April 26, 2011 — ULIS, a manufacturer of high-quality infrared (IR) imaging sensors for thermography, security, automotive and military applications, launched Pico640E, a video graphics array (VGA) 640 x 480 17µm IR imaging sensor that offers new advantages in size, performance and factor of merit. It provides camera manufacturers and other imaging-system designers with large format, small-form factor, uncooled IR sensors that optimize the trade-off between performance and sensor response speed.
Pico640E is a high-resolution (more than 300,000 pixels) IR imaging sensor that comes in a small footprint (24.13 x 24.13 x 5.57mm). In tests, it has demonstrated a high response speed with a thermal time constant of 8.8ms and a thermal resolution less than 45mK. This translates into a uniform pixel factor of merit (400 mK.ms).
It can perform long-range detection up to approximately 2km, depending on the target, as well as detect fast-moving objects. These performance advantages make Pico640E well adapted for military applications, as well as thermography, predictive maintenance and 24/7 camera surveillance, particularly for handheld goggles and ground vehicle situational awareness, said Jean-François Delepau, managing director at ULIS. ULIS’ series of 17µm IR microbolometers are leading the market in large format, small-pixel pitch IR imaging sensors, added Delepau.
The performance Pico640E achieves is also a plus for image-fusion applications, which use both visible and IR images. Visible sensors have a much faster response rate than IR sensors, so there is often a time lag between visible and IR images when the camera is panning. Due to Pico640E’s fast response rate, it minimizes the delay between visible and IR images when they are superimposed, thereby improving overall image quality.
IR specialists use thermal sensitivity and thermal time constant measurements to calculate the factor of merit in IR microbolometers. Thermal sensitivity or Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference (NETD) shows how well pixels convert input signals (IR light/thermal radiation) into voltage in proportion to the thermal radiation emitted by an object: the higher the thermal sensitivity, the better the image. Thermal time constant refers to the speed at which pixels respond to input signals. For IR microbolometers, a low thermal time constant enables lag-free images.
ULIS will display Pico640E at booth Number 503 during the SPIE Defense and Security exhibition in Orlando, FL, April 26-28.
ULIS, a subsidiary of Sofradir, specializes in the design and manufacture of high quality infrared imaging sensors for thermography, security & surveillance, automotive and military applications. It enables makers of consumer electronics and infrared equipment to produce low weight, low power consumption and cost-effective thermal cameras in large volume. For more information, visit: http://www.ulis-ir.com
Follow Small Times on Twitter.com by clicking www.twitter.com/smalltimes. Or join our Facebook group