Infrared detector and imaging system

Abstract

An infrared detector and imaging system responsive to the scanned image from an objective lens and scanner system, the infrared detector and imaging system comprising: a detector substrate; a sparsely populated staggered detector array formed on the detector substrate, the detector substrate having a focal plane surface receiving the scanned image from the objective lens and scanner system. A clock means provides clock signals. A control signal means is responsive to the clock signal for providing a sequence of predetermined scanner position signals. A servo responsive to each scanner position signal commands the scanner means to locate the scanned image at predetermined positions on the focal plane. A detector signal integration means receives and integrates an array of detector signals from the sparsely populated detector array. A sampling means samples the amplitudes of each integrated signal from each image and digitizes each integrated signal amplitude to provide an array of digitized integrated detector signal values for each successive scanned image. A digital memory means stores each successive array of digitized integrated detector signal values in corresponding image position memory locations.