Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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REMOTE DATA ACCESS
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for remotely transmitting
X-
ray data over a communication channel to enable remote access to, and analysis
of, that
data. One application for the invention is in the field of baggage screening.
l0 2. Discussion of Related Art
A number of conventional systems for screening baggage at airports are in use,
including X-ray scanners, computed tomography (CT) scanners, and the like.
Some of the
systems are largely automated, and include computing equipment and that
implements
threat detection software. Some of these and other such systems are multilevel
screening
15 systems which may involve human operation in at least some levels of the
screening
process. An operator views a reconstructed image of an item under inspection
on a
monitor or view-screen, and makes decisions regarding, for example, whether
the item
may present a threat, and/or should be subj ected to more detailed screening.
Presently existing systems provide differing degrees of sophistication in
terms of
2o their ability to analyze and screen objects based on X-ray data obtained
about the object.
Some, for example, balance the speed of baggage screening with the degree of
certainty in
screening for explosives, contraband and the like. In addition, especially in
the United
States, operators of such systems have varying levels of skill. Often,
operators of first-
level screening equipment for checked or carry-on baggage at airports have a
lower level
25 of skill than those who may be located remote from such equipment.
There exists a need for improved systems and methods for baggage screening for
explosives, contraband and the like at airports and in other locations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
30 According to one embodiment, a method for remotely analyzing an item under
inspection comprises acts of collecting data about an item under inspection at
a data
collection location, transmitting the data to a remote location via a
communication
channel, analyzing the data at the remote location to determine a presence of
a suspect
object and provide a screening result, and transmitting the screening result
to the data
35 ' collection location. In one example, the method may further include
establishing a
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telephone, or other voice andlor data, link between the data collection
location and the
remote location.
According to another embodiment, a remote screening system comprises a data
collection station that scans an item under inspection to obtain data about
the item under
inspection, a remote expert station adapted to analyze the data about the item
under
inspection to provide a screening result for the item under inspection, and a
communication chamzel that couples the data collection station to the remote
expert
station, wherein the data about the item under inspection is transmitted
between the data
collection station and the remote expert station via the communication
channel.
l0
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other features, obj ectives and advantages of the present
invention will be apparent from the following description with reference to
the
accompanying figures, which are provided for purposes of illustration only and
are not
15 intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. In the figures, in
which like
reference numerals indicate like elements throughout the different figures,
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an example of a multilevel screening
system;
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of one example of a remote data access
2o system according to aspects of the invention;
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of one example of a method of
remote
data access, according to one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of an example of remote data
access,
according to an embodiment of the invention; and
25 FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of another example of a screening
system,
according to aspects of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention provides a system and methods for remote screening of
3o objects that enables a remote expert, which may be a human operator, a
machine or a
combination thereof, to access and analyze data collected at another location
and make
screening decisions regarding the objects. It is to be understood that the
invention is not
limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement
of components
set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Other
embodiments
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and manners of carrying out the invention are possible. Also, it is to be
understood that
the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description
and should
not be regarded as limiting. The use of "including," "comprising," or "having"
and
variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and
equivalents thereof
as well as additional items. In addition, it is to be appreciated that the
term
"communication channel" as used herein refers to any now known or later
developed
channel for transmission of data, such as, but not limited to a telephone
line, the Internet, a
wireless channel, a local or wide area network link, an intranet, a dedicated
link, and the
like.
to Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated one embodiment of a multilevel
screening
system, located for example, at an airport. It is to be appreciated that
although the
following discussion will refer primarily to baggage inspection systems
located at airports,
and to screening of baggage, the invention is not so limited, and may be
equally applied to
baggage screening at, for example, bus depots or train terminals, or to
screening of
15 packages at, for example, post offices or other mail centers. In the
illustrated example,
items of baggage 100 may be transported along a conveyor 102 and may be
examined by
one or more baggage inspection stations 104, 106. In this example, the system
includes
two levels of screening : a level one inspection station 104, and a level two
inspection
station 106. Items of baggage 100 that are not cleared by the level one
station 104 may be
2o transported to the level two inspection station 106 for further
examination. It is to be
appreciated that the system is not limited to two levels of screening, as
shown, but may
include only one level of screening or more than two levels of screening, as
desired.
