MX2007001435A - Increased throughput inspection station - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for inspecting items for the presence of contraband. Trays may be used to move items through an inspection station. The tray may be mechanically conveyed to return them to an entry region of the inspection station so that they may be used to move other items. Mechanically conveying the trays may enable increased throughput for inspection stations.

Description

INCREASED FLOW INSPECTION STATION Cross Reference to the Related Request This application claims the benefit in accordance with 35 U.S.C. § 1 1 9 (e) on the provisional US application no. of series 60 / 598,934, entitled "STATION OF I NSPECTION OF INCREM ENTADO FLOW" presented on August 5, 2004, which is incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to inspection stations such as those used at airports to scan luggage in search of explosives or other contraband. This invention relates specifically to increasing the speed with which articles can pass through inspection stations. 2. Discussion of the Prior Art Inspection stations are frequently used to scan luggage, such as carry-on luggage, at airports and security facilities. At some inspection stations, hand luggage and other items can be placed on trays and the trays can be placed on a conveyor belt to be moved through an inspection region. Figure 1 illustrates an example of an existing inspection station such as those that can be used at the airport to scan carry-on luggage. Inspection station 1 00 includes a 1 1 0 inspection region. In many chaos, items in the inspection region 1 1 0 can be scanned by X-ray using a scanning method with an X-ray line. A scanner On line X-Rays I can image the objects as they move through the inspection region.

The image can typically be displayed on a workstation 1 12 for a human operator to observe. The human operator 14 can clear an article and allow it to pass through the inspection station if there are no suspicious areas in the image. If suspicious areas appear in the image, the item may be required to be subjected to other levels of inspection, for example a physical inspection of the item. Inspection station 1 00 may include a conveyor 120. The conveyor 1 20 can be a moving belt driven by one or more engines, such as the engine 302. The conveyor 1 20 can move the articles through the inspection region 1 1 0 so that images can be taken from the articles. To contain and / or protect items passing through the inspection region 1 1 0, trays such as 1 30A, 130B and 120 C are frequently provided at the inspection station. For example, passengers passing through a Security checkpoint at the airport frequently places keys, coins and other metal objects on trays that will move through an inspection region 1 10. Passengers can place cell phones, PSAs and other portable electronic devices on the trays that can allow a deeper inspection of the articles. As another example passengers may require to place coats, shoes, belts and other garments on trays 1 30 to pass those items through inspection region 1 10. Typically, a stack of chats is provided in the region of entrance of the inspection station. Passengers can place their items in a tray 1 30 and can place the tray on the conveyor 120 which moves the tray and the articles through the inspection region 1 1 0 to an exit region at the other end of the station. inspection. The trays 1 30 can accumulate in the exit region until the operator carries them back to the entry point of the inspection station. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In one aspect of the invention the articles are inspected in accordance with a method that includes mechanically transporting the trays. from an exit region to an entrance region of the inspection station. In another aspect the invention relates to a method for inspecting articles. The method includes moving the articles in trays from a first region to a second region through an inspection region. The method also includes inspecting items to detect a presence of contraband. The method further includes mechanically transporting the trays from the second region to the first region. In yet another aspect the invention relates to an inspection station for detecting a presence of contraband within articles. The inspection station includes a first region, a second region and an inspection region. The inspection station also includes a first transport system for transporting the articles in the trays from the first region to the second region through the inspection region. The inspection station further includes a second transport system for transporting the trays from the second region to the first region.

