Abstract: An improved user interface for use with systems that display images. The interface allows easy control over the appearance of images. The user interface allows motion of a single input device to control at least two parameters of an image mapping. The controls impact the appearance of the image in real time. An operator may use the interface to optimize the appearance of a region of the image. The invention is described in connection with a contraband detection system that includes a touch screen input device. Images formed by the inspection systems are mapped to a display, with parameters provided through the touch screen controlling the mapping. The interface is employed to control the contrast of the image displayed for the operator. The value of one parameter obtained through the interface controls an intensity level at which the contrast mapping is nonlinear. The value of the second parameter obtained through the interface controls the amount of the nonlinearity.

Abstract: An inspection system that forms material sensitive X-ray images of items under inspection. The images are decomposed into basis function images using basis functions representative of materials of interest. The decomposed images may be processed separately to detect concentrations of a material of interest corresponding to one or more of the basis functions. When operated in this mode, the inspection system may be used in applications such as material sorting or security screening. At least one basis function is selected to distinguish a material of interest from other materials likely contained with the item, allowing one of the basis function images to be analyzed to obtain information about a specific material of interest. The images may be automatically analyzed or may be superimposed for display with different visual characteristics assigned to the components associated with each basis function for analysis by a human operator.

Abstract: A multi-level contraband detection system. At a first level, the system obtains volumetric information about an item under inspection. The volumetric information provides a basis for identifying suspect objects in the item under inspection and their locations. The location information is expressed in a first coordinate system relative to the device used for first level scanning. When first level scanning identifies a suspicious object, the item under inspection is passed to a second level scanner that can take further measurements on the suspicious objects. The second level machine is controlled in a second coordinate system. A translation between the two coordinate systems is obtained by registering a multi-dimensional image obtained at the first level with positioning information obtained at the second level. Registration is performed using a coarse and then a fine registration process for quick and accurate registration.