Application of mosaic pixel microbolometer technology to very high-performance, low-cost thermography and pedestrian detection

Mosaic pixel FPA technology comprises a novel microbolometer array design which, together with advanced packaging and integrated optics, can provide enhanced performance in short range sensing applications. Initially developed for passive infrared (PIR) security sensors, the technology can be applied to other non-military applications where a large pixel size is acceptable and a high detective performance is required. In this paper we discuss to two applications in depth: low cost thermography and non-imaging cheap sensors for pedestrian detection and other applications. Both have the advantage of very low NETD. We also discuss development of miniaturised IR sensors, as initially conceived for mosaic pixel technology.