JP2015033028A - Night vision device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a night vision device capable of more reliably preventing burn-in of an amplification unit.SOLUTION: A night vision device 100 comprises: an amplification unit 1 that amplifies incident light; an imaging unit 2 that captures an image on the basis of output light amplified by the amplification unit 1; and a control unit 3 that controls a gate of the amplification unit 1 on the basis of the output light of the amplification unit 1.

Description

  The present invention relates to a night vision device including an amplification unit.

  Conventionally, a night vision apparatus including an amplification unit is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  In Patent Document 1, an amplification unit that amplifies incident light, an imaging unit that captures an image based on output light amplified by the amplification unit, and a gain of the amplification unit are controlled based on the captured image. An image acquisition device (a night vision device) including a control unit is disclosed.

JP 2010-98427 A

  In the image acquisition device (night vision device) of Patent Document 1 described above, the gain of the amplification unit is controlled on the basis of the captured image to prevent the amplification unit from being burned to some extent, while the amplification unit is more burned. It is desirable to prevent it reliably.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and one object of the present invention is to provide a night vision apparatus that can more reliably prevent the amplification unit from being burned. is there.

  In order to achieve the above object, a night vision device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an amplification unit that amplifies incident light, an imaging unit that captures an image based on output light amplified by the amplification unit, and an amplification unit And control means for controlling the gate of the amplifying unit based on the output light.

  In the night vision device according to one aspect of the present invention, as described above, by providing the control means for controlling the gate of the amplification unit based on the output light of the amplification unit, the output light of the amplification unit is directly acquired. Since the gate of the amplification unit can be controlled, burn-in of the amplification unit can be more reliably prevented.

  In the night vision apparatus according to the above aspect, preferably, the control unit is configured to control the amplification unit and the imaging unit in a unified manner based on the output light of the amplification unit and the image captured by the imaging unit. Yes. With this configuration, the brightness adjustment can be performed smoothly without causing the operations of the amplification unit and the imaging unit to compete with each other by controlling the amplification unit and the imaging unit in a unified manner. It is possible to improve the sensitivity below, and even when excessive light is incident on the amplification unit, it is possible to prevent the amplification unit from being damaged due to image sticking or the like. In addition, by controlling the amplification unit and the imaging unit based on the image captured by the imaging unit, it is possible to detect a locally high-luminance portion in the captured image, so that the amplification unit causes burn-in. Can be effectively prevented.

  In the night vision apparatus according to the aforementioned aspect, the amplification unit is preferably configured to output a light amount monitor signal of the output light to the control means. If comprised in this way, since a control means can acquire the output light of an amplification part easily, the burning of an amplification part can be prevented easily and reliably.

  In the night vision apparatus according to the above aspect, the control unit is preferably configured to control the gate and the gain of the amplification unit based on the output light of the amplification unit. With this configuration, since the gate and gain of the amplification unit are controlled by the control unit, the gain of the amplification unit is controlled by controlling the gate of the amplification unit to easily prevent the amplification unit from being burned. Light can be appropriately amplified.

  In the night vision apparatus according to the above aspect, the control unit preferably includes a signal processing unit that is controlled by software and a control circuit as hardware that controls the amplification unit, and the output light amount of the amplification unit is the first. In the case of 1 level or more, the gate control of the amplification unit is switched from software control by the signal processing unit to hardware control by the control circuit. If configured in this way, when the output light amount of the amplifying unit approaches a level that causes burn-in, it is possible to switch to hardware control by a control circuit that is fast in processing, so compared with the case where gate control of the amplifying unit is performed by software control. The processing speed can be increased. Thereby, it can control rapidly so that an amplification part may not burn-in, and the amplification part can be prevented from being burned in reliably.

