Patent ID: 8831176

Claim:
A scanning system for scanning an object in a scanning zone, the system comprising an X-ray radiation source arranged to irradiate the object with X-ray radiation having a peak energy of at least 900 keV and having a beam collimated in one direction; a scatter detector arranged to detect X-ray radiation scattered from the object wherein the X-ray radiation source is arranged to irradiate the object over a plurality of regions to be scanned within a single irradiation event, the scatter detector comprising a plurality of detection elements, each detection element being a one dimensional imaging sensor arranged into detector regions, each detector region arranged to detect scattered X-ray radiation from a corresponding part of the scanning zone; a mask arranged to restrict scattered radiation not from the corresponding part of the scanning zone from reaching its corresponding detector region, wherein said mask is configured to create an exposure pattern across multiple detection elements; and a signal processor arranged to calculate scatter intensity across the plurality of detector elements and analyze said exposure pattern to determine a particular radiation source position.