Abstract: An apparatus for associating a hardware event with a software component event. The system includes a hardware interrupt signal input. It also includes a first-in-first-out data structure coupled with the hardware interrupt signal input. Further included is a dispatch thread component coupled with the first-in-first-out data structure. The dispatch thread component can output a software event.

Abstract: Standardization is provided to control system gain of a penetrating radiation testing system by periodically inspecting a reference object in the same manner as the product samples so as to generate a stabilization signal which is compared to a reference signal. The difference, if any, between the stabilization signal and the reference signal is integrated and the integrated signal is used to correct the gain of the system.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for and method of measuring the mass of the contents of a product is described, in which the mass of the contents of the product is relatively small compared to the mass of the entire product. The products are sequentially conveyed to an inspection station where preferably a predetermined portion of the volume of the product (which includes at least a portion of the volume of the contents) is substantially instantaneously irradiated with a beam of radiation and preferably only scattered radiation from the contents of the product thus irradiated is detected to provide an electrical signal whose magnitude is representative of the mass of the contents of the product. The products can then be sorted in accordance with the measured mass of their contents.

Abstract: A novel apparatus for and method of measuring product mass is described in which products are sequentially conveyed to an inspection station where the entire bulk of each product is substantially instantaneously irradiated with a beam of radiation. Scattered radiation from the product thus irradiated is detected to provide an electrical signal whose magnitude is representative of the mass of the product. The products can be sorted in accordance with their measured mass.