IR FPA sensors
IR FPA sensors are the most important modules of thermal imagers. Design of sensor electronics (camera core) is a crucial part of designing of new thermal imager. Knowledge of precise parameters of IR FPA sensor is needed by both professionals involved in both IR FPA technology/thermal imagers technology because parameters of IR FPA sensors determine performance limits of thermal imagers. Therefore test equipment that enable measurement of IR FPA sensors is a vital tool for development of both IR FPA technology/thermal imagers technology. It is commonly known that data sheets provided by manufacturers of IR FPA sensors (both cooled or non-cooled) provide too little details for electronics designers. Sometimes the provided data is not accurate enough and better sensor performance can be achieved using modified control signals. Therefore design teams loose sometimes years to develop electronic camera core optimized for a specific IR FPA sensor. When the type of the IR FPA sensor is changed the whole process is to be repeated. In this situation an universal, flexible camera core that would accept IR FPA sensors from different manufacturers and to carry out semi-automatic determination of optimal signal controls for a specific IR FPA sensor would be highly desirable.
