Gamma radiation detector with enhanced signal treatment
First Claim
1. A system for detecting and locating sources of gamma radiation within a region of interest, comprising:
- a probe movable from position to position within said region of interest including;
a housing having a forward portion extending to a radiation window positionable in the vicinity of a said source;
detector means within said housing for deriving induced charges in response to gamma ray interaction therewith and providing corresponding output signals;
transmission means for transmitting said output signals; and
signal treatment means including;
energy level network means for validating said output signals and deriving count signals in response thereto;
control means responsive to said count signals for entering them into a continuously fed queue from earliest to latest received representing a given period of continuous sampling time, said control means effecting a select weighting of predetermined time defined increments of count signals within said queue and generating from said weighted count signals a stabilized count rate value; and
perceptible indicator means for providing a perceptible output corresponding with said stabilized count rate value.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A hand-held gamma radiation probe is employed to locate radiation concentrations in animal tissue in conjunction with a control function providing an enhanced audio output particularly suited for cuing the user as to source position. The probe is positioned at a location on the animal body representing background radiation and a squelch low count rate is developed therefrom. The squelch low count rate is multiplied by a range factor to develop a squelch high count rate and frequencies are developed from a look-up frequency table from lowest to highest in correspondence with the developed high and low squelch count rates. Slew rate limiting of the count rates is provided by development of a squelch delta value representing the difference between the squelch high and low count rates divided by a time element. Selection of frequencies for audio output from the frequency table is limited by the value of the squelch delta value. A weighting of received radiation counts is carried out continuously to develop count rate values used by the system.
65 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A system for detecting and locating sources of gamma radiation within a region of interest, comprising:
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a probe movable from position to position within said region of interest including; a housing having a forward portion extending to a radiation window positionable in the vicinity of a said source; detector means within said housing for deriving induced charges in response to gamma ray interaction therewith and providing corresponding output signals; transmission means for transmitting said output signals; and signal treatment means including; energy level network means for validating said output signals and deriving count signals in response thereto; control means responsive to said count signals for entering them into a continuously fed queue from earliest to latest received representing a given period of continuous sampling time, said control means effecting a select weighting of predetermined time defined increments of count signals within said queue and generating from said weighted count signals a stabilized count rate value; and perceptible indicator means for providing a perceptible output corresponding with said stabilized count rate value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A system for detecting and locating gamma radiation source concentrations at specific tissue regions of an animal body further having a predetermined body region selectable as emanating gamma radiation at background levels, comprising:
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a probe movable from position to position along said tissue region and to said predetermined body region, including; a housing having a forward portion extending to a radiation window positionable in the vicinity of said tissue regions and said predetermined body region; detector means within said housing for deriving induced charges in response to gamma ray interaction therewith and providing corresponding output signals; and transmission means for transmitting said output signals; and signal treatment means including; energy level network means for validating said output signals and deriving count signals in response thereto; squelch mode activation means actuable for deriving a squelch range calibration sequence; audible indicator means for providing an audible output in response to input signals; memory means for retaining count rate data; control means responsive to said count signals derived when said probe is located at said predetermined body region for deriving a basic background count rate, responsive to said basic background count rate to derive a squelch low count rate, responsive to derive the product of said squelch low count rate and a predetermined range for deriving a squelch high count rate, responsive to retain said squelch low count rate and said squelch high count rate in said memory means, responsive subsequently to said count signals for deriving count rate signals, and for deriving said audible indicator input signals at predetermined frequencies corresponding therewith when said count rate signals exhibit a value intermediate said memory retained squelch low count rate and said squelch high count rate. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. The method for generating audible cuing signals locating gamma radiation concentrations within tissue of an animal body, said body having a region selectable as emanating gamma radiation at background levels comprising the steps of:
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providing a hand manipular probe movable about said tissue and generating output signals in response to gamma radiation impinging thereon; positioning said probe at said body region and evaluating said output signals for a predetermined interval to derive a squelch low background count rate; deriving a squelch high count rate by multiplying said squelch low background count rate by a select range factor; deriving a squelch difference value as the difference between squelch low background count rate and said squelch high count rate; deriving a squelch delta value by dividing said squelch difference value by a predetermined time value; providing a memory retained table of frequency deriving values from lowest to highest; providing an audible sound generator actuable to produce a cuing sound output at frequencies of value selected from said table of frequency values; positioning said probe at select locations of said tissue of said animal body and determining previous and next count rates from resulting said output signals; accessing said table of frequency deriving values in correspondence with said previous count rate as a proportion of said squelch difference to provide a first said frequency deriving value; actuating said sound generator in correspondence with said first frequency deriving value; determining a rate delta value as the difference between said previous and next count rates; comparing said rate delta value with said squelch delta value and accessing said table of frequency values in correspondence with a frequency value representing the sum of said previous count rate and said squelch delta value as a proportion of said squelch difference when said rate delta value equals or exceeds said squelch delta value to determine a second said frequency deriving value; accessing said table of frequency deriving values for said second frequency deriving value; and actuating said sound generator in correspondence with said second frequency deriving value. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification