Thermal camera tube

In a thermal camera tube, a system for processing thermal radiation emitted from an object comprising:

• a thermal retina disposed in a vacuum envelope to receive said thermal radiation including
• a bolometric thin film target,
• a heat sink mesh disposed between said thermal radiation and said target to support said target, said heat sink mesh having webs to define web areas of said target and holes surrounded by said webs to define hole areas of said target, and
• a contacting electrode disposed over said holes connecting said thin film target in said holes to said webs;
• and
• a processing circuit disposed externally of said envelope coupled to said electrode to make a side-by-side comparison of the resistance of each of said hole areas of said target due to said thermal radiation with the resistance of said surrounding web areas of said target due to said thermal radiation and to display only any change of resistance of said target in each of said hole areas due to said thermal radiation to reproduce said object.

A thermal camera tube for displaying thermal radiation emitted from an object comprising:

• a thermal retina disposed in a vacuum envelope to receive said thermal radiation including
• a bolometric thin film target,
• a heat sink mesh disposed between said thermal radiation and said target to support said target, said heat sink mesh having webs to define web areas of said target and holes surrounded by said webs to define hole areas of said target, and
• a contacting electrode disposed over said holes connecting said thin film target in said holes to said webs;
• means disposed in and surrounding said envelope to provide a readout scanning electron beam to provide on said electron an electric signal proportional to the resistance of said target due to said thermal radiation in said web areas and proportional to the resistance of said target due to said thermal radiation in said hole areas;
• and
• a processing circuit disposed externally of said envelope coupled to said electrode, said processing circuit being responsive to said electric signal to make a side-by-side comparison of the resistance of each of said hole areas of said target due to said thermal radiation with the resistance of said surrounding web areas of said target due to said thermal radiation and to display only any change of resistance of said target in each of said hole areas due to said thermal radiation to reproduce said object.