Thermal Shoe Inspection for Hidden Sole Object Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional body scanners are unable to detect objects hidden in shoes due to the thickness of the shoe sole, which acts as a shield, and struggle to distinguish between the shoe's sole thickness and a constant thickness of dielectric materials like explosives, limiting their effectiveness in securing protected zones.
Innovation Solution
The method involves acquiring a thermal image of the shoe using a thermal camera, determining the lower limit of the foot, calculating the distance between the shoe's sole and the foot's lower face, and using this information to detect potential target objects by measuring electrical capacitance and analyzing echoes from waves emitted towards the sole, triggering alarms if thresholds are exceeded.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional body scanners use radiation detection to inspect shoes, then they can detect some target objects, but the thick shoe sole acts as a shield and prevents reliable detection of objects hidden within
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces thermal imaging as an intermediary detection method that does not penetrate the shoe sole directly but instead measures the thermal signature of the foot and infers the presence of hidden objects through thermal pattern analysis, bypassing the shielding problem of the sole
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional radiation-based detection mechanisms with thermal imaging technology, substituting the physical penetration approach with a thermal field-based indirect detection method that analyzes heat distribution patterns
2Measurement precision
If operators require individuals to remove shoes for inspection, then detection accuracy improves, but this creates constraints and discomfort while still not fully securing inspection of internal cavities
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal imaging system allows the shoe and foot to remain in their natural state during inspection, eliminating the need for manual removal or disassembly operations, thereby maintaining both accuracy and convenience
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual inspection procedures with automated thermal imaging technology, substituting human visual examination with an automated optical-thermal detection system that provides precise measurements without physical intervention
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If detectors use electromagnetic waves to scan through shoes, then they can detect metallic objects, but they cannot distinguish between sole thickness and constant thickness of dielectric materials like explosives
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses thermal imaging to detect variations in thermal radiation patterns, where different materials and thicknesses produce distinct thermal signatures that can be differentiated through temperature distribution analysis, analogous to using color variations to identify different properties
Solution Approach 2:
The patent measures thermal parameters (temperature distribution, thermal conductivity patterns) instead of relying on electromagnetic wave penetration depth, changing the detection parameter from physical thickness to thermal signature characteristics that uniquely identify material composition and configuration
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 enhances the detection of unauthorized objects in shoes by accurately determining the sole thickness and identifying anomalies, improving the security of protected zones by preventing concealed items from being missed.
Implementation Method 1
acquiring a thermal image of the shoe when it is worn by a foot of the individual by means of a thermal camera
Implementation Method 2
measuring electrical capacitance formed by the shoe when it is worn by the individual
Implementation Method 3
detecting stratification by vertical stacking, in the sole, by detection of successive echoes following emission of waves towards the sole
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an inspection method of a shoe worn by a foot of an individual comprising the following steps:acquiring (S1) a thermal image of the shoe when it is worn by a foot of the individual by means of a thermal camera,determining (S2), from the thermal image of the shoe, a lower limit of the foot of the individual,determining (S3) a position of the shoe relative to the thermal camera at the time of acquisition of the thermal image, anddeducing (S4) of the position of the shoe relative to the camera and of the lower limit of the foot, a distance between the lower face of the sole and the lower face of the foot of the individual.