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Guardian Gen3 ArchitectureThe Generation Three or Gen3 architecture provides numerous key benefits for our clients. In hardware, firmware and software, Nucsafe's engineers have implemented a compelling product structure that is modular, rugged, compact and utilizes industry standard protocols that allows rapid development of mission specific platforms with only mechanical repackaging. Generation 3 is the foundation of the Smart Threads™ Architecture being used in a DoD JCTD as well as Nucsafe's commercial products. Our mechanical designs include proven waterproof, environmentally compliant, shock and vibration resistant and other specialized features based on MCNP, deterministic and fundamental principles models that match the physics to the design. Our electronics designs utilize surface mount technology with digital signal processing and an on-board ARM processor resulting in a totally digital bus for multiple detector and panel data aggregation in real world environments. Our hardware uses smart sensors, integrated detectors and electronics, that virtually eliminates electro-magnetic interference and susceptibility, contains all of the electronics to power and process the detector information and maintains its own data and calculations for calibration, operating parameters, serial number and other information enabling efficient service and state of health data. Our software provides our partners with a simple XML interface to their software with all of the low-level calculations available from Nucsafe's advanced radiation analysis algorithms. The result is the most advanced and compelling architecture ever available for radiation monitoring systems of all kinds. Smart SensorsOur hardware architecture utilizes a smart sensor concept that packages each radiation sensor with its associated electronics and an ARM processor to provide numerous benefits. Nucsafe has already completed development of smart sensors for NaI(Tl), BGO, CsI, PVT, La Halide for gamma detection and 3He, and 6Li glass detectors for neutron detection. In addition, our optical display interface, battery packs an, GPS electronics are also smart sensors. All of the electronics utilize highly miniaturized surface mount electronics. The circuit designs are implemented with digital signal processing (DSP) to provide the most flexible and optimal pulse processing from each smart sensor type. Some of the smart sensor architecture benefits include:
Neutron Smart SensorsFor the neutron detectors, Nucsafe offers 3He gas tubes and our neutron sensitive glass fiber technology that provides a solid-state alternative to conventional gas tube detectors. These 6Li scintillating glass fiber smart sensors are less susceptible to vibration often encountered in harsh real world environments such as ports, toll booths and borders where large heavy trucks induce road vibrations. These detectors are also designed to distribute the neutron sensitive atoms uniformly over the entire active area of the detector providing a more uniform response to the radiation, important when measuring large objects at larger standoff distances due to the increased geometric efficiency. 3He detectors are less expensive and provide good intrinsic efficiency for thermal neutrons. They may also be preferred when operating in very high gamma fields as they are less sensitive to gamma radiation than a solid state neutron detector. Nucsafe 3He smart sensors utilize a patent-pending Smart Suppressor™ DSP pulse processor that reduces microphonic response of pressurized gas tube detectors. Nucsafe is pleased to offer both detector types. Gamma Smart SensorsFor the gamma ray detectors, the choice between polyvinyl toluene (PVT) plastic scintillator and NaI(Tl) is based on cost and purpose. A smaller NaI detector can demonstrate improved sensitivity to PVT because the energy resolution is much better, providing improved signal to background particularly at higher energies. NaI detectors are required for Nucsafe’s optional nuclide identification capability. A 1024 channel MCA stores the data collected from a digital signal processing electronics chain and uploads the data every 50 ms to the Smart Sensor Peripheral (SSP) panel electronics board. When measuring large objects, the PVT plastic scintillator provides a larger geometric efficiency much the same as the neutron sensitive glass fibre does for neutron measurements. PVT is ideal for initial screening when only the presence or absence of radioactivity is needed. The design of these gamma ray detectors maximizes the sensitive volume of the detector and ensures uniformity of response over its active detection area. Our PVT electronics use a 256 channel MCA and provides up to 8 overlapping regions of interests (ROI) to separate the energies of the gamma rays, providing improved signal to background and enhanced sensitivities. Panel Electronics
The smart sensors are connected to a
single board processor that communicates to the sensors via RS-485 using an
industry standard time domain multiplexer array (TDMA) protocol and to the
outside world via TCP/IP. As a result multiple panels can be modular in design
and easily modified in the field. Moreover the internal design allows additional
or different smart sensors to be retrofitted with no change in the existing
infrastructure. The SSP can be provided with on-board Bluetooth, 802.11 and GPS
capability for wireless and mobil The electronics are integrated into the NEMA4 or NEMA4X weatherproof enclosure and can communicate to a host computer via Ethernet. The electronics are DC-powered and provide pulse processing electronics, calculations and communication for each of the RPMs. Data from each RPM can be polled as frequently as every 50 msec, providing over sampling of the radiation data for fast moving vehicles.
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