Inner image generating apparatus and method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9423361-B2
Application number	US-201514596745-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2015
Priority date	Jan 14, 2014
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

An inner image generating apparatus includes a first receiver configured to receive an inlet track information and a first passage time of a muon, a second receiver configured to receive an outlet track information and a second passage time of the muon, a displacement calculator configured to calculate a track displacement of a track of the muon based on the inlet and outlet track information, a mean energy calculator configured to calculate a mean energy of the muon based on a time-difference between the first passage and the second passage time, a data integration circuit configured to integrate multiplied data multiplying the track displacement and the mean energy on a projected plane, and an image generating circuit configured to generate an inner image of the structure by identifying a position of matter at the projected plane based on an integrated multiplied data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An inner image generating apparatus, comprising:
a first receiver configured to receive an inlet track information and a first passage time of a muon at a first track detector provided outside of a structure;
a second receiver configured to receive an outlet track information and a second passage time of the muon at a second track detector provided outside of the structure at an opposite side of the first track detector;
a displacement calculator configured to calculate a track displacement of a track of the muon passing the structure based on the inlet track information and the outlet track information of the muon;
a mean energy calculator configured to calculate a mean energy of the muon based on a time-difference between the first passage time and the second passage time;
a data integration circuit configured to integrate a product of the track displacement and the mean energy of the muon on a projected plane assumed inside the structure, wherein each of the product is configured to be allocated at a corresponding position of the muon passing at the projected plane; and,
an image generating circuit configured to generate an inner image of the structure by identifying a position of matter at the projected plane based on an integrated product obtained at the data integration circuit.

2. The inner image generating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image generating circuit is configured to identify an atomic number of the matter based on a relationship between the multiplied data and a radiation length of the matter.

3. The inner image generating apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an identifying counter configured to pick up and identify the inlet track information received at the first receiver and the outlet track information received at the second receiver in a predetermined time period as the track of the muon passing the structure.

4. An inner image generating method, comprising:
receiving an inlet track information and a first passage time of a muon at a first track detector provided outside of a structure;
receiving an outlet track information and a second passage time of the muon at a second track detector provided outside of the structure at an opposite side of the first track detector;
calculating a track displacement of a track of the muon passing the structure based on the inlet track information and the outlet track information of the muon;
calculating a mean energy of the muon based on a time-difference between the first passage time and the second passage time;
integrating a product of the track displacement and the mean energy of the muon on a projected plane assumed inside the structure, wherein each of the product is allocated at a corresponding position of the muon passing at the projected plane; and,
generating an inner image of the structure by identifying a position of matter at the projected plane based on the product integrated.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Sugita Tsukasa
• Miyadera Haruo
• Yoshioka Kenichi
• Kume Naoto
• Nakayama Kohichi
• Ban Yuichiro
• Karino Yoshiji
• Fujita Kyouichi
• Odanaka Shigeru

Classifications

• G01N23/04 Primary

  and forming images of the material · CPC title

• G01V5/0016

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01V5/22

  Active interrogation, i.e. by irradiating objects or goods using external radiation sources, e.g. using gamma rays or cosmic rays · CPC title