Method of detecting and outputting radiation dose rate information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9664796-B2
Application number	US-201615043899-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2016
Priority date	Feb 13, 2015
Publication date	May 30, 2017
Grant date	May 30, 2017

Abstract

A method includes detecting on an ongoing basis the currently existing dose rates while a worker is performing a maintenance or other operation within the RCA, and visually outputting information that pertains to the ionizing radiation to which the worker is being exposed during the operation. The information that is visually output can include information such as the current dose rate and the overall dose to which the worker has been subjected, but can additionally include information such as the time remaining before which the worker will have been exposed to the maximum allowable dose. Furthermore, it is possible for the visual display to output visual indicia that represent a comparison the exposure to ionizing radiation that had been planned as a function of time prior to the operation being commenced with the actual exposure to ionizing radiation as the operation is performed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of providing to a worker during an operation wherein the worker is situated within a Radiologically Controlled Area (RCA) continually updated information pertaining to the operation, the method comprising:
detecting a number of measured dose rates at a number of times during the operation, each measured dose rate of the number of measured dose rates being representative of a rate at which the worker is exposed to ionizing radiation at a corresponding time of the number of times;
periodically determining, based at least in part upon the number of measured dose rates, a measured accumulated dose at each time of the number of times that is representative of the accumulated exposure of the worker to ionizing radiation since the beginning of the operation;
for each time of the number of times:
subtracting the corresponding measured accumulated dose from an allowable maximum dose to determine a corresponding actual available dose that is representative of a corresponding additional accumulation of exposure of the worker to ionizing radiation that is permissible during the operation, and
determining, based at least in part upon the corresponding actual available dose and a measured dose rate from among the number of measured dose rates, a corresponding actual time remaining until the worker will have been exposed to the allowable maximum dose; and

outputting at one or more times of the number of times on a visual display a visible output that includes indicia which is representative, at least in part, of the actual time remaining.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the corresponding dose rate is employed as the measured dose rate from among the number of measured dose rates.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a number of planned dose rates, each planned dose rate of the number of planned dose rates being representative of a rate at which the worker is predicted to be exposed to ionizing radiation at a corresponding time of the number of times;
based at least in part upon the number of planned dose rates, generating for each time of the number of times a corresponding planned accumulated dose that is representative of the exposure to ionizing radiation that the worker is predicted to have accumulated since the beginning of the operation; and
outputting at a time from among the one or more times as at least a portion of the visible output a visible indication that is based, at least in part, on a variance between the corresponding measured accumulated dose and the corresponding planned accumulated dose.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
at each time of the number of times:
subtracting the corresponding planned accumulated dose from the allowable maximum dose to determine a corresponding planned available dose that is representative of a planned additional accumulation of exposure of the worker to ionizing radiation that is expected to be permissible during the operation,
determining, based at least in part upon the corresponding planned available dose and at least one expected dose rate of the number of expected dose rates, a corresponding expected time remaining until the worker will have been exposed to the allowable maximum dose, and
determining a corresponding time variance that is based at least in part upon the corresponding actual time remaining and the corresponding expected time remaining; and

outputting at the time as at least a portion of the visible indication a visible notification that is representative, at least in part, of the corresponding time variance.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising outputting at the time as at least a portion of the visible notification a visible object that is based at least in part upon a difference between the corresponding time variance and a prior time variance.

6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
determining at each time of the number of times an accumulated dose variance that is based at least in part upon a variance between the corresponding measured accumulated dose and the corresponding planned accumulated dose; and
outputting as at least a portion of the visible indication a visible notification that is representative, at least in part, of the corresponding accumulated dose variance.

7. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
situating a dosimeter in proximity to the worker to enable the dosimeter to move with the worker within the RCA;
developing a set of measured dose rate data by, for each time of the number of times:
detecting a position of at least one of the dosimeter and the worker within the RCA, and
storing the position in association with the corresponding measured dose rate; and

visually outputting a dosage rate map that comprises a first visual object that is representative of at least a portion of the RCA and that further comprises a number of second visual objects that are representative of a number of the position within the RCA, at least some of the second visual objects of the number of second visual objects including at least one indicium of a corresponding dose rate that is based at least in part upon the set of measured dose rate data.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the number of second visual objects are situated with respect to the first visual object in a fashion that is representative of the arrangement of the number of positions within the RCA and that is based at least in part upon the set of measured dose rate data.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising depicting the visible output on a visual display that is situated on the worker and is disposed proximate an eye of the worker.

Assignees

• Westinghouse Electric Co Llc

Inventors

• Norrell Michael S
• Choi Joonhyung
• Walter Melissa M
• Henze Sabryna D
• Flammang Robert W

Classifications

• G01T7/00

  Details of radiation-measuring instruments · CPC title

• G01T1/02 Primary

  Dosimeters (G01T1/15 takes precedence) · CPC title