In another aspect, the invention relates to an inspection station for detecting a presence of contraband within the articles. The inspection station includes a first region, a second region and an inspection region. The inspection station also includes a first transport system for transporting the articles in trays from the first region to the second region through the inspection region. The inspection station further includes means for mechanically transporting the trays from the second region to the first region. Brief Description of the Drawings The attached drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component illustrated in several figures is represented by a similar number. For clarity purposes, not every component can be labeled in each drawing. In the drawings: Figure 1 is an outline of a prior art inspection station; Figure 2 is a side view of an inspection station according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 is a side view of an inspection station according to an alternately embodiment of the invention; Figure 4A is a side view of an inspection station according to an alternative embodiment of the invention; and Figure 4B is a side view of an inspection station according to an alternative embodiment of the invention. Detailed Description of the Invention Inspection stations are often used with trays that can be used to move items through the inspection station. The inventor has appreciated that it may be desirable during a human operator to carry the trays from an exit region near the end of the conveyor back to the entrance region of an inspection station. For example, passengers may be required to wait while the human operator carries the trays. It may be a source of frustration for passengers or others who require passing through the inspection station to have to wait for trays to be available in the region of entry. As another example that requires a human operator at the inspection station to move the trays can distract the operator who is providing security and ensuring the integrity of the inspection. In one aspect of the invention, the trays can be transported mechanically from an exit region to an entrance region of an inspection station. The entrance region can be found in the region near the start of the conveyor 120 where the articles can be placed in trays 130 and where the trays can be placed on the conveyor 120. The exit region can be the region near the end of the conveyor 120 where the items can be collected. Mechanically transporting the trays can increase the passage through an inspection station. As used herein the term mechanical transport means that imparts movement to an object by means of a mechanical system such as the object moves from one position to another. A first embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figure 2. The inspection station 200 incorporates a conveyor 220 that can be moved in the opposite direction of a conveyor 120. When the trays such as 130A and 130B reach the end of the conveyor 1. and the articles are removed from the trays, the trays can be placed on a conveyor 220 that can return the trays to the entrance region of the inspection station. The conveyor 220 can be a conveyor of the belt type similar to the conveyors currently used in the X-ray inspection stations and can be driven by one or more motors, such as the motor 304. However, any mechanical means of transport can be used. convenient. For example, the conveyor 220 can be implemented as a series of rollers positioned with an inclination such that a tray 130B on the conveyor 220 in the exit region of the inspection station 200 can slide on the conveyor 220 without human interaction. Other possibilities include the use of a shag band, a chain or other system of links with a means such as a hook, to hook a tray. Furthermore, it is not necessary that talks such as 130A and 1 30B rest on the conveyor 220. The conveyor 220 can impart movement in such a way that the tray such as the tray 130B when raising the tray. For example a motorized trolley can be moved on a track and the trolley can include a hook or other attachment mechanism to fix it on a tray 30. Figure 3 shows an alternative embodiment. The conveyor 120 may be preceded by a non-motorized segment 310 and followed by a non-motorized movement 312. Those motorized segments may allow the trays to move relatively easily towards the band 120 or from the band 1 20. Those non-motorized segments 31 0 and 312 may include for example a series of rollers 314. The trays can be made to slide easily on the rollers, but the speed of the trays in the non-motorized portions need to match the speed of the conveyor 120. A similar arrangement can be used in the conveyor 220. The conveyor 220 can be motorized and can be followed by a non-motorized segment 322 that forms a retaining area for the empty trays. The trays can be pushed by the movement of the motorized conveyor 220 towards the support area, for example the non-motorized segment 322. The trays on the conveyor 220 can generally move at a speed indicated by the motor of the conveyor 220. However due to that the non-motorized segment 322 may not be coupled to the motorized segment, for example the conveyor 220, the trays may move through the area created by the non-motorized segment 322 at a different speed, for example a speed dictated by the speed at which trays are being used to place the articles through the inspection station 300. Other ways to construct a retaining area for the trays leaving the conveyor 220 can also be used in place of or in addition to a non-motorized segment of a band. For example, a retention area for the trays can be created by simply stacking the trays. Generally the trays used in the inspection stations can be designed to be inserted one inside the other. The trays can be inserted simply by dropping them from the end of the conveyor. Alternatively a robotic arm or some other automated structure could remove the trays from the conveyor and stack them in a holding area. Figures 4A and 4B illustrate alternative modalities. The trays traveling on the conveyors 220 can usually be empty. Therefore it is not necessary that the trays on the conveyor 220 have the same orientation as they have on the conveyor 120. Figure 4A shows that the trays such 130C, 130D and 130E are placed on their side in such a way that a narrow dimension of the tray is parallel to the conveyor 220. Such a configuration may allow more trays to be placed in a support area, such as a non-motorized segment 422. Figure 4B shows an alternative configuration for the trays on the return conveyor 220. The figure 4B. shows trays such as 1 30C and 1 30D on the return conveyor 220 with a narrow dimension parallel to the width of the web 120. Such a configuration may be desirable when there is limited space under the inspection region 1 1 0. The desired orientation of the Trays can be achieved by providing slots or other features to retain the trays in the desired orientation on the conveyor 220. As for example, a robotic arm or other mechanical assembly can provide means for placing the trays on the conveyor 220 in the desired orientation.

Having thus described various aspects of at least one embodiment of this invention, it is appreciated that various alterations, modifications and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. It is intended that the foregoing be examples of embodiments of the invention. Several alternatives can be made. For example it is not necessary to return the conveyor 20 so that it is physically separated from the conveyor 120. While the upper surface of the conveyor 1 20 carries articles from the entrance of the inspection station to the exit point of the inspection station, the lower surface of the conveyor 120 moves in the opposite direction and can be used to drive the trays back to the point of entry to the inspection station. The trays can be attached to the bottom of the band 120 in any convenient manner such as hooks or other fasteners.

In addition, an explorer of the x-ray line is used as an example of an explorer used to inspect the items at an inspection station. A computerized tomography system and / or other types of inspection equipment 1 00 forms images of objects. Other scanning technologies are known that can be used. For example, inspection regions that detect certain types of chemicals can be used. The inspection station can include several inspection systems. For example, inspection stations used at airports to scan carry-on luggage frequently include several x-ray scanners placed in a parallel configuration. Some passengers may have items that are inspected by an x-ray scanner and some passengers may have items that are inspected by a different x-ray scanner. An assistant may, for example, direct a passenger to an x-ray scanner with the shortest tail.

