Systems and methods for using an intensity-modulated X-ray source

• US 8,437,448 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rapiscan Systems Incorporated (OSI Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Rapiscan Systems Incorporated (OSI Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Langeveld, Willem G. J., Johnson, William A., Owen, Roger D., Schonberg, Russell G.
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMAS, COURTNEY D
• Application Number:
  US13/248,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20120257719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 378/51, 378/53, 378/54, 378/55, 378/57, 378/62, 378/95, 378/101, 378/106, 378/108
• US Class Current: 378/57
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/02 by transmitting the radiation through the material
• 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

The present application is directed toward an X-ray scanning system having a plurality of detectors and a controller, where a) the controller is configured to receive and identify a minimum X-ray transmission level detected by at least one detector, b) the controller compares the minimum X-ray transmission level to at least one predetermined threshold transmission level, and c) based on said comparison, the controller generates an adjustment signal. The present application further comprises an X-ray source, where the X-ray source receives an adjustment signal and is configured to adjust an X-ray pulse duration based on the adjustment signal.

Claims

1. A controller for an X-ray scanning system comprising:

programmatic instructions, stored on a non-volatile storage medium and executed by a processing unit, wherein said programmatic instructions are configured to receive and identify a minimum X-ray transmission level, compare said minimum X-ray transmission level to at least one predetermined threshold transmission level, based on said comparison, generates an adjustment signal, and transmit said adjustment signal to an X-ray source in order to adjust an X-ray pulse duration based on said adjustment signal.

2. The controller of claim 1 wherein said X-ray source is a linear accelerator having an energy in a range of 1 MeV to 15 MeV.

3. The controller of claim 1 wherein said X-ray source comprises a controller that receives said adjustment signal and, based on said signal, adjusts an X-ray pulse duration.

4. The controller of claim 1 wherein said controller compares said minimum X-ray transmission level to a first predetermined threshold and, if said minimum X-ray transmission level is below said first predetermined threshold, generates an adjustment signal that causes said X-ray source to increase an X-ray pulse duration.

5. The controller of claim 1 wherein said controller compares said minimum X-ray transmission level to a first predetermined threshold and second predetermined threshold and, if said minimum X-ray transmission level is above said first predetermined threshold but below said second predetermined threshold, generates an adjustment signal that causes said X-ray source to not modify an X-ray pulse duration.

6. The controller of claim 1 wherein said controller compares said minimum X-ray transmission level to a first predetermined threshold and second predetermined threshold and, if said minimum X-ray transmission level is above said second predetermined threshold, generates an adjustment signal that causes said X-ray source to decrease an X-ray pulse duration.

7. The controller of claim 1 wherein the processing unit interfaces with an input/output board that receives signals from at least one of a plurality of detectors.

8. The controller of claim 1 wherein the processing unit is at least one of a field programmable gate array or an application specific integrated circuit.

9. The controller of claim 1 wherein said X-ray source is configured to adjust a duration of a second X-ray pulse based on an adjustment signal generated from a first X-ray pulse occurring immediately prior to said second X-ray pulse.