Thermal pattern sensor
AssigneesCommissariat A L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives, Idemia Identity & Security France
InventorsJean-François Mainguet, Josep Segura Puchades, Margaux Vigier
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Abstract
A thermal pattern sensor comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising at least one pyroelectric capacitor formed by at least one portion of pyroelectric material arranged between a lower electrode and an upper electrode, in which one of the lower and upper electrodes corresponds to an electrode for reading the pixel and in which a heating element that can heat the portion of pyroelectric material of the pyroelectric capacitor of the pixel by Joule effect during a measurement of the thermal pattern by the pyroelectric capacitor of the pixel is formed by the other of the lower and upper electrodes.
Claims14
A thermal pattern sensor comprising:
- a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising at least one pyroelectric capacitance formed by at least one portion of pyroelectric material arranged between a lower electrode and an upper electrode, in which one of the lower and upper electrodes corresponds to an electrode for reading the pixel and in which a heating element that can heat the portion of pyroelectric material of the pyroelectric capacitance of said pixel by Joule effect during a measurement of the thermal pattern by the pyroelectric capacitance of said pixel is formed by the other of the lower and upper electrodes;
- and
- means for applying a heating voltage at ends of the electrode which forms the heating elements, creating a non-zero difference in electrical potentials and a circulation of a heating current between said ends.
The thermal pattern sensor according to 5, wherein during a measurement of the thermal pattern by one of the pixels, the value of the electrical potential on the electrode forming the heating element of said pixel is substantially constant throughout the measurement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.