Patents by Inventor Edward Newman
Edward Newman has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20200037635Abstract: A system of particle detectors can determine the location of a source without rotations or iterations. Embodiments of the system may include a middle detector flanked by two side detector panels, without shields or collimators. The middle detector may be positioned toward the front and orthogonal to the side detectors. By comparing a ratio of the detector data to a predetermined angular correlation function, the system can determine both the sign and magnitude of the source angle in real-time. Embodiments of the system can rapidly and automatically localize sources including industrial, medical, and other benign sources as well as nuclear and radiological weapons materials, whether in vehicles or cargo containers, and can provide improved sensitivity in walk-through personnel portal applications, enable enhanced detection of hidden weapons by a mobile area scanner, and enable a hand-held survey meter that indicates the radiation level as well as the location of the source of radiation.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 4, 2019Publication date: February 6, 2020Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Patent number: 10551513Abstract: A device configured to detect particles from a radioactive source can localize the source in two dimension, such as the azimuthal and polar angles of the source. Embodiments of the device may comprise a hollow cylindrical or tubular array of “side” detector panels, plus a “central” detector positioned within the array, with no shield or collimator. The various side detector counting rates can indicate the azimuthal angle of the source, while the polar angle can be determined by a ratio of the side detector data divided by the central detector data. Embodiments of the directional detector device can provide greatly improved inspections, thereby detecting clandestine nuclear and radiological weapons, or other sources that are to be localized, rapidly and precisely.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2019Date of Patent: February 4, 2020Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Patent number: 10551514Abstract: A large-area directional radiation detection system may include a large number of slab-shaped detectors stacked side-by-side comprising alternate long and short detectors, where the long detectors are longitudinally longer than the short detectors. The long detectors may collimate or restrict the lateral field of view of the short detectors, so that a particular short detector that is aligned with the source has an unobstructed view of the source. By comparing detection distributions in the long and short detectors, a processor can determine the angular position and distance of a source. The high detection efficiency and large solid angle of the detector array may enable rapid detection of even well-shielded threat sources at substantial distances, while simultaneously determining the positions of any sources detected.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2019Date of Patent: February 4, 2020Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Patent number: 10520609Abstract: A system of particle detectors can determine the location of a source without rotations or iterations. Embodiments of the system may comprise a middle detector flanked by two shield plates, with two side detector panels exterior to the shields. The middle detector may be positioned toward the front and orthogonal to the side detectors. By comparing a ratio of the detector data to a predetermined angular correlation function, the system can determine both the sign and magnitude of the source angle in real-time. Embodiments of the system can rapidly and automatically localize sources including nuclear and radiological weapons materials, whether in vehicles or cargo containers, and can provide improved sensitivity in walk-through personnel portal applications, enable enhanced detection of hidden weapons by a mobile area scanner, and enable a hand-held survey meter that indicates the radiation level as well as the location of the source of radiation.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2019Date of Patent: December 31, 2019Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Patent number: 10481279Abstract: A large-area directional radiation detection system may include a large number of slab-shaped detectors stacked side-by-side and alternately displaced frontward and rearward, thereby providing a longitudinally-staggered array of protruding and recessed detectors. The protruding detectors collimate or restrict the lateral field of view of the recessed detectors, thereby enabling the angular position and distance of a source to be determined. The high detection efficiency and large solid angle of the staggered detector array enable rapid detection of even well-shielded threat sources at substantial distances, while simultaneously determining the positions of any sources detected. This detector array will be essential for guarding against clandestine delivery of nuclear materials in the coming century.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2018Date of Patent: November 19, 2019Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Patent number: 10444385Abstract: A system of particle detectors can determine the location of a source without rotations or iterations. Embodiments of the system may include a middle detector flanked by two side detector panels, without shields or collimators. The middle detector may be positioned toward the front and orthogonal to the side detectors. By comparing a ratio of the detector data to a predetermined angular correlation function, the system can determine both the sign and magnitude of the source angle in real-time. Embodiments of the system can rapidly and automatically localize sources including industrial, medical, and other benign sources as well as nuclear and radiological weapons materials, whether in vehicles or cargo containers, and can provide improved sensitivity in walk-through personnel portal applications, enable enhanced detection of hidden weapons by a mobile area scanner, and enable a hand-held survey meter that indicates the radiation level as well as the location of the source of radiation.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 2019Date of Patent: October 15, 2019Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Patent number: 10416322Abstract: A device for determining the location of a source of radiation, based on data acquired at a single orientation of the device without iteration or rotations. Embodiments may comprise two side detector panels positioned closely parallel to each other and adjacent to each other, plus a front detector positioned orthogonally in front of the side detectors, without collimators or shields. The various detectors have contrasting angular sensitivities, so that a predetermined angular correlation function can determine the sign and magnitude of the source angle according to the detection rates of the front and side detectors. Embodiments enable rapid detection and localization of nuclear and radiological weapon materials for greatly improved inspection of cargo containers and personnel. Advanced detectors such as those disclosed herein will be needed in the coming decades to protect against clandestine weapon transport.