Cosmic Ray Muon Object Locator for Shielded Material Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current inspection technologies for detecting prohibited items, such as explosives and nuclear materials, face challenges in accurately identifying materials with high atomic numbers and densities, especially when shielded, due to limitations in radiation-based detection methods.
Innovation Solution
The use of cosmic ray-produced charged particles, like muons and electrons, for non-destructive inspection through Coulomb scattering, allowing for the reconstruction of three-dimensional distributions of atomic number and density within inspected volumes using passive detection systems that rely on natural cosmic rays, enabling the identification of materials and objects without radiation dose above Earth's background.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If radiation-based detection methods are used to detect prohibited items, then detection capability is improved, but the system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses naturally occurring cosmic rays as the radiation source, eliminating the need for artificial radiation generators. The cosmic rays continuously bombard the Earth's atmosphere, producing muons that can be detected directly without requiring complex radiation-producing equipment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex radiation-based detection systems with a simpler system that detects naturally occurring cosmic ray muons. Instead of using artificial radiation sources and complex shielding, the system uses passive detection of muons that naturally penetrate materials, simplifying the overall system architecture
2Measurement precision
If multiple detection instruments are used to detect shielded nuclear materials, then detection precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cosmic ray detection system serves multiple detection functions simultaneously. The same muon detection apparatus can identify different types of materials (nuclear materials, explosives, contraband) and perform both material identification and spatial distribution mapping, eliminating the need for separate specialized instruments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines material detection, spatial localization, and density measurement into a single integrated system. By detecting muon scattering patterns and combining this data with image processing algorithms, the system achieves comprehensive material characterization without requiring multiple separate detection devices
3Reliability
If active radiation sources are used for inspection, then detection effectiveness is improved, but radiation safety concerns and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system utilizes naturally occurring cosmic rays as the inspection medium, requiring no artificial radiation sources. The Earth's atmosphere continuously generates muons that can be used for inspection purposes without exposing inspected materials or operators to additional radiation risks
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the naturally occurring cosmic radiation, which could be considered a harmful factor, into a useful inspection tool. By detecting how these natural muons interact with materials, the system achieves effective inspection without introducing additional radiation hazards
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
This approach effectively detects and identifies shielded nuclear materials and objects by reconstructing the spatial distribution of scattering centers, providing robust nuclear material detection with increased effectiveness and reduced costs, eliminating the need for separate radiation-based instruments.
Implementation Method 1
As a muon moves through a material, Coulomb scattering off of the charges of sub-atomic particles perturb the muon's trajectory. The total deflection depends on several material properties, but the dominant effects are the atomic number, Z, of nuclei and the density of the material.
Implementation Method 2
Coulomb scattering from atomic nuclei in a material results in a very large number of small angle deflections of charged particles as the charged particles transit the material. In some examples, a correlated distribution function can be used to approximately characterize the displacement and angle change of the trajectory that depends on the density and the atomic charge of the material.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques, systems, and devices are disclosed for analyzing a reconstructed charged particle image of a volume of interest from charged particle detector measurements to determine a location and boundaries of one or more objects or an orientation of the one or more objects. The technique can include performing a segmentation operation on the reconstructed charged particle image of the volume. The segmentation operation identifies a subset of a set of voxels of the image of the volume as object candidate voxels. The technique can include locating corners of the one or more objects to determine the location, boundaries, or the orientation of the one or more objects. The technique can also include the computation of the center of mass of the one or more objects. The technique can include performing a morphological operation on the image and can include performing a connected-component analysis on the identified object-candidate voxels.