Fusion system and method for performing radiological imaging and radioactive material monitoring

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a fusion system and method for radiation imaging and radioactive material monitoring of a baggage or package item. The fusion system includes a radiation imaging subsystem configured to operate in a pulsed mode to radiation image the baggage or package item, a radioactive material monitoring subsystem configured to operate in a pulsed mode to monitor whether the baggage or package item contains radioactive material, and a synchronization control subsystem in communication with both the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem and configured to control the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem to operate alternately.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese invention patent application No. 202010578035.9 (application date: June 23, 2020; invention title: Fusion system and method for radiation imaging and radioactive material monitoring). Technical Field

[0002] Embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the field of security inspection of baggage or parcels, and more particularly to systems and methods capable of integrating radiation imaging and radioactive material monitoring. Background Technology

[0003] Radioactive material monitoring technology has been widely applied at customs, border crossings, nuclear power plants, and other locations to combat the illegal transfer and transportation of radioactive materials and prevent the risk of radioactive material proliferation. Current radioactive material monitoring technologies primarily identify the presence of radioactive materials by detecting the gamma rays or neutron rays emitted by them.

[0004] X-ray imaging technology has wide and important applications in security inspection, medical diagnosis, and industrial non-destructive testing. In applications such as customs ports, civil aviation logistics, and rail transportation, it can efficiently detect hidden dangerous explosives, flammable and corrosive materials, or other dangerous and prohibited items through visual images.

[0005] Radioactive material monitoring technology and X-ray imaging technology have significant overlap in their application scenarios. At customs, border crossings, and other entry / exit checkpoints, it's not uncommon to find both radioactive material monitoring and X-ray imaging equipment operating simultaneously. However, due to the interference between the detection principles of the two technologies, the X-rays emitted during X-ray imaging can interfere with radioactive material monitoring, preventing simultaneous operation of both techniques.

[0006] In the field of baggage or parcel security imaging, low-energy X-ray sources based on thermionic cathodes are commonly used. These X-ray sources generate X-rays by heating a filament to emit electrons, which then bombard an anode target under the influence of an accelerating electric field. This traditional X-ray source requires a heating time, typically hundreds of milliseconds, from filament heating to electron emission and X-ray generation. This means X-ray generation is not instantaneous, and interruptions usually require hundreds of milliseconds to several seconds before resuming operation. Due to this time delay in X-ray generation, X-ray sources typically operate continuously. Commonly used low-energy X-ray imaging equipment requires continuous X-ray generation, inevitably causing interference with radioactive material monitoring equipment, making it impossible for the monitoring equipment to effectively distinguish whether radioactive information originates from the object being inspected or from the X-ray imaging device.

[0007] Traditionally, radioactive material monitoring equipment and X-ray imaging equipment are typically placed separately, either with added shielding and placed adjacent to each other, or partially integrated within accelerator light source imaging technology. Separating the two devices requires additional transition space, increasing the number of inspections and time, thus reducing inspection efficiency. While placing them adjacent with added shielding solves this problem, the additional shielding structure introduces extra space requirements, increasing costs and significantly limiting the flexibility of radioactive material monitoring component placement. Furthermore, the lack of organic integration between the radioactive information and the X-ray image information of the object being tested limits the improvement in inspection efficiency.

[0008] Some conventional methods integrate accelerator imaging technology with radioactive material monitoring to achieve radiation imaging inspection and radioactive material monitoring. However, this approach is limited by the application range of accelerator sources and cannot be used in applications such as ordinary baggage security checks. Accelerator X-ray sources typically produce high-energy X-rays, often in the megaelectron volt range, and are mostly used in imaging large cargo and vehicles, commonly found at customs, border crossings, and other checkpoints for large cargo vehicles. Due to their high X-ray energy and strong penetrating power, high safety protection requirements are necessary during normal operation, resulting in large equipment size and a large overall footprint. In the field of baggage or parcel imaging inspection, considering that the objects to be inspected are baggage and parcels, the required X-ray energy is in the kiloelectron volt range. Furthermore, considering the application scenarios of baggage or parcel security inspection in customs, airports, subways, large events, and other sensitive locations, high safety protection requirements are needed for the overall equipment, requiring a small footprint and easy deployment. Therefore, accelerator sources are not suitable for radiation imaging in the field of baggage and parcel imaging inspection. Summary of the Invention

[0009] This disclosure is made in order to overcome at least one of the above-mentioned and other problems and defects existing in the prior art.

[0010] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a fusion system for radiographic imaging and radioactive material monitoring of baggage or parcels is proposed, comprising: a radiographic imaging subsystem configured to operate in a pulsed mode to radiographically image the baggage or parcels; a radioactive material monitoring subsystem configured to operate in a pulsed mode to monitor whether the baggage or parcels contain radioactive materials; and a synchronization control subsystem communicating with both the radiographic imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem, and configured to control the alternating operation of the radiographic imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem.

