Raytheon Company

Other

Richard H Wyles

Michael S Ray

Adam M Kennedy

Stephen H Black

John L Vampola

Michael D Jack

John T Caulfield

Roger William Graham

Laurence Jay Shaw

John D Schlesselmann

William H Frye

Jerry A Wilson

James F Asbrock

Michael J Batinica

William A Radford

Kevin L Pettijohn

Joseph John Bendik, Jr

James A Finch

Christopher Lynn Mears

Donald F King

Robert L Cook

Jessica K Wyles

Simeon Symeonidis

Peter C Roberts

Robert L Cook Ii

A circuit for readout from for readout from a focal plane array having a number of pixels, includes, for each one pixel, an adaptive photodetector load circuit coupled to a detector for the one pixel, a trans-impedance amplifier, the detector being AC coupled to the trans-impedance amplifier, a comparator component, receiving an AC coupled output of the trans-impedance amplifier and comparing the AC coupled output to a predetermined threshold, a sample and hold ring comprising a number charge storage components connected in parallel, each one charge storage component comprising a capacitor in series with an enabling three point switching component and a pulse detection logic circuit receiving an output of the comparator component.

Semi-active laser (SAL) receivers and methods of use thereof

Methods and apparatus to provide, from data from a single sensor, high-resolution imagery at a first frame rate, such as typical video frame rate, and lower-resolution imagery at a second frame rate, which is higher than the first rate. In one embodiment, the first frame rate data can be viewed by a user and the second frame rate data can be processed to identify an event of interest, such as pulsed light.

Method and apparatus for integrated sensor to provide higher resolution, lower frame rate and lower resolution, higher frame rate imagery simultaneously

A method for sensing using a multi-band photovoltaic detector, the method including biasing the photovoltaic detector using a bias voltage at a mid-point of a detector substrate bias voltage range, selecting a first band of the multi-band photovoltaic detector, sensing a first current from a first diode of the multi-band photovoltaic detector, the first diode being associated with the first band, selecting a second band of the multi-band photovoltaic detector; and sensing a second current from a second diode of the multi-band photovoltaic detector, the second diode being associated with the second band.

Multi-color superpixel operational constructs for focal plane arrays

A unit cell () of a readout integrated circuit is constructed and operated so as to temporally align an image obtained in a first spectral band with a an image obtained in a second spectral band. A method operates, during a frame period, to sub-frame average a first signal detected in the first spectral band by a multi-spectral detector (), to sub-frame average a first signal detected in the second spectral band by the multi-spectral detector, and to sub-frame average a second signal detected in the first spectral band by the multi-spectral detector. The method then reads out the sub-frame averaged signals for each spectral band. The sub-frame averaged may be read out simultaneously from the unit cell. When sub-frame averaging the first and second signals in the first spectral band the method performs a plurality of consecutive sub-integrations and stores the result of each sub-integration on a first sub-frame averaging capacitance, and when sub-frame averaging the first signal of the second spectral band the method performs a single integration of the second signal, and stores the result of the integration on a second sub-frame averaging capacitance. The first spectral band may correspond to long wavelength infrared radiation (LWIR), and the second spectral band may correspond to medium wavelength infrared radiation (MWIR).

IRFPA ROIC with dual TDM reset integrators and sub-frame averaging functions per unit cell

A focal plane array (FPA) of infrared (IR) radiation detectors ( ), such as an array of microbolometers, includes an active area ( A) containing a plurality of IR radiation detectors, a readout integrated circuit (ROIC) ( ) that is mechanically and electrically coupled to the active area and, disposed on the ROIC, a plurality of heater elements ( A) that are located and operated so as to provide a substantially uniform thermal distribution across at least the active area. The FPA further includes a plurality of temperature sensors ( B), individual ones of which are spatially associated with one of the heater elements for sensing the temperature in the vicinity of the associated heater element for providing closed loop operation of the associated heater element. In one embodiment pairs of the heater elements and associated temperature sensors are distributed in a substantially uniform manner across at least a top or a bottom surface of the ROIC, while in another embodiment pairs of the heater elements and associated temperature sensors, or only the heater elements, are distributed in accordance with a predetermined thermal profile of the FPA. The plurality of heater elements may each be composed of a silicon resistance, and the plurality of temperature sensors may each be each composed of a silicon temperature sensor.

