Apparatus for checking persons for radioactive contamination

• US 4,731,536 A
• Filed: 02/10/1986
• Issued: 03/15/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Firma Herfurth GmbH
• Original Assignee: Firma Merfurth GmbH
• Inventors: Gerlach, Rainer, Rische, Uwe W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fields, Carolyn E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HANIG, RICHARD E
• Application Number:
  US06/828,065
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 250/394, 250/358.1, 250/370 A
• US Class Current: 250/394
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/163 Whole body counters hand or feet contamination measurement G01T1/167; lung, brain, thyroid, kidney or the like counting G01T1/16
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/167 Measuring radioactive content of objects, e.g. contamination whole body counters G01T1/163

Abstract

An apparatus for checking persons for radioactive contamination comprises at least two detector panels (1, 2), which are interconnected and extend at an angle to each other and are provided each with detectors on at least one broadside. Said detector panels define a space for accommodating a person to be checked. The apex of the angle defines a vertical axis of rotation for the detector panels, which are interconnected to form a subassembly. Resetting drive means are disposed between the axis of rotation and the rigid subassembly. A revolving door is provided in a lock chamber for checking persons for radioactive contamination. A tread surface is provided by a floor plate carrying a foot detector, which is disposed between the vertical detector panels when they are in position of rest.

Claims

1. Apparatus for checking persons for radioactive contamination, wherein

at least two detector panels (1, 2), which are provided each with detectors on at least one broadside and extend at an angle to each other and include a space for accommodating a person to be checked,

said detector panels (1, 2) extending at an angle to each other are rigidly interconnected to constitute a rigid subassembly, which is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis of rotation (35, 36, 46), and

a resetting drive is connected to said rigid subassembly and comprises means for storing resetting energy as the rigid subassembly is rotated about said axis of rotation from an initial position in one sense and for expending said energy to reset the rigid subassembly to said initial position when said rigid subassembly has been released.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector panels extending at an angle to each other define an apex of the angle included by them and are interconnected at said apex by mounting means which permit said detector panels to be moved in alternation, said mounting means are provided with adjusting means, which control the adjustment of two detector panels to a predetermined angle relative to each other, said mounting means are provided with ratchet means (37, 38), which are operatively connected to two adjacent detector panels and limit the adjustment of the detector panels relative to each other to a certain degree and constitute resetting means for resetting the detector panels relative to each other to a predetermined angular position.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a tread surface is disposed in the space included by the detector penels (1, 2) and is formed by a floor plate (3), which is provided with a foot detector structure having two detector units (11, 12) for respective feet.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said at least two detector panels (1, 2) are provided with mounting means, which are adjustable to change the angle which is included by adjacent detector panels, said mounting means are adjustable for adaptation to the contour of a reference figure, and at least two detector panels which carry detectors provided with connecting means including a hinge.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of detector panels (1, 2) are provided, each of said detector panels is provided on both broadsides with detectors, said detector panels are interconnected to form a rigid subassembly consisting of a revolving door, which is mounted for rotation about said vertical axis (36, 46), the detector panels constitute wings of the revolving door, means for locking and unlocking said door are provided between the rigid subassembly and said axis of rotation (36, 46), and means are provided for processing the output signals of the detectors and are connected by a functional link to the locking and unlocking means.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, which provides a walk-through check chamber (FIGS. 6 and 7), in which an axis of rotation (35) is disposed, at least one wall (40) defining the walk-through check chamber is formed with a niche (41), in which an edge of a detector panel (2) is pivotally movable, the detector panels (1, 2) extend at a fixed angle to each other and are mounted for rotation about the axis of rotation (35), a resetting mechanism (37, 38) is provided between the axis of rotation and the interconnected detector panels and includes spring means, which are arranged to store resetting energy when the detector panels are rotated to permit an exit of a person, and when the detector panels have subsequently been released the resetting mechanism is arranged to use said resetting energy to reset the detector panels to a position for receiving another person to be checked.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, which provides a walk-through check chamber (FIGS. 8 and 9), in which an axis of rotation is disposed, two detector panels (1, 2) are mounted for rotation about said axis of rotation (36, 46) each of said detector panels is provided with detectors on that broadside which is opposite to the wall defining the walk-through check chamber, the axis of rotation (36, 46) is disposed beside said wall, each detector panel (1, 2) constitutes a hinged door, which is individually movable, common control means (47) are operatively connected to both detector panels and operable to swing open the detector panels (1, 2) in alternation and to lock each detector panel (2, 1) when the other is swung out, and locking means are provided for controlling the locking and unlocking of the two detector panels in alternation.

8. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the means for locking and unlocking the revolving door are releasable and consist of two parts, which are interlockable by interlocking means, which in one condition rigidly interconnect said two parts and in another condition eliminate said rigid interconnection so that the detector panels (1, 2) can then be swung as desired to open an exit in an emergency.

9. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a subassembly comprising a plurality of detector panels (1, 2) is rotatably mounted and includes detector panels (1, 2) which are interconnected to constitute the wings of a revolving door, a mechanism means comprising connecting means and resetting means is provided between the subassembly and mounting means for the subassembly and is for unlocking and consists of two parts, which are connectable by interlocking means, which in one condition rigidly interconnect said parts and in another condition eliminate said rigid interconnection so that the detector panels (1, 2) can be rotated as desired to open an exit in an emergency.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein individually movable detector panels or a set of interconnected detector panels is provided as well as mounting means by which said detector panels are mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation, coupling means are provided, which are constituted by one of the parts of a group consisting of a resetting drive, resetting mechanism (37, 38), control means (47) locking and unlocking means and connecting means, which coupling means are connected to at least one detector panel (1, 2), and to one of the parts of the said group, which also includes an additional detector panel, mounting means for detector panels and means defining the axis of rotation, and which coupling means are disengageable and when disengaged permit the detector panels (1, 2) to be freely pivotally movable relative to each other so as to open an emergency exit.

11. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein two interconnected vertical detector panels (1, 2) are provided, which extend at an angle to each other and carry the detectors on the broadsides facing each other across the angle, and adjacent detectors on each detector panel are separated by a vertical blank strip (9, 10), which is disposed in consideration of a reference figure, said vertical blank strips (9,10) are arranged near those portions of the reference figure or of a person standing on the floor plate which are closest to the detector panel.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the angle between the two detector panels (1, 2) lies in the range from 90 to 118 degrees.