JP2009058390A - Radiation level measuring instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a radiation level measuring instrument that can be used with easy operation without requiring expertise, always and continuously measures the radiation level of a specific part, and can automatically informing a specific object person separated from the measuring site of the measured radiation level information. <P>SOLUTION: This radiation level measuring instrument comprises a mail transmitting section 12 capable of automatically transmitting an electronic mail to a previously registered predetermined address through the Internet, a radiation sensor 11 for detecting the surrounding radiation level, a memory section 14 for storing an information message for reporting the radiation level information corresponding to a detection signal of the radiation sensor, and a control section 10 that, when the radiation sensor detects the surrounding radiation, calls the information message corresponding to the detection signal from the memory section and automatically transmits it to the predetermined address via the mail transmitting section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a radiation level measuring apparatus that detects and notifies a surrounding radiation level.

  Conventionally, as a system for detecting and notifying a radiation level, for example, in a nuclear facility such as a nuclear power plant, a radiation level at a predetermined location is continuously measured and the measured value is transmitted to a management center or the like. It is considered to do so.

In addition, for example, Patent Document 1 provides information for ensuring safety to local residents from local governments or private organizations when an accident involving radiation emission to the outside occurs at a radioactive material handling facility such as a nuclear power plant. An apparatus for predicting and monitoring the dose etc. is disclosed.
JP 11-326521 A

  By the way, in recent years, in response to growing interest in safety of nuclear power, residents in the vicinity of nuclear facilities, stores and offices can respond more quickly to unexpected occurrences such as radiation leaks. In addition, it is desired to constantly monitor (monitor) the radiation level in the vicinity of the self and automatically know the monitoring result.

  However, since all of the measurement devices according to the prior art are usually installed by an entity operating a nuclear facility or a local government, and are assumed to be handled by a specialist engineer, the measurement apparatus is quite large and complicated in structure. It is difficult to operate, and is very expensive. Therefore, it is impossible for ordinary residents and small and medium enterprises to introduce and use them by themselves.

  In addition, as what can measure a radiation level by comparatively cheap and simple operation, there are portable so-called survey meters, etc., but these are to be carried by a measurer and measured at any place at any time, The radiation level at a specific location is not always continuously measured, and the measured radiation level information cannot be automatically notified to a specific target person away from the measurement site.

  Therefore, the present invention can be used with a simple operation without requiring specialized knowledge, continuously measuring the radiation level at a specific location, and automatically measuring the measured radiation level information to a specific subject away from the measurement site. It is a basic object to provide a radiation level measuring device that can be notified in an automatic manner.

  For this reason, the radiation level measuring apparatus according to the present invention includes an automatic mail transmission means capable of automatically transmitting an electronic mail to a predetermined address registered in advance via an information communication network, and a radiation detection means for detecting a peripheral radiation level. Storage means for notifying radiation level information corresponding to the detection signal of the radiation detection means, and radiation level information corresponding to the detection signal when the radiation detection means detects peripheral radiation. Control means for calling the notification message for informing from the storage means and automatically transmitting the notification message to the predetermined address via the mail automatic transmission means.

  According to the radiation level measuring apparatus according to the present invention, when the radiation detecting means detects surrounding radiation, a notification message for informing radiation level information corresponding to the detection signal is sent to a predetermined registered address. Can be sent automatically. That is, it is possible to continuously measure the radiation level at the place where the apparatus is arranged, and to automatically notify the measured radiation level information to a specific subject who is away from the measurement site. In this case, the user does not need any specialized knowledge, and only needs to perform the simple task of registering the address of the person to whom the notification message of radiation level information should be sent by e-mail. can do.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of a radiation level measurement and notification system according to the present embodiment.
As shown in this figure, the radiation level measurement and notification system S (hereinafter simply referred to as “system” as appropriate) transmits an electronic mail to a predetermined address registered in advance, as will be described in detail later. A radiation level measuring apparatus 1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “apparatus” as appropriate) incorporating a radiation detection means in a mail apparatus is provided as a main part, and in addition to the predetermined level via the so-called Internet M as an information communication network. A dial-up router 5 for calling an address and a hub 3 for connecting the dial-up router 5 and the radiation level measuring apparatus 1 are provided. A personal computer 7 is connected to the hub 3 in parallel with the radiation level measuring apparatus 1.

The personal computer 7 is used for initial setting of the radiation level measuring apparatus 1 such as registration of an e-mail transmission destination address, and is turned OFF after the initial setting work is completed. Alternatively, the connection with the hub 3 may be cut off and removed from the system S. In the present embodiment, a plurality of addresses (for example, about five addresses) can be registered as e-mail transmission destinations.
Initial setting work such as registration of the address of the e-mail transmission destination is performed by an input operation using a keyboard 8 attached to the personal computer 7. As will be described later, a fixed message corresponding to the detected radiation level can also be created using the keyboard 8 attached to the personal computer 7 and input into the radiation level measuring apparatus 1.

FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram schematically showing the configuration of the radiation level measuring apparatus 1.
This radiation level measuring device 1 is a slightly different from a commercially available ordinary e-mail device called “mailer” or the like, which has an automatic mail sending function capable of automatically sending an e-mail to a predetermined address via the Internet M. It has a modified structure. That is, a radiation sensor 11 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “sensor” as appropriate) that constitutes a main part of the radiation detecting means is provided inside the electronic mail apparatus, and a slight change is made to control of automatic mail transmission by the central processing unit 10. It can be realized by adding. In other words, it can be said to be an electronic mail apparatus with a radiation level detection function.

  The radiation sensor 11 detects a radiation level around the place where the device 1 is disposed, and the detection unit 11k (see FIG. 1) is connected to the device 1 through a hole provided in the case body 1c of the device 1. Facing outside. In the present embodiment, a commercially available radiation sensor incorporated in a commercially available portable radiation detector such as a Gaiga-Muller (GM) tube type is used as the radiation sensor 11. Although not specifically shown, the radiation sensor 11 is provided with a power source for driving the sensor (for example, a high voltage power source of DC 500 volts converted from AC 100 volts).

  The radiation sensor 11 is not limited to the above-described one, and can measure the surrounding radiation level with a certain degree of accuracy and can be accommodated in the electronic mail apparatus (mailer) without any trouble. Various other known sensors can be used. In particular, those that are as small and inexpensive as possible are preferred.

  The radiation sensor 11 is connected to the control unit 10 of the radiation level measuring apparatus 1 so as to be able to exchange signals, and the detection signal of the sensor 11 is input to the control unit 10. The control unit 10 is configured with, for example, a microcomputer as a main part, and in addition to the radiation sensor 11, a mail transmission unit 12, an input / output unit 13 with the outside of the apparatus, a memory unit 14, and a display unit 15 can each exchange signals. It is connected to the.

  The mail transmission unit 12 automatically transmits an e-mail to the predetermined address registered in advance by using known e-mail software via the Internet M, and is operated according to a command signal from the control unit 10. It is done. The output side of the mail transmission unit 12 is connected to the hub 3 via an input / output unit 13 with the outside of the apparatus as described below. As shown in FIG. 1, the hub 3 and the dial-up router 5 are connected. Is connected to the Internet M through the Internet. Further, the mail transmission unit 12 is more preferably provided with a dedicated memory unit (not shown), and the registered address input by the personal computer 7 at the time of initial setting of the radiation level measuring apparatus 1 is stored in the mail transmission unit 12. It is stored in the dedicated memory unit.

  The input / output unit 13 (to the outside of the apparatus) connects components inside the radiation level measuring apparatus 1 and components outside the apparatus so as to be able to exchange signals. In this embodiment, the input / output unit 13 controls the inside of the apparatus 1. The unit 10 and the mail transmission unit 12 are electrically connected to the hub 3 outside the apparatus 1 via the input / output unit 13, respectively. At the initial setting of the apparatus 1, the address of the e-mail transmission destination registered and input from the personal computer 7 is stored in the memory unit 14 attached to the control unit 10.

  In addition, a notification message for notifying radiation level information corresponding to the detection signal of the radiation sensor 11 is stored in the memory unit 14. For example, when the radiation level is classified into three levels (levels N1, N2, and N3) and notified, for example, a standard notification message that “the level N1 (or N2 or N3) radiation has been detected” has been prepared. Yes. Such a message is created using the keyboard 8 attached to the personal computer 7 at the time of initial setting of the apparatus 1 and stored in the memory unit 14. Note that the expression content of the notification message can be changed according to the user's preference at the time of initial setting.

  For example, the display unit 15 notifies the power state of the apparatus 1 by lighting a lamp using a light emitting diode (LED).

  In the above configuration, when the radiation sensor 11 detects ambient radiation, a notification message for informing the radiation level information corresponding to the detection signal is called from the memory unit 14 and input to the mail transmission unit 12 to transmit this mail. After being sent from the unit 12 through the input / output unit 13, the hub 3, and the dial-up router 5, it is automatically transmitted to a predetermined address registered in advance via the Internet M.

Next, the transmission control of the notification message will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
When the power of the radiation level measuring apparatus 1 is turned on and the initial setting is completed using the personal computer 7, the system is started. It should be noted that the initial setting conditions are saved even if the power of the apparatus 1 is turned off once registered. Therefore, unless the change of the condition setting is intended, the system starts from the next time only by turning on the power of the apparatus 1 and starting up.

