Patents by Inventor James Ollier

James Ollier has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 12361671
    Abstract: The present specification relates to a method for enabling an operator to perform visual layer separation, the method including: retrieving at least one X-ray scan image from a memory in data communication with an inspection system, wherein the image comprises a first area of pixels representative of a target object obscured by a clutter object and a second area of pixels representative of the clutter object; receiving a selection of the pixels representative of the first area; receiving a selection of the pixels representative of the second area; determining if the selected second area meets a predefined quality threshold; if the selected second area meets the predefined quality threshold, generating a modified at least one X-ray image; and if the selected second area does not meet the predefined quality threshold, prompting the operator to select a different second area of pixels representative of the clutter object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2025
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Procter, James Ollier
  • Patent number: 12283389
    Abstract: An adjustable collimator device for collimating a beam of energy emitted from a radiation source is disclosed. The collimator has an elongated plate-like body with a front-end and a rear-end. The collimator has a first set of emission apertures equally spaced around a central axis of the body that defines a zero-degree position. The first set of emission apertures are placed on the rear-end of the body and are configured to receive and sample a beam of energy entering the adjustable collimator device. A second set of apertures are placed proximate the front-end of the body. The second set of apertures are adjustable such that a first of the second set of apertures can be configured to have a first angular offset relative to the zero-axis and a second of the second set of apertures can be configured to have a second angular offset relative to the zero-axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: Rapiscan Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Procter, James Ollier, David Johnson
  • Patent number: 12259341
    Abstract: A detector arrangement including a plurality of detector elements enclosed in a housing, wherein the housing has first, second, third and fourth sides, wherein the first side faces a radiation source and the second side is opposite to the first side, and wherein each of the plurality of detector elements points substantially towards the radiation source; and a plurality of collimators, wherein each of the plurality of collimators is positioned behind an associated detector element of the plurality of detector elements so as to extend from a rear side of the associated detector element to either the second side of the housing or a point proximate the second side of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: Rapiscan Holdings, Inc.
    Inventor: James Ollier
  • Publication number: 20240402097
    Abstract: Systems and methods of automatically generating synthetic X-ray scan data include generating scan data corresponding to a frame holding or supporting an object, wherein the frame and hence the object is manipulated, without manual intervention, to be positioned in a plurality of orientations in three dimensional space. Subsequently, X-ray scan data corresponding to the object is isolated and extracted from the X-ray scan data corresponding to the frame, the X-ray scan data corresponding to the object is adjusted and finally each of the adjusted X-ray scan data corresponding to the object is inserted into X-ray scan data of a cargo container in order to generate a plurality of X-ray scan data of the cargo container embedded with the object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2024
    Publication date: December 5, 2024
    Inventors: Mark Procter, James Ollier
  • Publication number: 20240310300
    Abstract: Systems and methods to monitor output energy of an X-ray source being used to emit a fan beam for scanning an object in a scanning system include a segmented detector positioned between a target of the X-ray source and the object. The segmented detector has at least two segments that are placed to cover at least two angular ranges of the fan beam and generate corresponding two sets of energy distribution data. A ratio is determined based on the two sets of energy distribution data in order to determine an initial electron energy and an end-point energy of the X-ray source based on the ratio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2023
    Publication date: September 19, 2024
    Inventor: James Ollier
  • Publication number: 20230135695
    Abstract: A detector arrangement including a plurality of detector elements enclosed in a housing, wherein the housing has first, second, third and fourth sides, wherein the first side faces a radiation source and the second side is opposite to the first side, and wherein each of the plurality of detector elements points substantially towards the radiation source; and a plurality of collimators, wherein each of the plurality of collimators is positioned behind an associated detector element of the plurality of detector elements so as to extend from a rear side of the associated detector element to either the second side of the housing or a point proximate the second side of the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2022
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Inventor: James Ollier
  • Publication number: 20230108499
    Abstract: An adjustable collimator device for collimating a beam of energy emitted from a radiation source is disclosed. The collimator has an elongated plate-like body with a front-end and a rear-end. The collimator has a first set of emission apertures equally spaced around a central axis of the body that defines a zero-degree position. The first set of emission apertures are placed on the rear-end of the body and are configured to receive and sample a beam of energy entering the adjustable collimator device. A second set of apertures are placed proximate the front-end of the body. The second set of apertures are adjustable such that a first of the second set of apertures can be configured to have a first angular offset relative to the zero-axis and a second of the second set of apertures can be configured to have a second angular offset relative to the zero-axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2022
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Inventors: Mark Procter, James Ollier, David Johnson
  • Publication number: 20230076255
    Abstract: The present specification relates to a method for enabling an operator to perform visual layer separation, the method including: retrieving at least one X-ray scan image from a memory in data communication with an inspection system, wherein the image comprises a first area of pixels representative of a target object obscured by a clutter object and a second area of pixels representative of the clutter object; receiving a selection of the pixels representative of the first area; receiving a selection of the pixels representative of the second area; determining if the selected second area meets a predefined quality threshold; if the selected second area meets the predefined quality threshold, generating a modified at least one X-ray image; and if the selected second area does not meet the predefined quality threshold, prompting the operator to select a different second area of pixels representative of the clutter object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2022
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Inventors: Mark Procter, James Ollier
  • Patent number: 11397276
    Abstract: Systems and methods are used to increase the penetration and reduce the exclusion zone of radiographic systems. An X-ray detection method irradiates an object with X-ray fanlets including vertically moving fan beams, each fanlet having an angular range smaller than the angular coverage of the object. The fanlets are produced by modulating an X-ray beam, synchronizing the X-ray beam and the fanlets, detecting the fanlets irradiating the object, collecting image slices from the detector array corresponding to a complete scan cycle of the fanlets, and processing the image slices collected for combining into a composite image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Bendahan, James Ollier
  • Publication number: 20200355842
    Abstract: Systems and methods are used to increase the penetration and reduce the exclusion zone of radiographic systems. An X-ray detection method irradiates an object with X-ray fanlets including vertically moving fan beams, each fanlet having an angular range smaller than the angular coverage of the object. The fanlets are produced by modulating an X-ray beam, synchronizing the X-ray beam and the fanlets, detecting the fanlets irradiating the object, collecting image slices from the detector array corresponding to a complete scan cycle of the fanlets, and processing the image slices collected for combining into a composite image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2020
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Inventors: Joseph Bendahan, James Ollier
  • Patent number: 10754057
    Abstract: Systems and methods are used to increase the penetration and reduce the exclusion zone of radiographic systems. An X-ray detection method irradiates an object with X-ray fanlets including vertically moving fan beams, each fanlet having an angular range smaller than the angular coverage of the object. The fanlets are produced by modulating an X-ray beam, synchronizing the X-ray beam and the fanlets, detecting the fanlets irradiating the object, collecting image slices from the detector array corresponding to a complete scan cycle of the fanlets, and processing the image slices collected for combining into a composite image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Bendahan, James Ollier
  • Publication number: 20180017702
    Abstract: Systems and methods are used to increase the penetration and reduce the exclusion zone of radiographic systems. An X-ray detection method irradiates an object with X-ray fanlets including vertically moving fan beams, each fanlet having an angular range smaller than the angular coverage of the object. The fanlets are produced by modulating an X-ray beam, synchronizing the X-ray beam and the fanlets, detecting the fanlets irradiating the object, collecting image slices from the detector array corresponding to a complete scan cycle of the fanlets, and processing the image slices collected for combining into a composite image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2017
    Publication date: January 18, 2018
    Inventors: Joseph Bendahan, James Ollier