DOSIMETRY SYSTEM, METHODS, AND COMPONENTS

• US 20140138557A1
• Filed: 11/14/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mirion Technologies Incorporated (American Capital Limited)
• Original Assignee: Mirion Technologies Incorporated (American Capital Limited)
• Inventors: Kahilainen, Jukka, Logan, Thomas D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,746,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/395
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/02 Dosimeters G01T1/15 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/17 Circuit arrangements not adapted to a particular type of detector pulse-selection circuits H03K, G01R
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 7/00 Details of radiation-measuring instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/10 using a centralized architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/82 where the sensing device takes the initiative of sending data
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/826 where the data is sent periodically
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/883 where the sensing device enters an active or inactive mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Dosimeters with wireless communications capability, upon actuation, communicate with a cell phone or other data capture and relay device (DCRD) with an application that allows communication with the dosimeters. The cell phone or other DCRD is a single device or part of an ad hoc network. The cell phone or other DCRD, once it receives raw data from a dosimeter, relays the data to a central station using mobile telephone or Wi-Fi or other communications networks. The data is processed at the central station, and available over the internet or cell phone.

Claims

1. Apparatus for collecting dosimetry data at a central station, comprising:

a dosimeter with wireless communications capability for transmitting dosimeter data, the wireless communications capability being normally dormant;

at least one wireless data capture and relay device (DCRD), each DCRD having a dosimeter communication application allowing a dosimeter to communicate to the DCRD and transmit the dosimeter data to the DCRD when the wireless communication capability is actuated and communication and transmission to the DCRD is initiated by the dosimeter;

a communications system for transmitting dosimeter data received by the DCRD to the central station.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the DCRD is a cell phone.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one DCRD comprises an ad hoc network of DCRDs.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communications system is a Wi-Fi system or a 3G or 4G data network.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dosimeter wireless communication capability is Bluetooth or ANT.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dosimeter is a direct ion storage (DIS) dosimeter.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dosimeter further comprises a wakeup actuator to wake up the normally dormant communications capability of the dosimeter when desired.

17. The apparatus dosimeter of claim 7 wherein the wakeup actuator is a push button.

18. The apparatus dosimeter of claim 7 wherein the wakeup actuator comprises programmable firmware for configuring wakeup intervals to periodically transmit data.

8. A dosimeter, comprising:

a radiation detector;

a control circuit connected to the radiation detector;

a normally dormant communications circuit connected to the control circuit;

a power supply connected to the control circuit; and

a wakeup actuator connected to the control circuit for actuating the communications circuit at selected times.

10. The dosimeter of claim 8 wherein the communications circuit is a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) circuit or an ANT circuit.

9. The dosimeter of claim 9 wherein the radiation detector is a direct ion storage (DIS) detector.

11. A communications device for an ad hoc network to receive data from a dosimeter and transmit the data to a central station, comprising:

a data capture and relay device (DCRD) having a communications circuit; and

a dosimeter communications application connected to the communications circuit for allowing a dosimeter to communicate to the DCRD.

12. A method of collecting data at a central station from a dosimeter having normally dormant communications capability, comprising:

actuating the normally dormant communications capability of the dosimeter to send data;

establishing a wireless connection to a data capture and relay device (DCRD);

wirelessly sending data from the dosimeter to the DCRD; and

transmitting the dosimeter data from the DCRD to the central station, wherein actuating the normally dormant communications capability, establishing a wireless connection, and wirelessly sending data are initiated by the dosimeter of selected times.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the data is sent from the dosimeter to the DCRD by Bluetooth or ANT.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the dosimeter data is sent from the DCRD to the central station by Wi-Fi or 3G or 4G data network.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the DCRD is a cell phone.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the normally dormant communications capability of the dosimeter is actuated by a push button on the dosimeter or at periodic intervals configured by programmable firmware in the dosimeter.