US Patent 7705309 Radiation detector with extended dynamic range

A mechanical-optical transducer comprises a readout illumination source providing light having different wavelengths or different polarization states; an image sensor array for sensing the light from the readout illumination source; and a mechanical-optical device including sensing pixels whose optical property change in response to incident thermal infrared radiation, the mechanical-optical device having a reflective surface disposed to selectively reflect light from the readout illumination source to the image sensor array.