Material Identification via Electron-Nucleon Ratio
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional dual-energy techniques require precise measurement of sample volume, which is challenging for complex 3D structures, such as bottles in bags, to determine material composition using X-ray radiological methods.
Innovation Solution
A method combining high-energy radiation with an orthogonal technique to derive a data item correlated to the total number of electrons within a sample, alongside another property like nucleons, allowing for material content inference without volume measurement, using radiological measurements and orthogonal technologies like weighing or mass sub-measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional dual-energy techniques are used to identify materials, then material composition can be determined, but precise measurement of sample volume is required which is challenging for complex 3D structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the measurement parameters from volume-based density calculation to electron count and nucleon count measurements. By using radiological techniques to measure total electron count and orthogonal techniques to measure total nucleon count, the system eliminates the need for volume measurement while maintaining material identification accuracy. This parameter transformation resolves the contradiction by removing the difficult-to-measure volume parameter entirely.
2Measurement precision
If volume measurement is performed to calculate density for material identification, then material composition can be derived, but the complexity increases for complex 3D structures such as numerous bottles in bags
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the volume measurement requirement from the material identification process. By measuring total electron count via radiological techniques and total nucleon count via orthogonal techniques, the system removes the volume measurement step entirely. This extraction eliminates the complexity associated with measuring and calculating volumes of complex 3D structures while preserving the ability to identify material composition through the electron-to-nucleon ratio.
3Ease of operation
If radiological measurement is combined with orthogonal technology, then volume measurement requirement is eliminated, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the measurement system into two independent measurement paths: a radiological measurement path for electron count and an orthogonal measurement path for nucleon count. Each path operates independently and can be optimized separately. The results are then combined through numerical co-processing to derive material content. This segmentation reduces overall system complexity by allowing independent optimization of each measurement path while achieving the combined benefit of eliminating volume measurement requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate material content identification of complex objects by eliminating the need for volume measurement, leveraging the correlation between electron and nucleon counts to infer composition through integrated data processing.
Implementation Method 1
At low energy, the Photoelectric effect dominates, in which the photon's energy is transferred to an electron orbiting the atom
Implementation Method 2
At higher energies, Compton Scattering takes place, where the photon is scattered off the electrons around the atoms
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
A method of radiological examination of an object for the identification and detection of the composition the object comprising the steps of: irradiating an object under test with high energy radiation such as x-rays or gamma- rays and collecting radiation emergent from the object at a suitable detector system in such manner that emergent radiation intensity data is collected for the entire volume of the object under test; numerically processing the radiation intensity data to obtain a first data item correlated to the total number of electrons within the sample; applying an alternative method to obtain a second data item correlated to another property of the sample; using the first and second data items to derive an indication of the material content of the sample.