# US 10,477,785 B2 · Ultrasonic-based system for detection of metallic security threats containers on cargo

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- Number: US 10,477,785 B2
- Document ID: US10477785B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/509,480
- Filed: 2015-10-21
- Published: 2017-10-19
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2014-10-21
- Assignees: Northeastern University
- Applicants: Northeastern University
- Inventors: Jose A. Martinez-Lorenzo; Yuri Alvarez Lopez
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10477785B2

## CPC

- A01G 31/02: Special apparatus therefor (self-acting watering devices A01G27/00)
- A01G 9/246: {Air-conditioning systems}
- A01G 9/247: {Watering arrangements}
- A01G 25/16: Control of watering
- G01N 29/0654: {Imaging}
- G01N 29/27: by moving the material relative to a stationary sensor
- G01V 5/20: Detecting prohibited goods, e.g. weapons, explosives, hazardous substances, contraband or smuggled objects
- A01G 31/065: {with means for recycling the nutritive solution}
- G01N 2291/015: Attenuation, scattering
- G01N 2291/0427: Flexural waves, plate waves, e.g. Lamb waves, tuning fork, cantilever
- G01N 2291/106: one or more transducer arrays
- G01N 2291/2695: Bottles, containers
- G01N 2291/2698: Other discrete objects, e.g. bricks
- Y02A 40/25: Greenhouse technology, e.g. cooling systems therefor
- Y02P 60/21: Dinitrogen oxide [N2O], e.g. using aquaponics, hydroponics or efficiency measures
- A01G: HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING (picking of fruits, vegetables, hops or the like A01D46/00; propagating unicellular algae C12N1/12)
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)
- G01V: GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS (means for indicating the location of accidentally buried, e.g. snow-buried, persons A63B29/02)
- Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

Proactively identifying and interdicting transport of commodities associated with illicit nuclear materials and nuclear weapons shielded by high Z-number materials, such as lead, can help ensure effective nuclear nonproliferation. In an embodiment, a method for imaging an object on a surface includes exciting a surface with ultrasonic excitation from an ultrasonic transmitter having an ultrasonic transducer in contact with the surface. The method further includes imaging, at a processor, a two-dimensional representation of the object acoustically coupled to the surface based on the ultrasonic reflections received at an ultrasonic receiver via a receiving transducer in contact with the surface. This method can complement existing x-ray screening systems to increase the odds of detecting radiological materials.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for imaging an object on a surface, the method comprising:
exciting a surface with ultrasonic excitation from an ultrasonic transmitter having an ultrasonic transducer in contact with the surface;
moving (i) the surface relative to the ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic receiver or (ii) the ultrasonic transmitter and the ultrasonic receiver relative to the surface; and
imaging, at a processor, a two-dimensional representation of the object acoustically coupled to the surface based on ultrasonic reflections received at the ultrasonic receiver in contact with the surface.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic transmitter is an array of ultrasonic transmitters spanning a substantial length of the surface, and wherein the ultrasonic receiver is an array of ultrasonic receivers spanning the substantial length of the surface.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering, at the processor, plane waves from the ultrasonic reflections based on (i) time elapsed since exciting the surface and (ii) the size of the surface, the filtering reducing effects of multipath reflections.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the surface is an internal surface of a container.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein exciting the surface with ultrasonic excitation includes exciting the surface sequentially with a range of frequencies, the range of frequencies based on a thickness of the surface and a material of the surface.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the surface is associated with an identifier, and further comprising:
based on the identifier, loading representations of a thickness of the surface and a material of the surface; and
automatically determining the range of frequencies based on the loaded representations.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the imaging includes calculating displacement of a wave resulting from the transmitted ultrasonic excitation in the frequency domain by performing a Fourier transform of an observation of the ultrasonic reflections the ultrasonic excitation in the time domain.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic reflections are received at a plurality of ultrasonic receivers, the plurality of ultrasonic receiver corresponding with the ultrasonic transmitter.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising exciting the surface by emitting ultrasonic excitations orthogonal to the surface at a point of contact of a transducer of the ultrasonic transmitter.

### Claim 10

A system for imaging objects on a surface, the system comprising:
an ultrasonic transmitter having an ultrasonic transducer in contact with a surface configured to excite the surface with ultrasonic excitation;
an ultrasonic receiver in contact with the surface configured to receive ultrasonic reflections of the ultrasonic excitation;
a motion module configured to move (i) the surface or the ultrasonic transmitter and the ultrasonic receiver such that the surface moves relative to the ultrasonic transmitter and the ultrasonic receiver or (ii) the ultrasonic transmitter and the ultrasonic receiver such that the ultrasonic transmitter and the ultrasonic receiver move relative to the surface;
a processor; and
a memory with computer code instructions stored therein, the memory operatively coupled to said processor such that the computer code instructions configure the processor to implement an imaging module configured to image a two-dimensional representation of the object acoustically coupled to the surface based on the received ultrasonic reflections.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the ultrasonic transmitter is an array of ultrasonic transmitters spanning a substantial length of the surface, wherein the ultrasonic receiver is an array of ultrasonic receivers spanning the substantial length of the surface.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, further comprising wherein the processor is further configured to filter plane waves from the ultrasonic reflections based on (i) time elapsed since exciting the surface and (ii) the size of the surface, the filtering reducing effects of multipath reflections.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the surface is an internal surface of a container.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the ultrasonic transmitter is further configured to excite the surface with ultrasonic excitation by exciting the surface sequentially with a range of frequencies, the range of frequencies being based on a thickness of the surface and a material of the surface.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein the surface is associated with an identifier, and the processor is further configured to:
based on the identifier, load representations of a thickness of the surface and a material of the surface; and
automatically determine the range of frequencies based on the loaded representations.

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to image by calculating displacement of the wave resulting from the transmitted ultrasonic excitation in the frequency domain by performing a Fourier transform of an observation of the ultrasonic reflections of the ultrasonic excitation in the time domain.

### Claim 17 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the ultrasonic receiver includes a plurality of ultrasonic receivers corresponding with the ultrasonic transmitter.

### Claim 18 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the ultrasonic transmitter is further configured to excite the surface by emitting ultrasonic excitations orthogonal to the surface at a point of contact of a transducer of the ultrasonic transmitter.