WO2021175417A1

WO2021175417A1 - Control system for a cargo security screening

Info

Publication number: WO2021175417A1
Application number: PCT/EP2020/055591
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stefan Georgiev GEORGIEV; Nikolay Nikolaev ZOGRAFOV
Original assignee: Ids Inspection And Detection Systems Gmbh & Co Kg
Priority date: 2020-03-03
Filing date: 2020-03-03
Publication date: 2021-09-10

Abstract

Control system (1) for a cargo inspection system (2), said control system (1) comprising one or more first sensors (3) for determining the position and/or the shape and/or the size of a cargo item (5), which cargo item (5) is to be processed in the cargo inspection system (2), one or more second sensors (4) for analyzing the cargo item (5) with respect to electromagnetic fields and/or heat, as well as at least one central processing unit (6) which is configured to evaluate signals from the first and second sensors (3, 4) and to generate an activation signal for the cargo inspection system (2) based on said evaluation.

Description

CONTROL SYSTEM FOR A CARGO SECURITY SCREENING

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a control system for a cargo inspection system.

Furthermore, the invention relates to a cargo inspection system comprising such a control system, a scanner for scanning cargo items, and a conveyor for conveying cargo items into the scanner.

Moreover, the invention relates to a procedure for examining a cargo item by means of a cargo inspection system.

STATE OF THE ART

Cargo and mail inspection systems, which are designed for screening/scanning loose, bulk, containerized or palletized configurations, are generally known.

Cargo inspection systems are used in order to detect prohibited articles or to determine whether cargo items contain any items or substances which would render them unfit for further processing and transportation. Such cargo inspection systems are used, for example, as X-ray inspection systems in airports for screening loose, bulk, containerized or palletized configurations.

Since the scanning process requires visual inspection of each scanned cargo item by an appropriately trained security officer, security checkpoints or designated sites, where the scanning process is performed, usually pose critical bottlenecks of passenger, cargo, and mail handling, e.g. at airports. The situation is aggravated by the fact that, for the cargo inspection system to yield viable results, it is necessary to correctly position the cargo items within the scanner of the cargo inspection system. Also, cargo items must meet certain criteria with respect to size and shape in order for them to be properly processed by the cargo inspection system. Therefore, additional security staff is required for giving the necessary instructions to the respective cargo handling entity during loading of the cargo items onto a conveyor of the cargo inspection system. Said cargo handling entities may be regulated agents, known and account consignors, shipping companies, air carriers, airport operators, passengers, shippers, forwarders, airliners, express air cargo industry or other entities handling cargo.

Moreover, devices or substances emitting electromagnetic radiation or heat (as a special case of electromagnetic radiation) either are prohibited entirely from being transported, or they need to be examined separately and therefore need to be removed from cargo items prior to reaching the scanner. If such devices or substances are detected during the scanning process, the respective cargo item needs to be examined more closely by a security officer, which causes even longer waiting and turnaround times.

A fully automated, autonomous scanning process would be desirable in order to improve processing times. However, due to the issues mentioned above, such automatization has not yet been achieved in this field.

OBJECTIVE OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome these disadvantages by presenting a control system for existing cargo inspection systems, drastically facilitating the processing of cargo items in the cargo inspection system.

Thus, a faster handling process of cargo items at security checkpoints or designated sites, e.g. in airports and similar institutions, shall be achieved. Moreover, the proposed control systems shall provide all the necessary requirements for an autonomous scanning process of cargo items.

Furthermore, it is an object to present a cargo inspection system which enables faster and saver processing of cargo items.

Also, a corresponding procedure for examining a cargo item by means of a cargo inspection system is to be presented.

PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is achieved by means of a control system for a cargo inspection system, said control system comprising one or more first sensors for determining the position and/or the shape and/or the size of a cargo item, which cargo item is to be processed in the cargo inspection system, one or more second sensors for analyzing the cargo item with respect to electromagnetic fields and/or heat, as well as at least one central processing unit which is configured to evaluate signals from the first and second sensors and to generate an activation signal for the cargo inspection system based on said evaluation.

Since the activation signal is provided only if the cargo item to be processed meets all criteria relating to position and/or shape and/or size, collisions of cargo items within the cargo inspection system, respectively within a scanner of said cargo inspection system, and obstructions of the scanner due to non-fitting cargo items can be avoided in a reliable manner.

