, 30, 31, 32), requiring increased or increasing electrical power in relation to the low electrical power and including a current/voltage amplifier (29) being activated when receiving increased or higher radiation intensities, and one or several third components (33), handling the temporary connection and disconnection of the second component or components when the increasing or higher radiation intensities are starting and ending, respectively.

42. Arrangement according to claim 41, characterized in that said function handling means (20) include first and second function handling means, wherein the respective meter includes the first function handling means, and the second function handling means (50) is located outside the meter (1) and constitute or are included in an actuatable control unit.

43. Arrangement according to claim 42, characterized in that the function handling means (20) and the first function handling means of the meter, respectively, include a microcomputer (34), including and/or being connected to memory means (39, 40), and indicating means, e.g. light indicating means (6, 7, 8) and/or sound emitting means (40).

44. Arrangement according to claim 41, characterized in that the respective meter (1) is provided with a power receiving circuit (43) for inductive reception of power arriving from outside the second function handling means (44, 50).

45. Arrangement according to claim 41, characterized in that one or several meters includes/include two or several sensors (62, 63) compensating for different types of radiation energies.

46. Meter (1, 57, 58) for detecting and initiating indication of doses of radiation (16), including radiation dose receiving means and function handling means (20) for storing and displaying received radiations/radiation doses, said means being operable by means of one or several power sources (11), and exhibiting miniature external dimensions, characterized in that said function handling means (20) include one or several preferably continuously connected first components (21), requiring low power and being activated when receiving low radiation intensities, one or several temporarily connectable second components (28), requiring increased or increasing electrical power in relation to the low electrical power, including a current/voltage amplifier (29), and being activated when receiving increased or higher radiation intensities, and one or several third components (33), controlling the temporary connection and disconnection of the second component or components when the increasing or higher radiation intensities are starting and ending, respectively.

47. Meter according to claim 46, characterized in that the function handling means (20) includes/include sensor arrangements (13a, 17;

13b, 18;

13c, 19), sampling means and memory means, and the radiation indicating means (6, 7, 8, 48) are of a type being substantially insensitive to temperature variation.

48. Meter according to claim 46, characterized in that the first components (21) include a first pulse amplifier (22), a comparator and a pulse counter (24) being connected in series.

49. Meter according to claim 46, characterized in that the second components (28) include a voltage/frequency converter (31) and a second pulse counter (32) being connectable in series, and a voltage/voltage converter (30) being connected in parallel to said voltage/frequency converter and second pulse counter.

50. Meter according to claim 48, characterized in that the pulse counter (24) is connected to the digital in/out unit (36), and that a microcomputer unit (34) is activatable in predetermined intervals by said pulse counter (24) in dependence of pulses (26, 27), being emitted therefrom and representing numbers generated by the counter (24), and that the microcomputer unit (34) is handling said temporary connection of the second component or components (28) by means of a signal pulse (37).

51. Meter according to claim 47, characterized in that, the radiation indication means is a piezoelectric means (48), wherein said means includes a buzzer, which inversely functions as a push button by means of generating a an electric signal, being perceivable as a key stroke, when it is subjected to a mechanical impact.

52. Meter according to claim 47, characterized in that the radiation indication means are light emitting elements including a green light emitting diode (6) flashing a number of times, e.g. once, per time period, e.g. one minute, when radiation intensity and/or accumulated dose is acceptable or absent, and/or an orange/yellow light emitting diode (7) giving single, double or triple flash during the time period in question, if the dose intensity exceeds the predetermined level (one, two, three) and/or a red light emitting diode (8) giving single, double or triple flash during the time period in question, if the accumulated dose exceeds the predetermined level (one, two, three).

53. Meter according to claim 46, characterized in that the third component or components is/are handling the temporary connection and disconnection by means of detecting the reception, by the first component or components, of the reception of radiation, by the radiation dose receiving means.

54. Meter according to claim 53, characterized in that the first component or components detects/detect pulses caused by the low received radiation intensity and, in dependence of the pulses, generates/generate numbers at a predetermined interval or predetermined intervals.

55. Meter according to claim 54, characterized in that the third component or components detects/detect said number/numbers and, when exceeding or falling below this or these, connects/connect or disconnects/disconnect the second component or components.

56. Meter according to claim 55, characterized in that the third component or components connects/connect or disconnects/disconnect the increasing or higher electrical power immediately/rapidly, e.g. within 0.001-10 seconds.