POSITION AND ORIENTATION DETERMINATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20150346355A1
• Filed: 08/11/2015
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Battelle Savannah River Alliance LLC
• Original Assignee: Savannah River Nuclear Solutions LLS
• Inventors: Harpring, Lawrence J., Farfan, Eduardo B., Gordon, John R., Jannik, Gerald T., Foley, Trevor Q.
• Granted Patent: US 9,678,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/167 Measuring radioactive content of objects, e.g. contamination whole body counters G01T1/163
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/169 Exploration, location of contaminated surface areas
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 7/00 Details of radiation-measuring instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 1/025 using multiple collimators, e.g. Bucky screens; other devices for eliminating undesired or dispersed radiation

Abstract

A position determination system and method is provided that may be used for obtaining position and orientation information of a detector in a contaminated room. The system includes a detector, a sensor operably coupled to the detector, and a motor coupled to the sensor to move the sensor around the detector. A CPU controls the operation of the motor to move the sensor around the detector and determines distance and angle data from the sensor to an object. The method includes moving a sensor around the detector and measuring distance and angle data from the sensor to an object at incremental positions around the detector.

Claims

1. A position determination system, comprising:

a base;

a detector carried by the base;

a sensor carried by the base and capable of sensing a distance to an object, wherein the sensor is capable of being rotated 360°

with respect to the base; and

a CPU that receives information from the sensor to determine a distance to the object.

2. The position determination system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the object is a wall of a room, and wherein the detector does not rotate with respect to the base, and wherein the CPU is carried by the base.

3. The position determination system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the CPU determines a perpendicular distance to the object and determines an angular position of the object.

4. The position determination system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the distance to the object is determined from an origin that is selected from the group consisting of a center of the detector, a face of the sensor, a center of the base, or a center of a rotational axis of the sensor.

5. The position determination system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the detector is selected from the group consisting of a radiosensitive detector material that is in the shape of a sphere, a chemical detector, or a camera.

6. A position determination system, comprising:

a detector;

a sensor operably coupled to the detector;

a motor coupled to the sensor to move the sensor around the detector; and

a CPU that controls the operation of the motor to move the sensor around the detector and determines distance and angle data from the sensor to an object.

7. The position determination system as in claim 6, wherein the CPU determines an orientation of the detector.

8. The position determination system as in claim 6, wherein the CPU determines a perpendicular distance from the detector to the object.

9. The position determination system as in claim 6, wherein the detector comprises at least one of a radiosensitive detector, a chemical detector, or a camera.

10. The position determination system as in claim 6, further comprising a rotatable connection between the detector and the sensor.

11. A method for determining a position of a detector, comprising:

moving a sensor around the detector; and

measuring distance and angle data from the sensor to an object at incremental positions around the detector.

12. The method as in claim 11, further comprising determining an orientation of the detector.

13. The method as in claim 11, further comprising determining a perpendicular distance from the detector to the object.

14. The method as in claim 11, further comprising determining if the object is on a wall segment.

15. The method as in claim 14, further comprising determining a perpendicular distance to the wall segment.