James E Jessup

US Patent:

7064337, Jun 20, 2006

Filed:

Apr 8, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/410128

Inventors:

Mark S. Rowland - Alamo CA, US
Douglas E. Howard - Livermore CA, US
James L. Wong - Dublin CA, US
James L. Jessup - Tracy CA, US
Greg M. Bianchini - Livermore CA, US
Wayne O. Miller - Livermore CA, US

Assignee:

The Regents of the University of California - Oakland CA

International Classification:

G01T 1/24

US Classification:

25037015, 25037003

Abstract:

A portable gamma ray detection apparatus having a gamma ray detector encapsulated by a compact isolation structure having at least two volumetrically-nested enclosures where at least one is a thermal shield. The enclosures are suspension-mounted to each other to successively encapsulate the detector without structural penetrations through the thermal shields. A low power cooler is also provided capable of cooling the detector to cryogenic temperatures without consuming cryogens, due to the heat load reduction by the isolation structure and the reduction in the power requirements of the cooler. The apparatus also includes a lightweight portable power source for supplying power to the apparatus, including to the cooler and the processing means, and reducing the weight of the apparatus to enable handheld operation or toting on a user's person.

US Patent:

7285784, Oct 23, 2007

Filed:

Apr 19, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/828010

Inventors:

Mark S. Rowland - Alamo CA, US
Douglas E. Howard - Livermore CA, US
James L. Wong - Dublin CA, US
James L. Jessup - Tracy CA, US
Greg M. Bianchini - Livermore CA, US
Wayne O. Miller - Livermore CA, US

Assignee:

The Regents of the University of California - Oakland CA

International Classification:

G01T 1/24

US Classification:

25037015, 2503361, 2503581, 376159

Abstract:

A real-time method and computer system for identifying radioactive materials which collects gamma count rates from a HPGe gamma-radiation detector to produce a high-resolution gamma-ray energy spectrum. A library of nuclear material definitions (“library definitions”) is provided, with each uniquely associated with a nuclide or isotope material and each comprising at least one logic condition associated with a spectral parameter of a gamma-ray energy spectrum. The method determines whether the spectral parameters of said high-resolution gamma-ray energy spectrum satisfy all the logic conditions of any one of the library definitions, and subsequently uniquely identifies the material type as that nuclide or isotope material associated with the satisfied library definition. The method is iteratively repeated to update the spectrum and identification in real time.