Patent EA-001795-B1 (EA)
Title: Directional radiation detector and imager
Inventor: KRONENBERG STANLEY
IPC: G01T1/00
Filed: 1997-05-21
Abstract: 1. A directional radiation detector comprising: means sensitive to radiation, shielding elements are placed on opposite sides of said detector, the elements are made of a material having an atomic numbers which are different such that when radiation is incident to the detector, there is a difference in forward and backward emissions of electrons from the different sides of the detector, means to detect a signal from the means sensitive to radiation. 2. The detector of claim 1 further comprising means to rotate the detector. 3. The detector of claim 2 wherein the means sensitive to radiation is a Geiger Muller counter. 4. The detector of claim 3 wherein the Geiger Mueller counter has at least two sides which are permeable to radiation. 5. The detector of claim 4 wherein the at least two sides of the Geiger Mueller counter are 2.8 mg/cm<2> thick. 6. The detector of claim 2 wherein the means sensitive to radiation is a scintillation counter. 7. The detector of claim 2 wherein the means sensitive to radiation is a solid state counter. 8. The detector of claim 2 wherein one of the shielding elements is made of plastic and the other element is made of high atomic number material. 9. The detector of claim 2 further comprising means to calculate the direction of a maximum number of signals from the means to detect a signal. 10. A directional radiation detector comprising: at least two means sensitive to radiation, shielding elements are placed on opposite sides of each means, the elements are made of a material having an atomic numbers which are different such that when radiation is incident to the detector, there is a difference in forward and backward emissions of electrons from the different sides of the detector, means to detect a signal from the at least two means sensitive to radiation. 11. The detector of claim 10 further comprising means to rotate the detector. 12. The detector of claim 11 wherein the means sensitive to radiation is a Geiger Mueller counter. 13. The detector of claim 12 wherein the Geiger Mueller counter has at least two sides which are permeable to radiation. 14. The detector of claim 13 wherein the at least two sides of the Geiger Mueller counter 2.8 mg/cm<2> thick. 15. The detector of claim 11 wherein the means sensitive to radiation is a scintillation counter. 16. The detector of claim 11 wherein the means sensitive to radiation is a solid state counter. 17. The detector of claim 11 wherein one of each of the shielding element is made of plastic and the other of each of the shielding element is made of a high atomic number material. 18. The detector of claim 11 further comprising means to calculate the direction of a maximum number of signals from the means to detect a signal. 19. A radiation imager comprising:  at least two means sensitive to radiation, each means having at least a first and second side;  at least two regions of material having a first atomic number and disposed on each of the first sides of the means sensitive to radiation; at least two regions of material having a second atomic number which is different from that of the atomic number of the first region of material and disposed on each of the second sides of the means sensitive to radiation; wherein the first and second atomic numbers of the first and second regions of each means sensitive to radiation are sufficiently different such that when radiation is incident to the detector, there is a difference in forward and backward emissions of electrons between the first and second regions; means to detect a signal from the at least two means sensitive to radiation; means to rotate the imager; and  means to calculate a first derivative of signals detected from the means to detect a signal and an angle of rotation of the imager.