Patents Assigned to SMITHS DETECTION
  • Patent number: 12276770
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method for processing inspection data associated with cargo irradiated by a plurality N of pulses of inspection is provided. The method includes obtaining the inspection data, the inspection data being representative of intensity values of pixels of an inspection image of the including data associated with a higher energy mode, and data associated with a lower energy mode; generating a histogram having, as a first axis, bins corresponding to pixel intensity values HM associated with the higher energy mode and, as a second axis, bins corresponding to pixel intensity values LM associated with the lower energy mode; selecting a bin corresponding to a most frequent bin of the pixel intensity values HM; and generating a transformation table by mapping each bin of the pixel intensity values LM with the selected bin of the pixel intensity values HM.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION FRANCE S.A.S.
    Inventors: Guillaume Jegou, Sébastien Grabeuil
  • Patent number: 12178932
    Abstract: Proposed is a disinfection device for automatically disinfecting a transport container intended for transporting one or more inspection objects through an inspection apparatus and non-destructively inspecting them in the inspection apparatus, the disinfection device including: an input point connected to a pick-up point, an output point connected to a lay-up point, and at least one return device extending from the input point to the output point, and at least one automatic disinfection device arranged at the return path for disinfecting the emptied transport containers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2024
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION GERMANY GMBH
    Inventor: Gregor Hess
  • Patent number: 12008735
    Abstract: A dual-energy X-ray detector includes a detector line arranged transversely to the sampling direction, including first and second detector elements which respond differently to an X-ray spectrum and which are each arranged alternately next to one another in the detector line, the first and second detector elements each producing based on X-ray radiation (XR) independently of one another in each case only corresponding first or second detector data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION GERMANY GMBH
    Inventor: Alexander Frank
  • Patent number: 11379709
    Abstract: A detection device for detecting the presence of a substance of interest in a sample is described. The device can include a data store comprising executable instructions for at least one convolutional neural network, CNN, configured to process images: and a processor coupled to the data store and configured to execute the instructions to operate the at least one CNN. The detection device can be configured to: obtain spectrometry data, operate a first one of the CNNs to process the spectrometry data to obtain a first CNN output; apply a mask to the spectrometry data to obtain masked data; operate a second one of the CNNs to process the masked data to obtain a second CNN output; and determine if the substance of interest is present in the sample based on both the first CNN output and the second CNN output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION INC.
    Inventors: Jerome Troy, John W. Edwards, Heather Goldman, David Joiner, William Miller
  • Patent number: 11361932
    Abstract: An anode head for an anode of an X-ray generating device is provided. The anode head is made of an X-ray attenuating material and has a first opening with a first diameter for a primary electron beam, wherein a circular aperture of a secondary electron absorbing material and having a second opening which is arranged concentrically to the first aperture and has a second diameter which is smaller than the first diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION GERMANY GMBH
    Inventor: Jörg Bermuth
  • Patent number: 11257345
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and corresponding devices for monitoring the attention of an operator of an X-ray inspection system for nondestructive inspection of inspection objects and for ensuring the presence and/or attention of an operator of the X-ray inspection system including the following steps: display of a piece of information that defines a randomly determined desired input; detection of an actual input of the operator as a response to the displayed desired input; and, based on the desired input and the actual input, determination of a signal that indicates the attention of the operator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION GERMANY GMBH
    Inventor: Ulrich Riedel
  • Patent number: 11215582
    Abstract: An ion filter for a mass spectrometer, the apparatus comprising an ion modifier; an ion selector configured to select a subset of a sample of ions based on their mobility in a gas; and a controller configured to operate the ion modifier in a first mode to modify the ions selected by the ion selector to provide daughter ions, and configured to operate the ion modifier in a second mode to output the ions selected by the ion selector; wherein the ion filter is adapted for providing output ions from the ion modifier to an intake of a mass spectrometer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION-WATFORD LIITED
    Inventors: Alastair Clark, Jonathan Atkinson
  • Patent number: 11187629
    Abstract: Ion modification An ion mobility spectrometer (100) comprising a sample inlet (108) comprising an aperture arranged to allow a sample of gaseous fluid to flow from an ambient pressure region to a low pressure region of the ion mobility spectrometer to be ionised; a controller (200) arranged to control gas pressure in the low pressure region to be lower than ambient pressure; and an ion modifier (126, 127, 202) configured to modify ions in the low pressure region, wherein the ions are obtained from the sample of gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION—WATFORD LIMITED
    Inventors: Matthew Easton, Stephen J. Taylor
  • Patent number: 11131649
    Abstract: Method and systems for managing clear-down are provided. The method can include generating a clear-down trigger associated with an ion mobility spectrometer and operating the ion mobility spectrometer in fast clear-down mode in response to the clear-down trigger. Methods and systems can further provide that where the ion mobility spectrometer operates in fast-switching mode, the ion mobility spectrometer alternating a plurality of times between operation according to a positive ion mode and operation according to a negative ion mode, and further operating according to the positive ion mode for less than about 1 second before switching to the operation according to the negative ion mode, and operating according to the negative ion mode for less than about 1 second before switching to the operation according to the positive ion mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION MONTREAL INC.
