High-resolution thermopile infrared sensor array

US11187589B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Heimann Sensor GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Jörg Schieferdecker · Dresden, DE
• Bodo Forg · Mainz, DE
• Michael Schnorr · Idstein, DE
• Karlheinz Storck · Lorch, DE
• Wilhelm Leneke · Taunusstein, DE
• Marion Simon · Schlangenbad, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 29, 2020
• Grant date: Nov 30, 2021
• Expiry date: Jun 29, 2040

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04N25/76
• WIPO field: Audio-visual technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

High-resolution thermopile infrared sensor array having a plurality of parallel signal processing channels for the signals of a sensor array and a digital port for serially emitting the signals. Each signal processing channel comprises at least one analog to digital converter and is assigned a memory for storing the results of the analog to digital converters. Power consumption of the infrared sensor array is reduced in the case of a sensor array with at least 16 rows and at least 16 columns, in that no more than 8 or 16 pixels are connected to a signal processing channel. The number of signal processing channels corresponds to at least 4 times the number of rows. Some of the signal processing channels are disposed in the intermediate space between the pixels and others are disposed in an outer edge region of the sensor chip surrounding the sensor array along with other electronics.