System and method for detecting an object

US7492855B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• General Electric Company · US

Inventors

• Forrest Frank Hopkins · Cohoes, US
• Peter Michael Edic · Albany, US
• Samit Kumar Basu · Niskayuna, US
• Bruno Kristiaan Bernard De Man · Clifton Park, US
• James W. LeBlanc · Niskayuna, US
• Xiaoye Wu · Rexford, US
• Deborah Walter · Burnt Hills, US
• William Robert Ross · Kinderhook, US
• Colin Richard Wilson · Niskayuna, US
• Ricardo Scott Avila · Clifton Park, US
• Robert August Kaucic · Newark, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 22, 2003
• Grant date: Feb 17, 2009
• Expiry date: Nov 27, 2025

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61B6/4241
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A system and method for ascertaining the identity of an object within an enclosed article. The system includes an acquisition subsystem utilizing a stationary radiation source and detector, a reconstruction subsystem, a computer-aided detection (CAD) subsystem, and a 2D/3D visualization subsystem. The detector may be an energy discriminating detector. The acquisition subsystem communicates view data to the reconstruction subsystem, which reconstructs it into image data and communicates it to the CAD subsystem. The CAD subsystem analyzes the image data to ascertain whether it contains any area of interest. Any such area of interest data is sent to the reconstruction subsystem for further reconstruction, using more rigorous algorithms and further analyzed by the CAD subsystem. Other information, such as risk variables or trace chemical detection information may be communicated to the CAD subsystem to be included in its analysis.