The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 03, 1989
Filed:
May. 05, 1987
William E Simon, Satellite Beach, FL (US);
Thomas L Powers, Indian Harbor Beach, FL (US);
Glenn W Ernsberger, Melbourne, FL (US);
Sun Nuclear Corporation, Melbourne, FL (US);
Abstract
A low-cost radon detector using a solid state diode having a depletion layer disposed close enough to a test medium that alpha particles deposit their energy in the depletion layer. The signal produced by the diode is amplified and pulses are discriminated for levels over a threshold typical of pulse levels produced by radioactive decay of radon daughters on the surface of the sensor. More than one amplifier and threshold detector are provided, and the sensor can have plural solid state diodes. Pulses occurring exclusively on one channel are counted and pulses occurring in coincidence on more than one channel are ignored as instances of transient disturbance. A conductive enclosure around the sensor element can be biased to force radon daughter ions to plate out the sensor, whereupon decay of the daughters produces pulses falling closely into pulse height ranges well above the noise threshold. Pulse counts and time lapse are monitored both long term and short term.