  In this case, preferably, the control circuit determines whether or not the output light amount of the amplification unit is equal to or higher than the first level. When the output light amount of the amplification unit is equal to or higher than the first level, the gate control of the amplification unit is performed as signal processing. Switching from software control by the control unit to hardware control by the control circuit. According to this configuration, the gate control of the amplification unit can be switched by hardware control by a control circuit having a high processing speed, so that the switching speed can be increased as compared with the case of switching by software control. Thereby, the burn-in of the amplification unit can be prevented more reliably.

  In the night vision apparatus according to the above aspect, preferably, the control unit locally has a pixel value of the second level or higher based on the analysis result of the image based on the output light of the amplification unit captured by the imaging unit. In this case, the gate and gain of the amplifying unit are controlled so that the pixel value of the image is less than the second level. With this configuration, it is possible to detect a locally high luminance portion in the image and prevent the amplification unit from locally burning.

  In the night vision apparatus according to the aforementioned aspect, the control unit preferably increases the gate-on time of the amplification unit per unit time based on the output light of the amplification unit when the gate of the amplification unit is in the off state or when the amplification unit is activated. It is configured to perform control. With this configuration, when the gate of the amplification unit is in the off state or when the amplification unit is activated, the gate on time of the amplification unit is increased while detecting the amount of output light amplified by the amplification unit. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the light from being excessively amplified and the amplification unit from being burned.

  In this case, preferably, the control unit is configured to output a gate control signal synchronized with the frame period of the imaging unit to the amplification unit to control the gate-on time of the amplification unit. With this configuration, it is possible to match the timing when the gate is turned on and the timing when the imaging unit images, so that the output light of the amplifying unit can be reliably imaged by the imaging unit.

  According to the present invention, as described above, it is possible to more reliably prevent the amplification unit from being burned.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a night vision apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the control part of the night vision apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the amplification part of the night vision apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating control of the gate of the night vision apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the brightness | luminance control processing of the night vision apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the return process from the gate-off state of the night vision apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, with reference to FIGS. 1-4, the structure of the night-vision apparatus 100 by one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the night vision device 100 includes an amplification unit 1, an imaging unit 2, a control unit 3, and an optical system 4. The control unit 3 is an example of the “control unit” in the present invention.

  The amplification unit 1 includes, for example, an image intensifier. The amplifying unit 1 is configured to amplify the light incident through the optical system 4 including the lens and output the amplified light to the imaging unit 2. The amplification unit 1 is configured to control the on / off of amplification of light incident on the amplification unit 1 by controlling the gate. The amplification unit 1 is configured to adjust the amplification degree of the output light with respect to the incident light by controlling the gain.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the amplification unit 1 includes a gain input terminal 11, a gate input terminal 12, a light amount monitor terminal 13, an amplification unit control circuit 14, a photocathode 15, and an MCP (micrometer). Channel plate) 16 and phosphor screen 17.

  The gain input terminal 11 is configured to receive a gain control signal output from the control unit 3. The gate input terminal 12 is configured to receive a gate control signal output from the control unit 3. The light amount monitor terminal 13 is configured to output a light amount monitor signal corresponding to the light amount of the light amplified by the amplification unit 1 to the control unit 3.

  The amplification unit control circuit 14 is configured to control the gain of the amplification unit 1 based on the gain control signal output from the control unit 3. Specifically, the amplification unit control circuit 14 is configured to control the amplification level of the output light by controlling the potentials of the photocathode 15, the MCP 16, and the phosphor screen 17.

  The amplifier control circuit 14 is configured to control the gate of the amplifier 1 based on the gate control signal output from the controller 3. Specifically, the amplifier control circuit 14 is configured to control the gate to turn on by applying a forward bias voltage between the photocathode 15 and the MCP 16. The amplifier control circuit 14 is configured to control the gate to be turned off by applying a reverse bias voltage between the photocathode 15 and the MCP 16. Thereby, even when excessive light is incident, if the gate is controlled to be off, electrons based on the incident light do not reach the MCP 16. That is, incident light is not amplified by the amplification unit 1.

