Radiation Measurement Device Dose Correction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Radiation measurement devices, particularly scintillation detectors, suffer from spectrum-peak spread issues that lead to inaccurate measurements at lower energy ranges, and energy characteristics vary among different detectors, causing distortion in energy compensation.

Innovation Solution

A radiation measurement device configuration that includes a scintillation detector with a measurement unit equipped with a pulse amplifier, A/D converter, and calculation units to generate wave height spectra, correct dose rates by applying correction coefficients based on standard resolution values, and compensate for energy characteristic distortions using correction coefficients.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a scintillation detector is used to measure radiation at environmental background levels, then detection sensitivity is improved, but spectrum-peak spread causes measurement accuracy to deteriorate at lower energy ranges

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection sensitivityVSAvoidmeasurement accuracy at lower energy
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing correction coefficients in a lookup table before actual measurement. The correction coefficients are computed based on the relationship between wave height spectrum channels and energy ranges, and this correction data is prepared in advance to compensate for spectrum-peak spread effects during measurement operations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes parameters by introducing correction coefficients that modify the raw measurement data. The correction coefficients are derived from the ratio of actual energy to indicated energy at each channel, and these coefficient values are applied to adjust the measured dose rates, thereby transforming the inaccurate measurements into accurate results

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Measurement precision

If wave height spectrum measurement is performed to compensate for energy characteristics, then energy characteristic compensation is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional correction calculations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenergy characteristic compensationVSAvoidcorrection calculation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent reduces complexity by performing the complex correction coefficient calculations in advance and storing them in a lookup table. During actual operation, the system only needs to retrieve pre-computed correction coefficients based on measured channel values, rather than performing complex real-time calculations, thereby simplifying the operational complexity while maintaining accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses copying by creating a lookup table that stores pre-computed correction coefficients. Instead of recalculating complex correction factors during each measurement, the system copies and applies the appropriate pre-stored coefficient values, which significantly reduces computational complexity while preserving the accuracy of energy characteristic compensation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

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

The solution provides a high-accuracy radiation measurement device with improved energy characteristics by correcting dose rates and compensating for distortions, especially at lower energy ranges, resulting in more accurate and consistent measurements across different detectors.

Implementation Method 1

a NaI(T1) scintillation detector or a CsI(Tl) scintillation detector is utilized; the measurement range thereof is from 10 nGy/h to 10 μGy/b or 10 nSv/h to 10 μSv/h and the detection sensitivity thereof is high

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectScintillation: Scintillation

Implementation Method 2

A bias voltage, a reverse voltage, is applied to a Si-PIN photodiode; an electron and a hole that are produced, for example, from a γ-ray that entered a depletion layer (I layer) are collected, respectively, by a cathode electrode (N-layer) to which a positive voltage is applied and by an anode electrode (P layer) to which a negative voltage is applied

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPhotoelectric Effect: Photoelectric Effect

Data Source

PatentEP3032282B1Radiation measuring device
Publication Date: 2021.03.17 MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP
  • EP3032282B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3032282B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3032282B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In a radiation measurement device in which respective wave height values of voltage pulses from a radiation detector are made to correspond to radiation energy values and a count that is the number of the voltage pulses is separately generated for each of a plurality of channels corresponding to the wave height values so that a wave height spectrum is generated and a dose of a radiation that has entered the radiation detector is calculated based on the wave height spectrum, based on a count in at least one channel, out of the plurality of channels, that includes a lower limit within a measurement range for the radiation energy value, a dose is corrected by calculating a portion thereof neglected as what is the same as or smaller than a measurement limit, so that a dose of a radiation that has entered the radiation detector is calculated.