Detector systems

• US 9,714,920 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2013
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rapiscan Systems Incorporated (OSI Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Rapiscan Systems Incorporated (OSI Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lionheart, William Robert Breckon, Ma, Xiandong, Peyton, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER, DANIEL R
• Application Number:
  US14/020,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20140167744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: 324228, 324244, 324258, 324345, 324347, 340551, 340552, 3405724, 3405727, 3405728
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/72 by investigating magnetic variables
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/104 using several coupled or uncoupled coils G01V3/101 takes precedence

Abstract

A detection system comprising a plurality of magnetic field generators and a plurality of magnetic field detectors located adjacent to a detection area, and a control system arranged to generate magnetic field using the generators, and, for each of the generators, to make measurements of the magnetic field generated using each of the detectors, and processing means arranged to process the measurements to generate a data set characterizing the detection area.

Claims

1. A detection system for detecting a presence of a threat object on a person comprising:

a gate defining a detection area;

at least one camera positioned proximate to said gate, wherein said at least one camera is adapted to capture a plurality of frames and wherein each of said plurality of frames is indicative of a position of the person as the person moves through said detection area;

a plurality of magnetic field generators and a plurality of magnetic field detectors positioned within said gate and adapted to generate a plurality of electromagnetic images of said person and the threat object passing through said detection area;

and

a processor adapted to determine which frame from said plurality of frames was recorded when an electromagnetic image from said plurality of electromagnetic images was generated, to analyze said frame to identify which parts of the person are within said electromagnetic image, and determine how far said parts were displaced relative to a reference position.

2. The detection system according to claim 1, further comprising a control system configured to control a generation of magnetic fields using said a plurality of magnetic field generators, to measure each of said magnetic fields generated by each of said plurality of magnetic field generators, and to generate a plurality of data sets representative of an electromagnetic image of the person and the object passing through said detection area.

3. The detection system according to claim 2, wherein said data sets are tomographic data sets representing the person and the object.

4. The detection system according to claim 1, wherein said reference position is a central plane through said person.

5. The detection system according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of magnetic field detectors comprise detector coils and the control system is configured to measure by detecting electrical signals induced in the detector coils.

6. The detection system according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of magnetic field generators comprise generator coils and the control system is configured to generate the magnetic fields by generating an electric current in the generator coils.

7. The detection system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of magnetic field generators is arranged to operate also as a detector.

8. The detection system according to claim 1 where at least some of the plurality of magnetic field generators and plurality of magnetic field detectors are arranged in a planar array.

9. The detection system according to claim 1, wherein said processor is adapted to correct for how far said parts were displaced by shifting said parts to said reference position and to generate an image having a corrected displacement of the parts.

10. The detection system according to claim 1 further comprising a second video camera, wherein the at least one video camera points in a first direction and wherein the second video camera points in a direction opposing the first direction.

11. The detection system according to claim 1 wherein the processor is adapted to generate a sensitivity map and wherein said sensitivity map represents a spatial sensitivity of a particular combination of a magnetic field generator of said plurality of magnetic field generators and a magnetic field detector of said plurality of magnetic field detectors to perturbations within each pixel of said electromagnetic image.

12. The detection system according to claim 1 wherein the processor is adapted to generate a sensitivity map by obtaining a product of a field produced by a magnetic field generator of said plurality of magnetic field generators and its corresponding magnetic field detector of said plurality of magnetic field detectors.

13. A method of analyzing an object in possession of a person comprising,

providing a gate defining a detection area;

providing at least one camera positioned proximate to said gate, wherein said at least one camera is adapted to capture a plurality of frames and wherein each of said plurality of frames is indicative of a position of the object as the person moves through said detection area;

providing a plurality of magnetic field generators and a plurality of magnetic field detectors positioned within said gate to generate a plurality of electromagnetic images of said person and the threat object passing through said detection area;

using a processor, determining which frame from said plurality of frames was recorded when an electromagnetic image from said plurality of electromagnetic images was generated;

using said processor, analyzing said frame to identify which parts of the person are within said electromagnetic image;

using said processor, determining a displacement of said parts relative to a reference position; and

correcting for said displacement by shifting one or more of said parts to said reference position.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

generating magnetic fields by each of said plurality of magnetic field generators;

generating measurements of said magnetic fields by each of said plurality of magnetic field detectors;

processing said measurements to generate a plurality of data sets characterizing the detection area; and

combining said data sets to form a resultant data set representative of an image of said object.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said data sets are tomographic data sets representing the object.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of magnetic field generators comprise generator coils and the magnetic fields are generated by generating electric current in the generator coils.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of magnetic field detectors comprise detector coils and the magnetic fields are measured by measuring induced signal in the detector coils.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein said reference position is a central plane through said person.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the plurality of magnetic field generators is operated also as a detector.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein at least some of the plurality of magnetic field generators and plurality of magnetic field detectors are arranged in a planar array.