Automated collection and processing of environmental samples

• US 5,591,974 A
• Filed: 09/30/1992
• Issued: 01/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Inventors: Brayton, Darryl D., Panesar, Amardip K., McNeece, Susan G., Troyer, Gary L.
• Primary Examiner(s): FIELDS, CAROLYN
• Application Number:
  US07/954,511
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 250/328, 250/271, 250/432 R, 250/435, 250/304, 250/370.07, 250/336.1
• US Class Current: 250/336.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 1/14 giving a distribution function of a value, i.e. number of times the value comes within specified ranges of amplitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0075 for multiple spatially distributed sensors, e.g. for environmental monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 7/00 Details of radiation-measuring instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/025 adapted to a specific application

Abstract

For monitoring an environmental parameter such as the level of nuclear radiation, at distributed sites, bar coded sample collectors are deployed and their codes are read using a portable data entry unit that also records the time of deployment. The time and collector identity are cross referenced in memory in the portable unit. Similarly, when later recovering the collector for testing, the code is again read and the time of collection is stored as indexed to the sample collector, or to a further bar code, for example as provided on a container for the sample. The identity of the operator can also be encoded and stored. After deploying and/or recovering the sample collectors, the data is transmitted to a base processor. The samples are tested, preferably using a test unit coupled to the base processor, and again the time is recorded. The base processor computes the level of radiation at the site during exposure of the sample collector, using the detected radiation level of the sample, the delay between recovery and testing, the duration of exposure and the half life of the isotopes collected. In one embodiment, an identity code and a site code are optically read by an image grabber coupled to the portable data entry unit.

Claims

1. A method for automatic monitoring of an environmental parameter at a plurality of collection sites, comprising the steps of:

deploying sample collectors at each of the collection sites, and uniquely distinguishing at least a subset of the sample collectors from other sample collectors by associating with the sample collectors an automatically readable means representing an identity code;

exposing the sample collectors at the collection sites to capture samples representing an effect of the environmental parameter at the collection sites;

collecting the samples, and automatically reading the identity codes upon at least one of said collecting and said deploying, using a portable data entry unit having means for reading the identity code and means for determining a time of said reading, and storing the time of the reading, indexed to the identity code;

communicating a plurality of said identity codes and times from the portable data entry unit to a base processing unit, and storing said identity codes and said times in a data memory coupled to the base processing unit;

testing the samples for assessing exposure of individual said samples to the environmental parameter, and storing in the data memory a numerical assessment of said exposure, indexed to the respective collection site;

generating at least one report of said exposure for each of the plurality of sample collectors; and

uniquely distinguishing the collection sites by a site code fixed thereto, and wherein the identity code and the site code are optically read by an image grabber coupled to the portable data entry unit, the site code being read at least once during deployment of the sample collector and collection of the sample, for associating the sample with a particular site.

2. The method for automatic monitoring according to claim 1, further comprising entering via the portable data entry unit at least one site data parameter value affecting the numerical assessment, the site data parameter value being entered by at least one of manual keyboard entry and optical reading of an indicator at the site representing the site data parameter value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the optically read identity code and the site code include a bar code.