Night Vision Technology

1. Introduction
Night vision technology, by definition, literally allows one to see in the dark.
Originally developed for military use, it has provided the United States with a
strategic military advantage, the value of which can be measured in lives. Federal and
state agencies now routinely utilize the technology for site security, surveillance
as well as search and rescue. Night vision equipment has evolved from bulky
optical instruments in lightweight goggles through the advancement of image
intensification technology. With the proper night-vision equipment, you can see a
person standing over 200 yards (183 m) away on a moonless, cloudy night! Night
vision can work in two very different ways, depending on the technology used.
1.1 Image enhancement This works by collecting the tiny amounts of light,
including the lower portion of the infrared light spectrum, that are present but may
be imperceptible to our eyes, and amplifying it to the point that we can easily observe
the image.
1.2 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.
1.3 Types of Night Vision System
Active systems: Active systems use an infrared light source built into the car to
illuminate the road ahead with light that is invisible to humans.
Passive systems: Passive systems do not use an infrared light source, instead they
capture thermal radiation already emitted by the objects, using a thermo-graphic camera

2. The Basics
In order to understand night vision, it is important to understand something about
light.
The amount of energy in a light wave is related to its wavelength: Shorter
wavelengths have higher energy. Of visible light, violet has the most energy, and
red has the least. Just next to the visible light spectrum is the infrared spectrum.
Infrared light can be split into three categories:

Fig 1. Electromagnetic Spectrum

Near-infrared (near-IR) - Closest to visible light, near-IR has wavelengths that

range from 0.7 to 1.3 microns, or 700 billionths to 1,300 billionths of a meter.
Mid-infrared (mid-IR) - Mid-IR has wavelengths ranging from 1.3 to 3 microns.
Both near-IR and mid-IR are used by a variety of electronic devices, including
remote controls.
Thermal-infrared (thermal-IR) - Occupying the largest part of the infrared
Spectrum, thermal-IR has wavelengths ranging from 3 microns to over 30 microns.
The key difference between thermal-IR and the other two is that thermal-IR is
emitted by an object instead of reflected off it. Infrared light is emitted by an object
because of what is happening at the atomic level.
Atoms are constantly in motion. They continuously vibrate, move and rotate. Even
the atoms that make up the chairs that we sit in are moving around. Solids are
actually in motion! Atoms can be in different states of excitation. In other words,
they can have different energies. If we apply a lot of energy to an atom, it can leave
what is called the ground-state energy level and move to an excited level. The
level of excitation depends on the amount of energy applied to the atom via
heat, light or electricity.
2

An atom consists of a nucleus (containing the protons and neutrons) and an

electron cloud. Think of the electrons in this cloud as circling the nucleus in
many different orbits. In other words, if we apply some heat to an atom, we might
expect that some of the electrons in the lower energy orbitals would transition to
higher energy orbitals, moving farther from the nucleus
Once an electron moves to a higher-energy orbit, it eventually wants to return
to the ground state. When it does, it releases its energy as a photon -- a particle of
light. An excited electron has more energy than a relaxed electron, and just as the
electron absorbed some amount of energy to reach this excited level, it can release
this energy to return to the ground state. This emitted energy is in the form of
photons (light energy). The photon emitted has a very specific wavelength (color)
that depends on the state of the electron's energy when the photon is released.
Anything that is alive uses energy, and so do many inanimate items such as engines
and rockets. Energy consumption generates heat. In turn, heat causes the atoms in an
object to fire off photons in the thermal-infrared spectrum. The hotter the object,
the shorter the wavelength of the infrared photon it releases. An object that is very
hot will even begin to emit photons in the visible spectrum, glowing red and then
moving up through orange, yellow, blue and eventually white.

3. Thermal Imaging
Here's how thermal imaging (Fig 2.) works:
1. A special lens focuses the infrared light emitted by all of the objects in view.
2. The focused light is scanned by a phased array of infrared-detector elements. The
detector elements create a very detailed temperature pattern called a
thermogram. It only takes about one-thirtieth of a second for the detector
array to obtain the temperature information to make the thermogram. This
information is obtained from several thousand points in the field of view of the
detector array.
3. The thermogram created by the detector elements is translated into electric
impulses.
4. The impulses are sent to a signal-processing unit, a circuit board with a dedicated
chip that translates the information from the elements into data for the display.
5. The signal-processing unit sends the information to the display, where it appears
as various colors depending on the intensity of the infrared emission. The
combination of all the impulses from all of the elements creates the image.

