JPH11190775A - Portable dosimeter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dosimeter for easily measuring an amount of exposure by a general person. SOLUTION: A dose measuring instrument 10 is wound around an arm using a band 20 as in a watch. The dose measuring instrument 10 incorporates a sensor for detecting the amount of radiation, a microcomputer, a memory, and the like and displays the amount of radiation at a current point on a display part 11a by the selectively operation of switches 12a, 12b,.... Also, the accumulated amount of exposure from the start of usage to a current point is displayed on the display part 11a by the selective operation of the switches 12a, 12b.... Further, display as a watch is performed on a display part 11b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable dosimeter for measuring a radiation dose carried by an individual for the purpose of controlling the exposure of the individual, and more particularly to a wristband type wristband worn around an arm like a wristwatch. It relates to a portable dosimeter.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Film badges and pocket dosimeters are known as portable dosimeters for personal exposure control. Film badges measure the amount of exposure to an individual from the density of the film when it is developed, and pocket dosimeters use the principle of an ionization chamber in which the charge potential decreases in proportion to the amount of radiation when it is received. is there. A typical fountain pen dosimeter is a pocket dosimeter.

[0003] These are used by those who are engaged in various inspections using nuclear power or radiation, which are at risk of being exposed to radiation, because of their professional needs.

[0004]

By the way, with the recent growing interest in the environment and the accident of nuclear power plants and the problem of disposal of radioactive waste generated from nuclear power plants, the general public has been Interest in radiation exposure is growing. It is considered important for such people to know their own radiation dose and the radiation dose in the environment in which they live daily, and even in the case of nuclear power plants, it is important to prove the safety of the surrounding environment. It is necessary to clarify the amount and the amount of exposure to the residents in the vicinity.

[0005] However, the conventional portable dosimeter is a specialized device used for business, and therefore does not have simplicity and convenience that can be used by ordinary people.

For example, it is impossible for a film badge to detect the current exposure amount in real time, and a special operation of development is required even when the cumulative exposure amount is known.
Also, it is impossible to keep records for more than one week.

Similarly, it is impossible for the pocket dosimeter to detect the amount of exposure at the present time in real time, and it requires a charging operation when used.

Further, all dosimeters, apart from a fountain pen type dosimeter, have a special form, which is inconvenient for ordinary people to always carry. Also, even with a fountain pen type dosimeter, few people have always formed a fountain pen at all times, and it cannot be said that it is suitable for carrying. And if the dosimeter is not routinely carried, the exposure will be inaccurate.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a portable dosimeter excellent in portability for personal exposure management. Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable dosimeter capable of detecting the present amount of exposure in real time.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, a portable dosimeter according to the present invention is a portable dosimeter that is carried by an individual to control the exposure of the individual and measures the radiation dose. It has a dosimeter attached to the wrist using a wristband like a wristwatch and detecting and displaying a radiation dose.

A wristwatch is a tool that many people carry on a daily basis. By making the dosimeter for personal exposure management into a wristwatch type, it is not burdensome to carry it, and ordinary people can carry it without difficulty. In addition, it is kept close when it is removed. Therefore, the individual exposure of the general public can be accurately measured.

Here, it is preferable that the dosimeter functions as a clock by switching modes. According to this configuration, it is not necessary to carry a wristwatch, so that portability is further improved. The function as a clock includes not only a simple time display function but also various functions attached to a digital clock, such as a magnet, an altimeter, and a barometer.

It is preferable that the dosimeter includes a sensor for quantitatively detecting radiation, a display unit, and a control unit for displaying the radiation amount detected by the sensor on the display unit. According to this configuration, the individual's current exposure dose, that is, the radiation dose of the environment in which the individual is located is detected in real time. Further, since a developing operation and a charging operation are not required, the operation is easy.

The dosimeter preferably has a built-in storage unit for accumulating and storing the radiation dose detected by the sensor. Further, it is preferable that the control unit displays the integrated amount of radiation stored in the storage unit on the display unit by switching modes. According to this configuration, not only the exposure amount at the present time but also the cumulative exposure amount from the start of use to the present time is detected.

It is preferable that the control unit compares the radiation dose detected by the sensor and / or the integrated value of the radiation dose with a preset reference value and issues an alarm when the reference value is exceeded. . According to this configuration, it is possible to quickly detect radioactive contamination and exposure that exceed the allowable limit. The transmission of the alarm may be performed by display such as blinking or may be performed by voice, or both.

The dosimeter preferably has a configuration capable of transmitting the radiation dose detected by the sensor and / or the integrated value of the radiation dose to a computer connected to the dosimeter. According to this configuration, the amount of exposure of an individual is managed by a computer in a comprehensive manner, and the data management of the amount of exposure is simple and accurate, and the degree of use of the data is increased.

The display may be not only a numerical value display of the dose but also a bar graph display or a combination display of both. Color display using a color liquid crystal or the like is also possible. The bar graph display is convenient for displaying a change over time in the radiation dose and the integrated value thereof. The color display is convenient for displaying the radiation dose and the allowable limit of the integrated value. For example, an area far from the allowable limit is displayed in blue, an area close to the allowable limit is displayed in yellow, and an area exceeding the allowable limit is displayed in red.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is an external view of a portable dosimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the dosimeter, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are flowcharts of software executed by a microcomputer built in the dosimeter. It is.

