A smart electronic personal dosemeter

A compact, smart electronic personal dosemeter for X and gamma radiation in the range of 60 keV to 1.3 MeV has been developed using a silicon diode semiconductor detector. The dosemeter is based on Atmel's 89C2051 micro-controller. It gives a 70dB audio alarm, when the accumulated radiation dose exceeds a preset value. A serial 4K byte serial EEPROM in the dosemeter holds the identification details of the person. Using a built-in real time clock, the accumulated dose is also stored along with date and time every half an hour in the EEPROM to provide information of high dose levels if and when they occur. A serial communication interface RS232C, at 1200 baud, is provided for entering user ID and the alarm value into the EEPROM and also for downloading stored dose data to a PC. The accumulated dose is displayed on a 6-digit LCD display and the unit covers a range of 1μSv to 999999μSv. The details of the hardware and software implementation are discussed. (author)