X-ray inspection systems with improved radiation attenuation shielding

1. An X-ray inspection system for inspecting articles, comprising:

a shielded housing including entrance and exit ports so as to define a tunnel passageway between the entrance and exit ports, and an X-ray inspection station (a) defining a X-, Y- and Z-axis coordinate system, (b) disposed between the entrance and exit ports and (c) including a source of X-rays and a detection system for generating X-ray images of the articles when each is located in the inspection station, wherein the X-rays emanate from a plurality of loci during operation of the X-ray inspection station;

a conveyor assembly for conveying articles to and from the X-ray inspection station through the tunnel passageway along the Z-axis of the coordinate system through the entrance and exit ports; and

a plurality of flexible, X-ray attenuating, spaced-apart, hanging strips distributed within the shielded housing between the X-ray inspection station and each of the entrance and exit ports across the entire tunnel passageway, wherein the spaced-apart strips are distributed so as to provide uniform attenuation of X-rays emanating from each of said loci toward the entrance and exit ports so as to minimize leakage radiation through the entrance and exit ports while allowing each article to displace strips as it passes through the shielded housing with low resistance.

2. An X-ray inspection system according to claim 1 , wherein the inspection station comprises a CT system including the source of X-rays and the detection system.

3. An X-ray inspection system according to claim 2 , wherein the CT system performs multi-slice scans of each of the articles when located in the inspection station.

4. An X-ray inspection system according to claim 3 , wherein the conveyor system continuously transports articles through the inspection system and the CT system perform multi-slice helical scans.

5. An X-ray inspection system according to claim 1 , further including at least one curtain of flexible, X-ray attenuating hanging strips between the inspection station and each of the entrance and exit ports, wherein the hanging strips of each curtain are distributed contiguous with one another substantially in a plane substantially normal to the Z-axis so as to provide uniform attenuation of X-rays emanating from within the inspection station, and allowing articles to displace strips as each article comes in contact with one or more of the hanging strips of the curtain as the article passes through the shielded housing by the conveyor system, wherein the plurality of flexible, X-ray attenuating, spaced-apart, hanging strips are disposed between each of the curtains and the inspection station.

6. An X-ray inspection system according to claim 5 , wherein each curtain includes strips of different lengths such that the strips of the curtain that are displaced as an article moves through the curtain by the conveyor assembly is a function of the size of the article.

7. An X-ray inspection system according to claim 6 , wherein each curtain includes a plurality of sets of contiguous strips, the strips of each set being of equal length and distributed across the tunnel passageway, and the strips of at least one set are shorter than the strips of at least one other set.

8. An X-ray inspection system for inspecting articles, comprising:

a shielded housing including entrance and exit ports so as to define a tunnel passageway between the entrance and exit ports, and an X-ray inspection station (a) defining a X, Y and Z axis coordinate system, (b) disposed between the entrance and exit ports and (c) including a source of X-rays and a detection system for generating X-ray images of the articles when each is located in the inspection station;

a conveyor assembly for conveying articles to and from the X-ray inspection station through the tunnel passageway along the Z-axis of the coordinate system through the entrance and exit ports; and

at least one curtain of flexible, X-ray attenuating strips disposed between the inspection station and each of the entrance and exit ports, wherein the strips are distributed contiguous with one another substantially in a plane substantially normal to the Z-axis so as (a) to provide uniform attenuation of X-rays emanating from within the inspection station, and (b) allow articles to pass through the curtains as they pass through the shielded housing, wherein each curtain includes strips of different lengths such that the strips of the curtain that are displaced as an article moves through the curtain by the conveyor assembly is a function of the size of the article, and wherein each curtain includes a plurality of sets of contiguous strips, the strips of each set being of equal length and distributed across the tunnel passageway, and the strips of at least one set being shorter than the strips of at least one other set.

9. An X-ray inspection system according to claim 8 , wherein the set of shorter strips are positioned in front of the set of longer strips and terminate at a higher position than the longer strips so that articles smaller than a predetermined height passing through the curtain will displace the longer strips without displacing the shorter strips.