According to one embodiment, an inspection station, such as the level one or
level
two inspection stations 104, 106 illustrated in FIG. 1, may include an
inspection machine
25 108 and an operator station 110, coupled to the inspection machine 108,
that may be used
to scan and screen an item under inspection. The item under inspection may be,
for
example, an item of baggage 100, or may be located within an item of baggage
100. The
inspection machine may include, for example, a single-energy X-ray scanner, a
dual-
energy X-ray scanner, a CT scanner, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
scanner, a
3o nuclear quadrapole resonance (NQR) scanner, any nuclear-based imaging
scanner or
gamma scanning system, or a combination of such scanners. It is to be
understood that
although the following discussion will refer, in particular, to X-ray data
obtained about the
item under inspection, any of the above-mentioned scanners may be used to scan
the item
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and corresponding data may be obtained and analyzed according to the methods
of the
invention.
Referring to FIG. 2, a data collection station 200 may include an X-ray
scanner
202, that may scan an item under inspection and obtain X-ray data about the
item. The
item may be placed on a conveyor belt 201 that may transport the item through
the X-ray
scanner. The data collection station may be, for example, either of the level
one or level
two inspection stations illustrated in FIG. 1. In one embodiment, the X-ray
data may be
passed to an operator interface 204, coupled to the X-ray scanner, which may
display an
X-ray image of the item under inspection, reconstructed from the X-ray data.
An operator
to may examine the X-ray image and make a screening decision regarding the
item under
inspection. In some cases, the operator may decide that the item warrants
further or more
detailed inspection, and the item and X-ray data obtained about the item may
be passed to,
for example, a level two or level three inspection station. In conventional
systems, the
inspection stations, such as inspection stations 104, 106 (see FIG. 1) are
connected in a
i5 closed, local area network. Data obtained by the level one inspection
station 104 about an
item of baggage 100 is sent only to the level two inspection station 106, and
may be
passed from the level two inspection station 106 to a level three inspection
station if the
system includes one. By contrast, according to some examples of the present
invention,
the X-ray data obtained about the item under inspection at the data collection
station 200
2o may be transferred not only to a higher level inspection station, but to
any number of
remote locations, as is discussed in more detail below.
According to one embodiment, the X-ray data obtained about the item under
inspection may be transferred across a communication chaimel 206 from the data
collection station 200 to a remote server 208 which may in turn transfer the X-
ray data to
25 any one or more remote expert stations 210. As discussed above, the
communication
channel 206 may comprise any of a telephone line, the Internet, a wireless
channel, a local
or wide area network link, an intranet, a dedicated link, etc. that may be
used to transfer
data to a remote location. It is to be understood that the term "remote" as
used herein
refers to a location that is not on the same premises as the local item. For
example, if a
3o data collection station is located at a first terminal of an airport, a
"remote" expert may be
an expert located in a different city, at a location in the same city that is
not the airport
where the data collection station is located, or another terminal of the
airport, etc. It is
also to be appreciated that the system need not include a server 208 and that
the data
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collection station 200 may transfer the X-ray data directly to a remote expert
station 210,
as is discussed in more detail below.
It is further to be understood that each of the data collection station 200
and remote
expert stations 210 may include computing equipment and operator interfaces
that may
operate according to known principles. Thus, an operator at any station may
"log on" to
the system and access data and software using conventional computing operator
interfaces
known to those of skill in the art.
Refernng to FIG. 3, there is illustrated a flow diagram of one example of a
method
of remote data access according to the present invention. In a first step 300,
an operator
l0 may log on to a data collection station. This may occur at the beginning of
an operator's
shift, or when the data collection station begins operation on a particular
day or at a
particular time. It is to be appreciated that where the data collection
station is automated
and does not require the presence of a human operator, step 300 may represent
the turning
on of the X-ray scamler and/or associated computing system.
15 In a next step 302, the X-ray scanner at the data collection station may
scan the
item under inspection and collect X-ray data about the item under inspection.
In one
example, the X-ray scanner may scan the entire item, for example, an entire
item of
baggage. In another example, the X-ray scanner may scan a portion of the item,
such as,
for example, a previously identified suspect region within the item under
inspection. The
2o X-ray scanner may transfer the X-ray data to an operator interface where
the operator may
view an X-ray image of the item under inspection. In one embodiment, the
operator
interface may include computer equipment that may be adapted to run threat
detection
software. In this embodiment, the displayed X-ray image may include
indications of
potential threats that may have been detected by the software. For example,
the image
25 may include a threat polygon, or a highlighted region that may correspond
to a potential
threat located within the item under inspection.
If the operator determines that the item under inspection may potentially
contain a
threat, such as, for example, an explosive material or other contraband item,
or that the
item under inspection warrants more detailed analysis, the operator may decide
to transmit
3o the X-ray data to a remote expert station, as indicated by step 304. If, on
the other hand,
the operator decides that the item under inspection does not need to be
examined by an
expert, the item may be passed along to either a higher level inspection
station or to a
loading area, and the operator may allow a next item to be scanned by the X-
ray scanner.
