Method and apparatus for detection of radioactive material
First Claim
1. A radioactive material detection system comprising:
- a plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses, each apparatus being disposed in or on a cargo receptacle and each apparatus comprising;
a wireless transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting information in correspondence with a signal;
a radiation sensor having a sensor output, the radiation sensor being configured to detect radiation over a predetermined or commanded period of time; and
a detection controller configured to receive the sensor output from the radiation sensor and to send the signal to the wireless transmitter for transmission; and
an identification tag electrically coupled to one of the controller and the wireless transmitter, the identification tag being configured to provide identification data or location data to the information being transmitted by the wireless transmitter; and
a command center configured to receive the wirelessly transmitted information directly or indirectly from each of the wireless transmitters of the plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses, the system being configured to detect fissile or nuclear material that emits radiation by establishing a background radiation space derived from the information sensed by the plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses to distinguish an anomaly amongst the plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses, the system having a first sensitivity to detectable radiation and a second sensitivity to detectable radiation and being configured to be adjusted from the first sensitivity to detectable radiation to the second sensitivity to detectable radiation based on one of a remote user command, a user command at the command center and an automatic rules-based command.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A radioactive material detection system includes a plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses and a command center. Each apparatus is disposed in or on a cargo receptacle. Each apparatus includes a wireless transmitter, a radiation sensor, a detection controller and an identification tag. The radiation sensor is configured to detect radiation over a predetermined or commanded period of time. The command center is configured to receive the wirelessly transmitted information directly or indirectly from each of the wireless transmitters of the plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses. The system is configured to detect fissile or nuclear material that emits radiation. The system is reconfigurable from a passive sensing system to an at least partially active sensing system in the event that the system detects a nuclear anomaly within a cargo receptacle.
39 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A radioactive material detection system comprising:
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a plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses, each apparatus being disposed in or on a cargo receptacle and each apparatus comprising; a wireless transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting information in correspondence with a signal; a radiation sensor having a sensor output, the radiation sensor being configured to detect radiation over a predetermined or commanded period of time; and a detection controller configured to receive the sensor output from the radiation sensor and to send the signal to the wireless transmitter for transmission; and an identification tag electrically coupled to one of the controller and the wireless transmitter, the identification tag being configured to provide identification data or location data to the information being transmitted by the wireless transmitter; and a command center configured to receive the wirelessly transmitted information directly or indirectly from each of the wireless transmitters of the plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses, the system being configured to detect fissile or nuclear material that emits radiation by establishing a background radiation space derived from the information sensed by the plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses to distinguish an anomaly amongst the plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses, the system having a first sensitivity to detectable radiation and a second sensitivity to detectable radiation and being configured to be adjusted from the first sensitivity to detectable radiation to the second sensitivity to detectable radiation based on one of a remote user command, a user command at the command center and an automatic rules-based command. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A radioactive material detection system comprising:
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a plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses, each apparatus being disposed in or on a cargo receptacle and each apparatus comprising; a wireless transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting information in correspondence with a signal; a radiation sensor having a sensor output, the radiation sensor being configured to detect radiation over a predetermined or commanded period of time; and a detection controller configured to receive the sensor output from the radiation sensor and to send the signal to the wireless transmitter for transmission; and an identification tag electrically coupled to one of the controller and the wireless transmitter, the identification tag being configured to provide identification data or location data to the information being transmitted by the wireless transmitter; and a command center configured to receive the wirelessly transmitted information directly or indirectly from each of the wireless transmitters of the plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses, the system being configured to detect fissile or nuclear material that emits radiation by establishing a background radiation space derived from the information sensed by the plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses to distinguish an anomaly amongst the plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses, the radioactive material detection system being reconfigurable from a passive sensing system to an at least partially active sensing system based on one or more external datum accessible to the system and one of a remote user command, a user command at the command center and an automatic rules-based command. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A method of detecting radioactive material within a plurality of cargo receptacles using a radioactive material detection system, the radioactive material detection system including a command center and a plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses, each apparatus having a transmitter, a detection controller and a radiation sensor configured to detect radiation over a predetermined or commanded period of time, the system having a first sensitivity to detectable radiation and a second sensitivity to detectable radiation, the method comprising:
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sensing radiation at each radioactive material detection apparatus; receiving sensed information from each radioactive material detection apparatus at the command center, over the predetermined or commanded period of time; adjusting for background or cosmic radiation to facilitate the identification of an anomaly or unusual data which is likely to indicate the presence of nuclear radioactive material; and adjusting from the first sensitivity to detectable radiation to the second sensitivity to detectable radiation based on one of a remote user command, a user command at the command center and an automatic rules-based command. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of detecting radioactive material within a plurality of cargo receptacles using a radioactive material detection system, the radioactive material detection system including a command center, the method comprising:
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receiving sensed information from each of a plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses at the command center, over a predetermined or commanded period of time; and adjusting for background or cosmic radiation to facilitate the identification of an anomaly or unusual data which is likely to indicate the presence of nuclear radioactive material, the radioactive material detection system having a first sensitivity to detectable radiation and a second sensitivity to detectable radiation; and adjusting from the first sensitivity to detectable radiation to the second sensitivity to detectable radiation based on one of a remote user command, a user command at the command center and an automatic rules-based command. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A radioactive material detection system comprising:
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a plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses, each apparatus being disposed in or on a cargo receptacle and each apparatus comprising; a wireless transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting information in correspondence with a signal; a radiation sensor having a sensor output, the radiation sensor being configured to detect radiation over a predetermined or commanded period of time; and a detection controller configured to receive the sensor output from the radiation sensor and to send the signal to the wireless transmitter for transmission; and an identification tag electrically coupled to one of the controller and the wireless transmitter, the identification tag being configured to provide identification data or location data to the information being transmitted by the wireless transmitter; and a command center configured to receive the wirelessly transmitted information directly or indirectly from each of the wireless transmitters of the plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses, the system being configured to detect fissile or nuclear material that emits radiation by establishing a background radiation space derived from the information sensed by the plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses to distinguish an anomaly amongst the plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses, the system having a first sensitivity and a second sensitivity and being configured to be adjusted from the first sensitivity to the second sensitivity based on one or more external datum accessible to the system and one of a remote user command, a user command at the command center and an automatic rules-based command.
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25. A radioactive material detection system comprising:
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a plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses, each apparatus being disposed in or on a cargo receptacle and each apparatus comprising; a wireless transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting information in correspondence with a signal; a radiation sensor having a sensor output, the radiation sensor being configured to detect radiation over a predetermined or commanded period of time; and a detection controller configured to receive the sensor output from the radiation sensor and to send the signal to the wireless transmitter for transmission; and an identification tag electrically coupled to one of the controller and the wireless transmitter, the identification tag being configured to provide identification data or location data to the information being transmitted by the wireless transmitter; and a command center configured to receive the wirelessly transmitted information directly or indirectly from each of the wireless transmitters of the plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses, the system being configured to detect fissile or nuclear material that emits radiation by establishing a background radiation space derived from the information sensed by the plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses to distinguish an anomaly amongst the plurality of radioactive material detection apparatuses, the system having a first sensitivity and a second sensitivity and being configured to be adjusted from the first sensitivity to the second sensitivity, during one of transit, an event or the detection of an events based on one of a remote user command, a user command at the command center and an automatic rules-based command.
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Specification