Uncooled optical imaging device
First Claim
1. An optical imaging device that is not cooled and in which an optical image is transported along an optical path onto an array of optical sensors and an array of MEM micromirrors is inserted into said transfer optical path outside and downstream of intermediate images to chop the light beam impinging on said array of sensors.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Optical sensors, more particularly infrared sensors, use an array of MEM micromirrors to chop a light beam impinging on an array of sensors of an imaging device to minimize the influence of thermal noise. The array of micromirrors preferably switches the beam impinging on the array of sensors between an image to be analyzed and an image of a reference black body at a clearly defined temperature. These sensors are not cooled and require no cryogenic devices.
11 Citations
18 Claims
- 1. An optical imaging device that is not cooled and in which an optical image is transported along an optical path onto an array of optical sensors and an array of MEM micromirrors is inserted into said transfer optical path outside and downstream of intermediate images to chop the light beam impinging on said array of sensors.
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6. An optical imaging device that is not cooled and in which an optical image is transported along an optical path onto an array of optical sensors and an array of MEM micromirrors is inserted into said optical path outside locations of intermediate images to chop the light beam impinging on said array of sensors;
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wherein the imaging device further comprises an afocal optical system for associating an entry image, an array of micromirrors, and an array of analyzers with different dimensions. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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8. An optical imaging device, comprising:
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an optical system that receives an image; an array of micromirrors located on an optical path outside and downstream of intermediate images; and an array of optical sensors located on the optical path downstream of the array of micromirrors and that receive radiation from the image; wherein the optical system transports radiation from the image along a portion of the optical path through the optical system; and wherein the array of micromirrors are controllable to chop the radiation. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An optical imaging device, comprising:
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an optical system that receives an image; an array of micromirrors located on an optical path downstream of the optical system; and an array of optical sensors located on the optical path downstream of the array of micromirrors and that receive radiation from the image; wherein the optical system transports radiation from the image along a portion of the optical path through the optical system; wherein the array of micromirrors are controllable to chop the radiation; wherein the optical system comprises infrared optics; wherein the array of optical sensors comprises an array of bolometers; and wherein the array of micromirrors are located such that a majority of rays of the radiation focused on one bolometer of the array of bolometers are affected by a majority of the individual mirrors.
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Specification