Patent ID: 7023950

Claim:
A system for inspecting an object with an improved method of locating the position of an x-ray source, said system comprising: (a) an electron source that provides a pencil beam of electrons; (b) an electromagnet assembly that receives said pencil beam of electrons and that directs said pencil beam to form a scanning beam; (c) a linear target that is struck by said scanning beam along an x-ray source line, said target having high-emitting regions that produce high-flux-intensity x-ray cone beams from cone beam sources in said x-ray source line when struck by said scanning beam and low-emitting regions that produce low-flux-intensity x-ray cone beams from cone beam sources in said x-ray source line when struck by said scanning beam, said high flux intensity being distinguishable from said low flux intensity, and said low-emitting regions having known locations; (d) an assembly of x-ray detectors that receive said high-flux-intensity cone beams and said low-flux-intensity cone beams and that is located in a plane that includes the x-ray source line, said assembly of detectors and said x-ray cone beam sources forming a moving fan beam of detected x-rays, and said assembly of detectors providing signals corresponding to the flux intensity of said detected x-rays; and (e) a processor that receives said signals and determines the precise positions of said x-ray cone beam sources at measured time intervals by interpolating between the times corresponding to low-emitting regions.