RU2711628C1 - Night vision goggles - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: optics.SUBSTANCE: goggles comprise two observation branches for television and thermal imaging ranges, each of which includes a control unit, an eyepiece and a microdisplay disposed in its object plane, as well as protective glass and rectangular prism with reflecting facets, behind each of which there is a lens and an image conversion system of television and thermal imaging branches, respectively. Optical axes of the lenses are parallel to each other and located above the microdisplays in the horizontal plane perpendicular to the optical axes of the eyepieces. Power supply elements are located between the microdisplays, and the control unit is built into the image conversion systems. RelationsX=(1.0÷2.0)⋅Hare fulfilled, where Y is distance between eyepiece and lens optical axes in vertical plane; His micro-display size in vertical plane; His maximum diameter of television or thermal imaging observation branches; X is distance between input optical axes of television and thermal imaging branches of image conversion in horizontal plane.EFFECT: simplification of design, reduction of overall dimensions in vertical and horizontal directions, as well as reduction of distance between input optical axes of television and thermal imaging branches.1 cl, 2 dwg

Description

The present invention relates to the field of optoelectronic technology and can be used as a monitoring device day and night in a wide variety of operating conditions, to search for victims of industrial and natural disasters in conditions of limited visibility, to control the movement of vehicles and people, for services protection of various objects, determining the places of possible fires, for aiming and firing from cover at any time, etc.

Known pseudobinocular night vision goggles that provide the ability to observe objects by their reflected and their own thermal radiation (patent RU 2242777 C1, publ. 20.12.2004), containing an input lens, an electron-optical converter and a pseudobinocular system, including a magnifier and a rectangular prism that matches two identical optical branches at its output. It also contains an additional magnifier, an indicator and a removable module of a matrix photodetector with an infrared lens at the input, the output of which is connected to the indicator input. A rectangular prism is mounted rotatable 90 ° relative to the optical axis of the pseudobinocular system.

The disadvantage of these night vision goggles is the impossibility of simultaneously observing objects in a combined mode that combines thermal imaging and electron-optical images, as well as a significant overall dimension along the axis of sight, due to the sequential arrangement of the components of the night goggles, which makes it difficult to use them in the control compartments of combat vehicles when driving and when walking in a wooded area.

The closest in technical essence are night vision goggles (options) containing two observation branches, each of which includes a lens, a photodetector array with a maximum sensitivity in the infrared region of the spectrum, a control unit, a monitor, an eyepiece and a flat mirror mounted at an angle to the axis an eyepiece between him and his exit pupil (patent RU 2279110 C1, publ. 06/27/2006). In one of the night vision goggle variants, the matrix photodetector is made in one observation branch with a maximum sensitivity in the wavelength range of 0.9 ... 1.1 μm, and in the other branch either in the wavelength range of 3 ... 5 μm, or 8 ... 12 μm, and the lenses of these observation branches are made of a material transparent to the wavelength range, respectively, either 3 ... 5 μm, or 8 ... 12 μm. Here it is possible to simultaneously observe images of poorly lit terrain and a thermal imaging image of people or warm-blooded animals disguised in the terrain, which is especially important for scouts and hunters.

The disadvantage of these night vision goggles is the complexity of the design, as well as the large overall dimensions due to the sequential arrangement of the components in both vertical and horizontal directions. So, in the vertical direction in each of the channels there is a prism, an eyepiece and a screen, and above them are the image conversion channels in versions (television, thermal imaging, electron-optical) containing mirror elements and photodetectors. Accordingly, in the horizontal direction, channel lenses and photodetectors, or refractive (reflective) elements, are arranged sequentially along the axis of sight. Note that the lenses here are shown very conditionally in the form of a schematic image of two glued lenses; in practice, these are complex multi-lens systems with an extended size along the optical axis, to which a working segment and the size of the photodetector, or the distance to the refracting (reflecting) element and its size are added. As a result, the sizes of night vision goggles also increase in the vertical direction. Another disadvantage is the significant distance between the input optical axes of the television and thermal imaging channels of the image conversion, which is almost equal to the base of the observer's eyes (~ 64 ÷ 65 mm), since each channel is located above one of the eyepieces. This does not allow efficient use of the mode of simultaneous (integrated) observation of television and thermal imaging images, since there is certainly ghosting at all distances other than the factory alignment distance at which the channel axes are reduced (“Practice of the designer of optoelectronic equipment and technology night vision ”, Medvedev A.V., Grinkevich A.V., Knyazeva S.N., OJSC“ Rostov Optical and Mechanical Plant ”, 2013, chapter 1.2.2). Also, the overall dimensions of the batteries, which occupy a significant amount of space during the layout, are not taken into account.

