Claims
- 1. An inspection system for inspecting an object of inspection, the system comprising:
a. an enclosed conveyance characterized by an enclosing body; b. a source of penetrating radiation contained entirely within the body of the enclosed conveyance for generating penetrating radiation; c. a spatial modulator for forming the penetrating radiation into a beam for irradiating the object with a time-variable scanning profile; d. a detector module contained entirely within the body of the enclosed conveyance, for generating a scatter signal based on penetrating radiation scattered by contents of the object; e. a proximity sensor for generating a relative motion signal based on a relative disposition of the enclosed conveyance and the inspected object; and f. a controller for ascertaining a specified characteristic of the contents of the object.
- 2. An inspection system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the conveyance is a vehicle capable of road-travel.
- 3. An inspection system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising an image generator for forming the signal into an image of the contents of the object based in part on the scatter signal and the relative motion signal.
- 4. An inspection system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the source of penetrating radiation is an x-ray tube.
- 5. An inspection system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the source of penetrating radiation is an x-ray tube emitting radiation at energies below approximately 250 keV.
- 6. An inspection system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the source of penetrating radiation includes a rotating chopper wheel.
- 7. An inspection system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the source of penetrating radiation emits radiation to one side of the enclosed conveyance.
- 8. An inspection system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the source of penetrating radiation emits radiation to two sides of the enclosed conveyance.
- 9. An inspection system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a detector for detecting radiation emitted by contents of the container.
- 10. An inspection system in accordance with claim 8, wherein the detector for detecting radiation emitted by contents of the container is sensitive to neutrons.
- 11. An inspection system in accordance with claim 8, wherein the detector for detecting radiation emitted by contents of the container is sensitive to gamma rays.
- 12. An inspection system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor is chosen from the group of sensors including radar, ultrasound, optical, laser, and LIDAR sensors.
- 13. A method for inspecting an object of inspection with penetrating radiation, the method comprising:
a. generating a beam of penetrating radiation originating entirely within the body of an enclosed conveyance; b. scanning the penetrating radiation across the object with a time-variable scanning profile; c. detecting penetrating radiation scattered by the object into the body of the enclosed conveyance and generating a scatter signal; d. generating a relative motion signal based on a relative disposition of the enclosed conveyance and the inspected object; and e. ascertaining a specified characteristic of the contents of the object based in part on the scatter signal and the relative motion signal.
- 14. A method in accordance with claim 13, further comprising:
forming an image of the contents of the object based in part on the scatter signal and the relative motion signal.
- 15. A method in accordance with claim 13, further comprising:
directing the penetrating radiation based at least in part on the relative motion signal.
Parent Case Info
[0001] The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 10/330,000, filed Dec. 26, 2002, and claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/424,357, filed Nov. 6, 2002. Both of the foregoing applications are incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60424357 |
Nov 2002 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10330000 |
Dec 2002 |
US |
Child |
10442687 |
May 2003 |
US |