SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTEGRATING EXPLOSIVE DETECTION SYSTEMS
First Claim
1. A method of detecting a type of threat in a scannable object, the method comprising:
- scanning the scannable object in its entirety in a first threat detection apparatus;
identifying, from an image of the scannable object, a suspect region in the scannable object;
scanning only the suspect region of the scannable object in a second threat detection apparatus;
combining and statistically processing preliminary risk value data generated by the first threat detection apparatus with present risk value data generated by the second threat detection apparatus; and
outputting final risk value data indicative of a presence or absence of at least one of a targeted material and a targeted object in the suspect region.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An integrated detection system that includes a first threat detection apparatus and a second threat detection apparatus is provided. The first threat detection apparatus may identify one or more areas within an item of baggage that may contain threats. Example threats include, but are not limited to, explosives, weapons, illegal drugs, and hazardous matter, among others. The remaining areas are in theory deemed clear of threats. The second threat detection apparatus may be configured to inspect only the suspect areas of the item of baggage that was previously identified by the first threat detection apparatus. This improves throughput and lowers the false positive rate. A method for intelligently fusing the independent information obtained by the first and second threat detection apparatuses is also provided.
14 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method of detecting a type of threat in a scannable object, the method comprising:
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scanning the scannable object in its entirety in a first threat detection apparatus; identifying, from an image of the scannable object, a suspect region in the scannable object; scanning only the suspect region of the scannable object in a second threat detection apparatus; combining and statistically processing preliminary risk value data generated by the first threat detection apparatus with present risk value data generated by the second threat detection apparatus; and outputting final risk value data indicative of a presence or absence of at least one of a targeted material and a targeted object in the suspect region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 19, 20)
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9. An integrated threat detection system, comprising:
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a first threat detection apparatus configured to; scan a scannable object in its entirety, identify a suspect region in an image of the scannable object, and generate preliminary risk value data; and a second threat detection apparatus configured to; scan only the suspect region of the scannable object, generate present risk value data based on said preliminary risk value data, combine and statistically process preliminary risk value data generated by the first threat detection apparatus with present risk value data generated by the second threat detection apparatus, and output final risk value data indicative of a presence or absence of one of a targeted material and a targeted object in the suspect region. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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14. A method of detecting a type of threat in a scannable object, the method comprising the steps of:
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obtaining first threat analysis data from an entire scan of the scannable object by a first threat detection apparatus, wherein said first threat analysis data includes preliminary risk value data that includes at least one of substance and first shape threat probability data for one or more threat categories; obtaining second threat analysis data from a scan of only a suspect region of the suspect object by the second threat detection apparatus, wherein said second threat analysis data includes present risk value data that includes at least one of density and second shape threat probability data for the one or more threat categories; combining and statistically processing at least the preliminary risk value data and the present risk value data using a Bayesian likelihood function; and outputting final risk value data, wherein said final risk value data includes final threat probability data indicative of an actual presence or absence of the type of threat in the scannable object. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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21. An apparatus configured to detect a threat in a scannable object, the apparatus comprising:
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an advanced technology (AT) scanner having dual-energy x-ray source/detector pairs, wherein the AT scanner is configured to obtain first threat analysis data from a scan of the entire scannable object, wherein said first threat analysis data includes preliminary risk value data that includes at least one of substance and first shape threat probability data for one or more threat categories; and a computed tomography (CT) scanner having at least one x-ray source/detector pair mounted to a rotatable gantry, wherein the CT scanner is further configured to scan only a suspect region of the scannable object, wherein the CT scanner is further configured to obtain second threat analysis data from a scan of only the second suspect region of the suspect object, wherein said second threat analysis data includes present risk value data that includes at least one of density and second shape threat probability data for the one or more threat categories, wherein the CT scanner is further configured to combine and statistically process at least the preliminary risk value data and the present risk value data using a Bayesian likelihood function, and wherein the CT scanner is further configured to output final risk value data that includes final threat probability data indicative of one of an actual presence and an absence of the type of threat in the scannable object. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification