Patents Assigned to Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
  • Patent number: 10107783
    Abstract: A detection system comprising a plurality of magnetic field generators and a plurality of magnetic field detectors located adjacent to a detection area, and a control system arranged to generate magnetic field using the generators, and, for each of the generators, to make measurements of the magnetic field generated using each of the detectors, and processing means arranged to process the measurements to generate a data set characterising the detection area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: William Robert Breckon Lionheart, Anthony Peyton, Xiandong Ma
  • Patent number: 10098214
    Abstract: A gantry scanner system comprises a radiation source, a plurality of detectors and a support frame supporting the detectors. The support frame includes an elongate support member arranged to support the detectors, cable support means arranged to support power cables or signal cables connected to the detectors, and cover means arranged to cover the support member, the cable support means and the detectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Patent number: 10049868
    Abstract: An apparatus for detecting constituents in a sample includes first and second drift tubes defining first and second drift regions, and a controllable electric field device within a fragmentation region coupled to the first and second drift tubes. The apparatus also includes a first ion shutter positioned between the first drift and fragmentation regions. The apparatus further includes a control system configured to regulate the first ion shutter, thereby facilitating injection of a selected portion of ions from the first drift region into the fragmentation region. The control system is also configured to regulate the controllable device to modify the selected portion of ions to generate predetermined ion fragments within the fragmentation region, thereby facilitating injection of a selected portion of the predetermined fragmented ions into the second drift region. A method of detecting constituents in a sample is facilitated through such an apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Gary A. Eiceman, Stephen J. Davila, Stefan R. Lukow, Hartwig Schmidt
  • Patent number: 10021350
    Abstract: The present specification discloses a system for controlling a movement of at least one person into a controlled location. The system includes an X-ray screening system having an entrance area defined by walls and a gate, and an exit area defined by walls and a gate. The gates are automatically controlled based upon the output of the X-ray screening system. Additional gates, defining an additional holding area, are used for subsequent analysis and inspection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy James Rayner
  • Patent number: 10007021
    Abstract: The invention provides methods, systems and detector arrangements for scanning an object moving in a first direction that includes the steps of irradiating the object with radiation having a peak energy of at least 900 keV, providing a first detector region having a thickness of at least 2 mm and a second detector region having a thickness of at least 5 mm where the second detector region is arranged to receive radiation that has passed through the first detector region, and detecting the radiation after it has interacted with or passed through the object in order to provide information relating to the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Patent number: 10007019
    Abstract: The present invention is a self-contained mobile inspection system and method and, more specifically, improved methods and systems for detecting materials concealed within a wide variety of receptacles and/or cargo containers. In particular, the present invention is an improved method and system with a novel boom structure that reduces the weight of the boom. The single, light-weight boom of the inspection system is relatively compact in a stowed configuration and has a low height and center of gravity lending to greater maneuverability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward James Morton, Francis Baldwin, Andreas F. Kotowski
  • Patent number: 9958569
    Abstract: The present invention provides a four-sided scanning system for vehicles that uses a combination of backscatter and transmission based X-ray imaging to achieve material discrimination. In one embodiment, the system is designed as a mobile, drive-through system, which can be folded and stowed in a truck and can be conveniently deployed at any place when required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward James Morton, Andreas F. Kotowski
  • Patent number: 9952179
    Abstract: A dual source ionizer includes a first ionization source and a second ionization source. The first ionization source is configured to generate a first electric field. The first electric field has a first field strength that is insufficient to form NOx? ions. The second ionization source is configured to generate a second electric field. The second electric field has a second field strength that is sufficient to form ozone and the NOx? ions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrey N. Vilkov, Jack A. Syage
  • Patent number: 9915752
    Abstract: This invention is directed towards finding, locating, and confirming threat items and substances. The inspection system is designed to detect objects that are made from, but not limited to, special nuclear materials (“SNM”) and/or high atomic number materials. The system employs advanced image processing techniques to analyze images of an object under inspection (“OUI”), which includes, but is not limited to baggage, parcels, vehicles and cargo, and fluorescence detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Kristian R. Peschmann
  • Patent number: 9891314
    Abstract: An ultra-wide band microwave based personnel/passenger screening system, and in particular, a system for material specific detection, uses non-ionizing radiation in which focused beams of low intensity microwave radiation are projected in rapid succession at an individual as they walk through a portal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward James Morton, Anthony J. Peyton
