High throughput baggage inspection system

• US 20080198967A1
• Filed: 02/06/2008
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leidos Security Detection & Automation Incorporated (Leidos Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: L-3 Communications Security and Detection Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Green, Paul, Connelly, James M., Nuttall, Joseph G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,720,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/57
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 5/22 Active interrogation, i.e. by irradiating objects or goods using external radiation sources, e.g. using gamma rays or cosmic rays

Abstract

A stand-alone inspection system operating reliably with high throughput. The system employs automated image analysis to distinguish between cleared items and suspicious items. Cleared items pass through the inspection system without stopping, but the system stops suspicious items at a predetermined location so that the alarmed items can be readily identified by an operator. The system also displays information on the items that allows an operator to confirm that the item in the predetermined location is an alarmed item. Rather than resolving the alarmed item with the system stopped, the operator records an indicia of the alarmed item and the alarmed item is removed for further inspection or other processing. The recorded indicia provides a tracking mechanism that ensures alarmed bags are resolved.

Claims

1. A method of inspecting a plurality of items, the method comprising:

a) in an active inspection area, obtaining data on each of the plurality of items;

b) automatically analyzing the data to identify an item of the plurality of items as a suspect item and identifying items of the plurality of items as cleared items;

c) on a conveyor segment, moving each of the plurality of items to a reference point outside the active inspection area; and

d) moving the cleared items past the reference point without stopping the conveyor, and stopping the conveyor segment when the suspect item reaches the reference point.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

e) recording an indicia of the suspect item while stopped at the reference point.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein recording an indicia comprises reading a barcode affixed to the suspect item.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

f) automatically moving the conveyor in response to the act e) of recording the indicia.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

e) displaying an image of each of the plurality items while the item is on the conveyor segment at the reference point.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

f) moving the suspect item to an inspection area; and

g) accessing the obtained data on the suspect item based on the recorded indicia.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the conveyor segment comprises a first conveyor segment;

the act a) of obtaining data on each of the plurality of items comprises moving the plurality of items through the active inspection area on a second conveyor segment; and

the method further comprises moving at least one item of the plurality of items through the active inspection area on the second conveyor segment while the first conveyor segment is stopped.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

e) displaying an image of each of the plurality of items while the item is at the reference point.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising, when the conveyor segment is stopped:

f) taking possession of the suspect item by an operator; and

g) in response to an indication that the operator has taken possession of the suspect item, resuming motion of the conveyor segment.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the act e) of displaying the image comprises displaying the image in a location visible to the operator observing the reference point.

11. An inspection system adapted to inspect a plurality of items, the inspection system comprising:

a) an inspection area having an exit;

b) a conveyor moving through the inspection area;

c) a display disposed adjacent the exit; and

d) a scanner disposed adjacent the exit, the scanner adapted to obtain identifying information from an item under inspection.

12. The inspection system of claim 11, wherein the scanner comprises a barcode reader.

13. The inspection system of claim 11, further comprising:

e) a position detector, disposed adjacent the exit, the position detector having an output indicating an item under inspection on the conveyor has reached a position.

14. The inspection system of claim 13, further comprising:

f) an x-ray scanner adapted to obtain data on an item in the inspection area;

g) an analyzer coupled to the x-ray scanner, the analyzer being adapted to automatically analyze the data of the item and to output an indication of whether the item contains a suspicious region; and

h) a controller, coupled to the analyzer and the position detector, the controller being adapted to control motion of the conveyor to stop the conveyor when an item under inspection is in the position if the analyzer indicates that the item contains a suspicious region.

15. The inspection system of claim 14, wherein the x-ray scanner forms a three dimensional representation of the item under inspection and the display displays a two dimensional representation of the item under inspection.

16. The inspection system of claim 15, wherein the display displays the representation of the item with an orientation matching the orientation of the item on the conveyor.

17. The inspection system of claim 16, wherein:

the conveyor comprises a first conveyor segment at the exit and a second conveyor segment within the inspection area, the first and second conveyor segments being independently controllable; and

the controller is adapted to move the second conveyor segment while the first conveyor segment is stopped.

