Processing of interlaced images in 4-10 MeV dual energy customs system for material recognition

Abstract

The aim of this article is to demonstrate the practical value of radioscopic differentiation of materials in the 1-10 MeV energy range to the work of customs services. The proposed method for achieving singling out and identifying four basic groups of materials according to an atomic number is complex. Atomic numbers are identified using high- and low-energy profiles obtained through the irradiation of materials on an alternate pulse-by-pulse basis. This is done using a bremsstrahlung beam with 8 MeV/4 MeV dual boundary energies and by using scintillating crystals coupled with silicon photodiodes as detecting elements. An image segmentation technique is then used to discern the distribution of an atomic number on any given image. The color visualization of integral absorption and a material's atomic composition is carried out according to the intensity hue saturation “IHS” colorization scheme. The experiments were carried out on a full-scale prototype of an 8 MeV customs inspection system developed by the Efremov Research Institute. © 2002 The American Physical Society.