Patent ID: 7356118

Claim:
A method for non-intrusively inspecting a container used for the transportation of an item therein, the method comprising: (a) scanning a container and an item therein with a first x-ray beam at a first angle relative to the container, wherein step (a) of scanning includes the steps of producing the first x-ray beam from a single, multi-energy charged particle beam emitted by a single, stationary, multi-energy level particle accelerator through a first conversion target and moving the container through the first x-ray beam and relative to a single, stationary detector array during a single pass of the container by the single, stationary detector array; (b) scanning the container and the item therein with a second x-ray beam at a second angle relative to the container, wherein the second angle has an angular measure different than the first angle relative to the container, and wherein step (b) of scanning includes the steps of producing the second x-ray beam from the same single, multi-energy charged particle beam emitted by the single, stationary, multi-energy level particle accelerator and turned by a turning magnet to pass through a second conversion target and moving the container through the second x-ray beam and relative to the same single, stationary detector array during the same single pass of the container by the single, stationary detector array; (c) producing first data representative of a portion of the first x-ray beam that passes through the container and the item therein; (d) producing second data representative of a portion of the second x-ray beam that passes through the container and the item therein; and (e) determining a characteristic of the item based at least in part on said first data and said second data.