Thermal Pixel Array Characterization for Thermal Imager Test Set Applications

摘要

An array of thermal emitters has been developed for use in a portable test set to enable field testing of low-performance infrared imaging systems and seekers. It is not known if this technology can be used to evaluate the performance of state-of-the-art thermal imagers. This paper describes the preliminary measurements of thermal pixel array (TPA) performance. The radiant output of TPA was measured as a function of pattern size and drive voltage. Simple models were developed that agree with many aspects of the experimental data. Spatial and temporal noise characteristics of the TPA have been ascertained through three-dimensional noise analysis. Detection algorithms were used to compare images of test patterns produced by the TPA to images of similar test patterns produced by a standard blackbody.