초록 ▼

A system for detecting the presence of explosives contained in an object under observation, including a cavity structure for receiving the object and a radiation source for producing thermal neutrons directed to the object under observation. Gamma rays are produced to represent the presence of explo

A system for detecting the presence of explosives contained in an object under observation, including a cavity structure for receiving the object and a radiation source for producing thermal neutrons directed to the object under observation. Gamma rays are produced to represent the presence of explosives and as an example the concentration of nitrogen contained in the object. Inorganic scintillators are located within the cavity structure to detect the gamma rays and produce an output signal representative of the presence and concentration of the nitrogen and/or other elements contained in the object. The inorganic scintillators are formed as a ring around the cavity structure to detect the nitrogen and/or other elements within at least one particular plane passing through the object. The object under observation is moved through the cavity structure to detect the nitrogen in successive planes to build up a three dimensional profile of explosives concentration.

대표청구항 ▼

A system for detecting the presence of explosive in an object under observation by detection of a particular element, and the concentration of such particular, element, at the different positions in the object, including, a cavity structure for receiving the object under observation, means stationar

A system for detecting the presence of explosive in an object under observation by detection of a particular element, and the concentration of such particular, element, at the different positions in the object, including, a cavity structure for receiving the object under observation, means stationary in the cavity structure for providing thermal neutrons to the object under observation for interaction with the object under observation to obtain the production from the object of gamma rays representative of the presence and concentration of the particular element in the object, means for moving the object through the cavity structure, a plurality of inorganic detectors disposed in the cavity structure and operative independently of one another and positioned relative to the thermal neutron means and the object for detecting the gamma rays to produce output signals indicative at each instant of such gamma rays, the thermal neutron means and the inorganic detectors being disposed in a common planar relationship enclosing the object to obtain the detection by the inorganic detectors at each instant of the gamma rays in such common plane, the common planar relationship being transverse to the direction of movement of the object through the cavity structure, the inorganic detectors in the plurality being operative independently of one another, and means responsive to the output signals from the inorganic detectors at progressive instants of time in the common planar relationship during the movement of the object through the cavity structure for processing such signals to indicate the presence, and the concentration of the particular element, at the different positions in the object on a three-dimensional basis.