Compact infrared detector systems with regulated power supply

Claim 1

AN INFRARED DETECTOR SYSTEM COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: AN EMITTER PROBE INCLUDING A SOURCE OF INFRARED ENERGY; A DETECTOR PROBE INCLUDING MEANS FOR DETECTING SAID INFRARED ENERGY, SAID DETECTOR PROBE BEING POSITIONED SO THAT SAID INFRARED ENERGY IS IMPINGED UPON SAID DETECTOR MEANS; AND A CONTROL CIRCUIT COUPLED TO A SOURCE OF POWER AND TO SAID EMITTER PROBE AND SAID DETECTOR PROBE OPERATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INFRARED ENERGY IMPINGED ON SAID DETECTOR MEANS TO PROVIDE AN OUTPUT CONTROL SIGNAL, SAID CONTROL CIRCUIT COMPRISING A RESISTANCE BRIDGE INCLUDING AS ITS FOUR LEGS THREE RESISTORS, AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH IS A VARIABLE RESISTOR HAVING AN OUTPUT TAP, AND SAID DETECTOR MEANS, A TRANSISTOR ADAPTED TO COMPENSATE FOR CHANGES IN THE RESISTANCE OF SAID DETECTOR MEANS DUE TO TEMPERATURE HAVING A BASE ELECTRODE WHICH IS COUPLED TO THE JUNCTION BETWEEN SAID DETECTOR MEANS AND ONE OF SAID RESISTORS, A COLLECTOR ELECTRODE WHICH IS COUPLED THROUGH A LOAD RESISTOR TO THE JUNCTION BETWEEN SAID DETECTOR MEANS AND THE OTHER ONE OF SAID RESISTORS AND AN EMITTER ELECTRODE WHICH IS COUPLED TO SAID OUTPUT TAP OF SAID VARIABLE RESISTOR, SAID TRANSISTOR BEING BIASED BY AND RENDERED CONDUCTIVE AND NON-CONDUCTIVE RESPONSIVE TO THE BALANCED CONDITION OF SAID RESISTANCE BRIDGE; OUTPUT MEANS FOR PROVIDING SAID OUTPUT CONTROL SIGNAL; A TRANSFORMER HAVING A PRIMARY WINDING AND A PAIR OF SECONDARY WINDINGS, SAID SOURCE OF POWER BEING COUPLED TO SAID PRIMARY WINDING, MEANS COUPLED TO ONE OF SAID PAIR OF SECONDARY WINDINGS FOR PROVIDING A CONSTANT VOLTAGE TO BOTH SAID SOURCE OF INFRARED ENERGY AND SAID RESISTANCE BRIDGE, SAID OUTPUT MEANS BEING COUPLED TO THE OTHER ONE OF SAID PAIR OF SECONDARY WINDINGS; AND MEANS INCLUDED IN SAID COUPLING BETWEEN SAID SECONDARY WINDING AND SAID OUTPUT MEANS NORMALLY OPERATIVE TO PREVENT CURRENT FLOW THROUGH SAID OUTPUT MEANS AND RENDERED OPERATIVE TO PERMIT CURRENT FLOW THROUGH THE SAME TO OEPRATE IT TO PROVIDE SAID OUTPUT SIGNAL BY SAID TRANSISTOR.