Multi-Angle Sensor Unit for Electron Beam Sterilization Dose Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sterilization systems using electron beams struggle to maintain constant dose delivery, especially for complex containers with undercuts and varying distances from the electron beam, leading to inconsistent sterilization results due to differences in kinetic energy and deflection of electrons at different angles.
Innovation Solution
A device with a sensor unit comprising multiple independent sensor devices positioned to detect charge carriers at various angles relative to the exit window, allowing for multi-dimensional measurement and monitoring of the electron cloud, ensuring accurate dose measurement and sterilization effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a single sensor device is used to measure electron current, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision deteriorates due to inability to account for angular variations in electron cloud distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor unit is divided into multiple independent sensor devices (first sensor device and second sensor device), each measuring electron current from different angular positions. This segmentation allows independent measurement of electron cloud distribution at various angles, thereby improving dose measurement accuracy without requiring a single complex sensor to handle all angular variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement system transitions from a single-point measurement to multi-dimensional measurement by adding angular dimension. The first sensor device measures at a first angle and the second sensor device measures at a second angle, creating a multi-dimensional measurement space that captures the angular distribution of the electron cloud, thus improving measurement precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If electron beam is used for sterilization of complex containers with varying distances, then the productivity is improved, but the manufacturing precision deteriorates due to inconsistent kinetic energy and deflection at different angles
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple sensor devices provide feedback information about electron cloud distribution at different angles. This feedback is used to monitor and control the electron beam parameters, ensuring consistent dose delivery to complex container geometries with varying distances from the beam source, thereby maintaining sterilization precision without sacrificing productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system monitors and adjusts electron beam parameters based on measurements from multiple sensor devices. By changing parameters such as acceleration voltage and beam current to compensate for angular variations and distance differences, the system maintains consistent kinetic energy and deflection characteristics, ensuring uniform sterilization dose across complex container shapes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables precise monitoring and control of the electron cloud, ensuring consistent sterilization across complex container geometries by independently measuring electron currents at different angles, thereby maintaining the required dose and ensuring effective sterilization.
Implementation Method 1
a charge carrier generation device (2) which generates charge carriers and an acceleration device (4), which accelerates the charge carriers in a predetermined direction
Implementation Method 2
sensor devices, independently of one another, record measured values that are characteristic of the charge carriers emerging from the exit window
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
The device has a charge carrier generation unit which generates charge carriers. An acceleration device accelerates the charge carriers within housing. An exit window makes the charge carriers to escape out of the housing. A sensor unit (20) has a sensor device to capture charge carriers passing in one direction from the exit window, and another sensor device to detect the charge carriers passing in other direction of the exit window. The sensor devices independently detect measured values of the charge carriers as characteristic of the charge carriers from the exit window. An independent claim is included for a method for the sterilization of containers.