Electronic exposure dose meter and radiation handling operation management system employing the same

• US 6,891,476 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2002
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kono, Naoyuki, Fukutsuka, Naoya, Matsui, Tetsuya, Kitaguchi, Hiroshi, Ushiroda, Kouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUNG T
• Application Number:
  US10/097,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20020195572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/632, 340/600, 340/612, 340/539, 340/539.1, 340/693.6, 340/573.4, 250/239, 250/370, 250/216, 250/492.2, 250/388, 250/337, 250/484.5, 250/336.1, 250/471.1, 250/473.1
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/026 Semiconductor dose-rate meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 7/00 Details of radiation-measuring instruments

Abstract

An electronic exposure dose meter and a radiation handling operation management system is capable of realizing real time exposure management. The radiation handling operation management system has monitoring unit receiving an exposure dose amount measured by an electronic exposure dose meter having a radiation detector, its counter circuit and a PHS transmission and reception antenna, from a plurality of transmission and reception base station installed in a radiation handling operation site through bidirectional communication with a central management section via an external management base station, and deriving position of user of the electronic exposure dose meter for collecting and displaying position and exposure dose amount of the user. The electronic exposure dose meter has a radiation detector, a counter circuit, a PHS antenna for bidirectional communication with a central management section. The electronic exposure dose meter generates an alarm in response to an instruction signal from the central management section.

Claims

1. A radiation handling operation management system, comprising:

a portable electronic exposure dose meter adapted to be carried by a user having a radiation detector for detecting the exposure dose of a user at the radiation handling site, a counter circuit, a display unit for displaying position and exposure dose amount of the user, and a transmission and reception antenna, and

a station at which data is processed;

wherein exposure dose amount data is directly transmitted from the dose meter carried by the user to the station through real-time bi-directional communication therebetween, and

wherein the processed data is directly transmitted from the station to the user to display the data, and to give an alarm to the user when necessary.

2. A radiation handling operation management system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a monitoring unit arranged to derive a position of the user by receiving exposure dose data measured by said electronic exposure dose meter and transmitted to the monitoring unit, and storing said position, said exposure dose amount, and date and time with correspondence among the position, exposure dose amount, and date and time.

3. A radiation handling operation management system as set forth in claim 1, wherein a display unit installed in said station displays a position of the user at the radiation handling operation site, a moving route and accumulated exposure dose amount of said user on the basis of collected data of the position of said user.

4. A radiation handling operation management system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the position of the user or moving route of the user is displayed on the basis of Computer Aided Design (CAD) data of the radiation handling facility.

5. A radiation handling operation management system as set forth in claim 1, wherein a display unit installed in said station displays a radiation dose rate distribution in the radiation handling operation site on the basis of collected data of the position of the user of the electronic exposure dose meter.

6. A radiation handling operation management system as set forth in claim 1, which further comprises an on-site display unit in said radiation handling operation site to display information equivalent to a display content of a display unit installed in said station.

7. A radiation handling operation management system as set forth in claim 1, which further comprises a beanie light provided in said radiation handling operation site for generating an alarm upon entry of one having no permission to enter into the radiation handling operation site, said alarm being generated in response to a signal provided from said station through said bidirectional communication.

8. A radiation handling operation management system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the radiation handling site and an external organization are connected through the Internet or a telephone circuit for monitoring a condition of radiation handling operation of the radiation handling operation site, and providing instruction with a computer and a display unit provided in said external organization.

9. A radiation handling operation management system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the external organization directly provides instruction for operation to a management section of said radiation handling operation site through said Internet or telephone circuit.

10. A radiation handling operation management system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a monitoring unit arranged to receive exposure dose data measured by said electronic exposure dose meter, and to derive a position of the user of said electronic exposure dose meter for collecting and displaying a position and exposure dose amount of the user.

11. A radiation handling operation management system, further comprising:

a plurality of said portable electronic exposure dose meter;

wherein exposure amount data is directly transmitted from each of said dose meters carried by respective users to the station through real-time bi-directional communication between the station and the users; and

wherein the processed data is directly transmitted from the station to each of the users to display the data, and to give an alarm to each user if necessary.

12. A radiation handling operation management system as set forth in claim 11, further comprising:

a monitoring unit arranged to derive a position of each of the users by receiving exposure dose data measured by said electronic dose meters and transmitted to the monitoring unit, and storing for each user said position, said exposure dose amount, and date and time with correspondence among the position, exposure dose amount, and date and time.

13. A radiation handling operation management system as set forth in claim 11, wherein a display unit installed in said station displays a position of each of the users at the radiation handling operation site, a moving route and accumulated exposure dose amount of each of the users on the basis of collected data of the position of each of the users.

14. A radiation handling operation management system as set forth in claim 11, wherein a unit display unit installed in said station displays a radiation dose rate distribution in the radiation handling operation site on the basis of collected data of the position of each of the users of the electronic exposure dose meters.

15. A radiation handling operation management system as set forth in claim 11 further comprising:

a monitoring unit arranged to receive exposure dose data measured by said electronic exposure dose meters, and to derive a position of each of the users of said electronic exposure dose meters for collecting and displaying a position and exposure dose amount of each user.