Testing and evaluation of an advanced (3-D) X-ray screening system

This paper presents a 3-D X-ray screening technique based on stereoscopic tomography. This is realised using a single X-ray source and folded line-scan X-ray sensors. The research was originally initiated to develop a binocular stereoscopic X-ray screening technique to enhance the visual interpretation of complex X-ray images, specifically in response to problems encountered in the routine screening of freight by HM Customs and Excise. This phase of the work culminated in the successful development of several experimental machines utilising a single X-ray source and a pair of standard linear X-ray detector arrays. More recently a system has been developed in collaboration with the Police Scientific Development Branch (PSDB), Home Office, which uses folded dual-energy line-scan sensors. The dual-energy sensor provides a material identification capability