  The amplification unit control circuit 14 is configured to output an electric signal based on the arrival of the multiplied electrons to the phosphor screen 17 to the control unit 3 via the light amount monitor terminal 13 as a light amount monitor signal. Yes.

  The photocathode 15 is configured to convert light into electrons based on the incident light of the amplifying unit 1. That is, the photocathode 15 is configured to output an amount of electrons corresponding to the amount of incident light to the MCP 16 side.

  The MCP 16 is configured to multiply the amount of electrons output from the photocathode 15. The MCP 16 is configured to output the multiplied electrons to the phosphor screen 17 side.

  The phosphor screen 17 is configured to convert electrons output from the MCP 16 into light. In other words, the fluorescent screen 17 is configured to output a light amount of light corresponding to the amount of incident electrons. The light output from the phosphor screen 17 is output to the imaging unit 2 via a fiber optic plate (not shown) or a relay lens (not shown).

  The imaging unit 2 includes a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor or a charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor. The imaging unit 2 is configured to capture an image based on the output light amplified by the amplification unit 1. In addition, the imaging unit 2 is configured so that the imaging parameters including the gain and the exposure time are controlled to adjust the luminance of the image to be captured.

  The control unit 3 is configured to control each unit of the night vision device 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 3 includes a CPU 31, an amplified light amount level determination unit 32, an image processing unit 33, a gate signal generation unit 34, and a switching circuit unit 35. The CPU 31 has a memory 311. The amplified light amount level determination unit 32 includes a memory 321, a determination unit 322, and a gate setting calculation unit 323. The CPU 31 is an example of the “signal processing unit” in the present invention, and the amplified light amount level determination unit 32 is an example of the “control circuit” in the present invention.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the control unit 3 is configured to control the gate of the amplification unit 1 based on the output light of the amplification unit 1. Further, the control unit 3 is configured to centrally control the amplification unit 1 and the imaging unit 2 based on the output light of the amplification unit 1 and the image captured by the imaging unit 2. Specifically, the control unit 3 is configured to control the gate and gain of the amplification unit 1 based on the output light of the amplification unit 1. Specifically, the control unit 3 outputs a gain control signal and a gate control signal to the amplification unit 1 based on the light amount monitor signal output from the amplification unit 1 to control the gate and gain of the amplification unit 1. It is configured as follows. The control unit 3 is configured to control the gain and exposure time of the imaging unit 2 based on the output light of the amplification unit 1 and the image captured by the imaging unit 2.

  The control unit 3 is configured to switch the gate control of the amplification unit 1 from software control by the CPU 31 to hardware control by the amplification light amount level determination unit 32 when the output light amount of the amplification unit 1 is equal to or higher than the first level. Has been. Specifically, the amplified light amount level determination unit 32 of the control unit 3 determines whether or not the output light amount of the amplification unit 1 is equal to or higher than the first level. The amplified light amount level determination unit 32 switches the switching circuit unit 35 when the output light amount of the amplification unit 1 is equal to or higher than the first level, and controls the gate of the amplification unit 1 from software control by the CPU 31 to the amplified light amount level determination unit. 32 to switch to hardware control. Note that the output light amount at the first level is set to an amplified light amount that may cause the amplification unit 1 to deteriorate (burn-in, etc.), for example.

  In addition, the control unit 3 determines that an image is obtained when the pixel value (luminance) of the image is locally equal to or higher than the second level based on the analysis result of the image based on the output light of the amplification unit 1 captured by the imaging unit 2. Is configured to control the gate and gain of the amplifying unit 1 so that the pixel value is less than the second level. Specifically, the control unit 3 calculates a histogram based on the image captured by the imaging unit 2. Further, the control unit 3 determines whether or not there is a pixel (region) whose pixel value is equal to or higher than the second level based on the calculated histogram. As the second level pixel value, for example, a pixel value (luminance) corresponding to an amplified light amount that may cause deterioration (burn-in) of the amplification unit 1 is set.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 3 determines the gate on time of the amplification unit 1 per unit time based on the output light of the amplification unit 1 when the gate of the amplification unit 1 is in the off state or when the amplification unit 1 is activated. It is comprised so that control to increase may be performed. The control unit 3 is configured to output a gate control signal synchronized with the frame period (for example, 60 Hz) of the imaging unit 2 to the amplification unit 1 to control the gate-on time of the amplification unit 1. .

