BACKSCATTER INSPECTION SYSTEMS, AND RELATED METHODS
First Claim
1. An inspection system, comprising:
- a radiation scanner configured to emit a radiation beam along a radiation trajectory;
a plurality of filters comprising at least two filters selectably positionable into the radiation trajectory so that at least one of the at least two filters receives at least a portion of the radiation of the radiation beam and passes attenuated radiation, wherein the at least two filters respectively have different attenuation characteristics;
a radiation detector configured to receive the attenuated radiation and configured to produce detection data associated with an energy intensity of the attenuated radiation, wherein the received attenuated radiation is backscattered; and
a rendering system configured to create a composite image of a specimen disposed along the radiation trajectory using the detection data from the attenuated radiation passed through the at least two filters.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Inspection systems employing radiation filters with different attenuation characteristics to determine specimen irregularities, and related methods are disclosed. An inspection system includes a radiation emitter configured to emit a radiation beam along a radiation trajectory. Some of the radiation may be reflected by the specimen as backscatter and received by at least one radiation detector of the inspection system along the radiation trajectory. Irregularities and various materials of the specimen may produce backscatter radiation at different energies and/or scatter angles which may be identified by employing radiation filters having different attenuation characteristics. By employing these filters in communication with the radiation emitter and the radiation detector, the backscatter radiation passed through the filters may be measured and integrated at different positions of the radiation beam to produce a composite image of the specimen. In this manner, irregularities and associated materials within the specimen may be more easily identified.
11 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An inspection system, comprising:
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a radiation scanner configured to emit a radiation beam along a radiation trajectory; a plurality of filters comprising at least two filters selectably positionable into the radiation trajectory so that at least one of the at least two filters receives at least a portion of the radiation of the radiation beam and passes attenuated radiation, wherein the at least two filters respectively have different attenuation characteristics; a radiation detector configured to receive the attenuated radiation and configured to produce detection data associated with an energy intensity of the attenuated radiation, wherein the received attenuated radiation is backscattered; and a rendering system configured to create a composite image of a specimen disposed along the radiation trajectory using the detection data from the attenuated radiation passed through the at least two filters. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of inspecting a specimen, comprising:
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emitting a radiation beam from a radiation scanner of a backscatter inspection system into a radiation trajectory; selectively positioning at least two filters of a plurality of filters of the backscatter inspection system into the radiation trajectory so that at least one of the at least two filters receives at least a portion of the radiation of the radiation beam and passes attenuated radiation, wherein the at least two filters respectively have different attenuation characteristics; receiving the attenuated radiation with a radiation detector of the backscatter inspection system and producing detection data associated with an energy intensity of the attenuated radiation, wherein the received attenuated radiation is backscattered from the specimen; and creating a composite image of the specimen with a rendering system of the backscatter inspection system using the detection data produced from the attenuated radiation passed through the at least two filters. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A computer program product, comprising:
a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code comprising; computer-readable program code configured to instruct a radiation scanner of a backscatter inspection system to emit a radiation beam and along a radiation trajectory; computer-readable program code configured to selectively position at least two filters of a plurality of filters of the backscatter inspection system into the radiation trajectory so that at least one of the at least two filters receives at least a portion of the radiation of the radiation beam and passes attenuated radiation, wherein the at least two filters respectively have different attenuation characteristics; computer-readable program code to receive detection data produced from a radiation detector of the backscatter inspection system, the radiation detector producing the detection data based on an energy intensity of the attenuated radiation received by the radiation detector, wherein the received attenuated radiation is backscattered; and computer-readable program code configured to render a composite image of a specimen at a rendering system of the backscatter inspection system using the detection data passed through the at least two filters. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
Specification