Detecting explosives or other contraband by employing transmitted and scattered X-rays

An X-ray inspection device for detecting a specific material of interest in items of baggage or packages, comprising:

• a conveyor for sequentially moving items of baggage or packages through an inspection region;
• a stationary X-ray source located at said inspection region and constructed to expose sequentially said items by a fan beam of X-ray radiation of at least two substantially different energies;
• as X-ray detection system including
• an array of X-ray transmission detectors constructed and positioned to detect X-ray radiation transmitted through said examined item,
• an array of X-ray back-scatter detectors constructed and positioned to detect X-ray radiation back-scattered from said examined item relative to the incident X-ray beam,
• an array of X-ray forward-scatter detectors constructed and positioned to detect X-ray radiation scattered forward from said examined item relative to the incident X-ray beam,
• a interface system constructed and arranged to receive from said detection system X-ray data corresponding to the intensity of X-ray radiation at said energies detected by said arrays of detectors;
• a computer operatively connected via said interface system to said detection system and programmed to correlate data detected by said transmission detectors and said scatter detectors and recognize said specific material of interest by effectively removing the effects of overlying or underlying materials in said examined item;
• and
• said computer further programmed to automatically indicate presence of said specific material of interest while said item progresses on said conveyor.

An X-ray inspection method of detecting a specific material of interest in items of baggage or packages, comprising:

• moving sequentially on a conveyor items of baggage or packages through an inspection region;
• exposing sequentially, at said inspection region, one of said items by a beam of X-ray radiation;
• detecting X-ray radiation modified by said examined item by an X-ray detection system;
• measuring a selected dimension of said examined item by employing a dimension detector;
• ordering X-ray data detected by said X-ray detection system and dimension data detected by said dimension detector;
• recognizing by computer-processing said specific material of interest by utilizing said ordered X-ray data and said dimension data;
• and
• indicating automatically presence of said specific material of interest in said examined item.

An X-ray inspection method of detecting a specific material of interest in items of baggage or packages, comprising:

• moving sequentially on a conveyor items of baggage or packages through an inspection region;
• exposing sequentially, at said inspection region, one of said items by a beam of X-ray radiation;
• detecting X-ray radiation transmitted through said examined item by an X-ray transmission detection system to create X-ray transmission data;
• detecting X-ray radiation back-scattered from said examined item by an X-ray back-scatter detection system to create X-ray back-scatter data;
• detecting X-ray radiation forward-scattered from said examined item by an X-ray forward-scatter detection system to create X-ray forward-scatter data;
• ordering X-ray data detected by said X-ray detection systems;
• recognizing, by computer-processing said ordered X-ray data, said specific material of interest by effectively removing the effects of overlying or underlying materials in said examined item;
• and
• indicating automatically presence of said specific material of interest in said examined item.