  Specifically, the control unit 3 sets the minimum gate width of the gate of the amplifying unit 1 as shown in FIG. 4A as an initial value when the gate of the amplifying unit 1 is off or when the amplifying unit 1 is activated. (Pulse width (second)) and rate (number of gate-on times per second) are set. And the control part 3 performs control which increases the gate width and rate of the gate of the amplification part 1 based on the output light of the amplification part 1, as shown to (B)-(F) of FIG. 4A to 4D, the gate rate of the amplifying unit 1 is increased. Further, in FIGS. 4D to 4F, the gate width (pulse width) of the gate of the amplifying unit 1 is increased. Further, if the gate is turned on every imaging period (frame) of the imaging unit 2, the output light of the amplification unit 1 enters the imaging unit 2 in each frame, so that images can be captured in all frames.

  The CPU 31 is configured to control the gate and gain of the amplification unit 1 and the gain and exposure time of the imaging unit 2 based on the image captured by the imaging unit 2. Specifically, the CPU 31 is configured to control the gate and gain of the amplification unit 1 and the gain and exposure time of the imaging unit 2 based on the histogram of the captured image calculated by the image processing unit 33. ing. The CPU 31 is configured to calculate the gate setting of the amplification unit 1 based on the histogram and output the gate setting to the gate signal generation unit 34 via the switching circuit unit 35.

  Further, the CPU 31 generates a gain control signal output to the amplification unit 1 and a control signal output to the imaging unit 2 using software stored in the memory 311 to control the amplification unit 1 and the imaging unit 2. Is configured to do.

  The amplified light amount level determination unit 32 is configured to control the gate of the amplification unit 1 based on the output light of the amplification unit 1. Specifically, the gate setting calculation unit 323 of the amplified light amount level determination unit 32 calculates the gate setting of the amplification unit 1 based on the light amount monitor signal output from the amplification unit 1, and passes through the switching circuit unit 35. The gate setting is output to the gate signal generator 34.

  Further, the amplified light amount level determination unit 32 switches the switching circuit unit 35 based on the output light of the amplification unit 1 to control the gate of the amplification unit 1 by software control by the CPU 31 or hardware by the amplified light amount level determination unit 32. It is configured to switch to control. Specifically, the determination unit 322 of the amplified light amount level determination unit 32 is configured to switch the switching circuit unit 35 based on the light amount monitor signal output from the amplification unit 1.

  The gate signal generation unit 34 is configured to generate a gate control signal for the amplification unit 1 based on the gate setting output from the CPU 31 or the amplified light amount level determination unit 32. Further, the gate signal generation unit 34 is configured to output the generated gate control signal to the amplification unit 1.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the brightness control process by the control unit 3 of the night-vision device 100 of the present embodiment will be described. Note that the luminance control process is always performed while the amplification unit 1 is operating. Further, the processing of step S <b> 1 to step S <b> 3 is processed by the amplified light amount level determination unit 32 of the control unit 3. Further, the processes in steps S4 to S9 are processed by the CPU 31 of the control unit 3.

  In step S <b> 1, a light intensity monitor signal output from the amplification section 1 is acquired by the amplified light intensity level determination section 32 of the control section 3. Further, the gate control setting of the amplifying unit 1 is calculated. In step S2, it is determined whether the output light amount of the amplifying unit 1 is equal to or higher than the first level based on the acquired light amount monitor signal. If it is equal to or higher than the first level, the process proceeds to step S3. If it is lower than the first level, the switching circuit unit 35 is switched, and the control of the gate of the amplifier 1 is switched to software control by the CPU 31, and the process proceeds to step S5. .

