公开(公告)号：US10451487B1

公开(公告)日：2019-10-22

申请号：US16110367

申请日：2018-08-23

Applicant: RAYTHEON COMPANY

Inventor： Adam M. Kennedy ,  Eli E. Gordon ,  Eric J. Beuville ,  Ryan Paul Boesch ,  Jeffrey K. Hamers

IPC: G01J5/20 ,  G01J5/06 ,  G01J5/52 ,  G01J5/00

Abstract: Microbolometer arrays incorporating per-pixel dark reference structures for non-uniformity correction. In one example a thermal imager includes a device substrate, a microbolometer array disposed on the device substrate and including a plurality of detector elements arranged in a two-dimensional array, each detector element including an imaging microbolometer and a reference microbolometer, the imaging microbolometer being configured to receive electromagnetic radiation from a viewed scene and to produce an image signal in response to receiving the electromagnetic radiation, the image signal including a component produced due to thermal noise in the respective detector element, and the reference microbolometer being shielded from receiving the electromagnetic radiation and configured to produce a reference signal indicative of the thermal noise, wherein the thermal imaging device is configured to produce an image of the viewed scene based on a combination of the image signals and the reference signals from the plurality of detector elements.