Moreover, it becomes possible to reliably identify possible security hazards related to a particular cargo item before said cargo item is even processed by the scanner of the cargo inspection system. Cargo items holding potentially dangerous devices or substances may therefore be prevented from further processing, without the need to scan them first only to conclude that these items require separate inspection by a security officer. Additionally, the danger of such problematic cargo items erroneously being admitted to further cargo processing due to human error can be minimized.

In general, the control system establishes necessary preconditions for autonomous scanning and processing since cargo items which do not meet all pre-set criteria may easily be separated from the remaining stream of cargo items. In contrast, cargo items fulfilling all relevant criteria are automatically permitted. Such criteria may relate to the relative position of the cargo item with respect to the housing of the scanner, or to certain shapes and dimensions of the cargo item in order to avoid clogging of the scanner. The criteria may, however, also relate to the non-presence of electrostatic, magnetic, or heat fields or the non-emission of infrared radiation.

Within the scope of the present invention, the term "cargo item" shall include various kinds of cargo or mail items in loose, bulk, containerized or palletized configurations.

In an embodiment of the control system according to the invention, said one or more first sensors comprise at least one laser sensor for displacement, distance and/or position measurement.

Thereby, an exact and reliable position detection of the cargo item can be ensured.

In principle, the cargo item may be detected by the first and second sensors when being placed in front of a conveyor of the cargo inspection system, e.g. on a table upstream the conveyor, or when placed on a section of the stationary conveyor. Moreover, the cargo item may be further observed when being conveyed to the scanner of the cargo inspection system.

In an embodiment of the control system according to the invention, said one or more second sensors comprise at least one infrared sensor and/or infrared camera for heat source detection. Thus, heat sources attributed to the cargo item may be detected reliably.

In an embodiment of the control system according to the invention, said one or more second sensors comprise at least one magnetometer for measuring magnetic fields.

In another embodiment of the control system according to the invention, said one or more second sensors comprise at least one electrostatic sensor for measuring electric fields.

In yet another embodiment of the control system according to the invention, said one or more second sensors comprise at least one spectrum analyzer for measuring radio-frequency emissions.

By means of magnetometers, electrostatic sensors, and spectrum analyzers, the detection and measurement of various kinds of electromagnetic fields becomes possible. Thus, cargo items can reliably be examined with respect to potential security threats even before a scanning process by the cargo inspection system has been initiated.

Thereby, an additional level of security is implemented in the processing of cargo items: In the state of the art, if a potentially dangerous device or substance has been overlooked by the security officer inspecting the scanned items during the scanning process, this would have resulted in the potentially dangerous cargo item being admitted to further processing and, ultimately, transportation. By means of the invention at hand, however, it would require both, the second sensors of the control system as well as the analysis of the scan results of the cargo inspection system to fail, in order for a potentially dangerous cargo item being admitted to further processing.

In an embodiment of the control system according to the invention, at least one camera for remote visual inspection of the cargo item is provided. Should the scans conducted by the first and/or second sensors be inconclusive, or if otherwise desired, remote visual inspection of the cargo item is facilitated. In contrast to the state of the art, said inspection does not necessarily have to be performed by a security officer on site, but may comfortably be performed by off site personal. Moreover, said camera also enables automated analysis of the cargo item by means of image recognition systems. Either way, said camera is also suited for determination of physical dimensions of the cargo item to be processed.

In an embodiment of the control system according to the invention, at least one optical character reader (OCR) for processing freight documents associated with the cargo item is provided.

This enables automated processing of main and supplementary documents associated with the cargo items and/or the respective owners, e.g. freight documents and boarding passes. Preferably, such an OCR detection is performed even before the control system starts to scan the cargo item by means of its first and second sensors, in order to prevent cargo items from being further processed that are not intended for being processed by the respective cargo inspection system. For example, permission for the cargo item being loaded onto the cargo inspection system's conveyor and/or being scanned by the scanner may only be granted in case of a successful evaluation of the respective documents; if desired, this permission may be visualized on a display of the control system or otherwise communicated to the person or device loading the cargo item onto the conveyor. Moreover, the data contained in the OCR-scanned documents can be employed to obtain an even more comprehensive data set associated with a single cargo item.

