TERAHERTZ HEALTH CHECKER

• US 20140198195A1
• Filed: 01/16/2014
• Published: 07/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: JUN, Dong Suk, MOON, Seok-Hwan, YOU, In-Kyu, CHOI, Jae Ick
• Application Number:
  US14/156,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20140198195A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/77
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images

Abstract

Provided is a terahertz health checker. The terahertz health checker includes a terahertz wave transmitter generating terahertz waves in a terahertz band, a lens outputting the terahertz waves and receiving terahertz waves reflected from the outputted terahertz waves, an imaging chip connected to the lens, detecting the received terahertz waves, and generating a digital image signal based on the detected terahertz waves, a readout circuit reading out the digital image signal, and a transceiver outputting the read-out digital image signal to the outside.

Claims

1. A terahertz health checker comprising:

a terahertz wave transmitter generating terahertz waves in a terahertz band;

a lens outputting the terahertz waves and receiving terahertz waves reflected from the outputted terahertz waves;

an imaging chip connected to the lens, detecting the received terahertz waves, and generating a digital image signal based on the detected terahertz waves;

a readout circuit reading out the digital image signal; and

a transceiver outputting the read-out digital image signal to the outside.

2. The terahertz health checker of claim 1, wherein the digital image signal is an image-shaped signal formed of digital signals 0 and 1 depending on whether terahertz waves detected from a detection area of the outputted terahertz waves are present or not.

3. The terahertz health checker of claim 1, further comprising a power supply circuit for supplying operating power to the terahertz transmitter, the imaging chip, the readout circuit, and the transceiver.

4. The terahertz health checker of claim 1, further comprising:

a millimeter wave generator for generating and transmitting a millimeter wave;

a lens outputting the generated millimeter wave and receiving millimeter wave corresponding to the outputted millimeter wave; and

a millimeter wave camera outputting the received millimeter wave to the imaging chip.

5. The terahertz health checker of claim 1, further comprising:

a lens for receiving visible rays; and

a video camera outputting the received visible rays to the imaging chip.

6. The terahertz health checker of claim 1, further comprising:

a lens for receiving infrared rays; and

an infrared camera outputting the received infrared rays to the imaging chip.

7. The terahertz health checker of claim 1, further comprising:

a lens for receiving ultraviolet rays; and

an ultraviolet camera outputting the received ultraviolet rays to the imaging chip.

8. The terahertz health checker of claim 1, further comprising:

a signal processor processing the digital image signal; and

a display module displaying the signal-processed digital image signal.

9. The terahertz health checker of claim 1, wherein the imaging chip comprises:

a first field programmable gate array (FPGA) generating a row address;

a row selection circuitry generating row bits using the row address;

a terahertz wave detector detecting the terahertz waves;

a differential cascade matching the detected terahertz waves with the row bits and outputting the same;

a second FPGA generating a column address;

a column selection circuitry generating column bits using the column address, matching the terahertz waves matched with the row bits with the column bits, and output the same;

a sample hold amplifier amplifying a terahertz wave signal matched with the column bits and row bits and outputting the amplified signal using a holding operation according to an external control signal; and

an A/D converter converting the amplified signal into a digital signal and outputting the digital signal.

10. The terahertz health checker of claim 9, wherein the imaging chip further comprises an offset compensation circuitry compensating the differential cascade with an offset of the detected terahertz wave signal.

11. The terahertz health checker of claim 1, wherein the imaging chip comprises:

a first FPGA generating a column address;

a column address decoder generating a column selection address using the column address;

a current mirror circuit receiving a reference current and providing a current signal for detecting terahertz waves;

a terahertz wave detector detecting the received terahertz waves based on the current signal and the column selection address;

a second FPGA generating a row address;

a row address decoder generating a row selection address using the row address and outputting the detected terahertz waves using the row selection address;

an analog multiplexer multiplexing and outputting the outputted terahertz waves by operating in one of a serial mode and a parallel mode; and

a serial-parallel mode controller controlling operations of the row address decoder and the analog multiplexer as one of the serial mode and parallel mode.

