INTEGRATED MULTI-SENSOR SYSTEMS FOR AND METHODS OF EXPLOSIVES DETECTION

• US 20090003514A1
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Morpho Detection LLC (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Hopkins, Forrest Frank, Edic, Peter Michael, Harding, Geoffrey, Vermilyea, Mark E., Landolfi, Pierfrancesco
• Granted Patent: US 7,869,566 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 5/224 Multiple energy techniques using one type of radiation, e.g. X-rays of different energies
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 5/226 using tomography

Abstract

An integrated, multi-sensor, Level 1 screening device is described, which system provides a next-generation Explosives Detection System (EDS) that enables high throughput, while drastically reducing false alarms. In exemplary embodiments, the present system comprises a non-rotational, Computed Tomography (CT) system and a non-translational, X-ray diffraction (XRD) system, both in an inline configuration.

Claims

1. An explosives detection system, comprising:

an integrated, multi-sensor, screening device including an inline computed tomography system and X-ray diffraction system.

2. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the computed tomography system comprises a non-rotational computed tomography system.

3. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the x-ray diffraction system comprises a non-translational X-ray diffraction system.

4. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a non-rotational computed tomography system is inline with a non-translational x-ray diffraction system.

5. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 4, wherein the non-rotational computed tomography system incorporates a distributed X-ray source and detector in a stationary configuration.

6. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the computed tomography system comprises a rotational computed tomography system.

7. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the x-ray diffraction system comprises a translational x-ray diffraction system.

8. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 5, comprising a reconstruction engine employing helical reconstruction processes for reconstruction of the entire volume of the baggage being inspected for automated explosives detection.

9. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 5, wherein the distributed X-ray source comprises two or more sections providing a total azimuthal coverage sufficient for CT image reconstruction.

10. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the sections are staggered along the direction of bag translation.

11. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 2, wherein a multi-slice detector comprises corresponding multiple detector modules spanning a pre-defined total X-ray fanbeam width and a predefined X-ray conebeam width.

12. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 3, wherein the non-translational X-ray diffraction system has an inverse fanbeam geometry.

13. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the computed tomography system is configured to be capable of acquiring spectral data.

14. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the computer tomography system comprises a third-generation computer technology system.

15. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 3, wherein the non-translation x-ray diffraction system incorporates a distributed X-ray source and detector in a stationary configuration.

16. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 15, wherein the distributed X-ray source utilizes wireless serial links or multiplexing technology to reduce the large numbers of vacuum feed-throughs to control the multiple sources.

17. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 5, wherein the distributed X-ray source utilizes wireless serial links or multiplexing technology to reduce the large numbers of vacuum feed-throughs to control the multiple sources.

18. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the computed tomography system incorporates a multi-slice detector that comprises corresponding multiple detector modules spanning a pre-defined total X-ray fanbeam width and a predefined X-ray conebeam width.

19. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 13, wherein said detector comprises an energy sensitive detector constructed from two layers of energy-integrating sensor material.

20. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 13, wherein said detector comprises an energy sensitive detector that is a photon counting detector.

31. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a non-rotational computed tomography system is inline with a translational x-ray diffraction system.

32. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a rotational computed tomography system is inline with a non-translational x-ray diffraction system.

33. An explosives detection system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a rotational computed tomography system is inline with a translational x-ray diffraction system.

21. A method for detecting explosives, comprising:

placing an object to be scanned on a conveyor;

scanning said object using a computed tomography sub-system; and

scanning said object using an integrated X-ray diffraction sub-system, wherein said computed tomography sub-system and said X-ray diffraction sub-system are integrated in-line relative to the same conveyor.

22. A method for detecting explosives in accordance with claim 21, wherein CT projection data is acquired by electronically gating source locations within a distributed X-ray source that is provided around the imaging field of view.

23. A method for detecting explosives in accordance with claim 22, wherein the source locations are fired sequentially to mimic a helical scan.

24. A method for detecting explosives in accordance with claim 22, wherein one source location on each of one or more sections are fired simultaneously to mimic multiple interlaced helices.

25. A method for detecting explosives in accordance with claim 22, wherein a plurality of sources are fired in a random pattern.

26. A method for detecting explosives in accordance with claim 21, wherein after processing data acquired with said computed tomography system, said X-ray diffraction system is queued to interrogate regions of interest within the object that are suspicious.

27. A method for detecting explosives in accordance with claim 24, wherein 2D reconstruction techniques are applied with filtered back-projection.

28. A method for detecting explosives in accordance with claim 21, wherein said computed tomography sub-system is a spectral computed tomography sub-system.

29. A method for detecting explosives in accordance with claim 28, wherein at least one of an effective atomic number estimate from the spectral computed tomography sub-system and a molecular signature from the X-ray diffraction sub-system are utilized to improve threat detection and/or reduce false alarms.

30. A method for detecting explosives in accordance with claim 21, wherein the molecular signature from the X-ray diffraction sub-system is utilized to improved threat detection and/or reduce false alarms.