Development of a wireless multisensor active personal dosimeter-tablet system

Abstract

Medical staff who perform interventional radiology face the risk of exposure to relatively high doses of primary radiation and scattered radiation emitted from patients’ bodies. For monitoring this exposure, we developed a wireless multisensor dosimeter that we named “Pocket Dose,” which provides real-time visualization of dose levels on an Android tablet screen. In this study, we investigate the characteristics of the energy and dose rates of the developed system comprising silicon PIN photodiode detectors, a signal transmitter, and a tablet for data display. The detection unit is equipped with two types of sensors: one for measuring low dose rates and the other for measuring high dose rates. In addition, four detectors are connected to the transmitter with a one-meter-long cable. These detectors are designed to measure the unequal radiation exposures at the chest, neck, and fingers of medical staff. The signals from the detectors transmit count information to the tablet using Bluetooth. The dose-rate linearities of the high-sensitivity and low-sensitivity sensors are confirmed to be less than 14.8 and 82.8 mSv/h, respectively. The system has great potential for energy correction using the energy spectra information. Using this system with wireless communication, real-time management of staff’s exposure becomes easy. Moreover, high expandability is expected since it uses a tablet.