Intelligent radiation monitor
First Claim
1. A personal radiation monitor comprising:
- a radiation detector producing rate information related to real time radiation exposure rate to which said radiation detector is exposed,a digital processor responsive to said radiation detector for integrating said rate information to maintain total dose information,output means responsive to information provided by said digital processor for providing a manifestation of at least said rate and total dose information,said digital processor including;
first means for repeatedly comparing said total dose information to dose limit information to produce dose-to-go information related to the difference between said total dose information and the dose limit information,second means for, repeatedly, dividing said dose-to-go information by said rate information to produce and thereafter update time-to-go information related to time-to-go for the user to reach said dose limit, andthird means for controlling said output means for providing a manifestation of said updated time-to-go information.
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Abstract
An intelligent radiation monitor is disclosed which includes, as major components, a radiation detector (for detecting real time radiation rate), a digital processor and a display. The digital processor includes intelligence to perform several useful, and novel, functions. The digital processor is responsive to externally input information corresponding to alarm radiation rate, alarm radiation dose and alarm time-to-go. The digital processor integrates the perceived real time radiation rate to produce total dose information. The processor can then compare total dose information to alarm dose, compare sensed radiation rates to alarm rate and compute time-to-go, by dividing the difference between alarm dose and total dose by the present radiation rate, and finally comparing computed time-to-go to alarm time to go. The processor initiates an alarm condition for altering the user of sensed radiation rate exceeds alarm radiation rate, if total dose information exceeds alarm dose information or if time-to-go, as computed, is less than alarm time-to-go information. Additional novel functions performed include determination of expected dose, first opportunity computations and decay time-to-go computations. In all these computations the processor is capable of extrapolating predicted radiation rates.
73 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A personal radiation monitor comprising:
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a radiation detector producing rate information related to real time radiation exposure rate to which said radiation detector is exposed, a digital processor responsive to said radiation detector for integrating said rate information to maintain total dose information, output means responsive to information provided by said digital processor for providing a manifestation of at least said rate and total dose information, said digital processor including; first means for repeatedly comparing said total dose information to dose limit information to produce dose-to-go information related to the difference between said total dose information and the dose limit information, second means for, repeatedly, dividing said dose-to-go information by said rate information to produce and thereafter update time-to-go information related to time-to-go for the user to reach said dose limit, and third means for controlling said output means for providing a manifestation of said updated time-to-go information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 22)
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12. A personal radiation monitor comprising:
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a radiation detector producing rate information related to real time radiation exposure rate to which said radiation detector is exposed, a digital processor responsive to said radiation detector for sensing and integrating said rate information to maintain total dose information, said digital processor including first means for storing a time parameter and at least one parameter indicative of a prevailing radiation decay rate, said digital processor including second means for determining, based on said prevailing radiation decay rate, predicted dose information for a selected time in the future representing a dose that would be accumulated by a user exposed to prevailing radiation for the selected time, equal to said stored time parameter, said digital processor further includes means to sum said total dose information with said predicted dose information, and output means responsive to information provided by said digital processor for providing a manifestation of at least said sum of said predicted dose information and said total dose information. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A personal radiation monitor comprising:
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a radiation detector producing rate information related to real time radiation exposure rate to which said radiation detector is exposed, a digital processor responsive to said radiation detector for sensing said rate information, said digital processor including first means for storing a time parameter and at least one parameter indicative of a prevailing radiation decay rate, as well as a work area rate and a work dose parameter, said digital processor including second means for determining a sum of; (a) a first predicted dose based on said prevailing exposure rate and decay rate and an initially unknown time parameter, (b) said work dose parameter, said second means including means for determining said unknown time parameter by equating said work dose parameter to a calculated dose based on said time parameter and a work area rate equal to said stored work area rate but modified by said unknown time.
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18. A personal radiation monitor comprising:
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a radiation detector producing rate information related to real time radiation exposure rate to which said radiation detector is exposed, a digital processor responsive to said radiation detector for sensing and integrating said rate information to thereby maintain total dose information, said digital processor including first means for storing a selected radiation dose limit parameter and at least one additional parameter indicative of radiation decay, said digital processor including second means for determining, based on predictable radiation decay, a predicted time at which an accumulated dose, equal to said stored dose limit parameter, will be reached, said second means including means for obtaining a difference between said dose limit parameter and said total dose information and predicting said predicted time based on said difference, and output means responsive to information provided by said digital processor for providing a manifestation of at least said predicted time information. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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Specification