Bolometer pixel including thermal-sensitive film trigger
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorsJeffrey Mitchell, Ryan P. Boesch, Matthew C. Thomas
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A bolometer pixel trigger including a substrate, a bolometer formed on the substrate, and a thermal-sensitive film trigger. The thermal-sensitive film trigger includes a resistive varying thermal-sensitive material configured to change resistance in response to a change in temperature thereof. The thermal-sensitive film trigger is configured such that current flow therethrough varies in response to changes in the resistance of the resistive varying thermal-sensitive material.
Claims18
A bolometer pixel trigger comprising:
- a substrate;
- a bolometer formed on the substrate;
- and
- a thermal-sensitive film trigger including a resistive varying thermal-sensitive material configured to change resistance in response to a change in temperature thereof;
- a resistance transimpedance amplifier (RTIA) circuit configured to generate an output signal having a voltage indicative of the level of the current;
- and
- a comparator configured to receive a reference voltage and the output signal generated by the RTIA, and configured to detect the at least one overheated bolometer trigger pixel based on a comparison between the voltage of the output signal and the reference voltage,
- wherein the thermal-sensitive film trigger is configured such that current flow therethrough varies in response to changes in the resistance of the resistive varying thermal-sensitive material.
A trigger sense circuit comprising:
- a current source configured to generate a trim current;
- a plurality of bolometer pixel triggers, each bolometer pixel trigger including a film thermal-sensitive film trigger configured to selectively operate in a normal state and a triggered state based on a temperature of the thermal-sensitive film trigger such that flow of the current therethrough varies;
- an overheating condition detector circuit in signal communication with the plurality of bolometer pixel triggers, the overheating condition detector circuit configured to detect at least one overheated bolometer pixel trigger among the plurality of bolometer pixel triggers in response a level of the current;
- a resistance transimpedance amplifier (RTIA) circuit configured to generate an output signal having a voltage indicative of the level of the current;
- and
- a comparator configured to receive a reference voltage and the output signal generated by the RTIA, and configured to detect the at least one overheated bolometer trigger pixel based on a comparison between the voltage of the output signal and the reference voltage.
(canceled)
A method of detecting at least one overheated bolometer pixel trigger among a plurality of bolometer pixel triggers, the method comprising:
- delivering electrical current having a first current level to a plurality of bolometer pixel triggers, each bolometer including a thermal-sensitive film trigger through which the electrical current flows;
- flowing the electrical current at a second current level through at least one of the bolometer pixel triggers in response to an increase in temperature of the at least one thermal-sensitive film trigger of at least one of the bolometer pixel triggers;
- and
- detecting at least one overheated bolometer pixel trigger among the plurality of bolometer pixel triggers in response to detecting delivery of the second current level;
- generating, via a resistance transimpedance amplifier (RTIA) circuit, an output signal having a voltage indicative of the level of the current;
- receiving, via a comparator, a reference voltage and the output signal generated by the RTIA;
- and
- detecting the at least one overheated bolometer trigger pixel based on a comparison between the voltage of the output signal and the reference voltage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.