Design, test, and operation of a small thermal imaging core

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11353365-B2
Application number	US-201816623751-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2018
Priority date	Jun 21, 2017
Publication date	Jun 7, 2022
Grant date	Jun 7, 2022

Abstract

An ultra-small thermal imaging core, or micro-core. The design of the micro-core may include substrates for mounting optics and electronic connectors that are thermally matched to the imaging Focal Plane Array (FPA). Test fixtures for test and adjustment that allow for operation and image acquisition of multiple cores may also be provided. Tooling may be included to position the optics to set the core focus, either by moving the lens and lens holder as one or by pushing and/or pulling the lens against a lens positioning element within the lens holder, while observing a scene. Test procedures and fixtures that allow for full temperature calibration of each individual core, as well as providing data useful for uniformity correction during operation may also be included as part of the test and manufacture of the core.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal imaging micro-core, comprising:
a thermal imaging Focal Plane Array, micro-fabricated at least in part of a first material;
a substrate of a second material that has substantially the same thermal properties as the first material;
at least one optical element;
an optical housing; and
a circuit element comprising a flex circuit,
wherein the FPA and the flex circuit are each bonded to a first side of the substrate, the optical element is attached to the housing, the housing is bonded to the substrate with the optical element disposed to expose the FPA to external scenes, and the circuit element is configured to provide connections between the FPA and a host system, and
wherein the housing, substrate and FPA assembled together are less than 0.5″ in the longest dimension, and the micro-core with the circuit element assembled together are less than 1.5″ long and 0.5″ in all other dimensions.

2. The micro-core of claim 1 wherein the first and second material are both silicon.

3. The micro-core of claim 2 wherein the substrate is a section diced from a silicon wafer of substantially the same thickness as a wafer the FPA is micro-fabricated from.

4. The micro-core of claim 1 wherein the flex circuit is bonded to the substrate.

5. The micro-core of claim 4 wherein flex circuit connections to the FPA are made by wire-bonding between contact pads on the flex circuit and contact pads on the FPA.

6. The micro-core of claim 4 wherein flex circuit connections to the FPA are made by connections fabricated into the substrate.

7. The micro-core of claim 6 wherein the flex circuit connections to the substrate are made by at least one of solder connections between contact pads on the flex circuit and contact pads on the substrate, or bump connections between contact pads on the flex circuit and contact pads on the substrate.

8. The micro-core of claim 6 wherein FPA connections to the substrate are made by at least one of solder connections between contact pads on the FPA and contact pads on the substrate, or bump connections between contact pads on the FPA and contact pads on the substrate.

9. The micro-core of claim 1 wherein the circuit element includes a connector configured to be compatible with internal host system connectors.

Assignees

• Seek Thermal Inc

Inventors

• Parrish William J
• Engberg Andreas
• Wolfe Jason
• Moran Derek
• Henry Blake
• Williams Ross
• Mead Russ

Classifications

• H04N23/50

  Constructional details · CPC title

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• H04N23/55

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• H04N23/23

  from thermal infrared radiation · CPC title

• G01J2005/0077

  Imaging · CPC title