Imaging Principles and Technology Trends in X-ray Security Inspection Systems

초록

X-ray security screening technology has continuously evolved in response to the strengthening of global security frameworks, extending its applications beyond airport baggage inspection to large-scale cargo screening, container inspection, and the protection of critical infrastructure. With the rapid growth of international logistics, concealment strategies for illicit materials such as narcotics, explosives, and weapons have become increasingly sophisticated, leading to heightened demands for improved detection performance. However, two-dimensional transmission-based X-ray imaging inherently suffers from object overlap, resulting in structural ambiguity and limited discrimination between materials with similar density and atomic number. To address these limitations, advanced techniques including dual-energy material decomposition and three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) imaging have been introduced, along with the integration of photon counting detectors and artificial intelligence driven algorithms for automated threat detection. This paper systematically reviews the structural evolution and technological trends of X-ray security screening systems based on the fundamental physical principles of X-ray image formation, providing an integrated analysis of hardware configurations and image analysis methodologies with a focus on dual-energy material decomposition and 3D volumetric imaging. The recent advancements and future directions of AI-based threat detection approaches are also discussed.

키워드