Patent ID: 7369642

Claim:
A system for inspecting an item, comprising: a) a radiation source emitting a plurality of photons; b) a plurality of radiation detectors positioned to receive radiation from the radiation source after the radiation interacts with the item and to produce a pulse in response to a photon, each of the radiation detectors having a scintillating member and a light detector with a solid state element positioned to receive light from the scintillating member; c) a conveyance system for providing relative motion between the item and the path of radiation from the radiation source; d) a plurality of channels, each channel having: i) an input connected to an output of a respective radiation detector, and ii) an output representative of a number of pulses produced by the respective radiation detector during an interval of time; and e) a data processor receiving as inputs the outputs of the plurality of channels, the data processor processing the inputs to determine characteristics of objects within the item.