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US 9,151,721 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. The apparatus comprises a moveable platform, a housing connected to the moveable platform, a power supply located inside of the housing, and an x-ray tube located inside of the housing. The power supply and the x-ray tube are immersed in a coolant. The x-ray tube is configured to generate an x-ray beam.
Claims18
An apparatus comprising:
- a moveable platform;
- a housing connected to the moveable platform;
- a liquid coolant present inside of the housing;
- a power supply located inside of the housing and immersed in a liquid coolant;
- and
- an x-ray tube located inside of the housing and immersed in the liquid coolant, the x-ray tube configured such that in operation the x-ray tube generates an x-ray beam, wherein the x-ray beam is a first x-ray beam that passes through a first window and wherein the x-ray tube is configured to generate a second x-ray beam that passes through a second window in which the first x-ray beam travels towards a first location on a surface of an object and the second x-ray beam travels towards a second location on the surface of the object, further comprising:
- 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 allows at least a portion of the x-ray beam to pass through the rotatable wheel, wherein the at least the portion of the x-ray beam passes through an aperture in the number of apertures as a collimated x-ray beam that travels towards a location on a surface of an object and wherein a portion of x-rays in the collimated x-ray beam is reflected off of the surface of the object.
4 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, wherein the x-ray tube and the power supply are immersed within a liquid coolant within the housing, and wherein the x-ray beam travels the distance to the object;
- detecting a backscatter in response to at least a 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 is present on the surface of the object, wherein the x-ray beam is a first x-ray beam that passes through a first window and wherein the x-ray tube is configured to generate a second x-ray beam that passes through a second window in which the first x-ray beam travels towards a first location on a surface of an object and the second x-ray beam travels towards a second location on the surface of the object.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.