12. The terahertz health checker of claim 11, wherein the terahertz wave detector comprises a plurality of terahertz wave detecting devices,

wherein the terahertz wave detecting device comprises:

an antenna detecting the terahertz waves;

a switch receiving the current signal through a drain and operating according to the column selection address inputted through a gate;

a capacitor whose one end is connected to a source of the switch and another is grounded; and

a Shottky diode whose anode is connected to a contact point between the one end of the capacitor and an output of the antenna, the Shottky diode outputting the terahertz waves detected by the antenna through a cathode thereof.

13. The terahertz health checker of claim 12, wherein the imaging chip further comprises:

a plurality of buffers providing the terahertz wave detecting devices with outputs of the column address decoder, respectively; and

a plurality of amplifiers amplifying a plurality of outputs of the row address decoder.

14. A terahertz health checker comprising:

a lens receiving terahertz waves;

an imaging chip connected to the lens, detecting the received terahertz waves, and generating a digital image signal based on the detected terahertz waves; and

a readout circuit reading out the digital image signal,

wherein the imaging chip comprises;

a first FPGA generating a row address;

a row selection circuitry generating row bits using the row address;

a terahertz wave detector detecting the terahertz waves;

a differential cascade matching the detected terahertz waves with the row bits and outputting the same;

a second FPGA generating a column address;

a column selection circuitry generating column bits using the column address, matching the terahertz waves matched with the row bits with the column bits, and output the same;

a sample hold amplifier amplifying a terahertz wave signal matched with the column bits and row bits and outputting the amplified signal using a holding operation according to an external control signal; and

an A/D converter converting the amplified signal into a digital signal and outputting the digital signal.

15. The terahertz health checker of claim 14, wherein the digital image signal is an image-shaped signal formed of digital signals 0 and 1 depending on whether terahertz waves detected from a detection area of the outputted terahertz waves are present or not.

16. The terahertz health checker of claim 14, wherein the imaging chip further comprises an offset compensation circuitry compensating the differential cascade with an offset of the detected terahertz wave signal.

17. A terahertz health checker comprising:

a lens receiving terahertz waves;

an imaging chip connected to the lens, detecting the received terahertz waves, and generating a digital image signal based on the detected terahertz waves; and

a readout circuit reading out the digital image signal,

wherein the imaging chip comprises;

a first FPGA generating a column address;

a column address decoder generating a column selection address using the column address;

a current mirror circuit receiving a reference current and providing a current signal for detecting terahertz waves;

a terahertz wave detector detecting the received terahertz waves based on the current signal and the column selection address;

a second FPGA generating a row address;

a row address decoder generating a row selection address using the row address and outputting the detected terahertz waves using the row selection address;

an analog multiplexer multiplexing and outputting the outputted terahertz waves by operating in one of a serial mode and a parallel mode; and

a serial-parallel mode controller controlling operations of the row address decoder and the analog multiplexer as one of the serial mode and parallel mode.

18. The terahertz health checker of claim 17, wherein the digital image signal is an image-shaped signal formed of digital signals 0 and 1 depending on whether terahertz waves detected from a detection area of the outputted terahertz waves are present or not.

19. The terahertz health checker of claim 17, wherein the terahertz wave detector comprises a plurality of terahertz wave detecting devices,

wherein the terahertz wave detecting device comprises:

an antenna detecting the terahertz waves;

a switch receiving the current signal through a drain and operating according to the column selection address inputted through a gate;

a capacitor whose one end is connected to a source of the switch and another is grounded; and

a Shottky diode whose anode is connected to a contact point between the one end of the capacitor and an output of the antenna, the Shottky diode outputting the terahertz waves detected by the antenna through a cathode thereof.

20. The terahertz health checker of claim 17, wherein the imaging chip further comprises:

a plurality of buffers providing the terahertz wave detecting devices with outputs of the column address decoder, respectively; and

a plurality of amplifiers amplifying a plurality of outputs of the row address decoder.