Patent ID: 7924979
Filing Date: 2011-04-12
Classification: G01V

Abstract:
1. An x-ray inspection system for characterizing an object on a basis of a measure of attenuation substantially transverse to an incident beam, the x-ray inspection system comprising: a source for generating an incident beam of penetrating radiation, the incident beam characterized by a propagation direction and an energy distribution; a plurality of detector elements disposed about the beam of penetrating radiation, each detector element characterized by a field of view, each detector element generating a detector signal; a processor input adapted to receive a first detector signal characterizing radiation scattered from a first voxel, and to receive a second detector signal characterizing radiation scattered from a second voxel; and a processor adapted to determine material composition based upon a calculated attenuation of scattered penetrating radiation, in a direction substantially transverse to the incident beam of penetrating radiation, between the first voxel and the second voxel.