Abstract: An inspection apparatus having at an entrance and an exit of a radiation tunnel a radiation-shielding curtain so that no ionized radiation can exit from the inspection unit as a luggage piece or another object to be inspected is passed into or out of the inspection unit. A plurality of light curtains, which are arranged at a spacing, one behind the other, so that the coefficient of fiction (&mgr;) is smaller than when the heavier curtain is provided.

Abstract: Known inspection units (10) respectively have at an entrance and often at an exit of a radiation tunnel a radiation-shielding curtain (13) so that no ionized radiation can exit from the inspection unit (10) as a luggage piece or another object to be inspected is passed into or out of the inspection unit.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for examining containers and/or vehicles at an airport for impermissible contents, such as explosives, weapons, drugs, smuggled goods and the like. To improve the ability to identify such items in the article or vehicle under inspection, an image processor is provided having a computer to which the signals of the radiation detectors are supplied. The computer uses these signals to calculate a radiation silhouette of the articles. A memory is provided in which a reference image of the article is stored. A comparison circuit is supplied with the signals from the computer and from the memory, so that a differential image derived from the calculated radiation silhouette from the computer and from the reference image is displayed on a monitor, connected to the comparison circuit. Differences between the cureent image and the reference image can thereby be easily observed.

Abstract: An apparatus for inspecting containers or vehicles at airports for illegal contents, such as bombs, weapons, drugs or smuggled goods includes two x-ray generators and two line-shaped radiation detectors, a first of the radiation detectors receiving radiation from a fan beam of a first radiation generator, and the second radiation detector receiving radiation from a fan beam of a second radiation generator. The respective central rays of the fan beams are disposed substantially perpendicularly realtive to each other.

Abstract: A material inspection system, such as a baggage insepction system, uses x-ray imaging to identify organic materials such as drugs and explosives. The articles being inspected are transirradiated with x-rays having different radiation energies. From detected radiation, attenuated by the article under inspection, a materials information signal and a luminance signal are formed. The color of the monitor image is controlled by the materials information signal, and the image brightness, color saturation and white content of the image are controlled by the luminance signal. A color portrayal occurs only when the materials information signal has a sufficiently high signal-to-noise ratio.

Abstract: An x-ray scanner for inspecting articles moving therethrough, such as on a conveyor, has a frame on which an x-ray source, a collimator for the x-ray beam, and a radiation detector are mounted. The frame resists flexural and torsional stresses so as to maintain the relative positions of the x-ray source, the collimator, and the radiation receiver in the presence of such stresses. The scanner is mounted in a rack in which the frame is seated by a resilient support. The conveyor which is used to move articles through the x-ray beam between the x-ray source and the radiation receiver is supported by the rack, so that mechanical stresses to the conveyor, such as the placement of heavy articles thereon, are not conveyed to the frame, and therefore do not disturb the alignment of the components mounted on the frame, due to the intervention of the resilient support.

Abstract: An x-ray scanner generates a fan-shaped x-ray beam through which an object to be inspected is moved and a detector line which generates signals corresponding to the radiation attenuated by the object. The processing electronics includes a comparator for recognizing faulty detector signals by means of which the roll-in of data ito the image memory is controllable such that, given a faulty detector signal, the transfer of the information into a memory line allocated to the detector is inhibited. The x-ray scanner also includes an allocator unit which omits predetermined detector channels for the purpose of geometric balancing. Given outage of a detector, its detector channel is omitted by the allocator unit, based on a signal from the comparator, instead of a prescribed detector channel.

Abstract: An apparatus for transradiating an object moving on a conveyor path has a radiation generator for generating at least one fan-shaped radiation beam directed at the object and disposed substantially perpendicularly to the conveyor path, a number of line-shaped radiation detectors disposed for receiving radiation after passing through respective portions of the object with radiation passing through one portion of the object being received by one of the detectors, and all of the detectors in combination receiving all of the radiation passing through the object, and an evaluation unit connected to the detectors for evaluating signals therefrom to form an image of the object.

Abstract: In an infrared motion alarm an optical filter arranged in front of an input of an infrared detector is attached to a heat sink in the form of a solid metal crucible in order to reduce the sensitivity to glass-penetrating electromagnetic radiation. Changes in radiation absorbed in the optical filter are either captured in the thermal sink or decelerated at least as to the characteristic thermal radiation of the optical filter and no longer fall within the characteristic range of change of the motion alarm.

Abstract: An optical arrangement for use with an infrared detector characterized by a concave mirror surrounding the infrared detector, a body having a plane reflecting surface extending perpendicular to the axis of the detector, which surface faces the detector and the conical concave mirror, and having a conical reflecting surface extending from the plane surface, and at least one planar directional mirror pivotably mounted for reflecting infrared radiation at the conical reflecting surface. The arrangement can be used to monitor a space and if used with a second arrangement, whose directional mirrors are arranged to provide new sensing curtains adjacent the curtains of the first detector, the arrangement can determine the direction of movement of the object passing through the space.

Abstract: An optical arrangement for a passive infrared motion detector which has an infrared detector unit and a system for directing infrared radiation from at least two separate directions to be monitored onto the detector unit characterized by the system including a single focusing device and separate, flat reflecting surfaces or directing mirrors, which are arranged with at least one flat reflecting surface associated with each direction to be monitored to reflect a beam or solid angle of radiation from the direction onto the single focusing device which device will focus the radiation along a folded beam path to the detector unit.