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US 8,761,338 B2Granted
Integrated backscatter X-ray system
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorMorteza Safai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The different advantageous embodiments provide a method and apparatus for generating an x-ray beam. The x-ray beam is generated using an x-ray tube. The x-ray tube and a power supply are located inside of a housing connected to a moveable platform. A rotatable wheel connected to the moveable platform is rotated while the x-ray beam is being generated. The rotatable wheel has a number of apertures that allows at least a portion of the x-ray beam to pass through the rotatable wheel as the rotatable wheel rotates.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- a moveable platform;
- a housing connected to the moveable platform;
- a power supply located inside of the housing;
- an x-ray tube located inside of the housing;
- and
- a rotatable wheel having a number of apertures, wherein the rotatable wheel is connected to the moveable platform and is configured to rotate while the x-ray tube generates an x-ray beam such that the number of apertures allow at least a portion of the x-ray beam to pass through the rotatable wheel, wherein the housing is positioned within an interior of the rotatable wheel.
3 more elements
A method for inspecting an object, the method comprising:
- positioning a moveable platform within a distance of the object to be inspected;
- generating an x-ray beam using an x-ray tube, wherein the x-ray tube and a power supply are located inside of a housing connected to a moveable platform, and wherein the x-ray beam travels the distance to the object;
- rotating a rotatable wheel connected to the moveable platform while the x-ray beam is being generated, wherein the rotatable wheel has a number of apertures that allow at least a portion of the x-ray beam to pass through the rotatable wheel as the rotatable wheel rotates, and wherein the housing is positioned within an interior of the rotatable wheel;
- detecting a backscatter in response to the at least the portion of the x-ray beam encountering the object, wherein the backscatter comprises x-rays in the at least the portion of the x-ray beam that are reflected off of a surface of the object;
- and
- generating a number of images using the backscatter for use in determining whether a number of inconsistencies are present on the surface of the object.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.