Low-light viewing device for displaying image based on visible and near infrared light

• US 7,795,574 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2008
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xenonics, Inc. (Xenonics Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xenonics, Inc. (Xenonics Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Palmer, Gary, Kennedy, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, QUE TAN
• Application Number:
  US12/015,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20090091634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: 250/214.VT, 250/214.1, 250/208.1, 250/239, 250330-332, 359/399, 359/405, 359/359, 348/216.1, 348/217.1
• US Class Current: 250/214.0VT
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/12 with means for image conversion or intensification
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/20 for generating image signals from infrared radiation only
• 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 low-light viewing device includes a housing, having mounted thereto: a lens, an electronic camera for receiving light focused by the lens and for providing an output signal; a display for receiving the output signal and displaying an image detected by the camera; a controller for controlling the camera and the display, and a user interface for operating the controller. The lens may be a fixed focus lens having an F number of less than about 1, and a T number of less than about 1.5. The display may have a resolution at least as great as the resolution of the camera. The device may have a processor programmed to provide control signals to the camera and display depending on a selected light environment.

Claims

1. A low-light viewing device, comprising:

a housing, having mounted thereto;

a lens having an F number of less than about 1, and a T number of less than about 1.5;

a single image sensor for receiving light comprising visible light and near infrared light, said light focused by the lens along a single channel onto said single image sensor, said single image sensor providing an output signal responsive to visible light and near infrared light received by the lens;

a display for receiving the output signal and displaying an image based on the image detected by the single image sensor responsive to visible light and near infrared light received by the lens;

a controller operatively coupled to the image sensor and the display for controlling the image sensor and the display, and

a user interface operatively coupled to the controller for operating the controller.

2. The low-light viewing device of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to provide control signals to the image sensor and display depending on a light environment level.

3. The low-light viewing device of claim 2, wherein said control signals comprise signals to set at least the following image sensor settings:

integration, ALC/ELC, Level, AGC, Gain, Priority and Gamma.

4. The low-light viewing device of claim 2, wherein said control signals comprise signals to set at least the following display settings:

Brightness, Contrast, Sharpness, Gamma and offset.

5. The low-light viewing device of claim 1, wherein said display has a resolution of at least 1280 by 720 pixels, and said image sensor has a resolution of at least about 800 by 640 pixels.

22. The low-light viewing device of claim 1, wherein said image sensor comprises a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) array image sensor or a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor.

6. A low-light viewing device, comprising:

a housing, having mounted thereto;

a lens;

a single image sensor having a resolution of at least about 800 by 640 pixels for receiving light comprising visible light and near infrared light, said light focused by the lens along a single channel onto said single image sensor, said single image sensor providing an output signal responsive to visible light and near infrared light received by the lens;

a display having the resolution greater than a resolution of the sensor for receiving the output signal and displaying an image based on the image detected by the single image sensor responsive to visible light and near infrared light received by the lens;

a controller operatively coupled to the image sensor and the display for controlling the image sensor and the display, and

a user interface operatively coupled to the controller for operating the controller.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the image sensor outputs an analog data signal, and further comprising a video decoder within the housing for receiving the analog data signal and outputting a digital video signal.

8. The device of claim 7, further comprising a video processor within the housing for receiving the digital video signal and formatting the digital video signal.

9. The device of claim 8, further comprising a statistically converging recurrent associative memory (SCRAM) device within the housing and associated with the video processor.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein the display has a resolution of at least about 1280 by 720 pixels.

11. A low-light viewing device, comprising:

a housing having a planar top surface;

opposing side walls which taper gradually outward from opposite edges of the top surface, and taper gradually inward to edges of a generally planar lower surface;

a lens mounted on one end of the housing;

a single image sensor within the housing for receiving light comprising visible light and near infrared light, said light focused by the lens along a single channel onto said single image sensor, said single image sensor providing an output signal responsive to visible light and near infrared light received by the lens;

a display for receiving the output signal and displaying an image based on the image detected by the single image sensor responsive to visible light and near infrared light received by the lens and mounted on an end of the housing opposite the lens;

a controller operatively coupled to the image sensor and the display for controlling the image sensor and the display, and

a user interface defined in the top surface of the housing and operatively coupled to the controller for operating the controller;

wherein the device is configured as a monocular.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein said side walls have thereon a resilient material having a high coefficient of friction.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the device further comprises a battery in the housing, a weight of the device being not more than about 20 ounces.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the housing is made of steel.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein:

the lens has an F number of less than about 1, and a T number of less than about 1.5;

the image sensor has a resolution of at least about 800 by 640 pixels;

the display has a resolution of at least about 1280 by 720 pixels;

the device comprises a battery in the housing; and

a weight of the device is not more than about 20 ounces.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the controller is adapted to provide camera settings to the image sensor and display settings to the display based on a selected light environment level.

17. A method for providing low-light viewing, comprising the steps of:

focusing, via a lens mounted on a housing, visible and infrared light on to a camera within the housing;

receiving a user selection of light environment level at a user interface on the housing;

providing control signals, based on the selected light environment level, from a controller in the housing to the camera and to a display within the housing;

implementing camera settings based on the control signals;

providing, from the camera, an output signal indicative of a focused image;

implementing display settings based on the control signals; and

displaying an image based on the output signal at the display.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said camera settings comprise one or more of:

integration, ALC/ELC, Level, AGC, Gain, Priority and Gamma.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said display settings comprise one or more of:

Brightness, Contrast, Sharpness, Gamma and offset.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the lens comprises a fixed focus lens having lens having an F number of less than about 1, and a T number of less than about 1.5.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the display has a resolution at least as great as the resolution of the camera.