It is to be appreciated that although this, and the following, discussion
refers to a human
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operator viewing the X-ray image and making a decision regarding whether or
not to
transmit the X-ray data to the remote expert station, the invention is not so
limited. The
data collection station may not be operated by a human operator, and instead
may include
a computer processor and threat detection software that may automatically
analyze the X-
ray data obtained by the X-ray scanner and automatically decide whether or not
to transfer
the X-ray data to the remote expert station based upon, for example,
particular threat
detection algorithms.
When the operator (or software algorithm) determines that the item under
inspection should be examined by a remote expert, the operator may transmit
the X-ray
to data to the remote expert station via a communication channel, as
illustrated in FIG. 2, and
indicated by steps 306-312. In a first step 306, the operator may establish a
link between
the data collection station 200 and the remote expert station 210. In one
example, this step
may involve initiating a dial-up connection, for example, where the
communication
channel may be a telephone line or Internet connection. In another example,
where the
15 communication chamiel may include a dedicated link, this step may involve
selecting a
"send" option presented in the user interface software. If for some reason a
connection
between the data collection station and the remote expert station (or server)
can not be
established, the user interface software may inform the operator of connection
failure (step
310) by, for example, displaying a connection error message or symbol, and the
operator
2o may take appropriate action. If the connection is successfully established
(step 308), the
X-ray data may be transferred to the remote expert station, as indicated in
step 312.
It is to be appreciated that the X-ray data may be transmitted in step 312
using any
conventional data transfer software and/or protocol. The X-ray data may be
transmitted in
digital or analog form, in mixed signal form, as compressed data (which may
have been
25 compressed using any compression algorithm or technique known to those
skilled in the
art), or in another form. The X-ray data transmitted may be raw X-ray data, or
may be
processed data, having been processed by softwaxe running on the data
collection station
operator interface. In addition, the transmitted data may include
identification data in
addition to the X-ray data so as to link or identify the X-ray data with a
particular item
30 under inspection. For example, the identification data may include data
such as, but not
limited to, data associated with a digital photograph of a passenger or person
to whom the
item under inspection belongs, flight information (such as flight number,
airline, point of
origin or destination), a passport number, a bar code of a ticket of the
passenger, or other
data regarding the item or the person to whom the item belongs. This
identification data
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may be used by the remote expert during analysis of the X-ray data, as is
discussed in
more detail below. W some applications, it may be important to transmit the
data over a
secure communication channel, in which case, the data may be encrypted using
an
encryption algorithm as known to those skilled in the art, and/or may be
transmitted using
a secure transfer protocol, such as, for example, secure socket layer (SSL)
protocol or
secure hypertext transfer protocol (HTTPS) or another secure transfer protocol
known to
those of skill in the art. In another embodiment, the operator at the data
collection station
may email the X-ray and identification data to the remote expert station.
In contrast to systems in which a remote operator may request data from a data
to collection station (i.e., "pull" data), the system and methods disclosed
herein allow for an
operator at the data collection station to "push" the data to a remote expert
station, i.e., the
operator initiates transfer of the data when deemed necessary or desirable. As
illustrated
in FIG. 2, the system may include a plurality of remote expert stations, each
of which may
be co-located or disposed at different locations. In one embodiment, the
operator at the
15 data collection station 200 may select to which remote expert station to
transmit the X-ray
data based on, for example, the type of threat suspected to be present within
the item under
inspection. For example, one remote expert may be particularly qualified to
analyze X-ray
data from an item under inspection that potentially contains an explosive,
whereas another
remote expert may be particularly qualified to examine data from an item that
may contain
20 agricultural contraband. If either the operator or computing equipment
present at the data
collection station is capable of making an initial determination about the
type of threat
potentially present in a suspect item, then the remote expert may be selected
on this basis.
In another embodiment, the system may include a server 208, as illustrated.
All X-ray
data may be transmitted from the data collection station 200 to the server
208, which may
25 pass the X-ray data on to a selected remote expert station 210 based on
criteria such as, for
example, availability of the remote experts, the amount of data traffic
present on any given
link 212 to a particular remote expert station, etc. ~nce the data has been
transmitted to
the remote expert station, the operator may wait for instructions from the
remote expert
regarding handling of the item under inspection, as illustrated by step 314.
During this
3o waiting period, the suspect item under inspection may be removed from the
conveyor and
stored so that other items may be scanned in the meantime.