The portable dosimeter according to the embodiment of the present invention comprises:
As shown in FIG. 1, a dosimeter 10 having a shape and a size similar to the body of a wristwatch, and a band 20 attached to the dosimeter 10 for fixing the dosimeter to an arm.

The dosimeter 10 has two display units 11a and 11b made of liquid crystal. Upper display unit 11a
Indicates the radiation dose, and the lower display section 11b indicates the time. A plurality of switches 12 a and 12 for performing mode switching, time operation and the like are provided on the outer peripheral portion of the dosimeter body 10.
b .. are provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, inside the dosimeter 10, a sensor 13 for detecting a radiation dose, a microcomputer 14 for controlling the dosimeter body 10, and a memory 15 are provided.
And an IC 16 for a digital wristwatch.
The microcomputer 14 controls the display unit 11a and the IC 16 by performing predetermined signal processing based on signals from the switches 12a, 12b,.
Signals are exchanged with the memory 15. The microcomputer 14 can be connected to a personal computer 30.

The sensor 13 quantitatively detects at least one of X-rays, α-rays, β-rays, γ-rays, and neutron rays, and is preferably a semiconductor sensor. The semiconductor sensor is a reverse-biased PN junction diode that produces a pulse current proportional to the energy of the incident radiation.
The silicon surface barrier type semiconductor sensor can detect α-rays and β-rays.

Next, the software executed by the microcomputer 14 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

In the normal mode, the microcomputer 14 repeats the routine shown in FIG. That is, the quantitative data (dose data) of the radiation output from the sensor 13 is taken in at predetermined time intervals as environmental dose data (S1). The acquired environmental dose data is compared with a reference value, and if it exceeds the reference value, an alarm is issued (S2, S3). If it does not exceed the reference value, the environmental dose data is integrated, and the integrated value is given to the memory 15 as the cumulative exposure amount to update the cumulative exposure amount (S
4). In addition, the cumulative exposure amount is compared with a reference value, and if it exceeds the reference value, an alarm is issued (S5, S6). The reference value is set by the selective operation of the switches 12a, 12b. The notification of the alarm is performed by audio output means (not shown).

The microcomputer 14 executes the selection mode shown in FIG. 4 in parallel with the normal mode. In this selection mode, the dose mode 1, the dose mode 2, and the transmission mode are selected by the selective operation of the switches 12a, 12b,..., And the mode selection as a normal clock is performed.

When the dose mode 1 is selected, the microcomputer 1
4 displays the current dose data on the display unit 11a (S1 to S3). Thereby, the current radiation dose, in other words, the radiation dose in the environment around the user is clarified. When the dose mode 2 is selected, the microcomputer 14 takes in the accumulated exposure amount from the memory 15 and displays it on the display 11a (S4, S5). This will reveal the cumulative exposure of the user. When the transmission mode is selected, the microcomputer 14 sequentially transmits the current dose data and the accumulated radiation dose to the connected personal computer 30 (S6, S7). As a result, various data processing using the dose data and the cumulative exposure amount can be performed.

When the mode selection as a clock is performed, the signal is given to the IC 16. The IC 16 controls the display unit 11b based on the signal. Thus, a display as a normal wristwatch, for example, a time display, a time set display, a stopwatch display, and the like are performed.

In the above embodiment, the dosimeter and the digital clock are combined. However, only the dosimeter may be used, or a multifunction type having various functions associated with the digital clock may be used.

[0029]

As described above, the portable dosimeter according to the present invention is of a wristwatch type, so that ordinary people can carry it without any difficulty on a daily basis. Therefore, the exposure control of individuals, including ordinary people, can be performed easily and accurately.

Further, the present exposure amount, that is, the radiation amount in the environment where the user is located can be detected in a simple operation such as a mode switching operation and in real time.

Further, it is possible to easily detect the cumulative exposure amount from the start of use to the present time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a portable dosimeter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of electrical components of the dosimeter.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of software (normal mode) executed by a microcomputer built in the dosimeter.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of software (selection mode) executed by the microcomputer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Dosimeter 11a, 11b Display part 12a, 12b Switch 13 Sensor 14 Microcomputer 15 Memory 16 Watch IC 20 Band 30 Personal computer

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A portable dosimeter for measuring a radiation dose carried by an individual for the purpose of managing the exposure of the individual, which is mounted on an arm using a wristband like a wristwatch and detects the radiation dose. A portable dosimeter characterized by comprising a dosimeter for displaying information. 2. The portable dosimeter according to claim 1, wherein the dosimeter functions also as a clock by switching modes. 3. The dosimeter includes a sensor for quantitatively detecting radiation, a display unit, and a control unit for displaying a radiation dose detected by the sensor on the display unit. The portable dosimeter according to claim 1 or 2, which performs the measurement. 4. The portable dosimeter according to claim 3, wherein the dosimeter has a built-in storage unit that accumulates and stores the radiation dose detected by the sensor. 5. The portable dosimeter according to claim 4, wherein the control unit displays the integrated value of the radiation dose stored in the storage unit on a display unit by switching modes. 6. The control unit may transmit an alarm when a radiation amount detected by a sensor and / or an integrated value of the radiation amount exceeds a reference value as compared with a preset reference value. The portable dosimeter according to claim 4 or 5, wherein: