Aviation night vision system using common aperture and multi-spectral image fusion

• US 20080011941A1
• Filed: 11/11/2005
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oasis Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Oasis Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Couture, Michael, Plotsker, Vadim
• Application Number:
  US11/271,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20080011941A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/214VT
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/146 with corrections for use in multiple wavelength bands, such as infrared and visible light, e.g. FLIR systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/16 for use in conjunction with image converters or intensifiers , or for use with projectors, e.g. objectives for projection TV
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0114 comprising dichroic elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 31/49 Pick-up adapted for an input of electromagnetic radiation other than visible light and having an electric output, e.g. for an input of X-rays, for an input of infrared radiation

Abstract

An multispectral optical device, comprising a common aperture objective assembly for image acquisition in the short wave infrared (SWIR) waveband and at least one additional waveband; a SWIR detector for detecting an image in the SWIR waveband; and a beam mixer for fusing an image detected by the SWIR detector and an image acquired in the at least one additional waveband.

Claims

1. A multispectral optical device, comprising:

a common aperture objective assembly for image acquisition in the short wave infrared (SWIR) waveband and at least one additional waveband;

a SWIR detector for detecting an image in the SWIR waveband;

a beam mixer for fusing an image detected by the SWIR detector and an image acquired in the at least one additional waveband;

a first display for displaying an image detected by the SWIR detector; and

a second display for displaying the fused image.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the at least one additional waveband is visible light waveband.

3. The device of claim 2 further including a first beamsplitter for separating an object beam acquired by the common aperture assembly into a SWIR beam and a visible beam.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the first display is an organic liquid crystal display.

6. The device of claim 1 further including a programmable processor for processing the image detected by the SWIR detector.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the beam mixer is a second dichroic beamsplitter.

8. The device of claim 7 further including an image intensifier tube for intensifying the visible beam.

9. The device of claim 1 further including a visible waveband detector for detecting an image in the visible waveband.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the beam mixer includes a programmable processor for processing and fusing images detected by the SWIR detector and the visible waveband detector.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the second display displays the image fused and processed by the programmable processor.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein said device is helmet-mounted.

4. (canceled)

13. A night vision system, comprising:

means for acquiring a multi-spectral image through a common aperture;

means for converting a short wave infrared (SWIR) portion of the acquired image into the visible waveband, thereby generating a converted image;

means for fusing the converted image with at least one additional portion of the acquired image;

a first means for displaying the converted image; and

a second means for displaying the fused image.

14. The system of claim 13 further including means for separating the SWIR portion of the acquired image from the visible portion of the acquired image.

15. The system of claim 14 further including means for detecting the SWIR portion of the acquired image.

17. The system of claim 13 further including means for intensifying the visible portion of the acquired image.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the converted image is fused with the intensified visible portion of the acquired image.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the second means for displaying the fused image displays the visible portion of the acquired image.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the converted image is fused with the displayed visible portion of the acquired image.

16. (canceled)

21. A method of displaying images, comprising

acquiring a multi-spectral image through a common aperture;

converting a short wave infrared (SWIR) portion of the acquired image into the visible waveband, thereby generating a converted image;

displaying the converted image on a first display;

fusing the converted image with at least one additional portion of the acquired image; and

displaying the fused image on a second display.

22. The method of claim 21 further including separating the SWIR portion of the acquired image from the visible portion of the acquired image.

23. The method of claim 22 further including detecting the SWIR portion of the acquired image.

25. The method of claim 21 further including intensifying the visible portion of the acquired image.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the converted image is fused with the intensified visible portion of the acquired image.

27. The method of claim 21 further including displaying the visible portion of the acquired image on the second display.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the converted image is fused with the displayed visible portion of the acquired image.

24. (canceled)