Patent · US Expired

Terrestrial sensor device for satellite or the like

US5585633A · kind A · utility

6Cited by
3References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateAug 14, 1995
Grant dateDec 17, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 14, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N23/20
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The terrestrial sensor device is suitable for use on a satellite or spacecraft. It has a lens for forming an image of the Earth in a focal plane, and a sensor placed in the focal plane. The sensor is constituted by a two-dimensional array of pyroelectric detectors. The device also includes an actuator for oscillating the array in the focal plane, orthogonally to the optical axis of the image-formation lens, at a determined frequency and with an amplitude at least equal to the distribution spacing of the detectors and a processing circuit for acquisition of the output signals of the detectors at the oscillation frequency and for comparison of the output signals with a threshold.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.