Identifying explosives or other contraband by employing transmitted or scattered X-rays

• US 5,974,111 A
• Filed: 12/05/1997
• Issued: 10/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: L-3 Communications Security and Detection Systems Corporation Delaware
• Original Assignee: Vivid Technologies, Inc. (Revvity, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stillson, Jeffrey H., Stein, Jay A., Krug, Kristoph D., Eilbert, Richard F., Aitkenhead, William F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta, David P.
• Application Number:
  US08/849,275
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: 378/51, 378/53, 378/54, 378/56, 378/57, 378/62, 378/63, 378/86, 378/87, 378/88, 378/89, 378/90, 378/207
• US Class Current: 378/57
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/083 the radiation being X-rays
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/10 the material being confined in a container, e.g. in a luggage X-ray scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/20 by using diffraction of the radiation by the materials, e.g. for investigating crystal structure; by using scattering of the radiation by the materials, e.g. for investigating non-crystalline materials; by using reflection of the radiation by the materials
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 5/0016 Active interrogation, i.e. using an external radiation source, e.g. using pulsed, continuous or cosmic rays
• 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

An X-ray inspection device (10) for detecting a specific material of interest in items of various sizes and shapes (24A, 24B, 24C) includes an X-ray source system located at an inspection region and constructed to expose the examined item to at least one beam of X-ray radiation, and one or more X-ray detection systems (60, 80, 100). The X-ray inspection device also includes one or more dimension detectors (120) constructed to measure a selected dimension of the examined item, an interface system connected to receive X-ray data and dimension data, and a computer programmed to utilize the data for recognition of the specific material of interest and to indicate its presence in the examined item. Each detection system includes one or more arrays of X-ray detectors arranged in a linear, circular or semi-spherical geometry.

Claims

1. An X-ray inspection device for detecting a specific material of interest in items of baggage or packages, comprising:

a conveyor constructed and arranged to move items of baggage or packages to an inspection region;

an X-ray source system located at said inspection region and constructed to expose an examined item of baggage or package by a beam of X-ray radiation;

an X-ray detection system located at said inspection region and constructed to detect X-ray radiation modified by said examined item;

a dimension detector constructed to measure a selected dimension of said examined item;

an interface system connected to and receiving from said X-ray detection system X-ray data and from said dimension detector dimension data, said interface system constructed to order said X-ray data and said dimension data;

a computer operatively connected to and receiving from said interface system said ordered X-ray and dimension data, said computer programmed to identify, based on said ordered X-ray and dimension data, a region of said item emitting scattered radiation characteristic of said specific material of interest in said examined item.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said X-ray detection system includes an array of X-ray forward-scatter detectors constructed and positioned to detect X-ray radiation forward-scattered from said examined item to obtain X-ray forward-scatter data, and said computer being further programmed to estimate density of a material located in said identified region.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said X-ray source system is further constructed to emit X-ray radiation of at least two substantially different energies, said X-ray detection system being further constructed to detect separately X-ray radiation, of two substantially different energies and modified by said examined item, and said computer being further programmed to identify said regions based on a ratio of scattered radiation at said two energies.