The objective of the present invention is to simplify the design, reduce the overall dimensions in the vertical and horizontal directions, taking into account the built-in batteries, as well as reduce the distance between the input optical axes of the television and thermal imaging branches of the image conversion.

The technical result due to the task is achieved by the fact that in night vision goggles containing two branches of observation for different spectral ranges - television and thermal imaging, each of which includes a lens and an image conversion system, a control unit, an eyepiece and a microdisplay located in the subject plane the eyepiece, unlike the known one, contains a protective glass and a rectangular prism with reflective faces, behind each of which a lens and a pre imaging of the television and thermal imaging branches of the observation, respectively, whereby the microdisplay, eyepiece, exit pupil of the eyepiece and the eye of the observer of each branch are located on the same optical axis, and the optical axes of the lenses of the television and thermal imaging branches are parallel to each other and are located above the microdisplays in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the eyepieces , batteries are located between the microdisplays, and the control unit is integrated in the image conversion systems, while the following relationships:

where: Y is the distance between the optical axes of the eyepieces and lenses in a vertical plane;

N _ppm - the size of the microdisplay in a vertical plane;

H _{vol. Max.} - the maximum diameter of the lens of the television or thermal imaging branches of observation;

X is the distance between the input optical axes of the television and thermal imaging branches of the image transformation in the horizontal plane.

Such night vision goggles provide simplification of the design, reduction of overall dimensions in the vertical and horizontal directions, taking into account the built-in batteries, as well as reducing the distance between the input optical axes of the television and thermal imaging branches of the image conversion.

The layout of the night vision goggles is shown in figure 1, the placement of night vision goggles on the head of the observer is shown in figure 2.

Night vision goggles contain two microdisplays 1 and 4, two eyepieces 2 and 3, a television image conversion system consisting of a television photodetector 5 and a television lens 6, a common protective glass 7, a rectangular prism 8 with reflective faces, a thermal imaging image conversion system consisting their thermal imaging lens 9 and thermal imaging photodetector 10, batteries 11 and 12. In FIG. 1 also shows the input optical axis "I" and "II" of the television and thermal imaging branches of the image conversion, respectively.

The figure 2 shows the location of the night vision goggles on the head of the observer 13, and also shows the input optical axis "I" and "II" of the television and thermal imaging branches of the image conversion.

The principle of operation of night vision goggles is as follows.

Previously, the glasses are installed (fixed) in front of the observer's eyes so that the exit pupils of the eyepieces 2 and 3 are aligned with the eyes of the observer 13. After turning on the power to the glasses by axial movement of the microdisplays 1 and 4 (or axial movement of the eyepieces 2 and 3), they are introduced into each of the observation branches diopter adjustment for the individual characteristics of each eye of the observer 13 to a sharp image of the microdisplays 1 and 4. The diameters of the exit pupils of the eyepieces 2 and 3 are calculated with an enlarged size to compensate Vat different magnitude interpupillary distance for 13 different observers.

The optical axis of the lenses 6 and 9 of the television and thermal imaging branches, respectively, are installed parallel to each other and are located in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the eyepieces 2 and 3, while the following ratio is true:

where: Y is the distance between the optical axes of the eyepieces 2, 3 and lenses 6 and 9 in the vertical plane;

H _ppm - the size of the microdisplay 1 or 4 in a vertical plane;

H _{vol. Max.} - the maximum diameter of the television lens 6 or thermal imaging 9 branches of observation.

