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:
Aug. 07, 2007
Filed:
Sep. 30, 2005
Nathan Bluzer, Rockville, MD (US);
Nathan Bluzer, Rockville, MD (US);
Northrop Grumman Corporation, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
An electrical interface between a scene to be imaged and a bolometer type sensor is disclosed. Efficiency is improved by means of a thermal energy concentrator including a lens and an antenna. Where a plurality of bolometer pixels are located in an array, a microantenna is provided for each pixel in the array with a common lens being provided to focus and channel incoming radiation to each microantenna. Radiation from a scene is further coupled by means of a lens and microantenna to the absorbing element of each bolometer through an AC coupling circuit including an electronic chopper implemented by means of a PIN diode, the conductivity of which is varied so as to affect the reflection coefficient of the input signal supplied through the microantenna.