In an embodiment of the control system according to the invention, at least one display for displaying information relevant to the processing of the cargo item is provided.

By means of said display, various information relating to the pre check performed by the control system and/or the scanning process performed by the scanner of the cargo inspection system may be visualized. For example, the results of the OCR scanning process of freight documents, the permission to load a cargo item onto the conveyor after the pre-check by the control system has been completed, or information on whether a cargo item has been approved for further processing after the scanning process by the cargo inspection system's scanner has been completed may be visualized.

Alternatively or additionally, the control system may comprise means for generating light or sound signals indicating information relevant to the processing of the cargo item. In an embodiment of the control system according to the invention, communication means for sending and receiving data relevant to the processing of the cargo item are provided.

Thus, the control system is able to exchange various data with other devices or systems, in particular with the cargo inspection system into which said control system is integrated. Preferably, the control system is in communication with a distribution server for collecting and consolidating data, and/or with a remote data center, taking care of analyzing and evaluating the consolidated data and providing feedback signals to the control system and/or to the cargo inspection system.

Moreover, said central processing unit of the control system may be configured to evaluate signals from the remote data center.

In an embodiment of the control system according to the invention, the central processing unit comprises an IoT device. Therefore, the control system may be integrated into an IoT network so that data exchange with other network members is highly facilitated.

In this context, IoT refers to Internet of things and/or to Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). The Internet of things (IoT) is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) refers to interconnected sensors, instruments, and other devices networked together with computers' industrial applications, including manufacturing and energy management.

In an embodiment of the control system according to the invention, the control system is realized as a retrofit frame element, which preferably is integrally formed.

Thus, the integration of the control system according to the invention into existing cargo inspection systems is facilitated. Preferably, all components of the control system are integrated in said frame element; alternatively, all or some components, e.g. individual sensors, may also be attached to or integrated into other parts of the cargo inspection system like the scanner or the conveyor. The frame element may be realized as a standalone closed or open frame, which may preferably be integrated into the cargo inspection system such that it spans the conveyor. Alternatively, the control system may be realized as one or more standalone pillars arranged beside the conveyor.

An object of the invention is also achieved by a cargo inspection system comprising a control system according to the invention, a scanner for scanning cargo items, and a conveyor for conveying cargo items into the scanner, said cargo inspection system preferably being realized as an X-ray inspection system.

Since this cargo inspection system includes the above-described cargo control system, it benefits from the advantages mentioned above. In particular, an autonomous scanning process may be performed by the cargo inspection system since unsuited or potentially dangerous cargo items, which do not meet certain pre defined criteria, may reliably be prevented from being loaded onto the conveyor or from being scanned by the scanner of the cargo inspection system. Furthermore, such cargo inspection systems enable remote inspection and evaluation of the cargo items to be processed.

In an embodiment of the cargo inspection system according to the invention, the control system is arranged at the conveyor, said control system being located upstream of the scanner.

As a result, the cargo item may undergo a pre-check performed by the control system before or when positioned on the conveyor. Preferably, the pre-check commences before said cargo item is loaded onto the conveyor. In many cases, there is a stationary preparation area arranged just in front of the conveyor; the pre-check could commence when the cargo item is positioned in that preparation area. Alternatively, especially in the scope of fully automated cargo processing systems, the pre-check could also be performed while the cargo item is held by an automated device, like a robot, responsible for loading cargo items onto the conveyor.

In an embodiment of the cargo inspection system according to the invention, a distribution server for collecting and consolidating data from the control system as well as from the scanner is provided.

This distribution server is comprised in the cargo inspection system inasmuch as the distribution server and the cargo inspection system are part of a common network. The distribution thereby facilitates data handling remote from the cargo inspection system. Data collected while pre-checking or scanning the cargo item may be sent to the distribution server for consolidation and preparation for further data processing.

In an embodiment of the cargo inspection system according to the invention, the cargo inspection system further comprises a remote data center for analyzing consolidated data and/or data from the control system.

This remote data center is comprised in the cargo inspection system inasmuch as the remote data center and the cargo inspection system are part of a common network. The complex process of data analysis may therefore be outsourced to the remote data center and, apart from the pre-check evaluation, only the results from this analysis have to be processed by the cargo inspection system. As a result of the analysis of the consolidated data and/or data from the control system, the scanned cargo items may be allowed to enter the further cargo processing cycle and/or loaded onto an airplane for transportation.