Refernng to FIG. 4, there is illustrated a flow diagram of one example of a
method
of remote data analysis occurring at the remote expert station. In a first
step 400, an
operator may log on to a remote expert station, and/or computing equipment
located at the
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remote expert station may be powered on. This step may represent the beginning
of an
operator's shift at the remote expert station, or the beginning of the day,
etc. In next steps
402 and 404, the remote expert station waits for an operator at the data
collection station to
initiate a data transfer and send the X-ray data and associated identification
data. It is to
be appreciated that once the operator at the data collection station initiates
transfer of the
data to the remote expert station, the remote expert may access the
transmitted data
through any protocol known to those of skill in art, such as, but not limited
to, email, an
Internet web page, an intranet, and the like. In some examples, the remote
expert may be
required to enter a password to access any new data, or to access encrypted
data. In
to another example, a password may only be required at the log on step 400.
W one embodiment where the system includes a server, the server may store X-
ray
and identification data collected about items under inspection at the data
collection station.
When a remote expert station becomes operational (step 400), the remote expert
may
access the server and retrieve stored data for analysis.
15 It is to be appreciated that the term "remote expert" as used herein may
refer to a
trained human operator, who may have a higher level of skill or more expertise
than an
operator at the data collection station. The term may also refer to a
computing system that
may include sophisticated threat detection software adapted to analyze the X-
ray data and
produce, for example, a clearing decision (i.e., threat or no threat detected)
or a threat
2o polygon, etc., that may then be transmitted back to the operator at the
data collection
station. , Thus, in some embodiments, the remote expert may be a human
operator that may
work in conjunction with threat detection software running on the computing
equipment at
the remote expert station, and in other embodiments a human operator may not
be present
at the remote expert station.
25 In step 406, the remote expert may analyze received X-ray data for
potential threat
items, such as, for example, explosives or other contraband. As discussed
above, the
transmitted data may include raw X-ray data, in which case computing equipment
at the
remote expert station may perform data processing to provide an X-ray image of
the item
under inspection for analysis by the remote expert. The computing equipment
may further
30 include advanced image and/or data processing software with which the
remote expert
may manipulate the X-ray data and/or image in order to determine whether or
not a threat
is present in the item under inspection. According to one embodiment, the
remote expert
may run tailored threat detection algorithms on the X-ray data, depending on
information
contained in the identification data. For example, the threat detection
algorithm may be
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chosen based on a point of origin of the passenger associated with the item
under
inspection. Alternatively, the remote expert may run a variety of threat
detection
algorithms on the X-ray data, as shown by steps 408, 412 and 414, using
multiple
algorithms to attempt to locate or identify a suspicious region or material in
the item under
inspection (represented by the X-ray data).
As shown by steps 408 - 414, once the remote expert has completed analysis of
the
X-ray data, the remote expert may inform the operator at the data collection
station of the
result. The data (X-ray and identification) may be re-transmitted back to the
data
collection station, along with the remote expert's screening results.
According to one
to embodiment, the remote expert may initiate a voice and/or video link with
the operator at
the data collection station. This may be done with any standard protocol known
to those
of skill in the art, using, for example, a conventional telephone link
(wireless or land-line),
or voice or video conferencing through the computing equipment. In one
embodiment, the
remote expert may engage in dialog with the operator at the data collection
station, and
may, for example, request that the item under inspection be re-scanned, or
scanned from a
different angle, etc., to assist the remote expert in analyzing the item. The
remote expert
may further provide the operator at the data collection station with
instructions regarding
handling of the item under inspection. For example, the remote expert may
indicate that
the item does not contain a threat and may be passed along to its destination.
2o Alternatively, the remote expert may suggest that the operator contact
other security
officials, such as the police. In another embodiment, where the system and
methods
described herein may be applied to performing remote diagnostics on equipment
or
components, the remote expert may discuss with and instruct the operator at
the data
collection station regarding how to repair faulty equipment or components. It
is to be
mlderstood that a voice connection between the remote expert and the operator
may be
established through the system (e.g., using the computing equipment at the
stations) or
using conventional land or wireless telephone lines that may not be otherwise
associated
with the screening system.
' Referring again to FIG. 3, if the remote expert informs the operator at the
data
collection station that a threat was detected (step 316), the operator may
respond
appropriately (step 318) as discussed above. If no threat was detected, the
operator may
allow the item to continue on to either another inspection station or a
loading point, and
may continue to scan and screen other items. It is to be appreciated that, in
one
embodiment, remote analysis of the X-ray data collected about an item under
inspection
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may occur in "real time," i.e., as quickly as possible while the operator
awaits instructions
regarding the item. The remote screening may thus occur prior to a passenger
being
allowed to board a flight with the item under inspection. This is most likely
the case
where the screening is for the purpose of detecting explosives or other
dangerous articles.
