Infra-red imager

摘要

An infrared (IR) imaging system is presented. The system includes a cooling chamber associated with a cooler generating a certain temperature condition inside the chamber. The cooling chamber has an optical window, and includes thereinside an IR detection unit including one or more detectors thermally coupled to the cooler and at least two cold shields thermally coupled to the cooler and carrying at least two imaging optical assemblies. The at least two imaging optical assemblies are enclosed by the cold shields in between the detection unit and the optical window and thereby define at least two different optical channels for imaging light from the optical window onto the one or more detectors of the detection unit.

主权项

1. An imaging system comprising:
a cooling chamber having an optical window and being associated with a cooler generating certain temperature conditions inside the chamber, said cooling chamber enclosing thereinside a detection unit comprising one or more detectors thermally coupled to said cooler; wherein the system includes at least two cold shields that are accommodated inside the cooling chamber, and thermally coupled to said cooler, being a single cooler; and wherein at least two cold shields are respectively associated with at least two imaging optical assemblies respectively defining at least two different optical channels for allowing simultaneous projection of different thermal images from said optical window of the cooling chamber onto spatially spaced apart light sensitive regions of said one or more detectors; wherein the at least two different optical channels differ from one another by at least one of the follow: (a) aging wavelength range; (b) direction to a field of regard; (c) field of view angle; and (d) focal length; wherein said at least two imaging optical assemblies comprise one or more lenses accommodated inside the cooling chamber and enclosed within, or integral with, said at least two cold shields and thereby thermally coupled to said cooler such that said cold shields reduce crosstalk between the optical channels; wherein said at least two cold shields are mounted to said single cooler thereby providing a high degree of spatial registration between the two optical channels.