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US 6,604,366 B1Granted
Solid cryogen cooling system for focal plane arrays
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorKent P Pflibsen
Life of this patent
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AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorKent P Pflibsen
Estimating the term…
A cryogenic cooling system (12) for cooling electromagnetic energy detectors (50). The cooling system (12) includes a first mechanism (18) that accommodates cryogen fluid in one or more spaces (58, 60). A second mechanism (16, 42) freezes the cryogen fluid in the one or more spaces (58, 60) adjacent to the electromagnetic energy detectors (50). In a specific embodiment, the electromagnetic energy detectors (50) comprise an infrared focal plane array (50). The second mechanism (16, 42) includes a heat exchanger (16) that is mounted separately from the first mechanism (18). The one or more spaces (58, 60) are fitted with three-dimensional cooling interface surfaces (62, 64). The three-dimensional cooling surfaces (62, 64) are implemented via a thermally conductive matrix (62, 64). The thermally conductive matrix (62, 64) is a copper metal matrix or carbon/graphite matrix, and the solid cryogen reservoir (18) is a beryllium reservoir (18). The solid cryogen reservoir (18) includes integrated mounting features (52, 54) for mounting the reservoir (18) to a missile housing and a surface for attaching the focal plane array (50) to the reservoir (18). The second mechanism (16, 42) includes a Joule-Thomson orifice (42) that employs the Joule-Thomson effect to cool the cryogen fluid to a solid state. The first mechanism (18) includes a selectively detachable cryogen canister that provides pressurized cryogen fluid to the heat exchanger (16). The heat exchanger (16) directs cooled pressurized cryogen fluid to the solid cryogen reservoir (18) and Joule-Thomson orifice (42) and is positioned remotely from the cryogen reservoir (18). In an illustrative embodiment, the heat exchanger (16) outputs cooled cryogen gas to plural solid cryogen reservoirs (18) to cool plural corresponding infrared focal plane arrays (50). A line cutter selectively detaches the gas canister and/or the heat exchanger (16) from the missile in response control signal from a computer. The computer generates the control signal after a predetermined amount of the cryogen fluid is present in the cryogen reservoir (18) or after a predetermined time interval.
A cryogenic cooling system for cooling electromagnetic energy detectors comprising first:
A cryogenic cooling system for cooling electromagnetic energy detectors comprising:
A cryogenic cooling system for cooling an array of detectors comprising:
A cryogenic cooling system for cooling an infrared focal plane array of detectors comprising:
A cooling arrangement for a focal plane array of detectors, said arrangement comprising:
A cryogenic cooling system for cooling electromagnetic energy detectors comprising:
A method for cooling electromagnetic energy detectors to cryogenic temperatures comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.