Method and system for certifying operators of x-ray inspection systems

• US 7,257,189 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2006
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rapiscan Systems Incorporated (OSI Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Rapiscan Systems Incorporated (OSI Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Le, Khai, Modica, Peter, Nguyen, Phong
• Primary Examiner(s): Glick; Edward J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Artman; Thomas R.
• Application Number:
  US11/343,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20060215811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 378/57, 378/210
• US Class Current: 378/57
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 5/20 Detecting prohibited goods, e.g. weapons, explosives, hazardous substances, contraband or smuggled objects
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26

Abstract

A method and system for using Threat Imaging Projection (TIP) technology, and the operator testing data that it generates, in order to certify x-ray inspection system operators and thereby assure an acceptable and uniform level of operator performance. In a preferred configuration, the operator views x-ray images of objects on a screening system equipped with TIP technology. When the operator believes that a threat item image appears on the screening system, the operator indicates such via an indicating means. The system is capable of recording, storing and transmitting individual operator performance data relating to proper detections, missed detections, and false alarms, i.e., when an operator indicates that a threat item image appears when no such image actually appears on the screening system. The system preferably contains a library of various threat item images, e.g., guns, bombs, knives, etc., which are classified according to type of threat and difficulty of detection.

Claims

1. A system for certifying security inspection system operators, comprising:

an x-ray inspection machine for inspecting baggage items;

a threat item image database including a plurality of certification images of which an operator must property detect a predetermined percentage to obtain a passing certification score;

a monitor for displaying threat item images from the threat item image database, and for displaying x-ray images of baggage items;

software for accessing the threat item image database to electronically produce a threat item image such that it appears on the monitor as if a threat item is located inside a baggage item; and

an input device for allowing the operator to indicate when the operator believes that a threat item image appears on the monitor, wherein the threat item image database further includes training images, the detection of which do not factor into calculating the certification score.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the software randomly selects certification images and training images from the threat item image database for displaying on the monitor.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein the certification images and the training images are stored in separate libraries within the threat item image database.

4. A system for certifying security inspection system operators, comprising:

an x-ray inspection machine for inspecting baggage items;

a threat item image database including a plurality of certification images of which an operator must property detect a predetermined percentage to obtain a passing certification score;

a monitor for displaying threat item images from the threat item image database, and for displaying x-ray images of baggage items;

software for accessing the threat item image database to electronically produce a threat item image such that it appears on the monitor as if a threat item is located inside a baggage item; and

an input device for allowing the operator to indicate when the operator believes that a threat item image appears on the monitor, wherein each certification image and an orientation angle of each certification image is associated with a detection difficulty level that is used in calculating the certification score.

5. A system for uniform certification of security inspection system operators, comprising:

an x-ray inspection machine for inspecting baggage items;

a threat item image database including a plurality of standardized certification images of which an operator must properly detect a predetermined percentage to obtain a passing certification score;

a monitor for displaying threat item images from the threat item image database, and for displaying x-ray images of baggage items located inside the x-ray inspection machine;

software for accessing the threat item image database to electronically produce a threat item image such that it appears on the monitor as if a threat item is located inside a baggage item;

an input device for allowing the operator to indicate when the operator believes that a threat item image appears on the monitor;

an operator performance database accessible by the software for storing operator performance records; and

a certification criteria database accessible by the software containing operator certification requirements, wherein the threat item image database further includes training images, the detection of which do not factor into calculating the certification score.

6. A system according to claim 5 wherein the software is programmable to display a pre-determined set of training images to meet specific training needs of a given operator.

7. A system for uniform certification of security inspection system operators, comprising:

an x-ray inspection machine for inspecting baggage items;

a threat item image database including a plurality of standardized certification images of which an operator must properly detect a predetermined percentage to obtain a passing certification score;

a monitor for displaying threat item images from the threat item image database, and for displaying x-ray images of baggage items located inside the x-ray inspection machine;

software for accessing the threat item image database to electronically produce a threat item image such that it appears on the monitor as if a threat item is located inside a baggage item;

an input device for allowing the operator to indicate when the operator believes that a threat item image appears on the monitor;

an operator performance database accessible by the software for storing operator performance records; and

a certification criteria database accessible by the software containing operator certification requirements, wherein the software is programmable to display each certification image at least once during certification testing of an operator.

8. A method of certifying operators of security inspection systems, wherein baggage items are passed through an x-ray inspection machine, comprising the steps of:

displaying x-ray images of the baggage items on a monitor for viewing by an operator;

electronically inserting certification images of threat items into a selection of the x-ray images of baggage items;

providing an input device for allowing the operator to indicate when the operator believes that a threat item image appears on the monitor;

determining a number of certification images that the operator properly detected; and

calculating an operator test score, wherein the operator test score is calculated over a test period of several days and wherein each of the certification images is displayed on the monitor at least once during the test period.

9. A method of testing operators of security inspection systems, wherein an operator must detect a predetermined percentage of certification images of threat items to obtain certification, comprising the steps of:

displaying x-ray images of baggage items on a monitor to be viewed by the operator;

electronically inserting images of threat items into a selection of the x-ray images of baggage items;

providing an input device for allowing the operator to indicate when the operator believes that a threat item image is detected on the monitor;

determining how many certification images the operator properly detected;

calculating an operator test score; and

reporting the operator test score, wherein the electronically inserted threat item images include certification images and training images that are randomly inserted into the x-ray images of baggage items and wherein the detection of training images by the operator does not factor into calculating the operator test score.

10. A method of testing operators of security inspection systems over a test period of a pre-determined number of days, wherein an operator must detect a predetermined percentage of certification images of threat items during the test period to obtain certification, comprising the steps of:

displaying x-ray images of baggage items on a monitor to be viewed by the operator;

a electronically inserting a random selection of certification images into a selection of the x-ray images of baggage items;

electronically inserting training images into a selection of the x-ray images of baggage items;

increasing the frequency at which the certification images are inserted as the test period nears an end, to ensure that each of the certification images is inserted at least once during the test period;

providing an input device allowing the operator to indicate when the operator believes that a threat item image is detected on the monitor;

determining how many certification images the operator properly detected;

calculating an operator test score based on the number of properly detected certification images, the number of certification images not detected, and the number of times that the operator improperly identified an image as a threat image.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of reporting the operator test score to an operator certification authority so that the test score may be evaluated to determine whether the operator qualifies for certification.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the reporting step occurs before the test period ends if the operator can no longer detect a sufficient number of certification images during the remainder of the test period to achieve at least the predetermined percentage to obtain certification.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of ensuring that each certification image is electronically inserted into the x-ray images of baggage items a predetermined number of times.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein specified certification images are inserted more times than other certification images.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein each certification image and/or an orientation angle of each certification image is associated with a detection difficulty level that is used as a factor in calculating the operator test score.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of tracking and recording the types of certification images, and their associated difficulty levels, that have been inserted into the x-ray images of baggage items during the test period.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of requiring the operator to property detect at least one certification image from every difficulty level to obtain a passing test score.