Fusion night vision system

• US 7,307,793 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Issued: 12/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L-3 Communications SPD Technologies, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Insight Technology Incorporated (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ottney, Joseph C., Hohenberger, Roger T., Russell, Andrew D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Hung X.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARTINEZ, JOSEPH P
• Application Number:
  US11/173,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20070235634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 359/353, 359/629, 359/634, 250/333, 348/216.1, 348/217.1, 348/218.1, 348/223.1, 348/224.1
• US Class Current: 359/634
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/02 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/025 Interfacing a pyrometer to an external device or network; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0265 Handheld, portable ear thermometers G01J5/049
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0275 Control or determination of height or distance or angle information for sensors or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/08 Optical arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0859 Sighting arrangements, e.g. cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0129 comprising devices for correcting parallax
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• 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 23/125 head-mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/70 Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

A fusion night vision system having image intensification and thermal imaging capabilities includes an edge detection filter circuit to aid in acquiring and identifying targets. An outline of the thermal image is generated and combined with the image intensification image without obscuration of the image intensification image. The fusion night vision system may also include a parallax compensation circuit to overcome parallax problems as a result of the image intensification channel being spaced from the thermal channel. The fusion night vision system may also include a control circuit configured to maintain a perceived brightness through an eyepiece over a mix of image intensification information and thermal information. The fusion night vision system may incorporate a targeting mode that allows an operator to acquire a target without having the scene saturated by a laser pointer. The night vision system may also include a detector, an image combiner for forming a fused image from the detector and a display, and a camera aligned with image combiner for recording scene information processed by the first detector.

Claims

1. A fusion night vision system, comprising:

a housing;

a first focus ring rotatably coupled to the housing and aligned with a first channel for processing information in a first range of wavelengths, the first channel having a first objective focus having a first input axis;

a second channel for processing information in a second range of wavelengths, the second channel having a second objective focus having a second input axis, the second input axis being linearly displaced from the first input axis;

a magnet fixed to the first focus ring;

a sensor coupled to the housing and disposed in close proximity to the magnet; and

a processor electrically coupled to and responsive to the sensor to shift an image formed from a selected one of the first and the second channels to correct for parallax caused by the first input axis being linearly displaced from the second input axis.

2. The fusion night vision system of claim 1, wherein the first range of wavelengths is approximately 400 nm to approximately 900 nm and the second range of wavelengths is approximately 7,000 nm to approximately 14,000 nm.

3. The fusion night vision system of claim 1, further comprising a display for projecting an image to an operator.

4. The fusion night vision system of claim 3, wherein the display has a plurality of individual pixels arranged in rows and columns.

5. The fusion night vision system of claim 3, wherein the processor causes an image of a target formed from a selected one of the first and second channels to be shifted in the display in response to the rotational position of the first focus ring.

6. The fusion night vision system of claim 1, wherein the first channel has an image intensification tube and the second channel has a focal plane array.

7. The fusion night vision system of claim 1, further comprising an image combiner for combining information from the first channel with information from the second channel for viewing by an operator.

8. The fusion night vision system of claim 7, wherein the image combiner is a beam splitter and the sensor is a Hall effect sensor.

9. The fusion night vision system of claim 7, wherein the image combiner is a selected one of a digital fusion mixer and an analog fusion mixer.

10. The fusion night vision system of claim 1, wherein the first channel has an objective focus and an image intensification tube and the second channel has an objective focus and a focal plane array.

11. The fusion night vision system of claim 1, wherein the first input axis exits a first aperture in the housing and the second input exits a second aperture in the housing.

12. The fusion night vision system of claim 1, wherein the focus ring surrounds the first objective focus and a user can rotate the focus ring clockwise or counter-clockwise to focus on a target.

13. The fusion night vision system of claim 1, further comprising a second focus ring that surrounds the second focus.

14. The fusion night vision system of claim 1, wherein the magnet is one of a plurality of magnets coupled to the focus ring in an arcuate path.

15. The fusion night vision system of claim 1, wherein the magnet is a single arcuate magnet.

16. A fusion night vision system, comprising:

a housing;

a first focus ring rotatably coupled to the housing and surrounding a first objective focus, the first objective focus being aligned with a first channel for processing information in a first range of wavelengths;

a second focus ring rotatably coupled to the housing and surrounding a second objective focus, the second objective focus being aligned with a second channel for processing information in a second range of wavelengths;

a magnet fixed to the first focus ring;

a sensor coupled to the housing and disposed in close proximity to the magnet; and

a processor electrically coupled to and responsive to the sensor to shift an image formed from a selected one of the first and the second channels to correct for parallax caused by the first focus ring being linearly displaced from the second focus ring.