Conceptual development of a transportable/deployable x-ray inspection system for cars and vans

The technology of transmission and backscatter imaging by flying-spot x-ray beams was extended to 450 kV beam energies with the installation of a prototype CargoSearch(TM) system at Otay Mesa, California in the summer of 1994. CargoSearch(TM) is a fixed-site system designed for the inspection of large over-the-road vehicles at border crossings. A self-contained, mobile implementation of the same technology has also been developed to scan objects ranging in size from a small car up to a full-scale tractor-trailer rig. MobileSearch(TM) is able to be moved over ordinary, roadways to its intended operating site and set up easily by two or three people, but is currently limited to backscatter imaging only. It also lacks the ability to effectively image the vehicle's undercarriage, which is important for the detection of contraband concealed in the vehicle itself rather than cargo. There is a need for a transportable, deployable scanning system that combines the self-contained mobility of MobileSearch(TM) and the combined transmission and backscatter imaging characteristics of CargoSearch(TM), including its good geometry for backscatter imaging of the undercarriage of inspected vehicles. Concepts for two approaches that meet these needs are presented.