Patent ID: 7970102

Claim:
An apparatus for detecting the presence of a foreign object in a can, and wherein the can has a top seam bordering a first horizontal plane, and a bottom seam bordering a second horizontal plane, the apparatus comprising: a conveyor configured to transport the can; a first x-ray emitter located proximate to the first horizontal plane, and configured to project a first diverging x-ray beam in a first vertical plane through the can as it is transported by the conveyor; a first sensor array positioned in receiving relation to the first x-ray beam after the first x-ray beam has interacted with the can; a second x-ray emitter located proximate to the second horizontal plane, and configured to project a second diverging x-ray beam in a second vertical plane through the can as it is transported by the conveyor; and a second sensor array positioned in receiving relation to the second x-ray beam after the second x-ray beam has interacted with the can.