Fig. 4--The basic components of a thermal-imaging system

Fig 2- Thermal imaging

3.1 Types of Thermal Imaging Devices

Most thermal-imaging devices scan at a rate of 30 times per second. They can
sense temperatures ranging from -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius) to
3,600 F (2,000 C), and can normally detect changes in temperature of about 0.4 F
(0.2 C).

It is quite easy to see everything during the day...

...but at night, you can see very little.

Thermal imaging lets you see again.

Fig 3-- Thermal imaging at day and night

There are two common types of thermal-imaging devices:

Un-cooled - This is the most common type of thermal-imaging device. The

Infrared-detector elements are contained in a unit that operates at room temperature.
This type of system is completely quiet, activates immediately and has the battery
built right in.

Cryogenically cooled - More expensive and more susceptible to damage from

rugged use, these systems have the elements sealed inside a container that cools them
to below 32 F (zero C). The advantage of such a system is the incredible resolution
and sensitivity that result from cooling the elements. Cryogenically-cooled systems
can "see" a difference as small as 0.2 F (0.1 C) from more than 1,000 ft. (300 m)
away, which is enough to tell if a person is holding a gun at that distance!
While thermal imaging is great for detecting people or working in near-absolute
darkness, most night-vision equipment uses image-enhancement technology.
5

4. Image Enhancement
Image-enhancement technology is what most people think of when you talk about
night vision. In fact, image-enhancement systems are normally called night-vision
devices (NVDs). NVDs rely on a special tube, called an image-intensifier tube
(Fig. 4), to collect and amplify infrared and visible light.

(Fig. 4)The image-intensifier tube changes photons to electrons and back again.

Here's how image enhancement works:

1. A conventional lens, called the objective lens, captures ambient light and some
near-infrared light.
2. The gathered light is sent to the image-intensifier tube. In most NVDs, the
power supply for the image-intensifier tube receives power from two N-Cell or two
"AA" batteries. The tube outputs a high voltage, about 5,000 volts, to the image-tube
components.
3. The image-intensifier tube has a photocathode, which is used to convert the
photons of light energy into electrons.
4. As the electrons pass through the tube, similar electrons are released from
atoms in the tube, multiplying the original number of electrons by a factor of
thousands through the use of a microchannel plate (MCP) in the tube. An MCP is
a tiny glass disc that has millions of microscopic holes (microchannels) in it,
made using fiber-optic technology. The MCP is contained in a vacuum and has
metal electrodes on either side of the disc. Each channel is about 45 times longer
than it is wide, and it works as an electron multiplier.
When the electrons from the photo cathode hit the first electrode of the MCP, they are
6

accelerated into the glass microchannels by the 5,000-V bursts being sent between the
electrode pair. As electrons pass through the microchannels, they cause thousands
of other electrons to be released in each channel using a process called cascaded
secondary emission. Basically, the original electrons collide with the side of the
channel, exciting atoms and causing other electrons to be released. These new
electrons also collide with other atoms, creating a chain reaction that results in
thousands of electrons leaving the channel where only a few entered. An interesting
fact is that the microchannels in the MCP are created at a slight angle (about a 5degree to 8-degree bias) to encourage electron collisions and reduce both ion and
direct-light feedback from the phosphors on the output side.
1. At the end of the image-intensifier tube, the electrons hit a screen coated with
phosphors. These electrons maintain their position in relation to the channel they
passed through, which provides a perfect image since the electrons stay in the same
alignment as the original photons. The energy of the electrons causes the phosphors
to reach an excited state and release photons. These phosphors create the green image
on the screen that has come to characterize night vision
2. The green phosphor image is viewed through another lens, called the ocular lens,
which allows you to magnify and focus the image. The NVD may be connected to
an electronic display, such as a monitor, or the image may be viewed directly
through the ocular lens.

