Method and device for detecting a given material in an object using electromagnetic rays

US7020241B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Heimann Systems GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Knut Beneke · Ober-Olm, DE
• Joerg Nittikowski · Bärnau, DE
• Dirk Naumann · Lorsch, DE
• Hermann Ries · Taunusstein, DE
• Uwe Siedenburg · Essenheim, DE
• Claus Meder · Roßdorf, DE
• Stefan Ullrich · Tutzing, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 21, 2002
• Grant date: Mar 28, 2006
• Expiry date: Sep 26, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01V5/22
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method for the detection of a specific material in an object (1), especially in a piece of luggage, using electromagnetic beams, whereby the intensities of non-absorbed beams from at least three beam planes (5.1–5.2) in corresponding detector arrays (4.1–4.5) are measured and evaluated, using the following steps according to the invention:1. generating an at least two-dimensional picture of the object (1) from the measured intensity values;2. selecting one of the spatial regions displayed in the picture as a basis of the value of a material value, which is determined from intensity measurements, for examination;3. determining at least one spatial-geometric value in the region to the examined from positional data of a two-dimensional picture and from intensity values using a stored value of a specific, absorption-influenced value of a suspected material.4. determining, in addition, the corresponding spatial-geometric value solely from three-dimensional geometric values, which are determined from measured intensity values; and5. comparing, directly or indirectly, values of the spatial-geometric values determined in steps 3 and 4, or values derived therefrom, in order to determine i…