RADIATION SCANNING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

A method for operating an inspection system is disclosed in which an item under inspection may be moved in a first direction relative to and at least partially between at least one radiation source and at least some radiation detectors illuminated by the at least one radiation source. The radiation source and detectors may be operated such that ray paths extending linearly between the at least one radiation source and at least some of the radiation detectors form acute angles with respect to a plane having a normal direction coinciding with the first direction that are substantially in excess of three degrees. Data accumulated by the radiation detectors may be processed to form a three-dimensional tomographic data image of at least a portion of the item under inspection. In some embodiments, transmission data based upon outputs of a plurality of radiation detectors may be processed to form a tomographic image, in which, for all possible orientations of a three dimensional plane, the orientation vectors of at least some of the rays of radiation for which transmission data was accumulated and used to form the tomographic image form an angle of less than eighty-five degrees or greater than ninety five degrees with respect to the plane.