5. Active illumination

Fig 5Night vision through Active illumination

1. Active illumination couples imaging intensification technology with an active

source of illumination in the near infrared (NIR) or shortwave infrared (SWIR) band.
Examples of such technologies include low light cameras.
2. Active infrared night-vision combines infrared illumination of spectral range 700
1,000 nm (just below the visible spectrum of the human eye) with CCD cameras
sensitive to this light. The resulting scene, which is apparently dark to a human
observer, appears as a monochrome image on a normal display device. Because active
infrared night-vision systems can incorporate illuminators that produce high levels of
infrared light, the resulting images are typically higher resolution than other nightvision technologies. Active infrared night vision is now commonly found in
commercial, residential and government security applications, where it enables
effective night time imaging under low-light conditions. However, since active
infrared light can be detected by night-vision goggles, there can be a risk of giving
away position in tactical military operations.
8

3. Laser range gated imaging is another form of active night vision which utilizes a
high powered pulsed light source for illumination and imaging. Range gating is a
technique which controls the laser pulses in conjunction with the shutter speed of
the camera's detectors. Gated imaging technology can be divided into single shot,
where the detector captures the image from a single light pulse, and multi-shot,
where the detector integrates the light pulses from multiple shots to form an image.
One of the key advantages of this technique is the ability to perform target
recognition rather than mere detection, as is the case with thermal imaging.

6. Generations
6.1 Generation 0 - The earliest (1950's) night vision products were based on image
conversion, rather than intensification. They required a source of invisible infrared (IR)
light mounted on or near the device to illuminate the target area.
6.2 Generation 1 - The "starlight scopes" of the 1960's (Vietnam Era) have three
image intensifier tubes connected in a series. These systems are larger and heavier
than Gen 2 and Gen 3. The Gen 1 image is clear at the center but may be distorted
around the edges.
Figure 6 illustrates first-generation night vision. Incoming light is collimated by fiber
optic plates before impacting a photocathode which releases electrons, which in turn
impact a phosphor screen. The excited screen emits green light into a second fiber
optic plate, and the process is repeated. The complete process is repeated three times
providing an overall gain of 10,000.

Fig. 6Generation 1
9

6.3 Generation 2 - The micro channel plate (MCP) electron multiplier prompted
Gen 2 development in the 1970s. The "gain" provided by the MCP eliminated the
need for back-to-back tubes - thereby improving size and image quality. The
MCP enabled development of hand held and helmet mounted goggles.
Second-generation image intensification (fig. 7) significantly increased gain and
resolution by employing a microchannel plate. Figure 2 depicts the basic
configuration. The microchannel plate is composed of several million microscopic
hollow glass channels fused into a disk. Each channel, approximately 0.0125 mm
in diameter, is coated with a special semiconductor which easily liberates electrons.
A single electron entering a channel initiates an avalanche process of secondary
emission, under influence of an applied voltage, freeing hundreds of electrons. These
electrons, effectively collimated by the channel, increase the resolution of the device.
With additional electron optics, details as fine as 0.025 mm can be realized (half the
diameter of a human hair).

Fig 7- Generation 2

Current image intensifiers incorporate their predecessor's resolution with

additional light amplification. The multialkali photocathode is replaced with a
gallium arsenide photocathode; this extends the wavelength sensitivity of the
detector into the near infrared. The moon and stars provide light in these
wavelengths, which boosts the effectively available light by approximately 30%,
bringing the total gain of the system to around 30,000.

6.4 Generation 3 - Two major advancements characterized development of Gen

3 in the late 1970s and early 1980s: the gallium arsenide (GaAs) photocathode and
the ion-barrier film on the MCP. The GaAs photocathode enabled detection of
10

objects at greater distances under much darker conditions. The ion-barrier film
increased the operational life of the tube from 2000 hours (Gen 2) to 10,000
(Gen 3), as demonstrated by actual testing and not extrapolation.
6.5 Generation 4 -GEN-III OMNI-V - VII devices can differ from standard
Generation 3 in one or both of two important ways. First, an automatic gated power
supply system regulates the photocathode voltage, allowing the NVD to
instantaneously adapt to changing light conditions. The second is a removed or
greatly thinned ion barrier, which decreases the number of electrons that are usually
rejected by the Standard GEN III MCP, hence resulting in less image noise and the
ability to operate with a luminous sensitivity at 2,850 K of only 700, compared to
operating with a luminous sensitivity of at least 1,800 for GEN III image
intensifiers. The disadvantage to a thin or removed ion barrier is the overall decrease
in tube life from a theoretical 20,000 hrs. Mean time to failure (MTTF) for Gen III
type, to 15,000 hrs. MTTF for GEN IV type. However, this is largely negated by the
low number of image intensifier tubes that reach 15,000 hrs. of operation before
replacement.
While the consumer market classifies this type of system as Generation 4, the United
States military describes these systems as Generation 3 Autogated tubes (GEN-III
OMNI-VII). Moreover, as autogating power supplies can now be added to any
previous generation of night vision, "autogating" capability does not automatically
class the devices as a GEN-III OMNI-VII, as seen with the XD-4. Any postnominals
appearing after a Generation type (i.e., Gen II +, Gen III +) do not change the
generation type of the device, but instead indicates an advancement(s) over the
original specification's requirements
Auto-gating
The ATG function was designed to improve the BSP feature to be faster and to keep
the best resolution and contrast at all times. It is particularly suitable for Aviators
Night Vision goggles, operations in urban areas or for special operations. ATG is a
unique feature that operates constantly, electronically reducing the duty cycle of the
photocathode voltage by very rapidly switching the voltage on and off. This maintains
11