An object of the invention is also achieved by a procedure for examining a cargo item by means of a cargo inspection system according to the invention, the procedure comprising the following steps which are executed by the control system:

Determining a position and/or shape and/or size of the cargo item;

Analyzing the cargo item with respect to electromagnetic fields and/or heat;

Evaluating the determined position and/or shape and/or size of the cargo item as well as the analysis with respect to electromagnetic fields and/or heat;

If the evaluation meets predetermined processing criteria, outputting an activation signal for further processing of the cargo item in the cargo inspection system;

If the evaluation does not meet said predetermined processing criteria, outputting an error signal.

Thus, the control system performs a pre-check of the cargo item before the cargo item is conveyed to the scanner of the cargo inspection system. Only if all pre-set criteria, for instance with respect to size, shape, and position of the cargo item, as well as to an electromagnetic spectral analysis of the cargo item, are met, the cargo item will be allowed to be conveyed to the scanner. If some of these criteria are not met, the reason for the rejection may be visualized or indicated in another way, giving the person or device responsible for loading the cargo item onto the conveyor the opportunity for improvements. Delays in the cargo, mail and/or passenger handling process may therefore be reliably avoided, since inappropriate cargo items may be discarded and removed from the cargo item stream before they are conveyed into the scanner.

In this procedure, the following steps may also be executed in the following order:

Analyzing the cargo item with respect to electromagnetic fields and/or heat;

Determining a position and/or shape and/or size of the cargo item;

In an embodiment of the procedure according to the invention, before determining a position and/or shape and/or size of the cargo item, or before analyzing the cargo item with respect to electromagnetic fields, at least one freight document associated with the cargo item is scanned by the control system, in order to generate freight document data, and that determining of a position and/or shape and/or size of the cargo item, or analyzing the cargo item with respect to electromagnetic fields may only commence after said scan has yielded a positive result.

Hence, a particular cargo item may reliably be excluded from processing by the cargo inspection system if the freight document already indicates that the cargo item is not cleared or intended to be processed. In this case, no subsequent pre-check or scan of the respective cargo item needs to be performed. The data read out from the freight document by the control system, in particular by its optical character reader (OCR), may in the case of a positive result subsequently be used for obtaining a comprehensive data set with regard to the respective cargo item.

In an embodiment of the procedure according to the invention, upon output of the activation signal, the evaluation data, and where applicable also the freight document data, are sent to a distribution server for consolidation.

Thus, a consolidated data set may be obtained comprising both, the data corresponding to the evaluation data as well as the freight document data. This consolidated data set, preferably supplemented by data from the scanning process, e.g. X-ray images, may subsequently be used for determining whether a particular cargo item is to be cleared for further processing and transportation purposes.

In an embodiment of the procedure according to the invention, upon output of the activation signal, said cargo item is conveyed into the scanner of the cargo inspection system.

The activation signal may be directed to an operator of the cargo inspection system, e.g. a security officer, or to the conveyor and/or scanner directly, thereby automatically triggering operation of the conveyor and/or the scanner.

Preferably, the activation signal is communicated directly to the scanner, thereby automatically initiating an autonomous scanning process of the cargo item.

In an embodiment of the procedure according to the invention, upon completion of the scan of the cargo item by the scanner, the scan data are sent to the distribution server for further consolidation with the evaluation data, and where applicable the freight document data, in order to generate a consolidated data set.

This consolidated data set enables a comprehensive analysis of the cargo item, which could also be fully automated by means of image recognition and data analysis algorithms. In an embodiment of the procedure according to the invention, the consolidated data set is sent to a remote data center, where it is analyzed, and based on that analysis a feedback signal is sent back to the control system, said feedback signal indicating the cargo item's clearance or non-clearance for subsequent processing.

Said analysis may be performed by remote personal, or preferably fully automated by means of image recognition and data analysis algorithms. Since the decision to allow or reject the cargo item is based on a comprehensive set of consolidated data, taking into account administrative data from the freight documents, evaluation data from the pre-check performed by the control system, as well as scanning data, e.g. X-ray images, from the scanner, various factors may be taken into account in the generation of the feedback signal, thereby increasing safety and processing speed of cargo inspections systems according to the invention.