[0011] In some embodiments, the radiation imaging subsystem includes: a radiation source configured to generate a radiation beam in a pulsed mode for irradiating luggage or parcels; and a radiation imaging detector configured to detect rays emitted or generated by the luggage or parcels under the irradiation of the radiation beam, to generate data for forming an image of the luggage or parcels.

[0012] In some embodiments, the radiation source is a low-energy X-ray source capable of controlled pulsed emission, particularly a fast-pulse low-energy X-ray source capable of rapidly switching pulse emission between tens of microseconds and tens of milliseconds. The radiation source includes X-ray sources that pulse-generate cathode electrons, such as X-ray sources based on carbon nanotube cathodes, and hot cathode X-ray sources with gated access. The radiation source may also include single-target pulsed X-ray sources and multi-target pulsed distributed X-ray sources.

[0013] In some embodiments, the radioactive material monitoring subsystem includes a radioactive monitoring detector configured to operate in a pulsed mode to monitor radioactive rays emitted by the luggage or parcel.

[0014] In some embodiments, the radioactivity monitoring detector includes at least one of a gamma ray detector and a neutron detector.

[0015] In some embodiments, the synchronization control subsystem is configured to control the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem to operate alternately in real time via a variable, adjustable pulse control signal.

[0016] In some embodiments, the radiation imaging subsystem is configured to operate according to a first pulse control signal to perform radiation imaging on baggage or parcel items, and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem is configured to operate according to a second pulse control signal to monitor whether the baggage or parcel items contain radioactive materials, wherein the first pulse control signal and the second pulse control signal include rectangular waves.

[0017] In some embodiments, the first pulse control signal includes a plurality of first pulses, the second pulse control signal includes a second pulse, the radioactive material monitoring subsystem is configured to operate during the second pulse to monitor radioactive rays emitted by the baggage or parcel, each of some or all of the second pulses is located between two adjacent first pulses in time, and the spacing between adjacent first pulses is greater than or equal to the pulse width of the second pulse.

[0018] In some embodiments, the fusion system further includes a transmission subsystem configured to transport luggage or parcels through a detection area and output transmission signals to a synchronization control subsystem indicating the time of the luggage or parcels entering and leaving the detection area and the transmission speed of the luggage or parcels. The synchronization control subsystem is further configured to control the operation of the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem based on the transmission signals. For example, the aforementioned radiation imaging subsystem and radioactive material monitoring subsystem can be rapidly switched within a short time of tens of microseconds to tens of milliseconds using fast pulses, thereby enabling the rapid alternating acquisition of X-ray fluoroscopic imaging information and radioactive radiation intensity information of the object under test during the uniform or continuous transmission of the transmission subsystem (without pauses or waiting).

[0019] In some embodiments, the fusion system further includes an information fusion subsystem that communicates with the radioactive material monitoring subsystem and the radiation imaging subsystem to fuse radioactive information of baggage or parcel items obtained by the radioactive material monitoring subsystem into images of baggage or parcel items obtained by the radiation imaging subsystem.

[0020] According to another embodiment of this disclosure, a method for radiographic imaging and radioactive material monitoring of baggage or parcels is provided, comprising: operating a radiographic imaging subsystem in a pulse mode to perform radiographic imaging of the baggage or parcels; operating a radioactive material monitoring subsystem in a pulse mode to monitor whether the baggage or parcels contain radioactive materials; and controlling the radiographic imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem to operate alternately by a synchronization control subsystem.

[0021] In some embodiments, “operating the radiation imaging subsystem in pulse mode to perform radiation imaging on baggage or parcel items” includes: generating a radiation beam in pulse mode from a low-energy X-ray source capable of controlled pulse emission to irradiate the baggage or parcel items; and detecting the radiation emitted or generated by the baggage or parcel items under the irradiation of the radiation beam by a radiation imaging detector to generate data for forming an image of the baggage or parcel items.

[0022] In some embodiments, “operating the radioactive material monitoring subsystem in pulse mode to monitor whether the baggage or parcel contains radioactive material” includes: operating the radioactive monitoring detector in pulse mode to monitor radioactive rays emitted by the baggage or parcel.

[0023] In some embodiments, a radiation monitoring detector monitors at least one of gamma rays and neutron rays emitted by the luggage or package.

[0024] In some embodiments, the synchronous control subsystem controls the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem to operate alternately in real time via variable, adjustable pulse control signals.

[0025] In some embodiments, the control radiation imaging subsystem operates according to a first pulse control signal to perform radiation imaging on luggage or parcels, and the control radioactive material monitoring subsystem operates according to a second pulse control signal to monitor whether the luggage or parcels contain radioactive materials. The first pulse control signal and the second pulse control signal include rectangular waves.

[0026] In some embodiments, the first pulse control signal includes a plurality of first pulses, the second pulse control signal includes a second pulse, the radioactive material monitoring subsystem operates during the second pulse to monitor radioactive rays emitted by the luggage or package, and each of some or all of the second pulses is located between two adjacent first pulses in time, and the spacing between adjacent first pulses is greater than or equal to the pulse width of the second pulse.