the optimum performance of the I tube, continuously revealing mission critical

details, safeguarding the I tube from additional damage and protecting the user from
temporary blindness.
The benefits of ATG can easily be seen not only during day-night-day transitions, but
also under dynamic lighting conditions when rapidly changing from low light to high
light conditions (above 1 lx), such as sudden illumination of dark room. PHOTONIS
ATG allows the tube to maintain as much as 90% of the nominal MTF and resolution
of the high light level, whereas standard tubes without Auto-Gating would drop to 1020 lp/mm, which is less than 25% of the nominal MTF and resolution of the high light
level. A typical advantage of ATG is best felt when using a weapon sight which
experiences a flame burst during shooting (see figures below showing pictures taken
at the impact zone of a dropped bomb). ATG would reduce the temporary blindness
that a standard BSP tube would introduce, allowing them to continuously maintain
eyes on target.
ATG provides added safety for pilots when flying at low altitudes, and especially
during takeoffs and landings. Pilots operating with night vision goggles are constantly
subjected to dynamic light conditions when artificial light sources, such as from cities,
interfere with their navigation by producing large halos that obstruct their field of
view.

Fig 8-Comparison between Different Generations

12

If you're using night vision to find a lost person in the woods, to locate boats or
buoys on the water, or to stargaze into the wilderness, you need Generation 3
because it creates the best images when there is very little ambient light. Generation
2 may be the choice in situations with higher levels of ambient light.

Fig 9

7.

KEY GENERATION DEVELOPMENTS:

GENERATION 1 (Developed in 1960's);
Vacuum Tube Technology
Full Moon Operation
Amplification: 1,000
Operating Life: 2,000 Hours
GENERATION 2 (Developed in 1970's);
First Micro channel Plate (MCP) Application
One-Quarter Moon Operation
Amplification: 20,000
Operating Life: 2,500 Hours
GENERATION 2+ (1970s)
Development increased image tube bias voltage to improve gain.
glass faceplate was added to improve resolution.

13

Additionally, a

GENERATION 3 (Developed in 1990's);

Improved MCP & Photocathode
Starlight Operation
Amplification: 40,000
Operating Life: 10,000 Hour
GENERATION 3 Enhanced (2000's);
Improvements in the photocathode and MCP resulted in increased gain and
resolution.

Fig 10

8. Characteristics of Night Vision

Using intensified night vision is different from using regular binoculars
and/or your own eyes. Below are some of the aspects of night vision that you
should be aware of when you are using an image intensified night vision
system.

Textures, Light and Dark

Objects that appear light during the day but have a dull surface may appear
darker, through the night vision unit, than objects that are dark during the
day but have a highly reflective surface. For example, a shiny dark colored
jacket may appear brighter than a light colored jacket with a dull surface.

14

Depth Perception
Night vision does not present normal depth perception.

Fog and Rain

Night vision is very responsive to reflective ambient light; therefore,
the light reflecting off of fog or heavy rain causes much more light to go
toward the night vision unit and may degrade its performance.

Honeycomb
This is a faint hexagonal pattern which is the result of the manufacturing
process.

Black Spots
A few black spots throughout the image area are also inherent characteristics
of all Night vision technology. These spots will remain constant and should
not increase in size or number. See example below of an image with black
spots.

