Infrared imager using room temperature capacitance sensor
US5965886A · kind A · utility
140Cited by
5References
39Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 14, 1997 |
| Grant date | Oct 12, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 14, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N25/20
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An infrared imager includes an array of capacitance sensors that operate at room temperature. Each infrared capacitance sensor includes a deflectable first plate which expands due to absorbed thermal radiation relative to a non-deflectable second plate. In one embodiment each infrared capacitance sensor is composed of a bi-material strip which changes the position of one plate of a sensing capacitor in response to temperature changes due to absorbed incident thermal radiation. The bi-material strip is composed of two materials with a large difference in thermal expansion coefficients.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.