In one aspect of the invention, an inspection station may include means for mechanically transporting the trays back to an entrance region of the inspection station. For example, the trays can be passed through different x-ray scanners to an exit region of the inspection station but all can be transported mechanically from the exit region to the entry region on the same conveyor belt. However, any suitable number of means for mechanically transporting the trays can be used, for example several conveyor belts. As another example, an article can be inspected by multiple inspection systems before arriving at an exit region of the inspection station. For example, an article can be explored by two different types of inspection systems such as two different types of x-ray scanners (for example a line scanner and a CT scanner) or an x-ray scanner and an explosive detection system. In inspection stations in which an article is inspected by means of multiple inspection systems, the region from the exit region to the entrance region of the inspection station may be relatively large. It can be disadvantageous for a human operator to make the trays a relatively large distance from the exit region to the entrance region. In one aspect of the invention, the trays can be transported mechanically from the exit region to the entrance region. It is not necessary for the inspection station to have a human operator as illustrated in Figure 1. Inspection can be done through automatic recognition software or a computer associated with the inspection region or with some other combination of automatic software and human revision. As another example, the inspection station may have a remote human operator. The remote human operator may be stationed at a remote point such as through the body from the inspection station, in a room different from the inspection station or even in a different building or facility. The remote human operator can perform several tasks that a human operator can frequently perform while in close proximity to the inspection station, for example viewing images of items on a screen, identifying threats and monitoring the inspection station in case of suspicious activity. Remote realization of those tasks can be enabled by transmitting data via a network connection from the inspection station to a remote workstation.

The mechanical transport of the trays can provide an environment in which a human operator parked in the close proximity of the inspection station can be replaced with a remote human operator. As a result of the trays being transported mechanically the human operator may not need to be in close proximity to the inspection station to mechanically carry the trays. The "trays" are also not limited in form and size to the illustrated examples. A "tray" can be any component used to hold articles that are moved through an inspection system. This invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and placement of components indicated in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other modalities and can be implemented or implemented in various ways. The wording and terminology are used for the description and should not be considered as limiting. The use of terms such as "that includes," "consists," or "has," "contains," "involves," and its variations are intended to encompass the items listed below as well as their additional items. These alterations, modifications and improvements are intended to be part of this description and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the above description and the drawings are only examples.

Claims (27)

1. CLAIMS 1. A method for inspecting an article, the method consists of the steps of: A) moving the article in a tray to form a first region to a second region through an inspection region; B) I nspeccionar the article to detect contraband; and C) mechanically transporting the trays from the second region to the first region.
2. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein step C consists of transporting the tray on a conveyor belt.
3. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein step C consists of transporting the tray over a non-motorized segment.
4. 4. The method of claim 1 in which step C consists of transporting the tray on rollers.
5. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is performed at an airport and the article is a handheld article.
6. 6. The method of claim 1 wherein step B consists in inspecting the article using x-rays.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of: D) stacking the carole on other trays after step A and before step C.
8. 8. The method of claim 1 wherein step C it consists in mechanically transporting the tray in a different orientation than the orientation in which the tray moves in stage A.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step C consists of transporting the tray to a height less than the height of the tray. height at which the tray moves in stage A.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein step C consists of transporting the tray to a height greater than the height at which the tray moves in stage A . eleven .
11. The method of claim 1 wherein step B is performed at least partially by a remote human operator.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein step B consists of receiving the inspection information at a remote point in relation to the point where the inspection station is located, the inspection information is received by a computing device in a remote point, the computing device is coupled by communication with the inspection station.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein step B consists of inspecting the article using a first inspection system of a first type and a second inspection system of a second type.
14. The method of claim 1 in which the tray is transported mechanically in stage C at least partially by means of a conveyor used to move the tray in stage A.
15. 15. An inspection station to detect contraband within an article, the inspection station consists of: a first region; a second region; an inspection region; a first transportation system for transporting an article in a tray from a first region to a second region through the inspection region; a second transport system to transport the tray from the second region to the first region.
16. The inspection station of claim 1, wherein the second transport system consists of a conveyor belt.
17. The inspection station of claim 1, wherein the second transport system consists of rollers.
18. The inspection station of claim 1, further comprising: an x-ray source for transmitting x-rays through an article in the inspection region. 9.
19. The inspection station of claim 16, wherein the first transport system consists of a conveyor belt at a height greater than the height of the conveyor belt of the second transport system.
20. The inspection station of claim 16, wherein the first transport system consists of a conveyor belt at a height less than the height of the conveyor belt of the second transport system. twenty-one .
21. The inspection station of claim 16, in which the first region is an entrance region of the inspection station.
22. 22. The inspection station of claim 16, wherein the second region is an exit region of the inspection station.
23. 23. The inspection station of claim 1, wherein the inspection station is communicated to a remote point at which a human operator inspects the article.
24. The inspection station of claim 23, in which the inspection station is communicated with a computing device used by the human operator to inspect the article, the computing device is at a remote point in relation to a point of the inspection station.
25. 25. The inspection station of claim 1, wherein the inspection station has at least two inspection systems, each of which inspects the article to detect contraband.
26. 26. The inspection station of claim 1, wherein the inspection station has a first inspection system the first one and a second inspection system of a second type.
27. 27. An inspection station to detect contraband within an article, the inspection station consists of: a first region; a second region; an inspection region; a first transportation system for transporting an article in a tray from a first region to a second region through the inspection region; and means for transporting the tray from the second region to the first region.