[0027] In some embodiments, the method further includes: transmitting luggage or parcels through a detection area by a transmission subsystem, and outputting at least a transmission signal to a synchronization control subsystem indicating the time when the luggage or parcels enter and leave the detection area and the transmission speed of the luggage or parcels; and controlling the operation of a radiation imaging subsystem and a radioactive material monitoring subsystem by the synchronization control subsystem based on the transmission signal.

[0028] In some embodiments, the method further includes fusing radioactivity information of luggage or parcel items obtained by the radioactive material monitoring subsystem into an image of the luggage or parcel items obtained by the radiation imaging subsystem.

[0029] Other objects and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of the disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, and will help to provide a comprehensive understanding of the disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0030] The features and advantages of this disclosure can be more clearly understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, which are schematic and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure in any way.

[0031] Figure 1 A block diagram illustrating the arrangement of a fusion system for performing radiation imaging and monitoring of radioactive materials according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 2 A side view illustrating the arrangement of a fusion system for performing radiation imaging and monitoring of radioactive materials according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 3A side view illustrating the arrangement of a fusion system for performing radiation imaging and monitoring of radioactive materials according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 4 A side view showing the arrangement of a fusion system for performing radiation imaging and monitoring of radioactive materials according to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 5 A timing diagram illustrating the operating mode of a fusion system for performing radiation imaging and monitoring of radioactive materials according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 6 A timing diagram illustrating the operating mode of a fusion system for performing radiation imaging and monitoring of radioactive materials according to another exemplary embodiment of this disclosure;

[0037] Figure 7 A timing diagram illustrating the operating mode of a fusion system for performing radiation imaging and monitoring of radioactive materials according to yet another exemplary embodiment of this disclosure;

[0038] Figure 8 A block diagram illustrating the arrangement of a fusion system for performing radiation imaging and monitoring of radioactive materials according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating a method for performing radiation imaging and monitoring of radioactive materials according to an example of this disclosure is provided. Detailed Implementation

[0040] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0041] Furthermore, in the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth for ease of explanation to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of this disclosure. However, it will be apparent that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and apparatuses are illustrated to simplify the figures.

[0042] Figure 1The illustration schematically depicts an arrangement of a fusion system for performing radiation imaging and radioactive material monitoring according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. This fusion system is deployed, for example, at locations such as customs, airports, subways, train stations, and public places, for security checks on baggage or parcels carried by individuals or transported by courier. The fusion system includes a radiation imaging subsystem 10, a radioactive material monitoring subsystem 20, and a synchronization control subsystem 30. The radiation imaging subsystem 10 can operate in pulsed or discontinuous modes (e.g., intermittently started or run) to perform radiation imaging on baggage or parcels, such as low-energy radiation imaging, for example, including an X-ray imaging system. It will be understood that "low-energy" or "low-energy radiation imaging" as used herein is relative to high-energy radiation sources such as accelerator sources, and is suitable for performing radiation imaging on baggage or parcels at the aforementioned locations, such as involving X-ray imaging with energies in the kiloelectron volt (keV) range.

[0043] The radioactive material monitoring subsystem 20 can also operate in pulsed or discontinuous mode to monitor whether luggage or parcels contain radioactive materials. The synchronization control subsystem 30 communicates with the radiation imaging subsystem 10 and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem 20, and controls the alternating operation of the radiation imaging and radioactive material monitoring subsystems to perform radiation imaging and radioactive material monitoring on the same luggage or parcel, improving detection efficiency. Therefore, radiation imaging operation does not affect or interfere with radioactive material monitoring operation, and the radiation imaging and radioactive material monitoring subsystems can be arranged adjacent to or compactly with each other without the need for additional shielding structures, reducing costs and increasing the flexibility of system component layout.

[0044] In embodiments of this disclosure, a synchronization control subsystem is used to coordinate (e.g., in timing) the operation of the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem, ensuring that their operation does not interfere with each other. Exemplarily, the synchronization control subsystem can be implemented by various suitable hardware / software, including various controllers, control modules, or applications, which may be integrated into an inspection console, incorporated into the control mechanisms of the radiation imaging subsystem and / or the radioactive material monitoring subsystem, or set up separately; this disclosure does not particularly limit this.

