Microbolometer uncooled thermal imaging sensors for law enforcement applications

Since the early 1990's, microbolometer uncooled thermal imaging sensor technology has moved out of the basic development laboratories of the Honeywell Corporation in Minneapolis into applied development at several companies that have licensed the basic technology, and now out into the real world to address military, government, and commercial applications. Today, thousands of production microbolometer uncooled thermal imaging sensors are being sold and shipped annually. At the same time, applied research and development on the technology continues at an unabated, if not increasing, pace. These research and development efforts have two primary goals: 1) improving sensor performance in terms of increased resolution and greater thermal sensitivity and 2) reducing sensor cost. Success is being achieved in both areas. In this paper we will describe advances in microbolometer uncooled thermal imaging sensor technology as they apply to law enforcement applications. Improvements in sensor performance that will be described include: a) reduced pixel pitch, b) increased spatial resolution, c) increased thermal sensitivity, d) reduced electrical power, and e) reduced size. Since cost considerations dominate many, if not most, potential law enforcement applications, microbolometer sensor cost issues will be addressed in terms of current and projected cost trends. In addition to the use of theoretical considerations in describing microbolometer technology advancements currently being made or planned, examples of actual improvements, in the form of real imagery and/or actual performance measurements, will be provided in the paper. Finally, we will look at those areas of law enforcement that are most likely to benefit from the application of microbolometer uncooled thermal imaging sensor technology. These include: a) surveillance sensor systems, b) unattended sensor systems, c) mobile sensor systems and platforms, and d) gunfire localization and counter sniper systems.