Raytheon Company

Jeffrey Mitchell

Ryan P Boesch

Matthew C Thomas

A bolometer pixel trigger including a substrate, a bolometer formed on the substrate, and a thermal-sensitive film trigger. The thermal-sensitive film trigger includes a resistive varying thermal-sensitive material configured to change resistance in response to a change in temperature thereof. The thermal-sensitive film trigger is configured such that current flow therethrough varies in response to changes in the resistance of the resistive varying thermal-sensitive material.

Bolometer pixel including thermal-sensitive film trigger

A thermal imaging system includes a pixel array having a plurality of pixel groups. Each pixel group including a plurality of pixel rows and a trigger sense circuit including a pixel group input line in signal communication with the plurality of bolometer pixels pixel row containing a plurality of bolometer pixels. The pixel group further includes a selector switch that selectively establishes an electrical connection between the pixel group and the trigger sense circuit. The selector switch operates in a first state to disconnect the pixel group from the pixel group input line while connecting the pixel group to the integration unit such that the integration unit generates the image, and a second state to disconnect the pixel group from the integration unit while connecting the pixel group to the pixel group input line such that the trigger sense circuit monitors the pixel group for a high temperature bolometer.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Barbara, CA, United States of America

Jeffrey Mitchell