[0045] According to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, a radiation imaging subsystem includes at least a radiation source and a radiation imaging detector. The radiation source generates a radiation beam in pulsed or intermittent mode to irradiate luggage or parcels. The radiation imaging detector detects rays emitted or generated (e.g., scattered, reflected, or transmitted) by the luggage or parcels under the radiation beam to generate data, such as electrical signals, for forming an image of the luggage or parcels. The radiation source includes a low-energy X-ray source capable of controlled pulsed emission, particularly a fast-pulse low-energy X-ray source capable of rapidly switching pulse emission between tens of microseconds and tens of milliseconds. The X-ray source includes an X-ray source that pulses to generate cathode electrons. As an example, the radiation source may be an X-ray source based on a carbon nanotube cathode, or a hot cathode X-ray source with a gated grid, or any other suitable X-ray source capable of operating in pulsed mode. For example, an X-ray source based on a carbon nanotube cathode is illustrated. Pulsed X-rays can be obtained by controlling the carbon nanotube cathode to pulse or intermittently emit electrons to bombard an anode target under high pressure. Thanks to the field emission characteristics of carbon nanotube cathodes, electrons can be emitted instantaneously after a suitable field emission electric field is applied, for a time of less than microseconds, and electron emission can stop immediately after the field emission electric field is removed. This instantaneous emission and cessation of electrons allows X-ray sources to generate or stop X-rays in an orderly manner according to the control pulses of control components, for example.

[0046] In embodiments of this disclosure, the radioactive material monitoring subsystem includes at least a radioactive monitoring detector capable of operating in pulsed mode to monitor radioactive rays emitted from the baggage or parcel itself or from radioactive materials contained therein. For example, the radioactive monitoring detector may include a gamma-ray detector, a neutron detector, or both.

[0047] Figures 2 to 4 The arrangement of components in a security inspection system that simultaneously integrates radiation imaging and radioactive material monitoring according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated schematically, with an example of a radiation source capable of generating X-rays in pulse mode. Figure 2In this embodiment, the security inspection system includes an X-ray source 101, a radioactive material monitoring component 102, an X-ray imaging detector 103, and a conveyor 104. The conveyor 104, for example, is a conveyor belt used to transport luggage or parcels 105 through the detection area of ​​the security inspection system, as indicated by the arrow in the figure. During the passage of luggage or parcels 105 through the detection area, the radioactive material monitoring component 102 detects the radioactivity of the luggage or parcels 105, while the X-ray source 101 emits X-rays to irradiate or scan the luggage or parcels. The X-ray imaging detector 103 detects the rays emitted or generated by the luggage or parcels 105 under X-ray irradiation, such as rays reflected, scattered, or transmitted by the luggage or parcels 105, thereby obtaining X-ray imaging data. Exemplarily, the X-ray imaging detector 103 is arranged opposite to the X-ray source 101 to ensure that the effective X-ray scanning range can completely cover the detection area and receive rays emitted (e.g., reflected, scattered, or transmitted) from the luggage or parcels.

[0048] Through the regulation of the synchronous control subsystem, radioactive material monitoring and X-ray imaging of luggage or parcels are achieved in pulsed operating mode as an object passes through the detection area. Under the regulation of the synchronous control subsystem, the radioactive material monitoring subsystem and the X-ray imaging subsystem operate alternately without interference, allowing for unrestricted arrangement of the radioactive material monitoring and X-ray imaging components. The radioactive material monitoring component, such as a radioactive material detector, can be placed adjacent to the X-ray imaging component (such as X-ray source 101) without isolation or shielding, or it can be arranged on the same cross-section.

[0049] Figure 3 The arrangement of components of a security inspection system that simultaneously integrates radiation imaging and radioactive material monitoring according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. A single-target X-ray source 201 emits and scans X-rays in pulse mode at a fixed angle or within an angular range to irradiate luggage or parcels 205 transported through the detection area by a conveying device 204. An X-ray imaging detector 203 is arranged approximately opposite the X-ray source 201 along the X-ray emission direction, for example, including a detector array with an L-shaped cross-section, for receiving rays from the luggage or parcels 205 and generating imaging data for forming a radiation image of the luggage or parcels 205. A radioactive material monitoring component 202 (which is, for example, a radioactive material detector) may be arranged adjacent to the X-ray source 201, for example, at the same cross-section, and is activated or operated in pulse mode, for example, before or after the X-ray source 201 emits X-rays, to detect radioactivity information of the luggage or parcels 205.

[0050] Figure 4The arrangement of components in a security inspection system that simultaneously integrates radiation imaging and radioactive material monitoring according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein a multi-point X-ray source 301 is employed. The multi-point X-ray source 301 is a distributed X-ray source having multiple target points 306, capable of generating X-rays from multiple locations to irradiate or scan luggage or parcel items 305 conveyed by the conveying device 304 through the inspection area. The timing of X-ray generation at each target point can be flexibly controlled. The arrangement of the target points of the X-ray source can be as follows: Figure 4 The straight line segment shown can also be a broken line segment, an arc segment, or a combination thereof. The target points of the X-ray source are arranged in a direction that surrounds (or surrounds within a certain angle range) the object being detected. The X-ray imaging detector 303 is arranged approximately opposite to the X-ray source 301 along the X-ray emission direction, for example, including a detector array with an L-shaped cross-section, for receiving rays from the luggage or package 305 and generating imaging data for forming a radiation image of the luggage or package 305; the radioactive material monitoring component 302 can be arranged adjacent to the X-ray source 301, for example, located on the same cross-section, and is activated or operated in pulse mode, for example, before or after the X-ray source 301 emits X-rays, to detect the radioactivity information of the luggage or package 305. The use of a multi-point X-ray source structure allows the X-ray imaging subsystem to obtain multi-view or three-dimensional images of the luggage or package.

