Multi-modal X-ray Scanner with Metal Detector for Targeted Collimation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional X-ray scanners expose individuals to excessive radiation, limiting the minimum dose that can be used for human body scans due to radiation safety standards, which compromises image quality at lower doses.
Innovation Solution
A multi-modal X-ray scanner system incorporating a metal detector to identify and isolate areas with metallic objects, using an adjustable collimator to focus a fan-shaped X-ray beam on specific body regions, reducing radiation exposure while maintaining or improving image quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the X-ray beam covers the entire body, then the scan area is comprehensive, but the radiation dose exceeds safe limits
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the full-body scan into multiple localized scan regions based on metal detector findings. Instead of scanning the entire body, only specific areas containing metallic objects are scanned, segmenting the scan area to reduce radiation exposure while maintaining security effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The collimator is adjusted to concentrate the X-ray beam only on the local area where metallic objects are detected, rather than uniformly irradiating the entire body. This localizes the radiation exposure to minimal necessary areas, reducing overall dose while preserving image quality for suspicious regions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the radiation dose is reduced below 0.25 μSv, then radiation safety is improved, but image quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the scan into targeted regions only, the system concentrates the limited radiation dose (below 0.25 μSv) on specific areas of interest rather than diluting it across the entire body. This concentration maintains sufficient image quality for detecting metallic objects in the scanned regions while keeping total exposure safe.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal detector performs a preliminary scan to identify areas containing metallic objects before the X-ray imaging step. This preliminary detection allows the system to pre-target specific regions, ensuring that the low-dose X-ray beam is directed only where needed, thereby maintaining image quality for suspicious areas despite the overall dose being below 0.25 μSv.
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
The system significantly reduces radiation exposure to individuals by limiting the X-ray scan area to only suspicious regions, achieving doses below 0.25 μSv while maintaining or enhancing image quality, depending on the scanning settings.
Implementation Method 1
a metal detector responsive to a metallic object on the human body and adapted to identify an area of the human body with the metallic object
Implementation Method 2
an X-ray source; an adjustable collimator outputting a fan-shaped X-ray beam from the X-ray source; an X-ray detector detecting the X-ray beam after it passes through a human body
Data Source
AI summary
Multi-modal scanner with metal detector for defining an X-ray scan region of a human body with a metal object includes an X-ray source; adjustable collimator outputting a fan-shaped X-ray beam from the X-ray source; an X-ray detector detecting the X-ray beam after passing through a human body; a metal detector adapted to identify an area with the metallic object; and a processor controlling the X-ray source, the adjustable collimator and the metal detector, and changing an aperture of the collimator to limit the fan-shaped X-ray beam to the identified area of the human body. Visual indicators (LEDs) are on a frame of the scanner for indicating the area of the human body with the metallic object. The collimator includes two lead plates that are moved vertically automatically upon detection of the metallic object to direct the fan-shaped X-ray beam to only the area of the human body with the metal.