Apparatus for transilluminating objects

• US 6,453,003 B1
• Filed: 03/28/2001
• Issued: 09/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Smiths Heimann GmbH (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Heimann Systems GmbH
• Inventors: Haunschild, Norbert, Springer, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta, David P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barber, Therese
• Application Number:
  US09/746,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20020071520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 378/51, 378/57, 378/9
• US Class Current: 378/57
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/083 the radiation being X-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
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 5/226 using tomography

Abstract

This invention concerns an apparatus to transilluminate objects.

In known apparatus (1) there are two radiation sources (10, 20) in a transport path of a transport device (3), below to the right and left, as well as a third radiation source (30) arranged horizontal to the transport path (3), with the two radiation sources (10, 20) lying close together, one behind the other. Three detector apparatus (11, 14, 31) are arranged opposite these radiation sources (10, 20, 30). Thus, a so called multi-view from three beam directions is created, with beam paths (FX1.1, FX2.2, FX3) extending perpendicular to a transport direction.

Contrary thereto, in the solution described herein, various radiation beam paths (FX1.1, FX1.2, FX2.1, FX2.2, FX3) cross so that not every beam radiation path extends perpendicular to the transport direction. This has the advantage that the apparatus can be structured in a space saving manner. In a particular embodiment, using three radiation sources (10, 20, 30) and five detector apparatus (11, 12, 21, 22, 31) in a single apparatus, an object (4) to be transilluminated is transilluminated from five different beam directions during its transport through a transillumination space (5) and a quasi 3-D (three-dimensional) model (6) of the object (4) is thereby, simultaneously created. In this regard, two of the detector apparatus (12, 21) are arrange angularly displaced from one another, within one another, to be directed toward corresponding rays (FX1.2, FX2.1) of the beam radiation sources (10, 20). With the help of signals obtained therefrom, in addition to the absorption rate, also the thickness or volume, and therefrom the density, of the items (4.1) in the object (4) can be determined. From the absorption rate and the density, the type of material found in the object (4) and the transilluminated items (4.1) can be exactly determined.

Claims

1. Apparatus (1) for transilluminating objects (4) which, with the help of a transport device (3), are moved through a transillumination space (5) whereby there are at least first and second radiation sources (10, 20, 30) spaced from one another in a transport direction and at least first, second and third detector apparatus (11, 12, 21, 22, 31) mounted about the transport device (3), each of said detector apparatus being elongated with portions thereof extending about at least two sides of said transillumination space for receiving one of first, second and third ionized beams, wherein:

at least each of the first and second ionized beams (FX1.1, FX 1.2, FX2.1, FX2.2, FX3) comes from a different one of said first and second radiation sources (10, 20, 30);

said first and second ionized beams intersect one another;

one of said first and second ionized beams is at an angle not perpendicular to the transport direction of said transport device;

at least said first and second detector apparatus (11, 12, 21, 22, 31) are aligned to receive said first and second ionized beams; and

said first and second detector apparatus have portions thereof positioned on opposite sides of said transillumination space crossing one another along said first and second ionized beams (FX1.1, FX1.2, FX2.1, FX2.2, FX3) so that said first and second detector apparatus are interlaced with one another.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein:

said second and third ionized beams are created by masking radiation with a collimator means from said second radiation source (10, 20) for creating at least said second and third ionized beams (FX1.1, FX1.2, FX2.1, FX2.2, FX3).

3. Apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising:

a third radiation source (10, 20, 30) and fourth and fifth detector apparatus;

said first, second and third radiation sources cooperating with said first, second, third, fourth and fifth detector apparatus (11, 12, 21, 22, 31), such that said third, fourth and fifth detector apparatus (11, 12, 21, 22) are directed toward said third and fourth and fifth ionized beams, each of said third, fourth and fifth ionized beams being generated from a different one of said first, second and third radiation sources.

4. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein:

said second and third ionized beams are generated by said second radiation source using a collimator means including two masks each mask respectively arranged in front of said second radiation source (10, 20), which is a common point of said second and third ionized beams.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the masks of said collimator means are structured as slit collimators which are angularly arranged to one another, respectively in an angular range of 30°

to 90°

.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

one of said slit collimators (13, 14, 23, 24) is arranged substantially parallel to a transport path of the transport device.

7. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said apparatus further comprises:

a collimator (32) having at least one mask positioned for forming a third radiation source (30) extending substantially perpendicular to the transport path (3).

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said collimator (32) is a slit collimator.

9. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein:

is further included a third radiation source, and wherein front two, relative to the transport direction, of said radiation sources (10, 20) are arranged below the transport device (3), to the right and the left thereof respectively, whereby they are mounted to be offset from one another, one behind the other, in the transport direction, and a rear-most of said radiation sources is arranged above the transport device (3) in a rear portion of the transillumination space.

10. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said first, second, and third detector apparatus (11, 12, 21, 22, 31) are structured as scintillation detectors which are packaged as elongated detector lines.

11. Apparatus as in claim 10, wherein said first, second, and third detector lines (11,12, 21, 22, 31) are structured to be L-shaped.

12. Apparatus (1) for transilluminating objects (4) which, with the help of a transport device (3), are moved through a transillumination space (5) whereby there are at least three radiation sources (10, 20, 30) and at least five detector apparatus (11, 12, 21, 22, 31) mounted about the transport device (3), said apparatus comprising:

at least two ionized beams (FX1.1, FX1.2, FX2.1, FX2.2, FX3) from different radiation sources (10, 20, 30) crossing one another, with at least two detector apparatus (11, 12, 21, 22, 31) also crossing one another along these ionized beams (FX1.1, FX 1.2, FX2.1, FX2.2, FX3) wherein three radiation sources (10, 20, 30) cooperate with five detector apparatus (11, 12, 21, 22, 31), with four of the detector apparatus (11, 12, 21, 22) being directed toward four beams (FX1.1, FX 1.2, FX2.1, FX2.2) generated from two of the radiation sources whereby;

two of these detectors apparatus (12, 21) cross within one another so that each of these two detector apparatus is directed toward one of the two beams (FX1.2, FX2.1) of the two radiation sources (10, 20) with these two beams (FX1.2, FX2.1) crossing one another.

13. The claim according to claim 12, said apparatus further comprising:

a collimator (32) corresponding to a third radiation source (30) extending perpendicular to the transport path (3).

14. The claim according to claim 13, wherein the collimator (32) is a slit collimator.

15. Apparatus (1) for transilluminating objects (4) which, with the help of a transport device (3), are moved through an transillumination space (5) whereby there are at least three radiation sources (10, 20, 30) and at least three detector apparatus (11, 12, 21, 22, 31) mounted about the transport device (3), said apparatus comprising:

at least two ionized beams (FX1.1, FX 1.2, FX2.1, FX2.2, FX3) from different radiation sources (10, 20, 30) crossing one another, with at least two detector apparatus (11, 12, 21, 22, 31) also crossing one another along these ionized beams (FX1.1, FX1.2, FX2.1, FX2.2, FX3) wherein front two of the at least three radiation sources (10, 20) are arranged below the transport device (3), to the right and the left thereof respectively, whereby they are mounted to be offset from one another, one behind the other in the transport direction, and a rear-most of said radiation sources is arranged above the transport device (3) in a rear portion of the transillumination space.

16. The claim according to claim 15 wherein the detector apparatus are detector lines (11,12, 21, 22, 31) structured to be L-shaped.