Alternatively, remote screening, for example, for agricultural contraband or
drugs, may be
implements according to the methods described while the flight is in progress,
and
screening results may be transmitted to a destination point of the flight.
As discussed above, the data collection station 200 may be any of a level one,
level
two or level three inspection station in a multilevel screening system. In one
example, the
1o data collection station may be a level one inspection station, and the
remote expert station
may be considered to be a level two inspection station. In this example, an
operator at the
data collection station may transmit to the remote expert station X-ray data
corresponding
to only suspect items. In another example, where the data collection station
may already
be a level two or level three inspection station, X-ray data corresponding to
all items under
inspection may be transmitted to the remote expert for analysis, even if an
operator at the
data collection station does not detect a potential threat in an item under
inspection. It is
to be appreciated that the collected X-ray data may or may not be analyzed at
the data
collection station prior to transmission of the data to the remote expert
station.
Referring to FIG. 5, there is illustrated another embodiment of a screening
system
2o implementing remote data access, according to aspects of the invention. In
this
embodiment, multiple data collection stations 500, each with X-ray scanning
capabilities,
may be located at different data collection locations. Each data collection
station 500 may
X-ray scan an object (item under inspection) and may have automated, first-
level
screening capabilities. Similarly, each may have a human operator who performs
second
level screening through viewing and/or manipulating a reconstructed image of
scanned
items on an operator interface. X-ray data of suspect items, possibly in
combination with
identification data relating to associated passengers, may be transmitted over
a local
network 502 to a local server 504 and local workstation 506, where Level 3
screening may
be performed. Again, the screening may include automated detection software
and/or a
3o human expert who views and manipulates a reconstructed image of the object
on the
workstation operator interface, as discussed above.
Still further, a fourth level of even more expert screening, located remotely
from
the data collection stations 500 and local server 504, may be performed by
transmitting
X-ray data, and/or possibly additional passenger information, over a
communications
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channel 508 to a remote server 510, as discussed above in reference to FIG. 2.
Remote
expert stations 210 may gain access to the transmitted information, via the
remote server
510, and remote experts may analyze the X-ray data, as discussed in reference
to FIG. 2.
In the system of FIG. 5, each level of screening may eliminate certain
inspected
items as "cleared," i.e., containing no potential threats, and send only
suspect items on for
further screening, such that fewer and fewer items are analyzed by each higher
level of
screening. Any number of levels of screening, whether remote or local, can be
supported
by such a system, according to the present invention. The number of levels,
and
arrangement and locations of local and remote screening stations, may be
arranged to suit
to a particular application or organization of an airport or airline, or the
like.
In one embodiment, the occurrence of suspect items transmitted to a next
higher
level may be tracked via an electronic or automated system that may alert an
expert at a
next higher level when a certain frequency of suspect items have been noted in
a single
airport, in geographically related airports, on particular flight patterns, or
in any type of
pattern that may pose some kind of possible threat.
In another embodiment, experts at different locations may be able to
collaborate.
For example, two human experts, located at different locations, may be able to
view the
same reconstructed image of a scanned object where one of the operators, e.g.,
the remote
operator, is manipulating the image. Additional collaborative tools may
include text,
2o voice, video, white board drawings, etc. that may be able to be shared
through the
cormnunications channel, or over separate voice and/or video links as
described above,
between remotely located operators.
The present invention thus allows for remote, specialized analysis of data
collected
about an item under inspection, even if sophisticated data analysis, threat
detection or
image processing algorithms are not available at the data collection site.
Furthermore,
using a server (see FIGS. 2 and 5), remote experts may be networked, and X-ray
data may
sent to any currently available expert, regardless of their location. In
addition, the system
may also be used to transit "training data," i.e., data that may have been
artificially
generated or stored from previous screenings, that may be used to train
operators, experts
and algorithms in detecting threat articles.
Having thus described various illustrative embodiments and aspects thereof,
modifications, and alterations may be apparent to those of skill in the art.
For example,
the system and methods of the invention may be applied to remotely diagnosing
faulty
equipment, components or the like as well as to baggage screening. In
addition, a data
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collection station may include a scanner other than an X-ray scanner, such as,
for example,
a CT scanner, and may transfer data other than X-ray data to the remote expert
station, for
example, CT data. Such modifications and alterations are intended to be
included in this
disclosure, which is for the purpose of illustration and not intended to be
limiting. The
scope of the invention should be determined from proper construction of the
appended
claims, and their equivalents.
