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US 2003/0189510 A1Published application
Imaging system and method
AssigneeQinetiq Limited
InventorsRupert N. Anderton, Peter R. Coward, Roger Appleby
Life of this patent
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AssigneeQinetiq Limited
InventorsRupert N. Anderton, Peter R. Coward, Roger Appleby
Estimating the term…
A system for imaging the contents of containers includes an imager arranged to receive millimetre wave radiation from a reception volume through a receive antenna wherein, in use, the container is moving relative to the receive antenna, the reception volume is positioned such that the relative movement causes the reception volume to move through the container; data from the antenna is recorded as the reception volume moves through the container, and an image of the contents of the container is built up from the recorded data. The system is particularly suitable for imaging containers mounted on vehicles. The imager may advantageously be mounted in a portal, allowing convenient and controllable relative positioning of the container, and allowing the relative speed to be controlled or measured easily. The invention allows 3D or pseudo 3D images to be produced to aid identification of container contents. The invention also includes a method for imaging.
A system for imaging the contents of a container, the system comprising an imager arranged to receive millimetre wave radiation from a reception volume through a receive antenna that itself comprises at least one receiving element, wherein, in use, the container is moving relative to the receive antenna, the reception volume is positioned such that the relative movement causes the reception volume to move through the container;
A system as claimed in any of the above claim s where the speed of the container relative to the receive antenna is measured during at least part of the data recording, and this measurement is used as a parameter when creating the complete image.
5 A system as claimed in any of the above claims where the speed of the container is controlled for the duration of data recording.
A system as claimed in any of the above claims wherein the axis of the receive antenna is not perpendicular to the direction of relative movement of the container and receive antenna.
A system as claimed in any of the above claims wherein a plurality of receive antennas are used to gather data from a plurality of reception volumes.
A system as claimed in any of the above claims wherein the image may be manipulated to allow views of the container contents from different angles.
A system as claimed in any of the above claims wherein each receive antenna comprises a plurality of receiving elements,
A system as claimed in any of the above claims wherein the received volume is scanned by changing with time the direction of each receive beam pattern.
A system as claimed in any of the above claims wherein the image data is analysed by image recognition software that is pre programmed with images or characteristics of contraband items, such that when a match is found between the image data and at least one of the contraband items an alert is sent to an operator.
A method of imaging the contents of a container where the container is moving relative to a receive antenna of the imaging system, characterised by:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.