Raytheon Company

Steven Botts

John L Vampola

Micky R Harris

Bryan W Kean

Richard J Peralta

David A Buell

Michael McLaughlin

A TDI scanner including a dynamically programmable focal plane array including a two-dimensional array of detectors arranged in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows, the array being divided into a plurality of banks separated from one another by gap regions, each bank including a plurality of sub-banks, and each sub-bank including at least one row of detectors, a ROIC coupled to the focal plane array and configured to combine in a TDI process outputs from detectors in each column of detectors in each sub-bank, and a controller configured to program the focal plane array to selectively and dynamically set characteristics of the focal plane array, the characteristics including a size and a location within the two-dimensional array of each of the plurality of sub-banks and the gap regions, the size corresponding to a number of rows of detectors included in the respective sub-bank or gap region.

Programmable digital TDI EO/IR scanning focal plane array with multiple selectable TDI sub-banks

According to one aspect, embodiments herein provide a unit cell circuit comprising a photodetector configured to generate a photo-current in response to receiving light, a first integration capacitor configured to accumulate charge corresponding to the photo-current, a second integration capacitor configured to accumulate charge corresponding to the photo-current, a charge diverting switch coupled to the photodetector and configured to selectively couple the first integration capacitor to the second integration capacitor and divert the photo-current to the second integration capacitor in response to a voltage across the first integration capacitor exceeding a threshold level, and read-out circuitry coupled to the first integration capacitor and the charge diverting switch and configured to read-out a first voltage sample from the first integration capacitor corresponding to charge accumulated on the first integration capacitor and to read-out a second voltage sample from the second integration capacitor corresponding to charge accumulated on the second integration capacitor.

Extended high dynamic range direct injection circuit for imaging applications

A combined scanning and staring (SCARING) focal plane array (FPA) imaging system having a plurality of modes of operation is provided. In one example, the SCARING FPA system includes a photodetector array with a plurality of photodetectors arranged in a plurality of photodetector rows, a readout integrated circuit (ROIC) coupled to the photodetector array, and a processor coupled to the ROIC. The processor coupled to the ROIC is configured to dynamically configure the SCARING FPA between a scanning mode of operation and a staring mode of operation.

Systems and methods for combined staring and scanning focal plane arrays

A focal plane array having: a plurality of detectors; a plurality of unit cell sections, each section being fed by charge produced by corresponding detector for producing a sequence of frames; and a plurality of sets of storage sections, each section being coupled to a corresponding one of the unit cells. Each set of storage sections includes a plurality of storage units for sequentially storing the frames. A region of interest selector section examines the frames of the plurality of unit cells, to detect at least one of the frames having a predetermined characteristic. A processor: (i) identifies a sub-set of the plurality of unit cells proximate the detected unit cells having the predetermined characteristic to establish a region of interest; and (ii) sequentially reads the plurality of storage units in the storage sections coupled to the sub-set of unit cells in the established region of interest.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Barbara, CA, United States of America

Steven Botts