[0051] The synchronization control subsystem acts as a bridge coordinating the operation of the radioactive material monitoring subsystem and the radiation imaging subsystem. For example, the synchronization control subsystem can use variable and adjustable pulse control signals to control the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem to operate alternately in real time. Figure 5-7 The diagram schematically illustrates the operating mode of a fusion system for performing radiation imaging and monitoring of radioactive materials according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 5-7 As shown, the fusion system or synchronization subsystem can receive a trigger signal S1, which indicates the moment when luggage or parcels enter and leave the detection area, so as to initiate the orderly operation of the radioactive material monitoring subsystem and the radiation imaging subsystem. This trigger signal can be provided through a signal input / output control component; for example, sensors or triggering mechanisms can be set along the path of the luggage or parcels to sense the moment when the luggage or parcels enter and leave the detection area. Alternatively or supplementarily, a trigger signal can be generated based on the object movement information provided by the conveying operation of the conveyor device.

[0052] In some examples, the fusion system also includes a transmission subsystem for transporting luggage or parcels through the detection area, which may include, for example, the aforementioned conveyor device. The transmission subsystem can output transmission signals to the synchronization control subsystem indicating the time of the luggage or parcels entering and leaving the detection area and / or the transmission speed of the luggage or parcels. This allows the synchronization control subsystem to control the operation of the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem based on the transmission signals. Both the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem operate in pulse mode under the coordination of the synchronization control subsystem. The operating pulses have clear time information. Combined with the motion information of the detected object provided by the transmission subsystem, the radioactive information corresponding to a specific location or part of the detected object can be clearly obtained.

[0053] For example, the transmission subsystem may include a conveying device (such as a conveyor belt or belt conveyor assembly), a transmission sensor assembly, and a transmission information output assembly. The conveying device includes a motor, belt, linkage components, etc., which carries the object being inspected through the detection area. The transmission sensor assembly may include speed sensors, photoelectric gating sensors, etc., for monitoring the operating status of the transmission subsystem and providing signals for the object entering or leaving the detection area. The transmission information output assembly outputs signals for the object entering or leaving the detection area, as well as the speed of the object, to the synchronization control subsystem.

[0054] For example, in the diagram, a low level of the S1 signal indicates that the luggage or package has not entered or has not been detected entering the detection area, while a rising edge indicates that the luggage or package has begun to enter or will be detected entering the detection area, a high level indicates that the luggage or package has been transported through the detection area, and a falling edge indicates that the luggage or package has left the detection area or has been detected leaving the detection area.

[0055] like Figure 5-7As shown, the radiation imaging subsystem can operate according to a first pulse control signal S2 to perform radiation imaging on luggage or parcels, while the radioactive material monitoring subsystem can operate according to a second pulse control signal S3 to monitor whether the luggage or parcels contain radioactive materials. Exemplarily, the first or second pulse control signal may include a rectangular wave (square wave). Each of the first and second pulse control signals includes multiple pulses, each pulse representing the operation of the corresponding radiation imaging subsystem and radioactive material monitoring subsystem to perform a corresponding detection operation. For example, the first pulse control signal S2 includes multiple first pulses S21, which indicate that the radiation imaging subsystem (e.g., its radiation source and detector) operates during this period to perform radiation imaging on luggage or parcels passing through the detection area; the second pulse control signal S3 includes a second pulse S31, during which the radioactive material monitoring subsystem operates to monitor radioactive rays emitted by the luggage or parcels. It can be seen that the first pulses S21 and the second pulses S31 are time-interleaved, ensuring that the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem operate alternately according to the given pulse signals without interfering with each other, as coordinated by the synchronization control system.

[0056] exist Figure 5 In this embodiment, the second pulse S31 occurs after the first pulse S21, indicating that after the radiation imaging operation, the radioactive material monitoring subsystem detects radioactive rays emitted by luggage or parcels; Figure 6 In this embodiment, the second pulse occurs before the first pulse, indicating that radioactive material monitoring is performed first, followed by radiation imaging, thereby further avoiding interference or influence of radiation imaging on radioactive material monitoring. Furthermore, during the preparation phase, i.e., before the rising edge of the S1 signal, the radioactive material monitoring subsystem can measure environmental background radioactivity data (during pulse S30). Figure 7 In this embodiment, the radioactive material monitoring subsystem can measure background radioactivity data of the environment before each detection of radioactive radiation from luggage or parcels. When the object being detected enters the detection area and trigger signal S1 is generated, the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem work alternately according to the given pulse signal, coordinated by the synchronization control subsystem.

[0057] The pulse width, pulse frequency, and other parameters of each pulse can be adjusted as needed. For example, such as... Figure 5-7 As shown, each of some or all of the second pulses is located in time between two adjacent first pulses, and the spacing between adjacent first pulses is greater than or equal to the pulse width of the second pulse.