In an embodiment of the procedure according to the invention, the activation signal and/or the error signal and/or the feedback signal are visualized on a display of the control system. Alternatively or additionally, the feedback signal can be visualized on a display of the control system.

For instance, upon receipt of the feedback signal, the control system could display the message "Prohibited articles detected!" to a display located at a workspace of a security officer, responsible for one or multiple cargo inspection systems. Upon notification, this security officer could initiate a re-check or a separate detailed inspection of the respective cargo item.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention will now be briefly described based on drawings of an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a control system as well as of a cargo inspection system.

WAYS OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

In Fig. 1, a cargo inspection system 2 is retrofitted with a control system 1 according to the invention. The control system 1 is realized as a standalone frame element 10, which is arranged such that it spans a conveyor 11 of the cargo inspection system 2. The control system 1 may therefore also be referred to as "ARC".

The control system 1 comprises first sensors 3 for determining the position and/or the shape and/or the size of a cargo item 5, which cargo item 5 is to be processed in the cargo inspection system 2, as well as second sensors 4 for analyzing the cargo item 5 with respect to electromagnetic fields; some of these sensors 3,4 are integrated directly into the frame element 10, some other sensors 3,4 may be attached to or integrated into other elements of the cargo inspection system 2, e.g. the scanner 12.

In addition, the control system 1 comprises a camera 7 for remote visual inspection of the cargo item 5, an optical character reader 8 for processing freight documents 15 associated with the cargo item 5, and displays 9 for visualization of information relevant to the processing of the cargo item 5. The camera 7 and the optical character reader 8 may be attached to or integrated into other elements of the cargo inspection system 2, e.g. the scanner 12.

When the cargo item 5 is placed on the conveyor 11, which at this point is stationary, a pre-check of the cargo item 5 is performed by the control system 1. Alternatively, if the conveyor 11 would be moving, the cargo item 5 would be positioned on a stationary preparation area, e.g. on a table, arranged just in front of the conveyor 11. The pre-check includes analyzing the cargo item 5 with respect to electromagnetic fields emitted therefrom by means of the second sensors 4, as well as determining the position and/or shape and/or size of a cargo item 5 by means of the first sensors 3. The measurement results are evaluated by a central processing unit 6 of the control system 1. If the evaluation meets predetermined processing criteria, an activation signal for further processing of the cargo item 5 in the cargo inspection system 2 is generated. Said activation signal directly or indirectly leads to the conveyor 11 being set in motion and conveying the cargo item 5 into a scanner 12 of the cargo inspection system 2. When inside the scanner 12, the cargo item 5 is scanned, e.g. by means of an X-ray scanner. When an activation signal is generated by the control system 1 and sent to the cargo inspection system 2, the data used and generated by the evaluation of the pre-check sensor measurements is sent to a distribution server 13. The distribution server 13 collects and consolidates data related to the cargo item 5 and prepares said data for subsequent processing. After the scanner 12 has completed the scanning process of the cargo item 5, data generated by the scanner 12, e.g. X-ray images, are sent to the distribution server 13 for further consolidation with the evaluation data and, if applicable, the freight document data generated by the optical character reader 8.

The consolidated set of data is subsequently sent to a remote data center 14, where it is analyzed and evaluated. Based on that process, a feedback signals is provided to the control system 1 and/or to the cargo inspection system 2, indicating the cargo item's 5 clearance or non-clearance for subsequent processing and transportation.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

1 control system

2 cargo inspection system

3 first sensor

4 second sensor

5 cargo item

6 central processing unit

7 camera

8 optical character reader (OCR)

9 display

10 retrofit frame element

11 conveyor

12 scanner

13 distribution server

14 remote data center

15 freight document

Claims

1 Control system (1) for a cargo inspection system (2), said control system (1) comprising one or more first sensors (3) for determining the position and/or the shape and/or the size of a cargo item (5), which cargo item (5) is to be processed in the cargo inspection system (2), one or more second sensors (4) for analyzing the cargo item (5) with respect to electromagnetic fields, as well as at least one central processing unit (6) which is configured to evaluate signals from the first and second sensors (3,4) and to generate an activation signal for the cargo inspection system (2) based on said evaluation.

2 Control system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said one or more first sensors (3) comprise at least one laser sensor for displacement, distance and/or position measurement.