  In step S3, the set gate control signal is output to the amplifying unit 1, and the output light amount of the amplifying unit 1 is controlled to be less than the first level. Then, it returns to step S1.

  In step S <b> 4, the image signal of the image captured by the imaging unit 2 is acquired by the CPU 31 of the control unit 3. In step S5, it is determined whether or not there is an area having a pixel value (luminance) of the second level or higher in the image corresponding to the acquired image signal. If there is an area above the second level, the process proceeds to step S6, and if there is no area above the second level, the process proceeds to step S8.

  In step S <b> 6, the gate setting of the amplifying unit 1 is calculated such that the region of the pixel value greater than or equal to the second level becomes a pixel value less than the second level. In step S <b> 7, the set gate control signal is output to the amplifying unit 1. Then, it returns to step S1.

  If there is no region with a pixel value equal to or higher than the second level, in step S8, a control signal for controlling the gate and gain of the amplification unit 1 based on the histogram calculated by the image processing unit 33, and the gate and exposure time of the imaging unit 2 And a control signal for controlling. In step S9, the set control signal is output to the amplification unit 1 and the imaging unit 2, respectively. Then, it returns to step S1.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 6, a description will be given of a return process from the amplifying unit gate-off state by the control unit 3 of the night vision apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. This restoration process is performed when the gate of the amplification unit 1 is in an off state or when the amplification unit 1 is activated. Further, the processing of step S11 to step S16 is processed by the amplified light amount level determination unit 32 of the control unit 3. Further, the processing of step S17 to step S23 is processed by the CPU 31 of the control unit 3.

  In step S11, as shown in FIG. 4A, the minimum value of the amplification unit 1 is set as an initial value when the amplification light amount level determination unit 32 of the control unit 3 returns the gate of the amplification unit 1 from the always-off state. The gate width (pulse width (second)) and rate (number of gates on per second) are set. In step S <b> 12, the set gate control signal is output to the amplification unit 1.

  In step S13, a light amount monitor signal output from the amplifying unit 1 is acquired. In step S14, based on the acquired light quantity monitor signal, it is determined whether or not the output light quantity of the amplifying unit 1 is equal to or higher than the first level. If it is equal to or higher than the first level, the process proceeds to step S15. If it is lower than the first level, the switching circuit unit 35 is switched, and the control of the gate of the amplifier 1 is switched to software control by the CPU 31, and the process proceeds to step S18. .

  In step S15, it is determined whether or not the gate setting of the amplifying unit 1 is the minimum gate width and rate setting. That is, it is determined whether or not the gate setting is a setting as an initial value. If the minimum gate width and rate are set, the process returns to step S12. If the minimum gate width and rate are not set, the gate width or rate is reduced in step S16. Then, it returns to step S12.

  In step S <b> 17, the image signal of the image synchronized with the gate output is acquired by the CPU 31 of the control unit 3. That is, an image of a frame captured while the gate of the amplification unit 1 is turned on is acquired. In step S18, it is determined whether or not there is a region having a pixel value (luminance) of the second level or higher in the image corresponding to the acquired image signal. If there is an area above the second level, the process proceeds to step S19, and if there is no area above the second level, the process proceeds to step S21.

  In step S19, it is determined whether or not the gate setting of the amplifying unit 1 is the minimum gate width and rate setting. That is, it is determined whether or not the gate setting is a setting as an initial value. If the minimum gate width and rate are set, the process returns to step S12. If it is not the minimum gate width and rate setting, the gate width or rate setting is reduced in step S20. Then, it returns to step S12.

