Night Vision Apparatus

• US 20090101820A1
• Filed: 03/26/2007
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Nakata, Takatoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,767,964 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/330
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means

Abstract

A night visional apparatus is provided that can assist in enlarging the field of view at night or in bad weather, and can obtain image with high sensitivity over a range from a vicinity of the apparatus to a distant area. The night vision apparatus includes a headlamp having one or two or more light sources, to emit light ranging from a visible light region to an infrared light region, a plurality of peaks exiting in a wavelength spectrum in the visible light region; an imaging camera that received light emitted from the illuminating device; and an optical band elimination filter that blocks only a part of peaks among the plurality of peaks. An output image is obtained based on an image captured by the imaging camera through the optical band elimination filter.

Claims

1. A night vision apparatus, comprising:

an illuminating device having one light source or two or more light sources, to emit light ranging from a visible light region to an infrared light region, a plurality of peaks existing in a wavelength spectrum in the visible light region;

an imaging camera that receives light emitted from the illuminating device; and

an optical band elimination filter that blocks only a part of peaks among the plurality of peaks,

wherein an output image is obtained based on an image captured by the imaging camera through the optical band elimination filter.

2. The night vision apparatus of claim 1, wherein a number of the peaks is at least three, and the optical band elimination filter cuts only a peak having a highest intensity among the at least three peaks.

3. The night vision apparatus of claim 1, wherein a number of the peaks is at least three, and the optical band elimination filter cuts only a peak having a highest intensity and a peak having a second highest intensity among the at least three peaks.

4. The night vision apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light sources comprise a high intensity discharge lamp and a halogen lamp.

5. The night vision apparatus of claim 4, wherein a light-blocking band of the optical band elimination filter has a half maximum of a blocking ratio in a wavelength band of 490 to 570 nm.

6. The night vision apparatus of claim 4, wherein a light-blocking band of the optical band elimination filter has a half maximum of a blocking ratio in a wavelength band of 530 to 610 nm.

7. The night vision apparatus of claim 5, wherein a light-blocking band width of the optical band elimination filter is 50 to 100 nm.

8. The night vision apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical band elimination filter has two light-blocking bands that differ in cutoff wavelength, which is a wavelength at which a blocking ratio is a half maximum.

9. A vehicle equipped with a night vision apparatus, in which the night vision apparatus of claim 1 is equipped.

10. A small boat equipped with a night vision apparatus, in which the night vision apparatus of claim 1 is equipped.