Radiation dosimeter disassembly, assembly and reading apparatuses and methods

摘要

Disclosed is a radiation dosimeter reading apparatus designed to disassemble, reposition, read, and reasemble radiation dosimeter badges. The dosimeter reading apparatus includes a dosimeter badge chuck assembly which engages a dosimeter badge in an infeed dosimeter badge holder. The chuck assembly engages the dosimeter badge using a set of tamper element prongs which depress a tamper ring which forms part of the dosimeter badge. The depression of the badge tamper ring releases a locking ring which also forms part of the dosimeter badge. Once the locking ring is freed, then another set of prongs on the chuck assembly are rotated to route the locking ring of the badge and thereby release a disk-shaped dosimeter badge insert. The chuck assembly is further adapted to grasp the released insert by contracting the tamper element prongs inwardly against the perphery of the disk-shaped insert to hold the inset on the chuck assembly. The chuck assembly then is carried with the removed badge insert on a chuck positioning mechanism which places inside of the dosimeter insert adjacent to a laser reading arrangement which stimulates the dosimeters with a laser beam and measures the amount of luminescent energy stored in the dosimeters held on the badge. After reading the badge is reassembled by inserting the disk-shaped badge insert into the remaining portions of the dosimeter badge and rotating the locking ring with the chuck assembly locking prongs thereby sealing the insert and badge case together. The invention also includes methods for assembly, disassembly and reading of dosimeter badges.