EP0066020A1
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Infrared energy detector system utilizing a charge transfer device sensor
Assignee: Texas Instruments Inc
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Filing: 1981-06-03
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2001-06-03
Abstract
Abstract A scanning type infrared imaging system comprising a lens system, a scanner, an infrared sensing matrix (16) and a signal processor. Said infrared sensing matrix comprises an array of charge transfer device elements (24) arranged in rows and columns. Each element has four electrodes for receiving phase pulses. The phase 3 and phase 1 electrodes are for transfer gates and the phase 2 and phase 4 electrodes are for charge storage wells. The pulses applied to the charge storage wells move the packet charges down the parallel-column shift registers (C1-C6) at a rate substantially equal to the scanning rate of the scanner thereby providing time delay with integration of the charge packets before the signal leaves the infrared sinsing charge transfer device matrix. To provide charge storage wells of sufficient depth to hold the integrated charge packets the pulses applied to each succeeding stage potential well electrodes or groups of electrodes are increased in voltage. The charge packets from the parallel-colum registers (C1-C6) are clocked out by a serial shift register (46) to a floating gate or diode where the charge packet creates a voltage signal for signal processing by the signal processor.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard A. Chapman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 21:19
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10F; H10F39/00; H10F39/10; H10F39/12; H10F39/15; H10F39/153; H10F39/1538; H04; H04N; H04N23/00; H04N23/20; H04N25/00; H04N25/20; H04N25/70; H04N25/71; H04N25/711; H10F39/157
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
166 words
An infrared energy detector system comprising: a) a scanning assembly for scanning at a preselected rate a scene emanating infrared energy; b) an infrared detector matrix of charge transfer devices in the scanning path of the scanning assembly for converting the impinging infrared energy into electrical charge packets respresentative of received infrared energy, said infrared detector matrix comprising a plurality of charge transfer device elements arranged in rows and columns, elements of the columns of charge transfer devices selectively connected together to form a plurality of integration stages, and means for applying selected amplitude voltages to the integration stages in synchronization with the scanning assembly whereby the electrical charge packets of the first stage are integrated with the charge packets of each succeeding stage of the plurality of integration stages to provide time delay with integration of charge packets representative of the same scene; and c) signal processing means, for processing the integrated signals into video signals representative of the infrared energy emanating from the scene.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
166 words
An infrared energy detector system comprising: a) a scanning assembly for scanning at a preselected rate a scene emanating infrared energy; b) an infrared detector matrix of charge transfer devices in the scanning path of the scanning assembly for converting the impinging infrared energy into electrical charge packets respresentative of received infrared energy, said infrared detector matrix comprising a plurality of charge transfer device elements arranged in rows and columns, elements of the columns of charge transfer devices selectively connected together to form a plurality of integration stages, and means for applying selected amplitude voltages to the integration stages in synchronization with the scanning assembly whereby the electrical charge packets of the first stage are integrated with the charge packets of each succeeding stage of the plurality of integration stages to provide time delay with integration of charge packets representative of the same scene; and c) signal processing means, for processing the integrated signals into video signals representative of the infrared energy emanating from the scene.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
2,- An infrared energy detector system according to Claim 1 wherein the charge transfer devices of the infrared detector matrix are charge coupled devices.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
70 words
An infrared energy detector system according to Claim 2 wherein each charge coupled device has a first preselected number of electrodes forming potential wells and a second preselected number of electrodes forming transfer gates, means connecting preselected pairs of corresponding potential well forming electrodes to selected ramping voltages, and means connecting the transfer gate electrodes to a preselected voltage for transfering electrical charge packets from one potential well to another.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
An infrared energy detector system according to Claim 1 wherein said means for applying selected multiple amplitude voltages is a ramp generator.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
An infrared energy detector system according to Claim 1 wherein the elements of the columns of charge transfer devices are grouped together in preselected numbers to form a preselected number of stages.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
An infrared energy detector system according to Claim 1 wherein the charge coupled device elements of the detector matrix are fabricated on a narrow bandgap semiconductor material taken from the group consisting of HgCdTe, PbSnTe, InSb, InAsSb, GnInSb.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
50 words
An infrared energy detector system according to Claim 1 wherein each detector stage of-the plurality of stages includes a storage potential well gate, and a ramp generator connected to each storage potential well gate for providing a ramped bias which increases with time from the first to the last stage.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
64 words
An infrared energy detector system according to Claim 2 wherein each charge coupled device of the matrix has four electrodes for four phase operation and a clock generator and clock drivers with separate connections to the phase 2 and phase 4 electrodes, one set of connections to each phase-1 electrode, and another set to all phase 3 electrodes to provide a quasi-two phase operation.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
55 words
An infrared energy detector system according to Claim 1 wherein the signal processing means includes aserial shift register for multiplexing out the integrated charge packet of the charge transfer device detector matrix, and a floating gate at the end of the serial shift register for converting the charge packets into voltage signals for video processing.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
55 words
An infrared energy detector according to Claim 9 wherein the serial shift register includes wells having a capacity substantially larger than the capacity of the potential wells of each detector column whereby charges from the columns can be contained without ramping and the potential wells of the serial shift register are without electric field breakdown.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
37 words
An infrared energy detector system according to Claim 1 wherein the signal processing means includes a floating gate connected to the output gate of each column of the charge transfer device detector matrix for video signal processing.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
36 words
An infrared energy detector system according to Claim 11 wherein the floating gate has a potential well capacity sufficient to contain the ramped charge output without electric field breakdown prior to receipt of the ramped charge.
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