Method and apparatus providing focal plane array active thermal control elements

An electronic circuit device for driving a load comprises a load terminal, a control terminal and a power terminal for connection to a source of electric power. The load terminal may be in an emitter or a source circuit of the circuit device, and connects to a power supply return terminal by means of three electric elements connected in parallel, namely, the capacitance of a load, a bias current supply, and a current bypass. A voltage sensor is connected between the control terminal and the load terminal for sensing a voltage drop developed between the control terminal and the load terminal. The voltage sensor it is operative to activate the bypass to conduct current in parallel with current flow of the current source in the situation wherein the voltage drop exceeds a threshold. Thereby, the circuit device drives the load in one direction, and the current source and the bypass drive the load in the opposite correction.

Analog load driver

An IR-FPA (10) having a plurality of radiation detectors (2a) and a multipurpose ROIC (2) is disclosed. The radiation detectors (2a) are organized as a two dimensional array. The multipurpose ROIC (2) includes a plurality of readout circuit unit cells, individual ones of which are coupled to individual radiation detectors (2a) for receiving electrical signals therefrom. Each of the readout circuit unit cells operates in one of a first mode to provide a corrected m frame averaged output signal (Vout.sub.THPF) or, a second mode to provide a subframed averaged output signal (Vout.sub.2). In the first operating mode, a high pass filtering circuit subtracts a low frequency charge pedestal from the electrical signal to form the corrected m frame averaged output (Vout.sub.THPF). Also disclosed is a method for operating an array of radiation detectors (2a) which includes the steps of: within a sampling period that defines a frame comprised of subframe periods, generating an electrical signal in individual ones of the radiation detectors, the electrical signals being generated in response to incident radiation; in a first operating mode, forming a high pass filtered output signal (Vout.sub.THPF) from electrical signals generated during at least one frame period; in a second operating mode, forming a subframe averaged output signal (Vout.sub.2) from electrical signals generated during a frame period; and reading out, in the first operating mode, the high pass filtered output signal (Vout.sub.THPF) or, in the second operating mode, the subframe averaged output signal (Vout.sub.2).

Multipurpose readout integrated circuit with in cell adaptive

A cylindrical metal disc is optimized to spin/roll on a base for an extended length of time, and as the angle of inclination of the disc decreases to zero, a tone emitted by the spinning/rolling of the disc rises in pitch towards infinity. To optimize the spinning/rolling time, the radius-to-height aspect ratio of the disc is approximately three, the upper surface of the base and the lower edge of the disc are smooth and hard to enable the disc to spin/roll for an extended length of time, and the base has three legs and is solidly constructed to minimize energy losses due to vibration. The upper surface of the base is concave to prevent the disc from wandering as it spins/rolls. The top of the disc is tessellated with tiles having effectively random optic orientations to produce the appearance of a cloud of sparkling lights in the vicinity of the top surface of the disc as it spins/rolls.

Spinning/rolling disc

An imaging device (10) has a plurality of unit cells that contribute to forming an image of a scene. The imaging device includes a layer of semiconductor material (16), for example silicon, that has low noise photogate charge-mode readout circuitry (20, 21, 26, 28) (e.g., CCD or CMOS readout circuitry and structures) that is disposed upon a first surface (18) of the layer. A second, opposing surface of the layer is a radiation admitting surface of the layer. The layer has a bandgap selected for absorbing electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths shorter than about one micrometer and for generating charge carriers from the absorbed radiation. The generated charge carriers are collected by the photogate charge-mode readout circuitry. A thermal sensing element (22) is disposed above and is thermally isolated from the first surface of the layer. The thermal sensing element may be, by example, one of a bolometer element, a pyroelectric element, or a thermopile element. A layer (12) of narrower bandgap semiconductor material can also be employed with this invention, wherein the layer of narrower bandgap semiconductor material (such as InGaAs or HgCdTe) is atomically bonded to the second surface along a heterojunction interface that is continuous or apertured across the second surface. The bonded layer is used to absorb NIR and visible light.

Integrated IR, visible and NIR sensor and methods of fabricating same

An integrated two-color staring focal plane array is comprised of rows and columns of photodetector unit cells (10), each being capable of simultaneously integrating photocurrents resulting from the detection of two spectral bands. A readout circuit (20) in accordance with this invention performs a subtraction function, and includes a differential charge-sensing amplifier (22) in a one-per-column arrangement. The amplifier works in cooperation with circuitry (M5) located in each unit cell. The subtraction function is employed to create a separate Band1 signal from a Band2 and (Band1+Band2) signals generated by each simultaneous two-color detector (1). One significant advantage of the disclosed circuit embodiment is that it offers low spectral crosstalk between the two spectral bands.

Growing community of inventors

Goleta, CA, United States of America

Richard H Wyles