  In step S21, it is determined whether or not the gate setting of the amplifying unit 1 is in the low illuminance operation setting range. That is, it is determined whether or not the output light amount of the amplifying unit 1 is small and it is necessary to amplify the light. If it is not in the low illuminance operation setting range, the gate width or rate is increased in step S22. Then, it returns to step S12. If it is in the low illuminance operation setting range, it shifts to the low illuminance operation mode. Thereafter, the return processing from the amplification unit gate-off state is terminated.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, by providing the control unit 3 that controls the gate of the amplification unit 1 based on the output light of the amplification unit 1, the output light of the amplification unit 1 is directly acquired to obtain the amplification unit 1. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the amplification unit 1 from being burned in.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the control unit 3 controls the amplification unit 1 and the imaging unit 2 in a unified manner based on the output light of the amplification unit 1 and the image captured by the imaging unit 2. Configure. As a result, by controlling the amplification unit 1 and the imaging unit 2 in a centralized manner, brightness adjustment can be performed smoothly without causing the operations of the amplification unit 1 and the imaging unit 2 to compete with each other. It is possible to improve the sensitivity below, and even when excessive light is incident on the amplification unit 1, it is possible to prevent the amplification unit 1 from being damaged due to burn-in or the like. Further, by controlling the amplification unit 1 and the imaging unit 2 based on the image captured by the imaging unit 2, it is possible to detect a locally high luminance portion in the captured image. It is possible to effectively prevent seizing.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the amplifying unit 1 is configured to output the light amount monitor signal of the output light to the control unit 3. Thereby, since the control part 3 can acquire the output light of the amplification part 1 easily, the burning of the amplification part 3 can be prevented easily and reliably.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the control unit 3 is configured to control the gate and gain of the amplification unit 1 based on the output light of the amplification unit 1. As a result, since the gate and gain of the amplifying unit 1 are controlled by the control unit 3, the gain of the amplifying unit 1 is controlled while controlling the gate of the amplifying unit 1 to easily prevent the amplifying unit 1 from being burned. Incident light can be appropriately amplified.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the control unit 3 controls the gate of the amplification unit 1 from the software control by the CPU 31 when the output light amount of the amplification unit 1 is equal to or higher than the first level. 32 to switch to hardware control. As a result, when the output light amount of the amplification unit 1 approaches a level that causes burn-in, the control can be switched to hardware control by the control unit 3 that is fast in processing, so that the gate control of the amplification unit 1 is controlled by software control. The processing speed can be increased. Thereby, it can control rapidly so that the amplification part 1 may not burn-in, and the burn-in of the amplification part 1 can be surely prevented.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the amplified light amount level determination unit 32 determines whether the output light amount of the amplification unit 1 is equal to or higher than the first level, and the output light amount of the amplification unit 1 is equal to or higher than the first level. In this case, the control of the gate of the amplifying unit 1 is switched from the software control by the CPU 31 to the hardware control by the amplified light quantity level determining unit 32. Thereby, the control of the gate of the amplifying unit 1 can be switched by hardware control with a fast process performed by the amplified light amount level determining unit 32, so that the switching speed can be increased as compared with the case of switching by software control. Thereby, the burn-in of the amplification unit 1 can be more reliably prevented.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the control unit 3 causes the pixel value (luminance) of the image to be locally determined based on the analysis result of the image based on the output light of the amplification unit 1 imaged by the imaging unit 2. In the case of the second level or higher, the gate and gain of the amplifying unit 1 are controlled so that the pixel value of the image is less than the second level. As a result, it is possible to detect a locally high luminance portion in the image and prevent the amplification unit 1 from locally burning.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the control unit 3 controls the amplification unit 1 of the amplification unit 1 per unit time based on the output light of the amplification unit 1 when the gate of the amplification unit 1 is off or when the amplification unit 1 is activated. Control is performed to increase the gate-on time. Thereby, when the gate of the amplifying unit 1 is in the off state or when the amplifying unit 1 is activated, the gate-on time of the amplifying unit 1 is increased while detecting the amount of output light amplified by the amplifying unit 1. It is possible to prevent the light from being excessively amplified by 1 and causing the amplification unit 1 to burn-in.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the control unit 3 outputs a gate control signal synchronized with the frame period of the imaging unit 2 to the amplification unit 1 to control the gate-on time of the amplification unit 1. Configure. Thereby, the timing at which the gate is turned on and the timing at which the imaging unit 2 captures images can be matched, so that the output light of the amplification unit 1 can be reliably captured by the imaging unit 2.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description of the embodiments but by the scope of claims for patent, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims for patent.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the example in which the amplification unit includes the image intensifier has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the amplifying unit may be other than the image intensifier as long as the incident light can be amplified.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the CPU (signal processing unit) and the amplified light amount level determination unit (control circuit) are provided in the same control unit has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the signal processing unit and the control circuit may be provided separately. Further, as a form in which software processing of the CPU (signal processing unit) is configured by an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), higher-speed processing may be realized.

