Low cost and high performance bolometer circuitry and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11015979-B2
Application number	US-201916542673-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2019
Priority date	Feb 22, 2017
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

A bolometer circuit may include an active bolometer configured to receive external infrared (IR) radiation. The bolometer circuit may be configured to reduce power consumption at high temperatures. In particular, the bolometer circuit may include additional resistors provided in the resistive loads for bolometer conduction paths to limit power at high temperatures. In some embodiments, the bias (e.g., a voltage level) to the gates of transistors in the resistive loads for the bolometer conduction paths may be adjusted based on temperature to limit power and/or current at high temperatures. In bolometer circuits with a feedback resistor provided across an amplifier to configure a feedback amplifier, a circuit with adjustable amplifier power may be provided to save power. In some embodiments, a bolometer circuits may be provided with reduced gains to allow for very hot scenes to be imaged without railing the output.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bolometer circuit comprising:
a substrate;
an active bolometer configured to receive external infrared (IR) radiation and substantially thermally isolated from the substrate;
a thermally shorted bolometer and a transistor configured to be connected in series with the active bolometer in a bolometer conduction path from a supply voltage node to a common voltage node, the transistor operating as a current source that generates a load current to the active bolometer and the thermally shorted bolometer thermally shorted to the substrate to operate as a temperature-compensated load for the bolometer conduction path; and
a resistor provided in series between the thermally shorted bolometer and the transistor, wherein the resistor is configured to substantially maintain its resistance over temperature, thereby limiting the load current and reducing power consumption when an ambient temperature is elevated,
wherein the bolometer circuit is configured to limit the load current and reduce power consumption when the ambient temperature is elevated.

2. The bolometer circuit of claim 1 , wherein the resistance of the resistor is selected to be smaller than a resistance of the thermally shorted bolometer when the ambient temperature is not elevated.

3. The bolometer circuit of claim 1 , further comprising a bias control circuit configured to adjust a bias to the transistor to limit the load current and reduce power consumption when the ambient temperature is elevated.

4. The bolometer circuit of claim 3 , wherein the bias control circuit is configured to adjust the bias to the transistor at least by adjusting a bias voltage to a gate of the transistor.

5. The bolometer circuit of claim 3 , wherein the bias control circuit is configured to adjust the bias to the transistor in response to a change in a resistance of a thermally shorted bolometer for the bias control circuit that is configured to substantially track a temperature of the substrate.

6. The bolometer circuit of claim 1 , further comprising:
a bias control circuit configured to adjust a bias to the transistor in response to the ambient temperature being elevated,
wherein both the resistor and the bias control circuit are utilized to limit the load current and reduce power consumption when the ambient temperature is elevated.

7. The bolometer circuit of claim 1 , wherein the thermally shorted bolometer is a first thermally shorted bolometer and the transistor is a first transistor, the bolometer circuit further comprising:
a blind bolometer shielded from the external IR radiation, thermally isolated from the substrate, and configured to track self-heating of the active bolometer;
a reference conduction path comprising a second thermally shorted bolometer and a second transistor configured to be connected in series with the blind bolometer from the supply voltage node to the common voltage node, the second transistor operating as a current source that generates a load current to the blind bolometer and the second thermally shorted bolometer thermally shorted to the substrate to operate as a temperature-compensated load for the reference conduction path; and
an amplifier circuit having a first input coupled to a node in the bolometer conduction path between the first transistor and the active bolometer and a second input coupled to a node in the reference conduction path between the blind bolometer and the second transistor, the node in the reference conduction path providing a reference voltage level to the amplifier circuit via the second input to compensate for the self-heating of the active bolometer,
wherein the bolometer circuit is configured to limit the load current and reduce power consumption in the reference conduction path when the ambient temperature is elevated.

8. The bolometer circuit of claim 7 , wherein the resistor is a first resistor, the bolometer circuit further comprising a second resistor provided in series between the second thermally shorted bolometer and the second transistor, the second resistor being configured to substantially maintain its resistance over temperature, thereby limiting the load current and reducing power consumption in the reference conduction path when the ambient temperature is elevated.

9. The bolometer circuit of claim 7 , further comprising a bias circuit configured to adjust a bias to both the first and the second transistors.

10. The bolometer circuit of claim 1 , further comprising a switch configured to selectively close to short the resistor.

11. A bolometer circuit comprising:
a substrate;
an active bolometer configured to receive external infrared (IR) radiation and substantially thermally isolated from the substrate;
a resistive load, wherein the active bolometer and the resistive load are configured to be connected in series in a bolometer conduction path from a supply voltage node to a common voltage node;
an amplifier circuit configured to provide an adjustable gain setting, the amplifier circuit comprising:
an operational amplifier (op-amp) having a first input coupled to a node in the bolometer conduction path between the resistive load and the active bolometer;
a resistive gain coupling an output of the op-amp to the first input of the op-amp; and
an amplifier power control circuit configured to:
adjust a current supplied to the op-amp based on an ambient temperature and/or the adjustable gain setting; and
adjust a current sent to the amplifier circuit based on both a temperature of the substrate and a gain setting of the amplifier circuit; and

a voltage source coupled to a second input of the op-amp to provide a reference voltage level,

wherein the amplifier circuit is configured to generate a current flow through the resistive gain in response to a resistance change of the active bolometer due to the external IR radiation at least by maintaining the reference voltage level at the first input of the op-amp, and
wherein the amplifier circuit is further configured to convert the current flow into an output voltage at the output of the op-amp that is indicative of an intensity of the external IR radiation received at the active bolometer.

12. The bolometer circuit of claim 11 , wherein the amplifier power control circuit is configured to adjust the current supplied to the op-amp based on a change in a resistance of a thermally shunted bolometer for the amplifier power control circuit that is configured to substantially track a temperature of the substrate.

13. The bolometer circuit of claim 11 , wherein:
the resistive gain is configured to provide an adjustable resistance;
the adjustable gain setting of the amplifier circuit is configured to adjust the adjustable resistance of the resistive gain; and
the amplifier power control circuit is configured to adjust the current sent to the op-amp based on the adjustable resistance gain setting of the amplifier circuit.

14. The bolometer circuit of claim 13 , wherein:
the resistive gain comprises:
a thermally shorted bolometer that is thermally shorted to the substrate to operate as a temperature-compensated gain for the amplifier circuit; and
one or more switches each configured to be turned on or off to selectively short corresponding one or more portions of the thermally shorted bolometer to provide the adjustable resistance;

the adjustable gain setting of the amplifier circuit comprises one or more gain control bits configured to turn on or off the one or more corresponding switches of the resistive gain; and
the amplifier power control circuit is configured to adjust the current sent to the op-amp based on the gain control

Assignees

• Flir Systems

Inventors

• Aziz Naseem Y
• Simolon Brian B

Classifications

• H04N25/677

  for reducing the column or line fixed pattern noise · CPC title

• H04N25/78

  Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters · CPC title

• H04N25/20

  for transforming only infrared radiation into image signals · CPC title

• H04N25/67

  applied to fixed-pattern noise, e.g. non-uniformity of response · CPC title

• H04N25/00

  Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof · CPC title