Color night vision cameras, systems, and methods thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12167182-B2
Application number	US-202418417770-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2024
Priority date	Jun 3, 2014
Publication date	Dec 10, 2024
Grant date	Dec 10, 2024

Abstract

Disclosed are improved methods, systems and devices for color night vision that reduce the number of intensifiers and/or decrease noise. In some embodiments, color night vision is provided in system in which multiple spectral bands are maintained, filtered separately, and then recombined in a unique three-lens-filtering setup. An illustrative four-camera night vision system is unique in that its first three cameras separately filter different bands using a subtractive Cyan, Magenta and Yellow (CMY) color filtering-process, while its fourth camera is used to sense either additional IR illuminators or a luminance channel to increase brightness. In some embodiments, the color night vision is implemented to distinguish details of an image in low light. The unique application of the three-lens subtractive CMY filtering allows for better photon scavenging and preservation of important color information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming device, comprising:
a first intensifier assembly associated with an eyepiece, wherein a plurality of filters are distributed throughout the first intensifier assembly such that the first intensifier assembly produces a first filtered spectral band output;
a second intensifier assembly associated with an eyepiece, wherein the second intensifier assembly is configured along an optical path and positioned upstream, in the optical path, in relation to a downstream filter such that the downstream filter produces a second filtered spectral band output;
a first beamsplitter, configured to receive the first filtered spectral band output, and in response, produce a first resulting spectral band beam and a second resulting spectral band beam;
an imaging device, coupled to the first beamsplitter, configured to receive the first resulting spectral band beam and produce digitized output based on the received first resulting spectral band beam;
a computer, operably coupled to the imaging device, configured to receive the digitized output and reconstruct color information for input to a plurality of displays,
a first display of the plurality of displays, operably coupled to the computer, wherein the first display is configured to receive the reconstructed color information, and in response, emit a first spectral band display output;
a second display of the plurality of displays, operably coupled to the computer, wherein the second display is configured to receive the reconstructed color information, and in response thereto, emit a second spectral band display output;
a second beamsplitter, wherein the second beamsplitter is configured to receive display output from the first display, receive the second resulting spectral band beam from the first beamsplitter, and provide a combination of the emitted first spectral band display output and the second resulting spectral band beam for viewing at the eyepiece associated with the first intensifier assembly.

2. The image forming device of claim 1 , further comprising a third beam splitter, wherein the third beamsplitter is configured to receive display output from the second display, receive the second filtered spectral band output from the downstream filter, and provide a combination of the emitted second spectral band display output and the second filtered spectral band output for viewing at the eyepiece associated with the second intensifier assembly.

3. The image forming device of claim 1 , wherein the downstream filter comprises a neutral density filter.

4. The image forming device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of filters distributed throughout the first intensifier assembly comprise cyan, magenta, yellow, and infra-red (CMY+IR) filters.

5. The image forming device of claim 4 , wherein the reconstructed color information comprises red and blue information reconstructed from (CMY+IR) filter output.

6. The image forming device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of filters distributed throughout the first intensifier assembly comprise a majority of green filters.

7. The image forming device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of filters distributed throughout the first intensifier assembly comprise cyan, magenta, yellow, and infra-red (CMY+IR) filters interspersed with green filters.

8. The image forming device of claim 1 , wherein the reconstructed color information comprises red and blue information.

9. The image forming device of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of displays are configured to emit textual or graphical overlays along with reconstructed color information as spectral band display output.

10. The image forming device of claim 1 , wherein the downstream filter is configured to reduce an output of an incoming spectral band to match a loss suffered by the first filtered spectral band output from the first beamsplitter.

11. The image forming device of claim 1 , wherein the first beamsplitter is a 45-degree beamsplitter.

12. An image forming method comprising the steps of:
receiving a first incoming spectral band beam at a first intensifier assembly associated with an eyepiece;
receiving a second incoming spectral band beam at a second intensifier assembly associated with an eyepiece;
producing a filtered first spectral band beam by filtering the first incoming spectral band beam via a plurality of filters distributed throughout the first intensifier assembly;
producing a filtered second spectral band beam by filtering the second incoming spectral band beam after exiting the second intensifier assembly via a downstream filter coupled to the second intensifier assembly;
splitting the filtered first incoming spectral band beam into a first resultant spectral band beam and a second resultant spectral band beam;
digitizing the first resultant spectral band beam via an imaging sensor;
reconstructing color information from the digitized first resultant spectral band beam via a computer;
emitting the reconstructed color information as spectral band display output at a plurality of displays;
combining emitted spectral band display output from one of the plurality of displays with the second resultant spectral band beam and providing the combination to the eyepiece associated with the first intensifier assembly for viewing.

13. The image forming method of claim 12 , further comprising the step of combining emitted spectral band display output from one of the plurality of displays with the filtered second spectral band beam and providing the combination to the eyepiece associated with the second intensifier assembly for viewing.

14. The image forming method of claim 12 , wherein the step of producing the filtered second spectral band beam comprises filtering the second incoming spectral band beam via a downstream neutral density filter.

15. The image forming method of claim 12 , wherein producing the filtered first spectral band beam comprises filtering the first incoming spectral band beam with cyan, magenta, yellow, and infra-red (CMY+IR) filters distributed throughout the first intensifier assembly.

16. The image forming method of claim 15 , wherein reconstructing color information comprises reconstructing red and blue color information from a digitized filtered spectral band, filtered via the plurality of cyan, magenta, yellow, and infra-red (CMY+IR) filters.

17. The image forming method of claim 12 , wherein filtering the first incoming spectral band beam via the plurality of filters, comprises filtering the first incoming spectral band beam through a majority of green filters with respect to the plurality of filters distributed throughout the first intensifier assembly.

18. The image forming method of claim 12 , wherein reconstructing color information comprises reconstructing red and blue color information.

19. The image forming method of claim 12 , wherein emitting spectral band display output further comprises emitting a textual or graphical overlay.

20. The image forming method of claim 12 , wherein filtering the second incoming spectral band beam comprises reducing the second incoming spectral band beam to match a loss suffered by the filtered first incoming spectral beam after the splitting.

Assignees

• Applied Minds Llc

Inventors

• Keesling Michael
• Ferren Bran
• Kaehler Adrian
• Ruderman Dan
• Beal David
• Maurin Pablo
• Powers Eric

Classifications

• G06T5/20 Primary

  using local operators · CPC title

• H04N25/65

  applied to reset noise, e.g. KTC noise related to CMOS structures by techniques other than CDS · CPC title

• H04N25/63

  applied to dark current · CPC title

• G06T2207/10048

  Infrared image · CPC title

• G06T2207/10024

  Color image · CPC title