Apparatus for adding electronic display information to a night vision goggle display

• US 4,000,419 A
• Filed: 09/26/1975
• Issued: 12/28/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
• Original Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
• Inventors: Shupe, Norman K., Dasaro, Joseph A., Crost, Munsey E., Reingold, Irving
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David C.
• Application Number:
  US05/617,205
• Time in Patent Office: 459 Days
• Field of Search: 250/216, 250/213 R, 250/213 VT, 250/330, 250/333, 250/227, 356/12, 356/13, 356/247
• US Class Current: 250/214.0VT
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/10 reflecting into the field of view additional indications, e.g. from collimator
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/125 head-mounted

Abstract

The described apparatus employs the image intensifier tube assemblies of ht vision goggles for nighttime viewing, but bypasses one of these assemblies in additionally injecting pictorial or electronically generated information at a comfortable light level.

Claims

1. In combination:

a pair of night vision goggles of the type used to view an object scene of low light-intensity and containing two monocular assemblies, each having in the optical path thereof an objective lens, an image intensifier tube assembly, and an eyepiece lens; and

means for viewing auxiliary information in addition to said object scene and including reflecting means for selectively injecting the auxiliary information at a position in said optical path of said night vision goggles subsequent to the eyepiece of at least one of said two monocular assemblies.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said reflecting means is totally reflective.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said reflecting means includes a right-angled reflecting prism for blocking the optical path through said one of said two monocular assemblies with which said prism is operative.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said reflecting means further includes means for inserting an optical material into the optical path of the other said two monocular assemblies of index of refraction substantially equal to that of said reflecting prism.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said viewing means includes display-tube means at which the auxiliary information is first generated for viewing and fiber-optic conduit means for coupling said display-tube image for injection at said optical-path position of the night vision goggles.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said display tube means includes a cathode-ray tube having a fiber-optic faceplate, which is contact-coupled to the fiber-optic conduit.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein lens means are included to magnify the displayed image coupled via said fiber-optic conduit means, and to focus said image at infinity.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said display tube means includes a cathode-ray tube having a fiber-optic faceplate and wherein a transfer lens is included to project the image from said faceplate upon said fiber-optic conduit means.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said injecting means includes a semi-transparent reflecting means operative to inject the auxiliary information at a point subsequent to the eyepiece of one of said monocular assemblies, and before the eyes of the person viewing said object scene, so that the auxiliary information is viewed superimposed on the image of the object scene seen through the goggles.