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2018Date of Patent: September 17, 2019Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Patent number: 10416318Abstract: A large-area directional radiation detection system useful in detecting shielded radiological weapons may include a large number of prism-shaped detectors stacked in a two-dimensional array of particle detectors in which alternate detectors are displaced frontward and rearward in, for example, a checkerboard-type arrangement of detectors. If a source of radiation is in front of the array, the frontward detectors act as collimators for the rearward detectors, thereby producing a narrow detection peak among the rearward detectors. The lateral position of the detection peak indicates the lateral position of the source, and the width of the detection peak indicates the distance of the source from the detector array, thereby providing a three-dimensional determination of the source location.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 2019Date of Patent: September 17, 2019Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Patent number: 10401506Abstract: A system of particle detectors can determine the location of a source without rotations or iterations. Embodiments of the system may comprise a middle detector flanked by two shield plates, with two side detector panels exterior to the shields. The middle detector may be positioned toward the front and orthogonal to the side detectors. By comparing a ratio of the detector data to a predetermined angular correlation function, the system can determine both the sign and magnitude of the source angle in real-time. Embodiments of the system can rapidly and automatically localize sources including nuclear and radiological weapons materials, whether in vehicles or cargo containers, and can provide improved sensitivity in walk-through personnel portal applications, enable enhanced detection of hidden weapons by a mobile area scanner, and enable a hand-held survey meter that indicates the radiation level as well as the location of the source of radiation.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2018Date of Patent: September 3, 2019Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Patent number: 10401510Abstract: The invention is a gamma ray detector that locates a source, both horizontally and vertically. The detector comprises a tubular shield surrounded by scintillator panels. Gammas incident from one side can fully strike the scintillator facing the source, but are blocked from reaching the scintillators on the opposite side of the shield. The scintillator counting rates thus indicate the lateral direction of the source. By iteratively rotating toward the highest-counting scintillator, the detector converges to the source. An additional, central detector can be mounted within the tubular shield. When analyzed with the outer scintillators, the central detector determines the overall angular separation between the source and the detector axis, thereby locating the source in two dimensions automatically. The invention enables rapid detection and precise localization of clandestine nuclear and radiological weapons, despite shielding and clutter obfuscation, while quickly passing clean loads.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2018Date of Patent: September 3, 2019Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Patent number: 10371837Abstract: A neutron detector that indicates the direction toward a neutron source. The detector is a proton-recoil type of detector, in which two different scintillators are positioned on both sides of a hydrogenous target. Proton recoil signals from the two scintillators indicate whether neutrons arrive from the left, right, or center relative to the detector alignment. Surprisingly high precision can be obtained by orienting the detector so that the counting rates in the two scintillators are equal, at which point the target layer is directly aligned with the source. Disclosed are thick and thin target configurations, versions for discriminating pulses from the two scintillators, options for assembling a multi-detector stack and array, and multiple analysis procedures for optimally locating the neutron source.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2017Date of Patent: August 6, 2019Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Patent number: 10330804Abstract: A device for determining the location of a source of radiation, based on data acquired at a single orientation of the device without iteration or rotations. Embodiments may comprise two side detector panels flanking a shield layer, plus a front detector positioned orthogonally in front of the side detectors. The various detectors thereby have contrasting angular sensitivities, so that a predetermined angular correlation function can determine the sign and magnitude of the source angle according to the detection rates. Rapid detection and localization of nuclear and radiological weapon materials enables greatly improved inspection of cargo containers and personnel. Advanced detectors such as those disclosed herein will be needed in the coming decades to protect against clandestine weapon transport.Type: GrantFiled: September 13, 2018Date of Patent: June 25, 2019Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Patent number: 10302777Abstract: Disclosed is a directional gamma ray or neutron detector that locates a source both horizontally and vertically. In some embodiments, the detector comprises four “rod” scintillators around a shield, and an orthogonal “panel” scintillator mounted frontward of the rod scintillators. The azimuthal angle of the source may be calculated according to the detection rates of the rod scintillators, while the polar angle of the source may be calculated from the panel scintillator rate using a predetermined angular correlation function. Thus, the exact location of the source can be found from a single data set without iterative rotations. Embodiments of the detector enable rapid detection and precise localization of clandestine nuclear and radiological weapons in applications ranging from hand-held survey meters and walk-through portals, to vehicle cargo inspection stations and mobile area scanners. Such detectors are needed to detect clandestine nuclear weapons worldwide.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 2018Date of Patent: May 28, 2019Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Patent number: 10261200Abstract: A device configured to detect particles from a radioactive source can localize the source in two dimension, such as the azimuthal and polar angles of the source. Embodiments of the device may comprise a hollow cylindrical or tubular array of “side” detector panels, plus a “central” detector positioned within the array, with no shield or collimator. The various side detector counting rates can indicate the azimuthal angle of the source, while the polar angle can be determined by a ratio of the side detector data divided by the central detector data. Embodiments of the directional detector device can provide greatly improved inspections, thereby detecting clandestine nuclear and radiological weapons, or other sources that are to be localized, rapidly and precisely.