  When the system is started, first, at step # 1, radiation monitoring by the radiation sensor 11 (that is, detection of the surrounding radiation level) is started, and then at step # 2, the radiation level detection value by the sensor 11 is preset. It is determined whether or not it is equal to or greater than the threshold value. This threshold value is set as a value corresponding to the lower limit value of the lowest level N1 among the radiation levels (levels N1, N2, and N3) divided into three stages.

  While the determination result in step # 2 is NO, the level determination is not performed because the amount of radiation is not detected or is very small and does not reach the lower limit value of level N1 even if it is detected. The determination of # 2 is continuously repeated. And if the determination result in step # 2 is YES, a radiation level determination is performed in step # 3. That is, it is determined to which of the radiation levels (levels N1, N2, and N3) the detected radiation dose is classified into three stages.

  In response to the result of the radiation level determination, a notification message corresponding to the determined radiation level is read from the memory unit 14 in step # 4. That is, if the determined radiation level is level N1 (or N2 or N3), for example, a standard notification message that “the radiation of level N1 (or N2 or N3) has just been detected” is called.

  In step # 5, the called notification message is output to the mail transmission unit 12, and in step # 6, the notification message is distributed to a predetermined address registered from the mail transmission unit 12. That is, it is automatically transmitted from the mail transmission unit 12 to the predetermined address registered in advance via the Internet M after passing through the input / output unit 13, the hub 3, and the dial-up router 5.

  Thereby, the notification target person who has the registered e-mail address can always know the radiation level at the measurement site continuously even if it is far away from the measurement site (installation location of the radiation level measurement device 1). Even if there is radiation leakage from a nuclear facility, etc., it will be possible to deal with it more quickly and accurately.

  When the mail delivery in step # 6 is completed, a timer (not shown) is started in step # 7 and the elapsed time after mail delivery is counted. In step # 8, this elapsed time is set to a predetermined time. It is determined whether or not T (for example, T = 5 minutes) has been reached. If the determination result is YES, the process returns to step # 1, and the subsequent steps are repeatedly executed. Note that the series of flows shown in FIG. 3 is continuously repeated unless the apparatus 1 is turned off.

  In other words, in this embodiment, the mail delivery cycle is set to 5 minutes at the shortest, for example. The minimum period for mail delivery can be arbitrarily selected by the user by changing the timer setting. In this way, by setting the shortest cycle of mail delivery to be changeable according to the user's will, the detected radiation level can be set by setting the mail delivery cycle longer (that is, the transmission interval of the notification message). In the case where they are the same for a relatively long time, it is possible to alleviate the repeated delivery of electronic mail having the same content, and to reduce the number of repeated delivery of the same mail.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the radiation sensor 11 detects ambient radiation, a notification message for informing the radiation level information corresponding to the detection signal is sent to a predetermined registered message. Can be automatically sent to an address. That is, the radiation level of the place where the apparatus 1 is arranged can be continuously measured, and the measured radiation level information can be automatically notified to a specific subject who is away from the measurement site. In this case, the user does not need any specialized knowledge, and the device 1 can be simply set by registering the address of the target person who should send the notification message of the radiation level information by mail. Can be used.

  The radiation level measuring apparatus according to the present embodiment uses a structure obtained by modifying a normal electronic mail apparatus having an automatic mail transmission function capable of automatically transmitting an electronic mail to a predetermined address via the Internet M. Since it can be realized by providing the radiation sensor 11 inside and making a slight change to the control of automatic mail transmission, it can be provided at a much lower cost than a conventional stationary radiation level measuring apparatus. It is also very easy to install and handle.

  Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  The present invention relates to a radiation level measuring apparatus for detecting and notifying surrounding radiation levels, and can be used with simple operation without requiring specialized knowledge. The radiation level information can be effectively used as a radiation level measuring apparatus capable of automatically notifying a specific subject away from the measurement site.

1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of a radiation level measurement and notification system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block block diagram which shows roughly the structure of the radiation level measuring apparatus which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating transmission control of the alert message in the said radiation level measurement apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Radiation level measuring apparatus 10 Control part 11 Radiation sensor 12 Mail transmission part 14 Memory part M Internet S Radiation level measurement and alerting | reporting system

Claims (1)

Automatic mail sending means capable of automatically sending an e-mail to a predetermined address registered in advance via an information communication network;
A radiation detection means for detecting a surrounding radiation level;
Storage means for storing a notification message for informing radiation level information corresponding to the detection signal of the radiation detection means;
When the radiation detection means detects ambient radiation, the notification message for notifying the radiation level information corresponding to the detection signal is called from the storage means and automatically sent to the predetermined address via the mail automatic transmission means. Control means for transmitting;
A radiation level measuring apparatus comprising:

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