Adaptive detection sensor array and method of providing and using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9903959-B2
Application number	US-201615147430-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2016
Priority date	Nov 5, 2013
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

Some embodiments include a method of operating a detection sensor array. The detection sensor array has multiple detection sensors. Each detection sensor of the multiple detection sensors has an enabled state and a disabled state, and each detection sensor of the multiple detection sensors is configured to detect and identify electromagnetic radiation when in the enabled state and not to detect and identify electromagnetic radiation when in the disabled state. The detection sensor array also has a test state in which all of the multiple detection sensors operate in the enabled state when the detection sensor array is in the test state. Other embodiments of related systems and methods are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a detection sensor array, the detection sensor array comprising multiple detection sensors, each detection sensor of the multiple detection sensors comprising an enabled state and a disabled state, where each detection sensor of the multiple detection sensors is configured to detect and identify electromagnetic radiation when in the enabled state and not to detect and identify electromagnetic radiation when in the disabled state, and further comprising a test state in which all of the multiple detection sensors operate in the enabled state when the detection sensor array is in the test state, the method comprising:
operating the detection sensor array in the test state;
while operating the detection sensor array in the test state, receiving electromagnetic radiation at the detection sensor array;
while or after receiving electromagnetic radiation at the detection sensor array, determining for each detection sensor of the multiple detection sensors: (a) whether such detection sensor is a first detecting detection sensor that detects at least a predetermined amount of electromagnetic radiation or (b) whether such detection sensor is a first non-detecting detection sensor that detects less than the predetermined amount of electromagnetic radiation; and
after determining for each detection sensor of the multiple detection sensors: (a) whether such detection sensor is the first detecting detection sensor that detects at least the predetermined amount of electromagnetic radiation or (b) whether such detection sensor is the first non-detecting detection sensor that detects less than the predetermined amount of electromagnetic radiation, operating the detection sensor array in an operational state in which detecting detection sensors of the multiple detection sensors operate in the enabled state and in which non-detecting detection sensors of the multiple detection sensors operate in the disabled state, the first detecting detection sensors comprising the detecting detection sensors and the first non-detecting detection sensors comprising the non-detecting detection sensors.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
emitting electromagnetic radiation at the detection sensor array with an emitter.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising at least one of:
repositioning the detection sensor array with respect to the emitter; or
repositioning the emitter with respect to the detection sensor array.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
modulating the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the emitter.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
while or after operating the detection sensor array in the operational state, detecting electromagnetic radiation at the first detecting detection sensors as an unfiltered signal; and
filtering the unfiltered signal with a lock-in receiver to provide a filtered signal.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:
operating the detection sensor array in the operational state comprises at least one of: (i) selectively asserting one or more scan lines coupled to the detection sensor array with a driver module, or (ii) selectively coupling one or more data lines to the detection sensor array.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
approximately conforming the detection sensor array to a mounting surface.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
after the operating the detection sensor array in the operational state, operating the detection sensor array in the test state again;
while operating the detection sensor array in the test state again, receiving electromagnetic radiation at the detection sensor array again;
while or after receiving electromagnetic radiation at the detection sensor array again, determining for each detection sensor of the multiple detection sensors: (a) whether such detection sensor is a second detecting detection sensor that detects at least the predetermined amount of electromagnetic radiation or (b) whether such detection sensor is a second non-detecting detection sensor that detects less than the predetermined amount of electromagnetic radiation; and
after determining for each detection sensor of the multiple detection sensors: (a) whether such detection sensor is the second detecting detection sensor that detects at least the predetermined amount of electromagnetic radiation or (b) whether such detection sensor is the second non-detecting detection sensor that detects less than the predetermined amount of electromagnetic radiation, operating the detection sensor array in the operational state again.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein:
the first detecting detection sensors are different by at least one detection sensor of the multiple detection sensors than the second detecting detection sensors; and
the first non-detecting detection sensors are different by at least one detection sensor of the multiple detection sensors than the second non-detecting detection sensors.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
before operating the detection sensor array in the operational state, and after determining for each detection sensor of the multiple detection sensors: (a) whether such detection sensor is the first detecting detection sensor that detects at least the predetermined amount of electromagnetic radiation or (b) whether such detection sensor is the first non-detecting detection sensor that detects less than the predetermined amount of electromagnetic radiation, partitioning the multiple detection sensors into a first portion of detection sensors of the multiple detection sensors and a second portion of detection sensors of the multiple detection sensors;
determining for each detection sensor of the first portion of detection sensors of the multiple detection sensors: (a) whether such detection sensor is a second detecting detection sensor that detects at least the predetermined amount of electromagnetic radiation or (b) whether such detection sensor is a second non-detecting detection sensor that detects less than the predetermined amount of electromagnetic radiation; and
determining for each detection sensor of the second portion of detection sensors of the multiple detection sensors: (a) whether such detection sensor is a third detecting detection sensor that detects at least the predetermined amount of electromagnetic radiation or (b) whether such detection sensor is a third non-detecting detection sensor that detects less than the predetermined amount of electromagnetic radiation.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one of:
the first portion of detection sensors of the multiple detection sensors is different than the second portion of detection sensors of the multiple detection sensors; or
a first quantity of the first portion of detection sensors of the multiple detection sensors is approximately equal to a second quantity of the second portion of detection sensors of the multiple detection sensors.

12. A method of operating a detection sensor array, the detection sensor array comprising multiple detection sensors, each detection sensor of the multiple detection sensors comprising an enabled state and a disabled state, where each detection sensor of the multiple detection sensors is configured to detect and identify electromagnetic radiation when in the enabled state and not to detect and identify electromagnetic radiation when in the disabled state, and further comprising a test state in which all of the multiple detection sensors operate in the enabled state when the detection sensor array is in the test state, the method comprising:
operating the detection sensor array in the test state;
while operating the detecti

Assignees

• Arizona Board Of Regents A Body Corp Of The State Of Arizona Acting For And On Behalf Of Arizona Sta
• Univ Arizona State

Inventors

• Smith Joseph
• Forsythe Eric
• Allee David

Classifications

• G01J1/4228

  arrangements with two or more detectors, e.g. for sensitivity compensation · CPC title

• G01J1/08 Primary

  Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for photometry {standard sources, also using luminescent or radioactive material} · CPC title

• G01T1/24 Primary

  with semiconductor detectors · CPC title

• H04N17/002

  for television cameras · CPC title

• H04N25/443

  by reading pixels from selected two-dimensional [2D] regions of the array, e.g. for windowing or digital zooming · CPC title