  In the above embodiment, an example of a configuration in which the gate width (pulse width) is increased after increasing the gate rate (number of times the gate is turned on per second) when the gate of the amplifier is in the off state or when the amplifier is activated. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, when the gate of the amplifying unit is in the off state or when the amplifying unit is activated, for example, the gate width may be increased and then the gate rate may be increased, or the gate width and the gate rate are increased in parallel. You may let them.

  In the above embodiment, the control unit (control unit) controls the gate and gain of the amplification unit and the gain and exposure time of the imaging unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this. . In the present invention, as long as the control unit controls the amplification unit and the imaging unit in an integrated manner, the gate and gain of the amplification unit and the gain and exposure time of the imaging unit may be controlled. For example, the sensitivity of the imaging unit, and further, a mechanical aperture may be disposed in the optical system 4 to control the aperture value.

  In the above embodiment, an example of a configuration in which the frame period of the imaging unit is 60 Hz is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the frame period of the imaging unit may be other than 60 Hz.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the process of the control means (control part) of this invention was demonstrated using the flow drive type flowchart which processes in order along a process flow for convenience of explanation, this invention is not limited to this. Not limited. In the present invention, the processing operation of the control means may be performed by event driven type (event driven type) processing in which processing is executed in units of events. In this case, it may be performed by a complete event drive type or a combination of event drive and flow drive.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Amplification part 2 Imaging part 3 Control part (control means)
31 CPU (signal processing unit)
32 Amplified light level determination unit (control circuit)
100 Night-vision device

Claims (9)

An amplifying unit for amplifying incident light;
An imaging unit that captures an image based on the output light amplified by the amplification unit;
A night vision device comprising: control means for controlling a gate of the amplification unit based on output light of the amplification unit.   2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to centrally control the amplification unit and the imaging unit based on output light of the amplification unit and an image captured by the imaging unit. Night vision device.   The night vision device according to claim 1, wherein the amplification unit is configured to output a light amount monitor signal of output light to the control unit.   The night vision apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control a gate and a gain of the amplifying unit based on output light of the amplifying unit.   The control means includes a signal processing unit that is controlled by software, and a control circuit as hardware that controls the amplification unit, and when the output light amount of the amplification unit is equal to or higher than a first level, The night vision apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein gate control is configured to switch from software control by the signal processing unit to hardware control by the control circuit.   The control circuit determines whether the output light amount of the amplifying unit is equal to or higher than the first level. When the output light amount of the amplifying unit is equal to or higher than the first level, the control circuit performs gate control of the amplifying unit on the signal. The night vision apparatus according to claim 5, configured to switch from software control by a processing unit to hardware control by the control circuit.   When the pixel value of the image is locally greater than or equal to the second level based on the analysis result of the image based on the output light of the amplification unit captured by the imaging unit, the control unit determines that the pixel value of the image The night vision apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the night vision apparatus is configured to control a gate and a gain of the amplifying unit so as to be less than two levels.   The control means is configured to perform control to increase the gate on time of the amplification unit per unit time based on the output light of the amplification unit when the gate of the amplification unit is in an off state or when the amplification unit is activated. The night vision apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.   The darkness according to claim 8, wherein the control unit is configured to output a gate control signal synchronized with a frame period of the imaging unit to the amplifying unit to control a gate-on time of the amplifying unit. Visual device.

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