[0058] According to some embodiments, the fusion system may further include an information fusion subsystem that communicates with the radioactive material monitoring subsystem and the radiation imaging subsystem to fuse radioactive information of luggage or parcels obtained by the radioactive material monitoring subsystem into images of luggage or parcels obtained by the radiation imaging subsystem. This allows for accurate and more intuitive determination of the location of radioactive material on the luggage or parcels, or the acquisition of a fused image of the distribution of radioactive material on the luggage or parcels. It is understood that, similar to the synchronization control subsystem, the information fusion subsystem can also be implemented by various suitable hardware / software; the information fusion subsystem and the synchronization control subsystem can also be set up separately, or they can be located in the same control system or controller, for example, as different modules within the same control system or controller.

[0059] In some examples, the information fusion subsystem may include an image fusion component and an alarm information component. The image fusion component fuses the image or radiation data of the inspected object obtained by the radiation imaging subsystem with the radioactivity information data of the inspected object output by the radioactivity information output component in the image domain to obtain an image of the inspected object containing radioactivity information. The alarm information component can determine whether the inspected object contains dangerous or prohibited items based on the obtained image or radiation data, and simultaneously determine whether the inspected object contains radioactive substances based on the radioactivity information output by the radioactivity information output component. Based on the above judgment information, appropriate alarm displays and actions are taken.

[0060] Figure 8An arrangement of a security screening system integrating radiation imaging and radioactive material monitoring according to a specific example of this disclosure is shown. As shown, the security screening system includes a radiation imaging subsystem 10, a radioactive material monitoring subsystem 20, and a synchronization control subsystem 30 and an information fusion subsystem 40 that communicate with both the radiation imaging subsystem 10 and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem 20. The radiation imaging subsystem 10 includes a radiation source 11, a radiation imaging detector 12, a radiation imaging control component 13, and an imaging output component 14. The radiation imaging control component 13 controls the radiation source 11 and the radiation imaging detector 12 to operate in a pulsed mode to acquire radiation imaging data of baggage or parcels. The imaging output component 14 can output radiation imaging data signals of baggage or parcels, such as radiation images. The radioactive material monitoring subsystem 20 includes a radioactive material detector 21, a radioactive material monitoring control component 23, and a radioactive information output component 24. The synchronization control subsystem 30 can control the radiation imaging subsystem 10 and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem 20 to operate in pulse mode via the radiation imaging control component 13 and the radioactive material monitoring control component 23, respectively, for example, by providing pulse signals to the radiation imaging control component 13 and the radioactive material monitoring control component 23. The information fusion subsystem 40 acquires the output information of the imaging output component 14 and the radioactive information output component 24, and fuses the radioactive information of the luggage or package obtained by the radioactive material monitoring subsystem into the radiation image of the luggage or package obtained by the radiation imaging subsystem.

[0061] Embodiments of this disclosure also relate to a method for performing radiation imaging and radioactive material monitoring using the above-described fusion system, comprising the following steps:

[0062] The radiographic imaging subsystem is operated in pulse mode to perform radiographic imaging of baggage or parcel items; and

[0063] The radioactive material monitoring subsystem operates in pulse mode to monitor whether luggage or parcels contain radioactive materials, wherein the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem are operated alternately by the synchronization control subsystem.

[0064] When performing radiographic imaging on luggage or parcels, a radiation source (e.g., a low-energy X-ray source capable of controlled pulsed emission) can generate a radiation beam in pulse mode to irradiate the luggage or parcels, while a radiation imaging detector detects the rays emitted or generated by the luggage or parcels under the irradiation of the radiation beam, thereby generating data for forming a radiographic image of the luggage or parcels.

[0065] When monitoring whether luggage or parcels contain radioactive materials, a radioactive monitoring detector can be operated in pulse mode to monitor the radioactive rays emitted by the luggage or parcels, such as gamma rays or neutron rays.

[0066] In operation, the synchronization control subsystem can control the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem to operate alternately in real time via variable, adjustable pulse control signals. For example, the radiation imaging subsystem is controlled to operate according to a first pulse control signal to perform radiation imaging on luggage or parcels, and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem is controlled to operate according to a second pulse control signal to monitor whether the luggage or parcels contain radioactive materials. The first or second pulse control signal may include, for example, a rectangular wave. In some examples, the first pulse control signal includes multiple first pulses, during which the radiation imaging subsystem operates; the second pulse control signal includes one or more second pulses that are time-staggered from the first pulses, during which the radioactive material monitoring subsystem operates to monitor radioactive rays emitted by the luggage or parcels. As an example, each of some or all of the second pulses is time-sequentially located between two adjacent first pulses, the interval between adjacent first pulses being greater than or equal to the pulse width of the second pulse.