18. A method of operating an inspection system comprising an active scanning region to inspect a plurality of items in a stream, the method comprising:

a) positioning items in the stream on a conveyor with a gap between adjacent items in the stream approximating the length of the active scanning region of the inspection area;

b) moving items in the stream on the conveyor through the active inspection area;

c) collecting data indicative of contents of each item in the stream as the item passes through the active inspection area to automatically identify an item in the stream as a suspicious item; and

d) in response to identifying a suspicious item, stopping the conveyor with the suspicious item and a preceding item in the stream positioned with the active scan region aligned with the gap between the suspicious item and the preceding item.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

e) analyzing data collected on the suspicious item to determine whether the suspicious item is cleared or alarmed; and

f) resuming the motion and inspection process of subsequent bag in response to a determination that the suspicious item is cleared.

20. A method of inspecting and controlling a plurality of items, the method comprising

a) moving the plurality of items through an inspection area towards a control area;

b) collecting data indicative of contents of each item as the plurality of items passes through the inspection area;

c) analyzing the data on each item to determine whether the item is an item of interest;

d) controlling the motion of the items such that

i) no item passes through the control area before analysis of data on the item is complete;

ii) when analysis of data on an item has been completed and the item has been found to be an item of interest, that item of interest does not exit the control area without positive indication from an operator that the operator is aware of the item'"'"'s status and is ready to remove the item from a stream of cleared items.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the positive indication is given by the operator pressing a button.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the positive indication is given by the operator pressing a softkey on a display.

23. A method of inspecting a plurality of items, the method comprising:

a) moving the plurality of items through an inspection area;

b) physically spacing the items such that a gap between items is effectively minimized but greater than or equal to the length of an active scanning region of the inspection area;

c) measuring the length of the items,

d) collecting data indicative of item content on each item as the plurality of items passes through the inspection area;

e) controlling movement of the items such that;

i) no item exits a control area before analysis of data collected on the item is complete;

ii) stopping movement of the items is coordinated to align the active scan region with the gap between items;

iii) the measured item lengths are used to allow additional items to be scanned if the items can be advanced to align the next gap with the active inspection area without advancing an item for which data analysis has not been completed exits the designated control area; and

f) analyzing the data collected to determine whether each item is of interest.

24. A method of manually verifying the tracking of a plurality of items being inspected, the method comprising:

a) moving the plurality of items through an inspection area;

b) collecting data on each item as the plurality of items passes through the inspection area;

c) displaying the data collected on each item near the exit of the inspection area such that the data displayed is correlated in time to when the physical item corresponding to the data is passing the display point; and

d) verifying the item passing the display point matches the data displayed, whereby a determination may be made that the system is tracking properly.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the data displayed is image data.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the image data is created from x-ray transmission data.

27. A method of inspecting a plurality of items that decouples human inspection tasks from automated tasks, the method comprising of:

a) moving the plurality of items through an inspection area;

b) collecting data indicative of item content on each item as the plurality of items passes through the inspection area;

c) automatically analyzing the collected data to identify whether the item is a suspect item or a cleared item;

d) correlating each physical item with its automated results and data via a physical indicia associated with the physical item;

e) manually sorting items automatically identified as suspect from those items cleared;

f) transferring the suspect items to a search station, allowing the automated inspection of subsequent items to continue independent of the rate of manual review; and

g) manually reviewing the automated decisions and associated data at the search station to resolve whether the suspect items can be cleared without physical search.

28. A method for associating physical indicia with data and results for a plurality of items being inspected, the method comprising:

a) moving the plurality of items through an inspection area;

b) collecting data on each item as the plurality of items passes through the inspection area;

c) recording an indicia of each item, where the recording is done after the inspection data has been collected; and

d) associating the recorded indicia with the inspection data of the item.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein recording an indicia comprises reading a barcode affixed to the item.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the indicia is only recorded for items determined to be of interest by an intervening analysis.