Methods for improving processing speed for object inspection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9880314-B2
Application number	US-201414338435-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2014
Priority date	Jul 23, 2013
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

The present specification describes methods and systems for inspecting objects by means of penetrating radiation where objects are conveyed through the penetrating radiation and subsequent images of objects are reviewed by an operator. Specifically, the present specification describes a system that decouples the synchronization between cessation of image generation on the display and image acquisition through conveyance of the article. Further, the present specification discloses methods for compensating for image acquisition inefficiencies involving article separation by the queuing conveyor and the post-stop back belt process, resulting in throughput enhancement.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of inspecting an object translated forward on a conveyor through an X-ray inspection system, wherein the object is scanned with penetrating radiation to generate scan image data of the object for display on a viewing device such that the scan image data of the object initially scrolls in synchronization with a forward movement of the object, the method comprising:
stopping scrolling of the scan image data of the object on the viewing device by an operator to examine said scan image data of the object;
asynchronously continuing the forward movement of the conveyor for a buffer time B t to perform a scan process, wherein the scan process collects additional scan image data of the object while the operator is examining said scan image data of the object;
stopping the scan process after the buffer time B t is over, wherein the buffer time B t is a function of a system recovery time R t and wherein the system recovery time R t is the time from stopping a scan to starting a scan;
storing the additional scan image data of the object in a buffer memory to create a buffered image data of the object until the scan process is started again; and
displaying the buffered image data of the object on the viewing device upon restarting the scan process.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said buffer time B t is 40% to 60% of the system recovery time R t .

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said buffer time B t is approximately 1.5 seconds.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said X-ray inspection system comprises a baggage inspection system.

5. A method of inspecting an object translated forward on a conveyor through an X-ray inspection system, wherein the object is scanned with penetrating radiation to generate scan image data of the object for display on a viewing device, such that the scan image data of the object initially scrolls in synchronization with a forward movement of the object, the method comprising:
stopping scrolling of the scan image data of the object on the viewing device by an operator to examine said scan image data of the object;
asynchronously continuing the forward movement of the conveyor for a buffer time B t to collect additional scan image data of at least one queued object while the operator is examining said scan image data of the object, wherein the buffer time B t is a function of a recovery time R t from stopping a scan to starting a scan;
storing said additional scan image data of the at least one queued object in a memory until scrolling of scan image data of the object is started again; and
displaying said stored additional scan image data of the at least one queued object on the viewing device upon restarting scrolling of scan image data of the object.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein asynchronously continuing the forward movement of the conveyor to collect additional scan image data of at least one queued object comprises asynchronously continuing the forward movement of the conveyor for a time period of approximately 1.5 seconds.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein said X-ray inspection system comprises a baggage inspection system.

8. A method of inspecting at least one object being moved forward on a conveyor through an X-ray inspection system, wherein a first object is scanned with penetrating radiation to generate scan image data of the first object for display on a viewing device such that the scan image data of the first object initially scrolls in synchronization with a forward movement of the first object, the method comprising:
stopping scrolling of the scan image data of the first object on the viewing device by an operator to examine said scan image data of said first object;
asynchronously continuing the forward movement of the conveyor for a buffer time B t to perform a scan process, wherein the scan process collects additional scan image data of a second object while the operator is examining said scan image data of said first object, wherein the buffer time B t is a function of a system recovery time R t , and wherein the system recovery time R t is the time from stopping a scan to starting a scan;
stopping the scan process after collecting the additional scan image data of said second object;
storing said additional scan image data of the second object in a memory until the scan process is started again; and
displaying said stored additional scan image data of the second object on the viewing device upon restarting the scan process.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein asynchronously continuing the forward movement of the conveyor for a buffer time B t to collect additional scan image data of a second object comprises asynchronously continuing the forward movement of the conveyor for a time period of approximately 1.5 seconds.

10. A method of inspecting at least one object being moved forward on a conveyor through an X-ray inspection system, wherein a first object is scanned with penetrating radiation to generate scan image data of the first object for display on a viewing device such that the scan image data of the first object initially scrolls in synchronization with a forward movement of the first object, the method comprising:
stopping scrolling of the scan image data of the first object on the viewing device by an operator to examine said scan image data of said first object;
asynchronously continuing the forward movement of the conveyor for a buffer time B t to collect additional scan image data of a second object while the operator is examining said scan image data of said first object, wherein the buffer time B t is a function of a system stop to system start transition time;
storing said additional scan image data of the second object in a memory until the scrolling of scan image data of the first object is started again;
repeating the steps of collecting additional scan image data and storing said additional scan image data for a third through an nth objects until the buffer time B is over; and
displaying said stored additional scan image data of said third through said nth objects on the viewing device upon restarting scrolling of scan image data of the first object.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the buffer time B t is equivalent to an operator's average decision review time D t .

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the buffer time B t is approximately 5 seconds.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein asynchronously continuing the forward movement of the conveyor for a buffer time B t comprises continuing the forward movement of the conveyor until the first object reaches an access area, wherein the first object can be physically accessed.

Assignees

• Rapiscan Systems Inc

Inventors

• Pfander Andreas
• Hughes Ronald James

Classifications

• G01N23/04 Primary

  and forming images of the material · CPC title

• G01V5/0016 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01V5/0008

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01V5/20 Primary

  Detecting prohibited goods, e.g. weapons, explosives, hazardous substances, contraband or smuggled objects · CPC title

• 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