[0067] In this method, the transmission subsystem can also transmit luggage or parcels through the detection area and output transmission signals to the synchronization control subsystem at least, indicating the time when the luggage or parcels enter and leave the detection area and the transmission speed of the luggage or parcels. The synchronization control subsystem controls the operation of the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem based on the transmission signals.

[0068] In some embodiments, the method further includes fusing radioactivity information of baggage or parcel items obtained by the radioactive material monitoring subsystem into images of baggage or parcel items obtained by the radiation imaging subsystem.

[0069] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating a method for fusion radiation imaging and radioactive material monitoring according to a specific example of this disclosure is shown. As illustrated, the method includes the following steps:

[0070] S01: Environmental background radioactivity data measured by the radioactivity monitoring subsystem;

[0071] S02: When luggage or parcels enter the detection area, a trigger signal appears, and the detection begins;

[0072] S03: While transporting luggage or parcels through the detection area, the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactivity monitoring subsystem work alternately.

[0073] S04: Output radiation images and radioactivity monitoring information of luggage or parcels;

[0074] S05: The inspection is completed when the luggage or parcel leaves the inspection area.

[0075] The embodiments of this disclosure, by using a radioactive material monitoring subsystem and a radiation imaging subsystem capable of operating in pulse mode, and under the regulation of a synchronization control subsystem, can achieve coordinated operation of imaging and radioactive material monitoring. This saves equipment space, reduces costs associated with additional shielding, decreases the number of times items are transferred and transported, reduces the number of item inspections, shortens inspection time, and increases inspection speed. Simultaneously, the fusion of radiation images and radioactive monitoring data of the detected object allows for a more intuitive display of image and radioactive information, providing direct guidance for further inspection of suspicious items and significantly improving inspection efficiency.

[0076] In the foregoing description, illustrative embodiments are described with reference to the actions and symbolic representations of operations (e.g., in flowchart form). These operations can be executed as program modules or functional processes, including systems, programs, programming, objects, components, data structures, etc., and perform specific tasks or execute specific abstract data types and can be executed using existing hardware. This existing hardware may include one or more central processing units (CPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.

[0077] In this document, unless otherwise specifically stated or as apparent from the discussion, terms such as “processing,” “determining,” “acquiring,” “getting,” “judging,” “controlling,” etc., refer to the actions and processes of a computer system or similar electronic computing device that can be represented as physical electronic quantities of data in the registers and memories of a computer system and convert them into other data of physical quantities similarly represented as physical quantities in the memory or registers of a computer system or other such information storage, transmission, or display device.

[0078] The above description of illustrative embodiments refers to actions and symbolic representations of operations or steps (e.g., in the form of flowcharts), which can be executed as program modules or functional processes, including programs, programming, objects, components, data structures, etc., and perform specific tasks or specific abstract data types and can be executed using existing hardware.

[0079] Those skilled in the art will understand that this disclosure includes means relating to one or more of the functions for performing the methods, steps, operations, or modules described in this application. These means may be specifically designed and manufactured for the desired purpose, or may include known means in general-purpose computers. These means have computer programs stored therein that can be selectively activated or reconfigured. Such computer programs may be stored in a device (e.g., computer)-readable medium or in any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions and coupled to a bus, including but not limited to any type of disk (including floppy disks, hard disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magneto-optical disks), ROM (Read-Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), flash memory, magnetic cards, or optical cards. That is, readable media includes any medium by which a device (e.g., a computer) stores or transmits information in a readable form.

[0080] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present disclosure, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A fusion system for radiation imaging and radioactive material monitoring of luggage or parcels, comprising: A radiation imaging subsystem configured to operate in pulse mode to perform radiation imaging on baggage or parcel items; A radioactive material monitoring subsystem configured to operate in pulse mode to monitor whether the baggage or parcel contains radioactive materials; and A synchronization control subsystem communicates with both the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem. This subsystem is configured to receive trigger signals indicating the time when luggage or packages enter and leave the detection area. Upon the trigger signal indicating the entry of luggage or packages into the detection area, the synchronization control subsystem controls the radiation imaging subsystem to operate according to a first pulse control signal and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem to operate according to a second pulse control signal. This allows the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem to operate alternately, with the radioactive material monitoring subsystem operating first for radioactive material monitoring, followed by radiation imaging by the radiation imaging subsystem. The first pulse control signal includes a first pulse, and the second pulse control signal includes a second pulse. The second pulse is time-sequentially preceding and time-separated from the first pulse. The radiation imaging subsystem includes: A radiation source, which is a low-energy X-ray source capable of controlled pulsed emission, suitable for radiographic imaging of the baggage or parcel at X-ray energies in the kiloelectron volt (keV) range, and the low-energy X-ray source capable of controlled pulsed emission is configured to generate a radiation beam in pulsed mode for irradiating the baggage or parcel; and A radiation imaging detector is configured to detect rays reflected, scattered, or transmitted by luggage or packages under the illumination of the radiation beam, in order to generate data for forming an image of the luggage or package.

