Long-wavelength infra-red night vision goggles

• US 7,459,684 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2005
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Wu, Pingfan, Lawrence, Brian, Dalakos, George, Lorraine, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta; David P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, MINDY D
• Application Number:
  US11/132,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20080245966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 250/330, 250/332
• US Class Current: 250/330
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/12 with means for image conversion or intensification
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2231/50026 Infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 31/50 Image-conversion or image-amplification tubes, i.e. having optical, X-ray, or analogous input, and optical output
• 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 night vision apparatus and method comprising employing a detector operating in the 7 to 14 microns wavelength region, converting via electronics and/or photonics the received light to the region visible to the human eye, and displaying the visible light on a display, wherein a housing contains the detector, the electronics and/or photonics, and the display.

Claims

1. Night vision apparatus comprising:

a detector operating in the 7 to 14 microns wavelength region;

electronics and/or photonics converting the received light to the region visible to the human eye;

a display displaying the visible light;

an optical limiter;

an electrical limiter that protects the human eye so that sudden environmental temperature variation displays as a more gradual change; and

a housing containing said detector, said electronics and/or photonics, said optical limiter, said electrical limiter, and said display.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 formed as a pair of goggles.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said detector comprises an IR focal plane array.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said IR focal plane array is uncooled.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said IR focal plane array employs vanadium oxides.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said housing additionally contains one or more batteries powering the apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein focusing is achieved by adjusting the distance between a lens and said detector.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said optical limiter comprises a passive optical limiter to protect said detector against sudden increases in object temperature.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 additionally comprising a merge prism combining both the IR image and a visible image.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 capable of distinguishing a non-fluorescent, non-phosphorescent ink from a substrate of a different material in the absence of visible light.

11. A night vision method comprising the steps of:

employing a detector operating in the 7 to 14 microns wavelength region;

converting via electronics and/or photonics the received light to the region visible to the human eye;

displaying the visible light on a display;

employing an optical limiter to protect the detector;

employing an electrical limiter that protects the human eye so that sudden environmental temperature variation displays as a more gradual change; and

wherein a housing contains the detector, the electronics and/or photonics, the optical limiter, the electrical limiter, and the display.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the housing and its contents are formed as a pair of goggles.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the detector comprises an IR focal plane array.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the IR focal plane array is uncooled.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the IR focal plane array employs vanadium oxides.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the housing additionally contains one or more batteries powering one or more of the detector, the electronics and/or photonics, and the display.

17. The method of claim 11 additionally comprising the step of focusing by adjusting the distance between a lens and the detector.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the optical limiter step comprises employing passive optical limiter to protect the detector against sudden increases in object temperature.

19. The method of claim 11 additionally comprising the step of employing a merge prism to combine both the IR image and a visible image.

20. The method of claim 11 additionally comprising the step of permitting a user to distinguish a non-fluorescent, non-phosphorescent ink from a substrate of a different material in the absence of visible light.