IP Library Granted Patent US 10,768,338
Granted Patent B2
US 10,768,338 · App. 16/376,971 · Granted Sep 8, 2020

Systems and methods for detecting threats and contraband in cargo

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,768,338
App. No.
16/376,971
Granted
Sep 8, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present specification discloses systems and methods for identifying and reporting contents of a tanker, container or vehicle. Programmatic tools are provided to assist an operator in analyzing contents of a tanker, container or vehicle. Manifest data is automatically imported into the system for each shipment, thereby helping security personnel to quickly determine container contents. In case of a mismatch between container contents shown by manifest data and the contents as ascertained from the scanning system, the container or vehicle may be withheld for further inspection.

Claims (26)

1. A method for processing a radiographic image to identify whether at least one firearm is present in an object, the method comprising:

receiving the radiographic image of the object;

applying a neural network to the radiographic image to minimize errors in an association of portions of the radiographic image with one or more predetermined features; and

based on the association with minimized errors, generating a visual demarcation of an area in the radiographic image to identify a presence of the at least one firearm in the object.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the neural network comprises a plurality of interconnected layers defined by variables associated with the one or more predetermined features, wherein the one or more predetermined features are indicative of a firearm.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising detecting the at least one firearm in more than one physical orientation.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating reference images wherein the reference images depict firearms in a plurality of physical orientations.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising identifying the presence of the at least one firearm even if the at least one firearm does not exactly match a firearm in one of the reference images.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the neural network is a deep belief network.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radiographic image comprises attenuation data.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising building orientation invariant descriptors of features in radiographic images.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying one or more classifier routines to the one or more features in the radiographic image.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more features in the radiographic image comprises at least one effective density, attenuation, geometric properties, size, area, or aspect ratio.

11. A computer readable non-transitory medium comprising a plurality of executable programmatic instructions executed by a processor for implementing a process for processing a radiographic image to identify whether at least one firearm is present in an object, said plurality of executable programmatic instructions comprising:

programmatic instructions, stored in said computer readable non-transitory medium, for receiving the radiographic image of the object;

programmatic instructions, stored in said computer readable non-transitory medium, for applying a neural network to the radiographic image to minimize errors in an association of portions of the radiographic image with one or more predetermined features; and

programmatic instructions, stored in said computer readable non-transitory medium, for generating a visual demarcation of an area in the radiographic image to identify a presence of the at least one firearm in the object based on the association with minimized errors.

12. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 11 , wherein the neural network comprises a plurality of interconnected layers defined by variables associated with the one or more predetermined features, wherein the one or more predetermined features are indicative of a firearm.

13. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 11 , further comprising programmatic instructions, stored in said computer readable non-transitory medium, for detecting the at least one firearm in more than one physical orientation.

14. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 11 , further comprising programmatic instructions, stored in said computer readable non-transitory medium, for generating reference images wherein the reference images depict firearms in a plurality of physical orientations.

15. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 14 , further comprising programmatic instructions, stored in said computer readable non-transitory medium, for identifying the presence of the at least one firearm even if the at least one firearm does not exactly match a firearm in one of the reference images.

16. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 11 , wherein the neural network is a deep belief network.

17. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 11 , wherein the radiographic image comprises attenuation data.

18. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 11 , further comprising programmatic instructions, stored in said computer readable non-transitory medium, for building orientation invariant descriptors of the one or more features in radiographic images.

19. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 11 , further comprising programmatic instructions, stored in said computer readable non-transitory medium, for applying one or more classifier routines to the one or more features in the radiographic image.

20. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 19 , wherein the one or more features in the received radiographic image comprises at least one effective density, attenuation, geometric properties, size, area, or aspect ratio.

Assignments (2)
NOTICE OF GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Jul 1, 2025
From: RAPISCAN SYSTEMS, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 071823/0748 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 5, 2019
From: YU, SONGYANG; CHITTINENI, RUPA; MCCARTHY, MARK J.
To: RAPISCAN SYSTEMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 048810/0218 →