  • Patent number: 9880314
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Andreas Pfander, Ronald James Hughes
  • Patent number: 9870150
    Abstract: The present specification discloses a storage system for enabling the substantially concurrent storage and access of data that has three dimensional images processed to identify a presence of a threat item. The system includes a source of data, a temporary storage memory for receiving and temporarily storing the data, a long term storage, and multiple workstations adapted to display three dimensional images. The temporary storage memory is adapted to support multiple file input/output operations executing substantially concurrently, including the receiving of data, transmitting of data to workstations, and transmitting of data to long term storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Felix YaikNan Liu, Zhongming Wu, Benny Taiklin Wong, Ron Jeppesen
  • Patent number: 9835756
    Abstract: A variable mode X-ray transmission system is provided that can be operated in low or high dose rate modes depending upon the area or portion of the vehicle to be screened. In one embodiment, variable dose rate is achieved by use of a novel collimator. The systems disclosed in this application enable the scanning of a vehicle cab portion (occupied by people, such as a driver) at low dose rate, which is safe for human beings, while allowing the scanning of the cargo portion (unoccupied by people) at a high dose rate. Rapid switching from low dose rate to high dose rate operating mode is provided, while striking a balance between high material penetration for cargo portion and low intensity exposure that is safe for occupants in the cab portion of the inspected vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Patent number: 9823201
    Abstract: The present specification discloses a multi-view X-ray inspection system having, in one of several embodiments, a three-view configuration with three X-ray sources. Each X-ray source rotates and is configured to emit a rotating X-ray pencil beam and at least two detector arrays, where each detector array has multiple non-pixellated detectors such that at least a portion of the non-pixellated detectors are oriented toward both the two X-ray sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Patent number: 9823383
    Abstract: The present specification describes a scanning/inspection system configured as a dual-view system using dual-energy sensitive stacked detectors that are partially populated with multi-energy discriminating detectors for overall enhanced energy resolution and therefore improved discrimination of materials through better estimation of material physical properties such as density and effective atomic number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Gerard Andrew Hanley
  • Patent number: 9817151
    Abstract: A drive-through scanning system comprises a radiation generating means arranged to generate radiation at two different energy levels and direct it towards a scanning volume, detection means arranged to detect the radiation after it has passed through the scanning volume, and control means arranged to identify a part of a vehicle within the scanning volume, to allocate the part of the vehicle to one of a plurality of categories, and to control the radiation generating means and to select one or more of the energy levels depending on the category to which the part of the vehicle is allocated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Patent number: 9791590
    Abstract: The present specification discloses a radiographic inspection system for screening an area. The inspection system has a container that defines an enclosed volume, a radiation source positioned within the enclosed volume, a detector array, a movable structure attached to a portion of the base of the container, and a controller programmed to move the movable structure to achieve an optimum height of the radiation source's field of view based upon a plurality of data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Patent number: 9772426
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an inspection system that has a radiation source, a detector array, an inspection region, and a processing unit, where the processing unit a) obtains a radiographic image, b) segments the radiographic image based on radiation attenuation or transmission, c) identifies at least one segmented area on the radiographic image, d) filters the at least one segmented area using at least one geometric filter, e) generates feature vectors using the filtered segmented area; and f) compares the feature vectors against predefined values to determine whether a high-atomic-number object is present.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert A. Armistead, Jr., William Chang, Edward D. Franco, Joseph Bendahan, Jolyon A. Browne
  • Patent number: 9747705
    Abstract: The present invention is an X-ray system having a source-detector module, which includes X-ray sources and detectors, for scanning an object being inspected, a scan engine coupled to the source-detector module for collecting scan data from the source detector module, an image reconstruction engine coupled to the scan engine for converting the collected scan data into one or more X-ray images, and a scan controller coupled with at least one of the source detector module, the scan engine, and the image reconstruction engine optimize operations of the X-ray system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Patent number: 9733385
    Abstract: The present specification discloses methods for scanning objects for the presence of lithium batteries. Normalized transmission X-ray data is used to generate organic, effective Z, and attenuation-based images. These images are then segmented using a combination of thresholding and region growing techniques to identify regions of interest. The regions are classified as lithium batteries or other objects, based on characteristics such as area of the region, its organic intensity, Zeff number, shape, spatial arrangement and texture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Ed Franco, Ling Tang, Jing Ye Shea, Minyang Huang, Jolyon Browne