Night Vision Technology

What's night vision technology

"Night Vision is that
technology that provides us
with the miracle of vision
in total darkness and the
improvement of vision in
low light environments.
The most common
methods as described below
are
Low-Light Imaging,
Thermal Imaging

Intensified SLR camera

operational schematic

Ways of working
Works in 2 different ways:
1.Image enhancement- This works by collecting the tiny amounts
of light including the lower portion of the infrared light
spectrum, those are present but may be imperceptible to our
eyes, and amplifying it to the point that we can easily observe
the image.( low light imaging)
2:Thermal imaging- This technology operates by capturing the
upper portion of the infrared light spectrum, which is emitted
as heat by objects instead of simply reflected as light. Hotter
objects, such as warm bodies, emit more of this light than
cooler objects like trees or buildings.
Thermal imaging operates by capturing the upper portion of
the infrared light spectrum
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Low light imaging:

Today, the most popular and well known
method of performing night vision is
based on the use of image intensifiers.
Image intensifier tube
An electro-optical device which converts
photons to electrons, amplifies them, then
converts them back to photons so the user can
see at light levels that are normally too low.

Image intensifiers
How they work: This method of
night vision amplifies the available
light to achieve better vision. An
objective lens focuses available
light (photons) on the photocathode
of an image intensifier. The light
energy causes electrons to be
released from the cathode which are
accelerated by an electric field to
increase their speed (energy level).
These electrons enter holes in a
micro channel plate and bounce off
the internal specially-coated walls
which generate more electrons as
the electrons bounce through. This
creates a denser cloud of
electrons representing an intensified
version of the original image.

Image intensifier tube

Thermal Imaging
Different from low-light
imaging methods of night
vision (which require some
ambient light in order to
produce an image), thermal
imaging night vision methods
do not require any ambient
light at all.
They operate on the principle
that all objects emit infrared
energy as a function of their
temperature. In general, the
hotter an object is, the more
radiation it emits.

A color thermal image of dog

Black and white thermal image of

docked boat

How thermal imaging works

thermal image works

Generations 0&1
Generation 0 uses
active infrared.
This means that a
projection unit called an
IR illuminator is
attached to the NVD.

Generation 1 uses
passive infrared.
Once dubbed
Starlight by the U.S.
army, these NVDs
use ambient light
provided by the moon
and stars to augment
the normal amounts
of reflected infrared in
the environment.
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Generations 2&3
Generation 2 .
The biggest gain in
generation 2 is the ability
to see in extremely low
light conditions, such as
moonless night. This
increased sensitivity is
due to the addition of the
micro channel plate to the
image-intensifier tube

Generation 3 The
latest and greatest NVD
technology, generation 3
is currently used by the
U.S. military
They have even better
resolution and sensitivity.
This is because the photo
cathode is made using
gallium arsenide, which is
very efficient in converting
photons to electrons.
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Equipment

Scopes - Normally handheld or

mounted on a weapon, scopes
are monocular
Goggles - While goggles can be
handheld, they are most often worn
on the head. Goggles are binocular
Cameras - Cameras with nightvision technology can send the
image to a monitor for display or to
a VCR for recording. When nightvision capability is desired in a
permanent location, such as on a
building or as part of the equipment
in a helicopter, cameras

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Applications

Military
Law enforcement
Hunting
Wildlife observation
Surveillance
Security
Navigation
Hidden-object detection
Entertainment

images

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Conclusion
Think of what happens when this night
vision technology falls into the hands of
hijackers or terrorists or rival forces ?
Thus just like other technologies, its a
boon when used in a right way but poses
a curse when misled

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References
1. http://www.engineersgarage.com/articles/night-visiontechnology?page=6
2. Unknown author, Night Vision Goggles. Global
Security. 11/10/2008
<http://www.global securities.org>
3. Unknown author, How Night Vision Works. How Stuff
Works. 11/11/2008
<http://electronics.howstuffworks.com>

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