Patent ID: 6690013
Filing Date: 2004-02-10
Classification: G01J,H04N

Abstract:
An uncooled infrared camera comprising:a microbolometer focal plane array associated with a substrate responsive to a target scene through a selected lens, wherein said microbolometer focal plane array includes, a plurality, N, of substantially substrate-isolated microbolometer detectors, each exhibiting a resistance value, Rn, in response to the radiation temperature radiated from said sensed target scene, where n represents a unique one of said N detectors, and at least one temperature sensor for providing an output signal having a value, RS(T), substantially indicative of sensed substrate temperature, T; a controllable shutter open in one state permitting the microbolometer focal plane array to be responsive to a scene, and closed in a second state subjecting the microbolometer focal plane array to a uniform temperature scene; a readout circuit for a outputting a corresponding measurement value indicative of the resistance value associated with each of the substrate-isolated detectors; means for storing unique characteristic information, qn, associated with each nth one of said N substrate-isolated microbolometer detectors, where said characteristic information qn provides information for correcting the resistance value Rn of the nth one of said substrate-isolated microbolometer detectors as a function of said sensed substrate temperature, T; and data processor means for determining a corrected target temperature resistance value Xn for each of said N detectors, where Xn is a function of said resistance value, Rn, said characteristic information, qn, and said value RS(T) indicative of said substrate temperature.