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US 6,023,061 AGranted
Miniature infrared camera
AssigneeMicrocam Corporation
InventorWilliam Andrew Bodkin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeMicrocam Corporation
InventorWilliam Andrew Bodkin
Estimating the term…
A miniaturized IR camera mounts within a vehicle such as an airborne reconnaissance airplane. The camera includes a two dimensional uncooled FPA, a compound lens for imaging IR radiation onto the FPA, means for adjusting the distance between the lens and the FPA to adjust focus, an electronic module that controls camera read out, calibration, and signal processing, and means for flexibly coupling the FPA to the module. In accord with the invention, the module and the FPA are reconfigurable within the vehicle so that the FPA head can be fit into a tight place, or into a location that is separate from the rest of the camera, such as on top of a vehicle. The invention further provides for calibration techniques whereby the scene, sky or shutter are used to thermally calibrate the several uncooled detectors. Focus, tilt and tip adjustments permit simple adjustment of the FPA to achieve proper focus and alignment. The electronics module can be controlled through manual interface, remote signals, or internal clocking. Heat sinks dissipate heat from the FPA as well as from a TE Cooler, if present.
A miniaturized IR camera for mounting within a vehicle, comprising a two dimensional uncooled FPA, a compound lens for imaging IR radiation onto the FPA, means for adjusting a distance between the lens and the FPA to adjust focus, an electronic module that controls camera read out, calibration, and signal processing, and means for flexibly coupling the FPA to the module wherein the module and the FPA are separately reconfigurable within the vehicle.
An IR reconnaissance airplane, comprising:
A method for calibrating an IR camera within an airplane, the camera of the type having an uncooled focal plane array, comprising the steps of contolling the airplane so that the camera views the sky, acquiring and storing one or more frames of data representative of a uniform sky scene, and compensating the uncooled focal plane array so as to achieve greater signal uniformity for a uniform temperature scene.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.