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 2018Date of Patent: April 16, 2019Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Publication number: 20190107635Abstract: Disclosed is a directional gamma ray or neutron detector that locates a source both horizontally and vertically. In some embodiments, the detector comprises four “rod” scintillators around a shield, and an orthogonal “panel” scintillator mounted frontward of the rod scintillators. The azimuthal angle of the source may be calculated according to the detection rates of the rod scintillators, while the polar angle of the source may be calculated from the panel scintillator rate using a predetermined angular correlation function. Thus, the exact location of the source can be found from a single data set without iterative rotations. Embodiments of the detector enable rapid detection and precise localization of clandestine nuclear and radiological weapons in applications ranging from hand-held survey meters and walk-through portals, to vehicle cargo inspection stations and mobile area scanners. Such detectors are needed to detect clandestine nuclear weapons worldwide.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 24, 2018Publication date: April 11, 2019Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Patent number: 10191160Abstract: A large-area directional radiation detection system may include a large number of slab-shaped detectors stacked side-by-side and alternately displaced frontward and rearward, thereby providing a longitudinally-staggered array of protruding and recessed detectors. The protruding detectors collimate or restrict the lateral field of view of the recessed detectors, thereby enabling the angular position and distance of a source to be determined. The high detection efficiency and large solid angle of the staggered detector array enable rapid detection of even well-shielded threat sources at substantial distances, while simultaneously determining the positions of any sources detected. This detector array will be essential for guarding against clandestine delivery of nuclear materials in the coming century.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2018Date of Patent: January 29, 2019Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Publication number: 20180321399Abstract: The invention is a gamma ray detector that locates a source, both horizontally and vertically. The detector comprises a tubular shield surrounded by scintillator panels. Gammas incident from one side can fully strike the scintillator facing the source, but are blocked from reaching the scintillators on the opposite side of the shield. The scintillator counting rates thus indicate the lateral direction of the source. By iteratively rotating toward the highest-counting scintillator, the detector converges to the source. An additional, central detector can be mounted within the tubular shield. When analyzed with the outer scintillators, the central detector determines the overall angular separation between the source and the detector axis, thereby locating the source in two dimensions automatically. The invention enables rapid detection and precise localization of clandestine nuclear and radiological weapons, despite shielding and clutter obfuscation, while quickly passing clean loads.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 30, 2018Publication date: November 8, 2018Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Patent number: 10101472Abstract: Disclosed is a directional gamma ray or neutron detector that locates a source both horizontally and vertically. In some embodiments, the detector comprises four “rod” scintillators around a shield, and an orthogonal “panel” scintillator mounted frontward of the rod scintillators. The azimuthal angle of the source may be calculated according to the detection rates of the rod scintillators, while the polar angle of the source may be calculated from the panel scintillator rate using a predetermined angular correlation function. Thus, the exact location of the source can be found from a single data set without iterative rotations. Embodiments of the detector enable rapid detection and precise localization of clandestine nuclear and radiological weapons in applications ranging from hand-held survey meters and walk-through portals, to vehicle cargo inspection stations and mobile area scanners. Such detectors are needed to detect clandestine nuclear weapons worldwide.Type: GrantFiled: May 8, 2018Date of Patent: October 16, 2018Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Patent number: 10024985Abstract: The invention is a gamma ray detector that locates a source, both horizontally and vertically. The detector comprises a tubular shield surrounded by scintillator panels. Gammas incident from one side can fully strike the scintillator facing the source, but are blocked from reaching the scintillators on the opposite side of the shield. The scintillator counting rates thus indicate the lateral direction of the source. By iteratively rotating toward the highest-counting scintillator, the detector converges to the source. An additional, central detector can be mounted within the tubular shield. When analyzed with the outer scintillators, the central detector determines the overall angular separation between the source and the detector axis, thereby locating the source in two dimensions automatically. The invention enables rapid detection and precise localization of clandestine nuclear and radiological weapons, despite shielding and clutter obfuscation, while quickly passing clean loads.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2017Date of Patent: July 17, 2018Inventor: David Edward Newman
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Publication number: 20180172853Abstract: A neutron detector that indicates the direction toward a neutron source. The detector is a proton-recoil type of detector, in which two different scintillators are positioned on both sides of a hydrogenous target. Proton recoil signals from the two scintillators indicate whether neutrons arrive from the left, right, or center relative to the detector alignment. Surprisingly high precision can be obtained by orienting the detector so that the counting rates in the two scintillators are equal, at which point the target layer is directly aligned with the source. Disclosed are thick and thin target configurations, versions for discriminating pulses from the two scintillators, options for assembling a multi-detector stack and array, and multiple analysis procedures for optimally locating the neutron source.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 1, 2017Publication date: June 21, 2018Inventor: David Edward Newman