    Inventors: Qunzhou Bian, John J. Carroll
  • Patent number: 11103198
    Abstract: A production method for test X-ray includes preparation (S10) of first CT data (B) of an inspection object, second CT data (BM) for metal portions of the inspection object, and third CT data (TM) for metal portions of a target object, transformation (S20) of the first, second, and third CT data (B, BM, TM) from the image space (BR) into corresponding first sinogram data (SB), second sinogram data (SBM), and third sinogram data (STM) in the radon space (RR), calculation (S30, S40) of the artifact sinogram data (SA), back-transformation (S50) of the artifact sinogram data (SA) from the radon space (RR) into the image space (BR) in CT artifact data (A) for the artifacts that are to be inserted, and insertion of the CT artifact data (A) into the first CT data (B).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION GERMANY GMBH
    Inventors: Markus Durzinsky, Marc Andreas Mörig, Sebastian König
  • Patent number: 11002877
    Abstract: In one embodiment, there is provided a detection device (1) for a system for inspection of cargo, comprising: at least one scintillator (4) configured to re-emit light in response to: interaction with successive first radiation pulses (5) emitted by a generator (6), and/or interaction with second radiation (5) generated by a radioactive source (8) located in the cargo (3) to inspect; at least one first acquisition line (9) configured to measure a quantity associated with the light re-emitted by the at least one scintillator in response to interaction with the successive first radiation pulses; and at least one a second acquisition line (10) configured to measure a quantity associated with the light re-emitted by the at least one scintillator in response to interaction with at least the second radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION FRANCE S.A.S.
    Inventor: Guillaume Jegou
  • Patent number: 11004667
    Abstract: A portable ion mobility spectrometry apparatus (1) for detecting an aerosol and a method for using the apparatus. The apparatus comprises an ion mobility spectrometer (3); a portable power source (5) carried by the apparatus for providing power to the apparatus (1); an inlet (7) for collecting a flow of air to be tested by the spectrometer (3); a heater (4) configured to heat the air to be tested to vapourise an aerosol carried by the air and a controller (2) configured to control the spectrometer (3) to obtain samples from the heated air, wherein the controller is configured to increase a heat output from the heater (4) for a selected time period before obtaining samples from the heated air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION-WATFORD LIMITED
    Inventors: David Sharp, Alastair Clark, William Munro, Paul Arnold, John Fitzgerald, David Cutmore, Rod Wilson
  • Patent number: 10969515
    Abstract: A CT imaging system for imaging an object is provided. The CT imaging system includes a stationary component, a rotating component configured to rotate with respect to the stationary component, a first conductive line coupled to the stationary component, and a second conductive line coupled to the rotating component, wherein the first and second conductive lines are positioned proximate one another such that inductive crosstalk between the first and second conductive lines provides a contactless communication channel for communicating data between the stationary component and the rotating component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION INC.
    Inventors: Elzind Ihab, Samit Basu
  • Patent number: 10942117
    Abstract: A method includes decomposing a training set to obtain a principal component matrix having a plurality of principal component vectors. The method also includes variably rejecting portions of a sample spectrum vector that do not correspond to a selected one of the plurality of principal component vectors by incrementally providing a coefficient indicative of the weighting of the selected principal component vector for selected sub-regions. A corrected spectrum vector can be obtained by excluding certain sub-regions of the sample spectrum vector and corresponding principal component vector, multiplying the sample spectrum vector with the principal component matrix for non-excluded sub-regions, providing a predicted interference vector, and subtracting the predicted interference vector from the sample spectrum vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION INC.