3 Control system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said one or more second sensors (4) comprise at least one infrared sensor and/or infrared camera for heat source detection.

4 Control system (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said one or more second sensors (4) comprise at least one magnetometer for measuring magnetic fields.

5 Control system (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said one or more second sensors (4) comprise at least one electrostatic sensor for measuring electric fields.

6. Control system (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said one or more second sensors (4) comprise at least one spectrum analyzer for measuring radio frequency emissions.

7. Control system (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises at least one camera (7) for remote visual inspection of the cargo item (5).

8. Control system (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises at least one optical character reader (8) for processing freight documents (15) associated with the cargo item (5).

9. Control system (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it comprises at least one display (9) for displaying information relevant to the processing of the cargo item (5).

10. Control system (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises means for generating light or sound signals indicating information relevant to the processing of the cargo item (5).

11. Control system (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it comprises communication means for sending and receiving data relevant to the processing of the cargo item (5).

12. Control system (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the central processing unit (6) comprises an IoT device.

13. Control system (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 12, characterized in that it is realized as a retrofit frame element (10), which preferably is integrally formed.

14. Cargo inspection system (2) comprising a control system (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 13, a scanner (12) for scanning cargo items (5), and a conveyor (11) for conveying cargo items (5) into the scanner (12), said cargo inspection system (2) preferably being realized as an X-ray inspection system.

15. Cargo inspection system (2) according to claim 14, characterized in that the control system (1) is arranged at the conveyor (11), said control system (1) being located upstream of the scanner (12).

16. Cargo inspection system (2) according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the cargo inspection system (2) further comprises a distribution server (13) for collecting and consolidating data from the control system (1) as well as from the scanner (12).

17. Cargo inspection system (2) according to any of the claims 14 to 16, characterized in that the cargo inspection system (2) further comprises a remote data center (14) for analyzing consolidated data and/or data from the control system (1), whereas said central processing unit (6) preferably is configured to evaluate signals, preferably a feedback signal, from the remote data center (14).

18. Procedure for examining a cargo item (5) by means of a cargo inspection system (2) according to any of the claims 14 to 17, the procedure comprising the following steps which are executed by means of the control system (1):

Determining a position and/or shape and/or size of the cargo item (5), which cargo item (5) is to be processed in the cargo inspection system (2);

Analyzing the cargo item (5) with respect to electromagnetic fields and/or heat; Evaluating the determined position and/or shape and/or size of the cargo item (5) as well as the analysis with respect to electromagnetic fields and/or heat;

If the evaluation meets predetermined processing criteria, outputting an activation signal for further processing of the cargo item (5) in the cargo inspection system (2);

19. Procedure according to claim 18, characterized in that, before determining a position and/or shape and/or size of the cargo item (5), at least one freight document (15) associated with the cargo item (5) is scanned by the control system (1), in order to generate freight document data, and that determining of a position and/or shape and/or size of the cargo item (5) may only commence after said scan has yielded a positive result.

20. Procedure according to any of the claims 18 to 19, characterized in that, upon output of the activation signal, the evaluation data, and where applicable also the freight document data, are sent to a distribution server (13) for consolidation.

21. Procedure according to any of the claims 18 to 20, characterized in that, upon output of the activation signal, said cargo item (5) is conveyed into the scanner (12) of the cargo inspection system (2).

22. Procedure according to any of the claims 18 to 21, characterized in that, upon completion of the scan of the cargo item (5) by the scanner (12), the scan data are sent to the distribution server (13) for further consolidation with the evaluation data, and where applicable the freight document data, in order to generate a consolidated data set.

23. Procedure according to claim 22, characterized in that the consolidated data set is sent to a remote data center (14), where it is analyzed, and based on that analysis a feedback signal is sent back to the control system (1), said feedback signal indicating the cargo item's (5) clearance or non clearance for subsequent processing.

24. Procedure according to any of the claims 18 to 23, characterized in that the activation signal is communicated directly to the scanner (12), thereby automatically initiating an autonomous scanning process of the cargo item (5).

25. Procedure according to any of the claims 18 to 24, characterized in that the activation signal or the error signal are visualized on a display (9) of the control system (1)· 26. Procedure according to any of the claims 23 to 25, characterized in that the feedback signal is visualized on a display (9) of the control system (1).