Detection of regular objects in baggages using multiple x-ray views. http://dx.doi.org/10.1784/insi.2012.55.1.16

Abstract

In order to reduce the security risk of a commercial aircraft, passengers are not allowed to take certain items in carry-on baggage. For this reason, human operators are trained to detect prohibited items using a manually controlled baggage screening process. In this paper, we propose the use of a method based on multiple X-ray views to detect some regular prohibited items with very defined shapes and sizes. The method consists of two steps: `structure estimation’, to obtain a geometric model of the multiple views from the object to be inspected (a baggage), and `parts detection’, to detect the parts of interest (prohibited items). The geometric model is estimated using a structure from motion algorithm. The detection of the parts of interest is performed by an ad-hoc segmentation algorithm (object dependent) followed by a general tracking algorithm based on geometric and appearance constraints. In order to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, experimental results on detecting regular objects -razor blades and guns- are shown yielding promising results.