The fulfillment of this ratio minimizes the vertical overall size of night vision goggles, and the location of the lenses 6 and 9 of the observation branches above the microdisplays 1 and 4 together with the location of the batteries 11 and 12 between the microdisplays 1 and 4 minimizes the horizontal overall size.

The radiation from the object of observation in the “I” direction passes through the protective glass 7 and is reflected from one of the faces of the rectangular prism 8, focusing by the television lens 6 on the television photodetector 5. The control unit integrated in the television photodetector 5 eliminates distortion (mirror image rotation ) introduced by the face of the rectangular prism 8. Radiation from the object of observation in the direction “II” passes through the protective glass 7 and is reflected from the other face of the rectangular prism 8, focusing heat a zion lens 9 on a thermal imaging photodetector 10. A control unit integrated in a thermal imaging photodetector 10 eliminates distortion (mirror image rotation) introduced by a face of a rectangular prism 8. Images of objects are formed on the screens of microdisplays 1 and 4 taking into account their “inversion” on the faces prisms 8, respectively, while the following relationship is true:

X = (1,0 ÷ 2,0) ⋅H _r.max. ,

where: X is the distance between the input optical axes "I" and "II" of the television and thermal imaging branches of the image transformation in the horizontal plane;

H _{vol. Max.} - the maximum diameter of the television lens 6 or thermal imaging 9 branches of observation.

The fulfillment of this ratio allows us to reduce the distance between the input optical axes “I” and “II” of the television and thermal imaging branches of the image conversion, which, in turn, allows more efficient use of the mode of simultaneous (integrated) observation of television and thermal imaging images on each of the microdisplays 1 and 4, since in this case the effect of image doubling at all distances other than the distance at which the axes “I” and “II” are reduced is proportionally reduced.

Taking the size of the microdisplay 1 or 4 in a vertical plane N _ppm = 16 mm (for the microdisplay type MDO 02), the maximum diameter of the television lens 6 or thermal imaging 9 branches of observation N _rev.max. = 15 mm, we obtain the calculated value of the minimum possible distance “Y” between the optical axes of the eyepieces 2, 3 and lenses 6 and 9 in the vertical plane will be 15.5 ÷ 31 mm, which reduces the vertical overall size of night vision goggles by 2 times.

The smallest possible distance “X” between the input optical axes “I” and “II” in the horizontal plane is 15–30 mm, which is significantly less than the existing (64–65 mm) and reduces the effect of image doubling by ~ 2 times when using the simultaneous mode ( integrated) observation of television and thermal imaging images on each of the microdisplays 1 and 4.

Thus, the inventive night vision goggles simplified the design by reducing the number of mirror-prismatic elements to one (using one rectangular prism with mirror faces), reduced overall dimensions in the vertical and horizontal directions due to the changed arrangement of optical components taking into account the built-in elements power, and also reduced the distance between the input optical axes of the television and thermal imaging branches of the image conversion due to the use of Nia closely spaced rectangular prism mirror facets on the radiation input in the television lens and thermal branches.

Claims (6)

Night vision goggles containing two branches of observation for different spectral ranges - television and thermal imaging, each of which includes a lens and an image conversion system, a control unit, an eyepiece and a microdisplay located in the objective plane of the eyepiece, characterized in that they contain a protective glass and a rectangular prism with reflecting faces, behind each of which a lens and a system for converting the image of the television and thermal imaging branches of observation are respectively mounted moreover, the microdisplay, eyepiece, exit pupil of the eyepiece and eye of the observer of each branch are located on the same optical axis, and the optical axes of the lenses of the television and thermal imaging branches are parallel to each other and are located above the microdisplays in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the eyepieces, the batteries are located between the microdisplays, and the control unit is built into the image conversion system, while the following relationships are true:

where Y is the distance between the optical axes of the eyepieces and lenses in a vertical plane; H _MD - the size of the microdisplay in a vertical plane; H _{vol. Max.} - the maximum diameter of the lens of the television or thermal imaging branches of observation; X is the distance between the input optical axes of the television and thermal imaging branches of the image transformation in the horizontal plane.

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