Method for customs inspection of baggage and cargo

• US 20090034790A1
• Filed: 08/01/2007
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telesecurity Sciences, Inc. (Homeland Resources Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Telesecurity Sciences, Inc. (Homeland Resources Ltd.)
• Inventors: Song, Samuel Moon-Ho, Boyd, Douglas Perry
• Granted Patent: US 8,320,659 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 7/00 Details of radiation-measuring instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 5/226 using tomography
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 5/271 using a network, e.g. a remote expert, accessing remote data or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10081 Computed x-ray tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0002 Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection

Abstract

A method and system of inspecting baggage to be transported from a location of origin to a destination is provided that includes generating scan data representative of a piece of baggage while the baggage is at the location of origin, and storing the scan data in a database. A rendered view representative of a content of the baggage is provided where the rendered views are based on the scan data retrieved from the database over a network. The rendered views are presented at a destination different from the origin.

Claims

1. A method of inspecting baggage to be transported from a location of origin to a destination, comprising:

generating scan data representative of a piece of baggage while the baggage is at the location of origin;

storing the scan data in a database;

producing an image view representative of a content of the baggage, the image view based on the scan data retrieved from the database over a network; and

presenting the image view at the destination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating and storing the scan data occurs before the baggage is transported from the location of origin.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the scan data is generated by a CT scanner having a moving source and detector and the producing includes rendering a rendered view.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the scan data is generated by an x-ray scanner having a stationary source and detector and the producing includes generating a 2D projection view.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the image view occurs after the baggage is transported from the location of origin.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the baggage is transported by at least one of an airplane, a train, a bus, a vehicle, and a ship.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of origin comprises a village, a town, a city, a state, or a country different than the destination.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically identifying contraband shown in the image view based on a scannable characteristic in the scan data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the scan data defines a volume of interest and the scannable characteristic is an attenuation measurement.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the scan data comprises raw volumetric data representing voxels within an object contained within the baggage, each voxel having a Hounsfield unit value, and wherein the scannable characteristic is an attenuation measurement and comprises at least one of a surface and an edge of at least the baggage and objects contained within the baggage.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining passenger information and a flight manifest and associating the passenger information with the scan data of the baggage based on the flight manifest.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing in the database at least one of a name of the passenger assigned to the baggage, an identity of a piece of baggage containing contraband, a location of contraband within the baggage, a type of contraband, a category of contraband, and a volume of contraband.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the image view is displayed at the destination between a time when the baggage is checked, the baggage is transported to a flight, a time in flight, and a time at which the baggage is transported from the flight to a baggage retrieval area at the destination.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the image view is accessed by a user and an expert screener across the network.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the image view comprises a volume rendering, the volume rendering utilizing one or more colors and opacity values.

16. A system for inspecting baggage transported from a location of origin to a destination, comprising:

a database to store scan data acquired while scanning a piece of baggage while the baggage is at the location of origin;

a network interface configured to communicate with a network to obtain the scan data from the data base; and

a workstation, located at the destination, for producing an image view of a content of the baggage at the destination.

17. The system according to claim 16, further comprising a scanner configured to scan the baggage at a location of origin, the scanner comprises at least one of a computed tomography (CT) scanner, a cine computed tomography scanner, a helical CT scanner, a four-dimensional (4D) cine computed tomography scanner, an electronic beam scanner, a DI scanner, an X-ray scanner, a dual-energy x-ray scanner, and a dual-energy CT scanner,

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein the network interface is configured to communicate with at least one of a private network, a high-speed network, an intranet, a local area network, a wide area network, a peer-to-peer network, a client/server network, metropolitan area network, and an internet.

20. The system according to claim 16, further comprising multiple remote display terminals to simultaneously present the image view to users at multiple locations.

21. The system according to claim 16, wherein the scan data comprises an image file, the image file includes at least one of a header identifying a scanning device, a time the scan was taken, and an identification of a passenger.

22. The system according to claim 16, wherein the image view includes pre-sorted sequences of the rendered images stored in the database.

23. The system according to claim 16, wherein the image view comprises at least one of a DICONDE image, a TIFF image, a JPEG image, and a PDF image.

24. The system according to claim 16, wherein the network interface utilizes standard internet protocols to communicate with at least one of a terminal, a server, a workstation, a laptop, a desktop, a personal digital assistant, and a cell phone.

25. The system according to claim 16, wherein the workstation comprises a display for displaying the image views of scan data of baggage at the destination.

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein the display comprises co-displaying multiple image views.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the multiple image views are displayed as at least one of a two-dimensional view, a three-dimensional view, a cut view, a planar view, an isometric view, a rotatable view, and a magnified view.

28. The system according to claim 16, wherein the workstation automatically identifies contraband in the image view based on a scannable characteristic of the content of the baggage.

29. The system according to claim 28, wherein the contraband is identified on the image view with a marking and the marking is stored in the database.

30. The system according to claim 28, wherein the workstation categorizes contraband is categorized as at least on of an innocuous material, an organic material, and a metallic material based on a Hounsfield unit value.

31. A computer readable medium storing an application for use to inspect baggage that is transported from a location of origin to a destination, where scan data has been generated that is representative of a piece of baggage while the baggage was at the location of origin, the scan data being stored at a first memory, the application comprising instructions configured to direct a computer to:

obtain the scan data from the first memory;

produce an image view representative of a content of the baggage, the image view being based on the scan data retrieved from the first memory; and

present the image view on a display located at the destination.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the scan data was generated and stored before the baggage was transported from the location of origin.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the scan data constitutes a volumetric data set generated by a CT scanner, the instructions directing the computer to render a 3D view of an object of interest in the baggage.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the scan data constitutes a projection data set generated by an x-ray scanner having a stationary source and detector, the instructions directing the computer to produce a 2D projection view of an object of interest in the baggage.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the scan data constitutes a volumetric data set generated by a CT scanner, the instructions directing the computer to automatically identifying an object of interest in the image view based on attenuation measurements in the scan data.