RADIATION SCANNING AND DISABLING OF HAZARDOUS TARGETS IN CONTAINERS

• US 20120148019A1
• Filed: 11/21/2006
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varex Imaging Corporation
• Original Assignee: Varian Medical Systems Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Clayton, James E., Johnson, James H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,223,918 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/57
• 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

In one example, a method of examining a container is disclosed comprising detecting a potential threat within contents of a container using radiation scanning and disabling the potential threat with radiation. In another example, a method of examining a container is disclosed comprising scanning at least a portion of the container with a first radiation beam, detecting radiation interacting with contents of the container, identifying a potential threat contained based, at least in part, on the detected radiation, and disabling the potential threat with a dose of radiation from a second radiation beam. The potential threat may be a nuclear, chemical, and/or biological weapon, for example. Chemical and/or biological detectors may also be provided. The threat and/or electronics associated with the threat, may be disabled. Systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of examining a container, the method comprising:

scanning for a potential threat within contents of a container using radiation; and

disabling the potential threat with radiation.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising detecting the potential threat by detecting a radiation beam interacting with the contents of the container.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the radiation beam is from about 6 MeV to about 9 MeV.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising disabling the potential threat with at least one of a X-ray beam or an electron beam.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising disabling the potential threat by a radiation beam having an energy of at least about 9 MeV.

6. The method of claim 2, comprising:

generating a first radiation beam to scan for the potential threat, by a first accelerator source; and

generating a second radiation beam to disable the potential threat, by a second accelerator source.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, after detecting the potential threat and prior to disabling the potential threat:

transporting the container from a first location to a second location.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining a position of the potential threat within the container.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

moving an accelerator from a first position to a second position after scanning for the potential threat; and

disabling the potential threat from the second position.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising moving the first accelerator from the first position to the second position to decrease a distance between the accelerator and the potential threat.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein disabling the potential threat comprises directing an electron beam at the potential threat if the potential threat is within a predetermined distance of an exterior surface of the container.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein disabling the potential threat comprises directing an X-ray beam at the potential threat if the potential threat is greater than a predetermined distance from an exterior surface of the container.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sensing for a potential biological agent by a biological detector; and

if a potential biological agent is found, disabling the biological agent with radiation.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising disabling the biological agent with radiation of at least about 25 kGy.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the biological agent is anthrax and the dose is at least about 40 kGy.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a location of the potential biological agent based, at least in part, on the scanning.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sensing for a potential chemical agent by a chemical detector, and

if a potential chemical agent is found, disabling the potential chemical agent with radiation.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising disabling the chemical agent with a dose of radiation of from about 100 kGy to about 300 kGy.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining a location of a potential chemical agent based, at least in part, on the scanning.

20. The method of claim 1, comprising disabling the potential threat by:

detecting a presence of electronics associated with the potential threat; and

disabling the potential threat by disabling the associated electronics with a dose of radiation.

21. The method of claim 20, comprising disabling the electronics by a dose of radiation of from about 100 Gy to about 500 Gy.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the potential threat comprises explosive material, the method comprising:

detecting the explosive material;

detecting electronics associated with the explosive material; and

disabling the electronics.

23. A method of examining a container, the method comprising:

scanning at least a portion of a container with a first radiation beam;

detecting radiation interacting with contents of the container;

identifying a potential threat contained within the container based, at least in part, on the detected radiation; and

disabling the potential threat with a dose of radiation from a second radiation beam.

24. A method of examining a container, the method comprising:

detecting a presence of a potential chemical agent in the container using a chemical detector; and

disabling the chemical agent with a dose of radiation from a radiation beam.

25. A system for examining and disabling a potential threat, the system comprising:

at least one radiation source capable of operating in a first mode and a second mode, the at least one radiation source configured to scan at least a portion of a container using a radiation beam, in the first mode;

at least one detector positioned to detect the radiation beam interacting with contents in the container;

at least one processor coupled to the at least one detector, the at least one processor being configured to identify a potentially hazardous object based, at least in part, on data from the at least one detector;

wherein the at least one radiation source is further configured to deliver radiation to the potential threat to disable the potential threat, in the second mode.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

at least one second detector to detect at least one of a chemical agent or a biological agent; and

wherein the at least one processor is configured to identify the hazardous object based, at least in part, on data from the second detector.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one source is a single radiation source.

28. A system for examining and disabling a potential threat, the system comprising:

at least one radiation source configured to scan at least a portion of a container using a first radiation beam, the at least one radiation source being movable between a first position and a second position;

at least one first detector positioned to detect the first radiation beam interacting with contents in the container;

a mechanism configured to move the at least one radiation source between the first position to the second position; and

at least one processor coupled to the at least one first detector and the mechanism, the at least one processor configured to;

identify the potential threat based, at least in part, on data from the at least one first detector;

instruct the mechanism to move the at least one radiation source between the first position and the second position; and

instruct the at least one radiation source to irradiate the potential threat with a second radiation beam to disable the potential threat.

29. The system according to claim 28, wherein the at least one radiation source targets the potential threat with the second radiation beam from the first position.

30. The system according to claim 28, wherein the at least one radiation source targets the potential threat with the second radiation beam from the second position.

31. The system according to claim 28, further comprising:

at least one second detector to detect at least one of a chemical agent or a biological agent, the at least one second detector coupled to the at least one processor;

wherein the at least one processor is configured to identify the potential threat based, at least in part, on data from at least one of the at least one first detector or the at least one second detector.

32. A distributed system for examining and disabling a potential threat, the system comprising:

a first system in a first location for examining a container, the first system comprising;

at least one first accelerator source to scan at least a portion of the container;

at least one first detector positioned to detect radiation interacting with contents in the container;

at least one second detector to detect at least one of a chemical agent or a biological agent;

at least one first processor coupled to the at least one first detector and the at least one second detector, the at least one first processor being configured to identify the potential threat based, at least in part, on data received from at least one of the at least one first detector or the at least one second detector; and

a second system in a second location different than the first location to deliver radiation to the potential threat, the second system comprising;

at least one second accelerator source configured to deliver radiation to disable the potential threat.

33. The distributed system of claim 32, wherein the second system further comprises:

at least one third detector positioned to detect radiation interacting with the contents of the container;

at least one fourth detector to detect at least one of a chemical agent or a biological agent; and

at least one second processor coupled to the at least one third detector and the at least one fourth detector, the at least one second processor being configured to confirm the presence of the potential threat based, at least in part, on data from at least one of the at least one third detector or the at least one fourth detector;

wherein the at least one second accelerator source is configured to scan the portion of the container.

34. The distributed system of claim 32, further comprising means for transporting the container from the first location to the second location.