A flexible and/or deformable mechanical element may comprise one or more radiographic markers. The one or more radiographic markers may have a radiopacity greater than a radiopacity of a parent material forming a body of the mechanical element. A radiographic image of a portion of an assembly into which the mechanical element has been installed may include a representation of the one or more radiographic markers that indicates a condition of the mechanical element.

To identify and/or assess structural integrity of a composite material comprising fiduciary markers which attenuate x-rays to an extent greater than the rest of the material, a method is provided wherein x-ray 3D tomosynthesis images of the composite material are created using an array of x-ray emitters and a digital x-ray detector wherein the array of x-ray emitters and the digital x-ray detector are maintained in fixed relation to one another and to the composite material, the 3D tomosynthesis images being used to determine the relative location of at least some of the fiduciary markers with respect to one another; a database is provided for storing the relative location of at least some of the fiduciary markers with respect to one another, further x-ray 3D tomosynthesis images of the same, or a different, composite material may be checked against the data in the database to ascertain structural integrity and/or identity of the material.

The present invention relates to a method for measuring a sample with a microscope, the method comprising scanning the sample using a focusing plane having a first angle with respect to a top surface of the sample and computing a confidence distance based on the first angle. The method further comprises selecting at least one among a plurality of alignment markers on the sample for performing a lateral alignment of the scanning step and/or for performing a lateral alignment of an output of the scanning step. In particular, the at least one alignment marker selected at the selecting step is chosen among the alignment markers placed within the confidence distance from an intersection of the focusing plane with the top surface.

An inspection device includes: an electromagnetic wave irradiator that irradiates, with a predetermined electromagnetic wave from a first film side, the package that is conveyed along a predetermined direction and that has the spaces at a plurality of positions in a width direction; an imaging device that is disposed opposed to the electromagnetic wave irradiator across the package, includes an electromagnetic wave detector including a plurality of detection elements that is arrayed along the width direction and that detects the electromagnetic wave radiated from the electromagnetic wave irradiator and transmitted through the package, and sequentially outputs an obtained electromagnetic wave transmission image every time the package is conveyed by a predetermined amount; and an image processing device that processes an image signal output from the imaging device.

An observation coordinate in the device coordinate system of an observation device is converted into an observation coordinate in a virtual coordinate system, using a conversion formula. Subsequently, the observation coordinate in the virtual coordinate system is converted into an observation coordinate in the device coordinate system of another observation device, using a reverse conversion formula. The virtual coordinate system is a logical coordinate system that does not depend on any device coordinate system.

A tunnel computerised tomographic scanner comprising a rotor (3), an X-ray emitter (7) mounted on the rotor (3), an X-ray detector (8) mounted on the rotor (3), on the opposite side of a detecting zone (4), the X-ray detector (8) comprising a scintillator (9) which has at least one emission face (10) from which the scintillator (9) emits light in the visible spectrum when it is struck by X-rays, and a plurality of video cameras (12) which are positioned in such a way that each of them frames at least one portion of the scintillator (9), for acquiring one after another second images, in the visible spectrum, of the respective portion of the scintillator (9), wherein, according to the method, at least two separate video cameras (12) substantially frame each zone of the emission face (10), and an electronic processing unit is programmed to combine all of the second images obtained by the video cameras (12) and to obtain a first image of the emission face (10), to be used for the tomographic reconstruction of an object (6) which is placed in the detecting zone (4).

A flexible and/or deformable mechanical element may comprise one or more radiographic markers. The one or more radiographic markers may have a radiopacity greater than a radiopacity of a parent material forming a body of the mechanical element. A radiographic image of a portion of an assembly into which the mechanical element has been installed may include a representation of the one or more radiographic markers that indicates a condition of the mechanical element.

An inspection position identification method that allows accurate inspection to be performed without in-advance identification of the position of an inspection plane in an inspected target. A three-dimensional image generation method that allows generation of a three-dimensional image for inspection without in-advance identification of the position of an inspection plane in an inspected target and then allows inspection to be performed. An inspection device including the methods. An inspection device includes a storage unit, which stores a radiation transmission image of an inspected object and a three-dimensional image generated from the radiation transmission image, and a control unit. The process carried out by the control unit for identifying an inspection position in a three-dimensional image includes identifying the position of a transmission picture of the inspection position in the radiation transmission image and identifying the inspection position in the three-dimensional image from the position of the transmission picture.

An inspection position identification method that allows accurate inspection to be performed without in-advance identification of the position of an inspection plane in an inspected target. A three-dimensional image generation method that allows generation of a three-dimensional image for inspection without in-advance identification of the position of an inspection plane in an inspected target and then allows inspection to be performed. An inspection device including the methods. An inspection device includes a storage unit, which stores a radiation transmission image of an inspected object and a three-dimensional image generated from the radiation transmission image, and a control unit. The process carried out by the control unit for identifying an inspection position in a three-dimensional image includes identifying the position of a transmission picture of the inspection position in the radiation transmission image and identifying the inspection position in the three-dimensional image from the position of the transmission picture.

An inspection position identification method that allows accurate inspection to be performed without in-advance identification of the position of an inspection plane in an inspected target. A three-dimensional image generation method that allows generation of a three-dimensional image for inspection without in-advance identification of the position of an inspection plane in an inspected target and then allows inspection to be performed. An inspection device including the methods. An inspection device includes a storage unit, which stores a radiation transmission image of an inspected object and a three-dimensional image generated from the radiation transmission image, and a control unit. The process carried out by the control unit for identifying an inspection position in a three-dimensional image includes identifying the position of a transmission picture of the inspection position in the radiation transmission image and identifying the inspection position in the three-dimensional image from the position of the transmission picture.