Vehicle-carried mobile container inspection apparatus

• US 6,920,197 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2003
• Issued: 07/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuctech Company Limited (Tsinghua Tongfang Co., Ltd.), Tsinghua University
• Original Assignee: Nuctech Company Limited (Tsinghua Tongfang Co., Ltd.), Tsinghua University
• Inventors: Cao, Shuxiong, Li, Jianmin, Peng, Hua, Liu, Yinong, Li, Yuanjing, Li, Junli, Tang, Chuanxiang, Kang, Kejun, Song, Quanwei, Gao, Wenhuan, Song, Liwei
• Primary Examiner(s): Church, Craig E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Artman, Thomas R.
• Application Number:
  US10/684,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20040125914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 378/57, 378/198
• US Class Current: 378/57
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/04 and forming images of the material
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 5/20 Detecting prohibited goods, e.g. weapons, explosives, hazardous substances, contraband or smuggled objects

Abstract

A vehicle-carried mobile container inspection apparatus characterized in that the mobile container inspection apparatus comprises a first box-shaped cabin arranged in the front portion of the chassis and provided with a workroom accommodating a scan control module, an image acquisition module and an operation/inspection module; and a second box-shaped cabin and a third box-shaped cabin both arranged on the rear portion of the rotatable platform, in which the second box-shaped cabin is arranged on the top of the third box-shaped cabin, the control unit of the radiation source is accommodated in the second box-shaped cabin, the third box-shaped cabin is arranged under the rotatable platform, the radiation source is arranged in the third box-shaped cabin, the level of the radiation source from which the X-ray beam emit is arranged below the level of the chassis, the scanning vehicle is provided with a driving means to smoothly move the scanning vehicle the rotatable platform is provided with a rotatably driving means, when inspecting a container, the rotatable platform is driven to turn 90 degrees, and the second arm turns into its vertical gesture, so that a portal-shaped frame is formed by means of the parallelogrammical bracket, the first arm and the second arm. The mobile inspection container apparatus is capable of inspecting as broad area as to reach the vehicle chassis. The apparatus comprises two vehicles, in which usually the both vehicles are used, while only one vehicle is used for fulfilling the inspection work in emergency.

Claims

1. A vehicle-carried mobile container inspection apparatus comprising

a rotatable platform (5) arranged in a rear portion of a chassis (2) of a scanning vehicle (1),

a parallelogrammical bracket (8) arranged on the rotatable platform (5), formed by four linkage bars hinged one to another and driven by an uprighting means,

a first arm (9) extended from the upper horizontal bar of the parallelogrammical bracket (8) and provided with detectors, and

a second arm (10), the upper end of which is associated with the first arm (9) at the end of the first arm (9) opposite to the parallelogrammical bracket (8), wherein the second arm (10) is also provided with detectors,

characterized in that the mobile container inspection apparatus further comprises

a first box-shaped cabin (3) arranged in the front portion of the chassis (2) and provided with a workroom accommodating a scan control module, an image acquisition module and an operation/inspection module;

and

a second box-shaped cabin (7) and a third box-shaped cabin (6) both arranged on the rear portion of the rotatable platform (5), in which the second box-shaped cabin (7) is arranged on the top of the third box-shaped cabin (6), a control unit of a radiation source is accommodated in the second box-shaped cabin (7), the third box-shaped cabin (6) is arranged under the rotatable platform (5), the radiation source is arranged in the third box-shaped cabin (6), the level of the radiation source from which an X-ray beam is emitted is arranged below the level of the chassis (2),

the scanning vehicle (1) is provided with a driving means (4) to smoothly move the scanning vehicle;

the rotation inducing platform (5) is provided with a rotatably driving means, when inspecting a container, the rotatable platform (5) is driven to turn 90 degrees, and the second arm (10) turns into its vertical gesture, so that a portal-shaped frame is formed by means of the parallelogrammical bracket (8), the first arm (9) and the second arm (10), a fan-shaped X-ray section (12) is formed after the rear end of the chassis (2) and in the plane where the first arm (9) and the second arm (10) are in operation.

2. A vehicle-carried mobile container inspection apparatus as claimed in the claim 1, characterized in that the first box-shaped cabin (3) is further provided with a diesel generator with its control units.

3. A vehicle-carried mobile container inspection apparatus as claimed in the claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the apparatus further comprises a control vehicle (11) accommodating an image acquisition module, an operation/inspection module, and a diesel generator with its control unit.

4. A vehicle-carried mobile container inspection apparatus as claimed in the claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the chassis (2) is the same as that used in a common vehicle.