Millimeter wave imaging sensors, sources and systems

A method of generating a millimeter wave image of objects in a field of view, comprising the steps of:

• focusing millimeter wave energy emitted by or reflected from the objects in said field of view onto an array of imaging elements, each of said imaging elements comprising antenna means for detecting millimeter wave energy received from a corresponding portion of said field of view;
• simultaneously illuminating said imaging elements of said array with an array of sources of local oscillator signal to provide a local oscillator signal of substantially uniform amplitude over the array;
• mixing the energy received from the corresponding portion of the field of view with the local oscillator signal separately for each of the imaging elements;
• and
• forming an image, essentially in real time, each pixel of which corresponds to the millimeter wave energy detected by one of said imaging elements of said array.

A system for providing a millimeter wave image of a field of view, comprising:

• a millimeter wave imaging sensor, comprising an imaging array of sensing elements, each comprising an antenna including a pair of conductive elements sensitive to millimeter-wave radiation, and a non-linear circuit element coupled thereacross, and means for focusing millimeter wave radiation reflected by or emitted from objects in the field of view onto said elements of said array;
• an array of sources of local oscillator signal for simultaneously illuminating said sensing elements of said imaging array with a local oscillator signal of substantially uniform amplitude over the array;
• and
• image signal processing means for generating an image, essentially in real time, responsive to millimeter wave energy detected by said imaging elements of said array, wherein each pixel of said image is responsive to the signal provided by one of the elements of said array.

A system for providing a millimeter wave image of a field of view, comprising:

• a millimeter wave imaging sensor, comprising an array of imaging elements, each comprising an antenna consisting of paired conductive elements having a non-linear circuit element coupled thereacross;
• means for focusing millimeter wave radiation reflected by or emitted from objects in the field of view onto said imaging elements of said array;
• an array of sources of local oscillator signal for simultaneously illuminating said imaging elements of said array with a local oscillator signal of substantially uniform amplitude over the array;
• image signal processing means for generating essentially in real time an image responsive to millimeter wave energy detected by said imaging elements of said array, wherein each pixel of said image is responsive to one of the elements of said array;
• and
• at least one millimeter wave radiation source illuminating a portion of said field of view, said source emitting radiation which varies according to a predetermined function of time;
• wherein said image signal processing means comprises means for detecting radiation from the field of view response to the illumination from said source.