FRUSTRATED INTERNAL REFLECTION UNCOOLED INFRARED CAMERA

摘要

A longwave infrared (LWIR) camera system incorporates a prism having a reflecting face with an internal surface and an external surface, an input face and an output face. A visible light source provides light to the prism input face and an image detector is positioned to receive light from the prism output face. A plurality of bi-metal cantilevers are arranged in a MEMS array immediately adjacent the external surface of the reflecting face of the prism. Each of the bi-metal cantilever deflects based on absorbed infrared energy to contact the outer surface of the reflecting face. A CMOS image sensor is employed as the image detector. An infrared energy wavefront from a source impinging on the MEMS structure results in energy absorbtion by the MEMS elements corresponding to the energy distribution of the wavefront with each of the MEMS elements contacting the prism reflecting face outer surface for frustration of the total internal reflection from the light source providing a infrared induced modulation of the visible light wavefront impinging on the CMOS image sensor.