Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System (VACIS) is comprised of a 1 Curie 137Cs gamma-ray source in a shield and collimator which produces a fan-shaped beam designed to intercept a vertical array of gama-ray detectors contained in a tower structure. The source and detector modules straddle the vehicle or container being inspected and are mounted on self-propelled trolleys which travel in synchronization along two parallel tracks covering the length of the scanned object. The signals from the gamma-ray detector array are processed and displayed so as to produce a 2D gamma-radiographic image of the object. Testing of the system on a variety of empty and lightly-loaded vehicles and containers has demonstrated the effectiveness of VACIS in detecting hidden contraband. For example, a small sample of cocaine only 1.5 inches thick was readily detected in a container.
A vehicle and cargo inspection system (VACIS) is described wherein fast-screening is achieved at low cost in a trade- off between cost, speed, resolution, reliability, transportability and power requirements. In its initial configuration, VACIS utilizes a shuttered Cs-137 source and a detector tower, or linear array, that travel along the cargo vehicle on trolleys that are moved by a common-source, variable-speed, synchronous motor drive. In another configuration, presently under development, the vehicle (such as a train) moves past the source and detector at both creeping and very high variable speeds. The variable velocity is constantly measured and is used as input to the image-generating program to produce undistorted gamma radiographs at 0.5 to 60 mph or more.
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