Patent ID: 7465925

Claim:
A personal radiation detector comprising: at least one ionizing radiation scintillation sensor for generating analog impulses representative of a detected radiation in an environment; a converter connected to the sensor for converting the impulses to digital signals; a microcontroller connected to the converter to receive the digital signals therefrom; a nonvolatile memory connected to the microcontroller for data arrangement and command set, an alarm device connected to the microcontroller for emitting warning signal in response to the detected radiation exceeding a preset level; a power supply connected to the microcontroller for energizing the microcontroller; a housing enclosing the sensor, the converter, the memory, the microcontroller, and the power supply, the housing having a form factor that substantially fits in a human palm; and an interface for connecting the microcontroller with a computer, wherein the detector can operate autonomously and without being connected to the computer, and wherein, when connected to the computer, the detector acts as a plug-and-play device.