2. The fusion system of claim 1, wherein the radioactive material monitoring subsystem includes a radioactive monitoring detector configured to operate in pulse mode to monitor radioactive rays emitted by the luggage or parcel.

3. The fusion system according to claim 2, wherein the radioactive monitoring detector comprises at least one of a gamma-ray detector and a neutron detector.

4. The fusion system according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the synchronization control subsystem is configured to control the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem to operate alternately in real time via a variable, adjustable pulse control signal.

5. The fusion system according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein The radiation imaging subsystem is configured to operate according to a first pulse control signal to perform radiation imaging on luggage or parcel items. The radioactive material monitoring subsystem is configured to operate based on a second pulse control signal to monitor whether the luggage or parcel contains radioactive materials. The first pulse control signal and the second pulse control signal both consist of rectangular waves.

6. The fusion system according to claim 5, wherein The first pulse control signal includes multiple first pulses. The second pulse control signal includes a second pulse, during which the radioactive material monitoring subsystem is configured to operate to monitor radioactive radiation emitted by the luggage or parcel. Each of some or all of the second pulses is located in time between two adjacent first pulses, and the spacing between adjacent first pulses is greater than or equal to the pulse width of the second pulse.

7. The fusion system according to any one of claims 1-3 and 6, further comprising: A transmission subsystem configured to transport baggage or parcels through a detection area, and to output transmission signals to a synchronization control subsystem indicating the time of entry and exit of the baggage or parcels into and from the detection area, as well as the transport speed of the baggage or parcels. The synchronization control subsystem is further configured to control the operation of the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem based on the transmission signal.

8. The fusion system according to any one of claims 1-3 and 6, further comprising: An information fusion subsystem communicates with a radioactive material monitoring subsystem and a radiation imaging subsystem to fuse radioactive information of baggage or parcel items obtained by the radioactive material monitoring subsystem into images of baggage or parcel items obtained by the radiation imaging subsystem.

9. A method for radiation imaging and radioactive material monitoring of luggage or parcels, comprising: The radiation imaging subsystem is operated in pulse mode to perform radiation imaging on luggage or parcels; The radioactive material monitoring subsystem is operated in pulse mode to monitor whether the luggage or package contains radioactive materials. and The synchronization control subsystem receives trigger signals indicating the time when luggage or parcels enter and leave the detection area. Upon the trigger signal indicating the luggage or parcels entering the detection area, the subsystem controls the radiation imaging subsystem to operate according to a first pulse control signal and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem to operate according to a second pulse control signal. This allows the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem to operate alternately, with the radioactive material monitoring subsystem operating first for radioactive material monitoring, followed by radiation imaging by the radiation imaging subsystem. The first pulse control signal includes a first pulse, and the second pulse control signal includes a second pulse. The second pulse is time-sequentially preceding and time-separated from the first pulse. The phrase "operating the radiation imaging subsystem in pulse mode to perform radiation imaging on baggage or parcels" includes: A low-energy X-ray source capable of controlled pulsed emission with X-ray energies in the kiloelectron volt (keV) range generates a pulsed radiation beam to irradiate luggage or packages; and A radiation imaging detector detects rays reflected, scattered, or transmitted by luggage or parcels under the illumination of the radiation beam to generate data for forming an image of the luggage or parcels.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein "operating the radioactive material monitoring subsystem in a pulse mode to monitor whether the baggage or parcel contains radioactive material" comprises: The radiation monitoring detector is operated in pulse mode to monitor the radioactive rays emitted by the luggage or package.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of gamma rays and neutron rays emitted by the luggage or parcel is monitored by a radioactive monitoring detector.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9-11, wherein the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem are operated alternately in real time by a synchronization control subsystem via a variable, adjustable pulse control signal.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9-11, wherein The control radiation imaging subsystem operates according to the first pulse control signal to perform radiation imaging on luggage or parcels. The radioactive material monitoring subsystem operates based on the second pulse control signal to monitor whether the luggage or parcel contains radioactive materials. The first pulse control signal and the second pulse control signal both consist of rectangular waves.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein The first pulse control signal includes multiple first pulses. The second pulse control signal includes a second pulse, during which the radioactive material monitoring subsystem operates to monitor radioactive radiation emitted by the luggage or parcel. Each of some or all of the second pulses is located in time between two adjacent first pulses, and the spacing between adjacent first pulses is greater than or equal to the pulse width of the second pulse.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9-11 and 14, further comprising: The transmission subsystem transports luggage or parcels through the detection area and outputs transmission signals to the synchronization control subsystem at least, indicating the time when the luggage or parcels enter and leave the detection area and the transmission speed of the luggage or parcels. The operation of the radiation imaging subsystem and the radioactive material monitoring subsystem is controlled by the synchronization control subsystem based on the transmission signal.

16. The method according to any one of claims 9-11 and 14, further comprising: The radioactivity information of luggage or parcels obtained by the radioactive material monitoring subsystem is fused into images of luggage or parcels obtained by the radiation imaging subsystem.

Images