Detecting explosives or other contraband by employing transmitted and

Abstract

An X-ray inspection device for detecting a specific material of interest (typically contraband, for example, weapons, drugs, money, explosives) in items of various sizes and shapes includes an X-ray source system located at an inspection region and constructed to expose the examined item to at least one beam of X-ray radiation, one or more x-ray detection systems located at the inspection region and constructed to detect x-ray radiation modified by the examined item. The X-ray inspection device also includes one or more dimension detectors constructed to measure a selected dimension of the examined item, an interface system connected to receive X-ray data and dimension data, and a computer programmed to utilize the data for recognition of the specific material of interest and to indicate its presence in the examined item. The X-ray detection systems detect transmitted and/or scattered X-ray radiation utilizing several different geometries. There may be one or more X-ray back-scatter detection systems, or one or more X-ray forward-scatter detection systems detecting X-ray radiation scattered at different angles from different surfaces of the examined item. Each detection system includes one or more arrays of X-ray detectors arranged in a linear, circular or semi-spherical geometry. Each detection system also may be connected to a displacement unit constructed and arranged to move or rotate the detector array to a selected position relative to the inspection region and the examined item.