PYROELECTRIC INFRARED-SENSOR ARRAYS BASED ON THE POLYMER PVDF

Within the group of pyroelectric materials, PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) not only has the advantages of a polymer (cheap, easy to process), it also yields a signal voltage of the same order of magnitude as conventional single-crystal lithium tantalate. Because of their low thermal conductivity, self-supporting PVDF films show a high spatial resolution which is important for sensor arrays. A four-element array and its directive diagram and measurements of signals produced by a moving human body are used to illustrate the directional selectivity of the various sensor elements. By evaluating directional motion, such arrays allow traffic monitoring and area supervision. © 1990.