The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 22, 2019
Filed:
Aug. 23, 2018
Raytheon Company, Waltham, MA (US);
Adam M. Kennedy, Santa Barbara, CA (US);
Eli E. Gordon, Santa Barbara, CA (US);
Eric J. Beuville, Goleta, CA (US);
Ryan Paul Boesch, Goleta, CA (US);
Jeffrey K. Hamers, Goleta, CA (US);
RAYTHEON COMPANY, Waltham, MA (US);
Abstract
Microbolometer arrays incorporating per-pixel dark reference structures for non-uniformity correction. In one example a thermal imager includes a device substrate, a microbolometer array disposed on the device substrate and including a plurality of detector elements arranged in a two-dimensional array, each detector element including an imaging microbolometer and a reference microbolometer, the imaging microbolometer being configured to receive electromagnetic radiation from a viewed scene and to produce an image signal in response to receiving the electromagnetic radiation, the image signal including a component produced due to thermal noise in the respective detector element, and the reference microbolometer being shielded from receiving the electromagnetic radiation and configured to produce a reference signal indicative of the thermal noise, wherein the thermal imaging device is configured to produce an image of the viewed scene based on a combination of the image signals and the reference signals from the plurality of detector elements.