X-RAY LINE SCAN SYSTEM FOR USE IN BAGGAGE INSPECTION

A baggage system which employs a fan-shaped x-ray beam which scans baggage on a conveyor belt and produces images of the contents of the baggage on a video monitor. The output of an x-ray source is collimated into a narrow linear beam. Objects to be scanned are exposed to this beam with successive slices of the object being so exposed as the conveyor moves the object past the beam. A light emitting screen receives the beam after it has passed through the object and emits a light pattern in accordance with the characteristics of the object being scanned. The light output of the screen is received by an array of photodetectors which generate electrical signals in accordance with the intensity of the light received thereby. The outputs of the photo-detectors are sequentially sampled to provide a series of signals in accordance with the photo-detector outputs. These signals are converted to digital form and stored in a memory. The output of the memory is fed through appropriate video output circuits to a video monitor where an image of the object being scanned is displayed.