Dosimetry system, methods, and components

• US 9,151,848 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2011
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mirion Technologies Incorporated (American Capital Limited)
• Original Assignee: Mirion Technologies Incorporated (American Capital Limited)
• Inventors: Kahilainen, Jukka, Logan, Thomas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Benlagsir, Amine
• Application Number:
  US13/326,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20120154170A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,392 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.02, 340/870.01, 250/370.01, 250/370.07
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/02 Dosimeters G01T1/15 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/17 Circuit arrangements not adapted to a particular type of detector pulse-selection circuits H03K, G01R
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 7/00 Details of radiation-measuring instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/10 using a centralized architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/82 where the sensing device takes the initiative of sending data
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/826 where the data is sent periodically
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/883 where the sensing device enters an active or inactive mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Dosimeters with wireless communications capability, upon actuation, communicate with a cell phone or other data capture and relay device (DCRD) with an application that allows communication with the dosimeters. The cell phone or other DCRD is a single device or part of an ad hoc network. The cell phone or other DCRD, once it receives raw data from a dosimeter, relays the data to a central station using mobile telephone or Wi-Fi or other communications networks. The data is processed at the central station, and available over the Internet or cell phone.

Claims

1. An apparatus for collecting dosimeter data at a central station, comprising:

a radiation detector;

a control circuit connected to the radiation detector;

a normally dormant communications circuit connected to the control circuit;

a power supply connected to the control circuit; and

a wakeup actuator connected to the control circuit for actuating the communications circuit at selected times,

a dosimeter with wireless communications capability for transmitting the dosimeter data, the wireless communications capability being normally dormant;

at least one wireless data capture and relay device (DCRD), the at least one wireless DCRD having a dosimeter communication application allowing the dosimeter to communicate to the at least one wireless DCRD and transmit the dosimeter data to the at least one wireless DCRD when the wireless communications capability is actuated and communication and transmission to the at least one wireless DCRD is initiated by the dosimeter; and

a communications system for transmitting the dosimeter data received by the at least one wireless DCRD to the central station;

wherein the dosimeter is a direct ion storage (DIS) dosimeter; and

wherein the control circuit comprises a memory or a register to store the dosimeter data that has been transmitted therefrom, the stored dosimeter data including a transmission sequence number or a timing data from which the central station receiving the stored dosimeter data from the dosimeter can determine if a packet of the stored dosimeter data has not been received by the central station.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one wireless DCRD further comprises a cell phone.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one wireless DCRD further comprises an ad hoc network of DCRDs.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communications system is a Wi-Fi system or a 3G or 4G data network.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dosimeter with the wireless communications capability is Bluetooth or ANT.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the wakeup actuator is a push button.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the wakeup actuator comprises a programmable firmware for configuring wakeup intervals to periodically transmit data.

8. The Apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one wireless DCRD comprises a plurality of wireless DCRDs, each DCRD of the plurality of wireless DCRDs having the dosimeter communication application allowing the dosimeter to communicate to any of said each DCRD and transmit the dosimeter data to the at least one wireless DCRD when the wireless communications capability is actuated and communication and transmission to the at least one wireless DCRD is initiated by the dosimeter and established therebetween.

9. The Apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one wireless DCRD is a communications link between the dosimeter and the central station and wherein the dosimeter establishes the communications link to any available said each DCRD at any particular time.

10. A dosimeter, comprising:

a radiation detector;

a control circuit connected to the radiation detector;

a normally dormant communications circuit connected to the control circuit;

a power supply connected to the control circuit; and

a wakeup actuator connected to the control circuit for actuating the communications circuit at selected times only when it is desired to transmit dosimeter data from the dosimeter,

wherein

the radiation detector is a direct ion storage (DIS) detector;

the dosimeter with wireless communications capability for transmitting the dosimeter data, the wireless communications capability being normally dormant;

at least one wireless data capture and relay device (DCRD), the at least one wireless DCRD having a dosimeter communication application allowing the dosimeter to communicate to the at least one wireless DCRD and transmit the dosimeter data to the at least one wireless DCRD when the wireless communications capability is actuated and communication and transmission to the at least one wireless DCRD is initiated by the dosimeter;

a communications system for transmitting the dosimeter data received by the at least one wireless DCRD to a central station; and

wherein the control circuit comprises a memory or a register to store the dosimeter data that has been transmitted therefrom, the stored dosimeter data including a transmission sequence number or a timing data from which the central station receiving the stored dosimeter data from the dosimeter can determine if a packet of the stored dosimeter data has not been received by the central station.

11. The dosimeter of claim 10 wherein the communications circuit is a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) circuit or an ANT circuit.

12. The dosimeter of claim 10 wherein the communications circuit is a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) circuit or an ANT circuit.

13. The dosimeter of claim 10 wherein the wakeup actuator is a push button.

14. The dosimeter of claim 10 wherein the wakeup actuator comprises a programmable firmware for configuring wakeup intervals to periodically transmit data.

15. A method for collecting dosimetry data at a central station, comprising:

providing a dosimeter with wireless communications capability for transmitting dosimeter data, the wireless communications capability being normally dormant;

providing a data capture and relay device (DCRD) that comprises a plurality of data capture and relay devices (DCRDs), each DCRD of the plurality of DCRDs having a dosimeter communication application allowing the dosimeter to communicate to any said each DCRD and transmit the dosimeter data to the DCRD when the wireless communications capability is actuated and communication and transmission to the DCRD is initiated by the dosimeter and established therebetween;

sending out a signal from the dosimeter when the wireless communications capability is actuated, the signal being received by any available said each DCRD at any particular time;

establishing a wireless communications link between the dosimeter and an available DCRD when the signal is received by the DCRD;

relaying the dosimeter data received by the DCRD to the central station through a communications system;

wherein the dosimeter is a direct ion storage (DIS) dosimeter and comprises;

a radiation detector;

a control circuit connected to the radiation detector;

a normally dormant communications circuit connected to the control circuit;

a power supply connected to the control circuit; and

a wakeup actuator connected to the control circuit for actuating the communications circuit at selected times,

wherein the control circuit comprises a memory or a register to store the dosimeter data that has been transmitted therefrom, the stored dosimeter data including a transmission sequence number or a timing data from which the central station receiving the stored dosimeter data from the dosimeter can determine if a packet of the stored dosimeter data has not been received by the central station; and

wherein the DCRD is a communications link between the dosimeter and the central station.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the plurality of DCRDs further comprises an ad hoc network of DCRDs.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the DCRDs are cell phones.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising determining at the central station that a packet of the stored dosimeter data sent by the dosimeter has not been received, and retrieving a missing stored dosimeter data from the dosimeter.