    Inventors: Kevin Judge, Greger Andersson, Peng Zou
  • Patent number: 10942148
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for ion separation, for example using time of flight and ion mobility spectrometry. Ion shutters for use in IMS cells and to methods of operating them are also disclosed. The shutter includes a first shutter electrode and a second shutter electrode. A barrier voltage between these two electrodes is controlled to open and close the shutter to allow ions of interest to pass through the shutter in a drift direction. The control involves varying both: (a) the voltage of the first shutter electrode; and (b) the voltage of the second shutter electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION—WATFORD LIMITED
    Inventor: Lee J. Piper
  • Patent number: 10935469
    Abstract: An ion mobility spectrometer analytical instrument, including an ion mobility spectrometer, a swab interface, and a desorber assembly. The desorber assembly includes a heat transfer device configured to heat a desorber, as well as a supply configured to direct gas through the desorber. The instrument further includes a drift tube, high voltage device arrayed, at least in part, proximate to the drift tube, wherein the high voltage device is configured to change a polarity of a voltage applied to the drift tube and have an absolute voltage of about 500 to 1500 volts. The instrument further includes a reactant supply unit adapted to supply reactant during a sample substance analysis, and a control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION MONTREAL INC.
    Inventors: Robert T. James, Volodimir Bondarenko, Reno Debono, Julian Burton, John Carroll
  • Patent number: 10839009
    Abstract: A method for analyzing time series data to identify an event of interest is provided. The method includes receiving, at a computing device, time series data that includes the event of interest, identifying, using the computing device, a start time of the event of interest and an end time of the event of interest by modeling at least one transitional pattern in the time series data, and categorizing, using the computing device, the event of interest based on the at least one transitional pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION INC.
    Inventors: Jixu Chen, Peter Henry Tu, Ming-Ching Chang, Yelin Kim, Siwei Lyu
  • Patent number: 10801991
    Abstract: Synchronized ion modification systems and techniques are described. An ion modifier can be used to modify a portion of ions that enter a drift chamber via a gate that controls entry of the ions to the drift chamber. A controller that is communicatively coupled to the ion modifier is configured to control the ion modifier to select a portion of the ion to be modified. In embodiments, the controller selects the portion based on a detector's previous response to other ions that are formed from a sample from which the ions were formed. The other ions, for example, correspond to ions that are associated with a peak in previous operation of a spectrometer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION—WATFORD LTD.
    Inventors: Stephen J. Taylor, Jonathan R. Atkinson
  • Patent number: 10775283
    Abstract: An on-demand vapour generator includes a vapour chamber configured to produce a vapour and a vapour absorption assembly configured to receive flows of vapour from the vapour chamber. The vapour absorption assembly includes a first vapour-permeable passage having a passage outlet and at least one second vapour-permeable passage that is closed. When vapour absorption assembly receives a flow of vapour from the vapour chamber, the flow of vapour passes through the first vapour-permeable passage to the passage outlet at least substantially without absorption of vapour from the flow of vapour. However, when a flow of vapour is not received from the vapour chamber, vapour entering the vapour absorption assembly from the vapour chamber passes into the first vapour-permeable passage and the at least one second vapour-permeable passage and is at least substantially absorbed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION-WATFORD LIMITED
    Inventors: Alexander Parker, Marcedl Gowers, Jonathan Atkinson, John Fitzgerald
  • Patent number: 10695760
    Abstract: A channel assembly is disclosed, which may comprise a microfluidic channel. Methods of manufacture are also disclosed as are detectors and detector components which may comprise such a channel assembly. An example is a detection apparatus comprising: a detector for detecting a substance of interest; and a pneumatic system comprising a microfluidic channel assembly comprising a first microfluidic channel for dispensing vapour to the detector, wherein the first microfluidic channel comprises a groove in a surface of a polymer body and a wall of the first channel is provided by a film bonded to the surface of the body over the groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: SMITHS DETECTION-WATFORD LIMITED
    Inventor: Jonathan Marcel Gowers