9. Equipment and Applications

Night-vision equipment can be split into three broad categories:

9.1

Scopes - Normally handheld or mounted on a weapon, scopes are

monocular (one eye-piece). Since scopes are handheld, not worn like
goggles, they are good for when you want to get a better look at a specific
object and then return to normal viewing conditions.

Fig 11- Scope

9.2

Goggles- A specific type of night vision device that has dual

eyepieces is the night vision goggle (NVG). Goggles do not have any
15

magnification and this allows you to use them while in motion mounted on
your head, perfect for night gaming, orienteering, driving, safeguarding and
search and rescue applications. When looking to purchase a NV Goggles
you need to check if they use one intensifier tube with the same image sent
to both eyes, or a separate image intensifier tube for each eye. They often
come with straps or Headgear to fit onto your head for use without hands.
Similar to the night goggles are ones that has magnification lenses to
magnify the image these are then referred to as night vision binoculars.

Fig 12-Goggles

9.3

Fig 13- Binoculars

Binoculars- Night vision binoculars are basically night vision

goggles with magnification and so are electro-optical devices that amplify

whatever existing light there is and send it onto your eyes. These should not
be confused with the optical only night binoculars or night glasses. Whilst
NVB's do possess some magnification qualities, you shouldn't depend on
them for extreme distance viewing as most only have a magnification of 2x,
there are however 3x and now 5x magnification night vision binoculars on
the market. Because of the magnification you cannot use them whilst in
motion and mounted on your head and so they often look more like normal
binoculars. Their real function is to allow you to see a fair distance in dark
or low light conditions. Popular makes of night binoculars include ATN,
Luna Optics, Yukon and Bushnel.

16

Fig15-Camera
Fig14 - Monocular

9.4

Cameras Cameras with night-vision 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 are used.

10.

Applications

Common applications for night vision include:

Military
Law enforcement

Hunting
Wildlife observation

Surveillance
Security
Navigation
Hidden-object detection

Entertainment
Before the introduction of image intensifiers, night glasses were the only method of
night vision, and thus were widely utilized, especially at sea. Second World War era

17

night glasses usually had a lens diameter of 56 mm or more with magnification of

seven or eight. Major drawbacks of night glasses are their large size and weight.
The original purpose of night vision was to locate enemy targets at night. It is still
used extensively by the military for that purpose, as well as for navigation,
surveillance and targeting. Police and security often use both thermal- imaging and
Image-enhancement technology, particularly for surveillance. Hunters and nature
enthusiasts use NVDs to maneuver through the woods at night.
Detectives and private investigators use night vision to watch people they are assigned
to track. Many businesses have permanently-mounted cameras equipped with night
vision to monitor the surroundings.
A specific type of NVD, the night vision goggle (NVG) is a night vision device with
dual eyepieces. The device can utilize either one intensifier tube with the same image
sent to both eyes, or a separate image intensifier tube for each eye. Night vision goggles
combined with magnification lenses constitutes night vision binoculars. Other types
include monocular night vision devices with only one eyepiece which may be mounted
to firearms as night sights. NVG and EVS technologies are becoming more popular
with helicopter operations to improve safety. The NTSB is considering EVS as
recommended equipment for safety features
A really amazing ability of thermal imaging is that it reveals whether an area has been
disturbed - it can show that the ground has been dug up to bury something, even if
there is no obvious sign to the naked eye. Law enforcement has used this to discover
items that have been hidden by criminals, including money, drugs and bodies. Also,
recent changes to areas such as walls can be seen using thermal imaging, which has
provided important clues in several cases.
A night vision device (NVD) is a device comprising an image intensifier tube in a rigid
casing, commonly used by military forces. Lately, night vision technology has become
more widely available for civilian use. For example, enhanced vision systems (EVS)
have become available for aircraft to help pilots with situational awareness and avoid
accidents. These systems are included in the latest avionics packages from
manufacturers such as Cirrus and Cessna.

18

A specific type of NVD, the night vision goggle (NVG) is a night vision device with
dual eyepieces. The device can utilize either one intensifier tube with the same image
sent to both eyes, or a separate image intensifier tube for each eye. Night vision goggles
combined with magnification lenses constitutes night vision binoculars. Other types
include monocular night vision devices with only one eyepiece which may be mounted
to firearms as night sights. NVG and EVS technologies are becoming more popular
with helicopter operations to improve safety. The NTSB is considering EVS as
recommended equipment for safety features.
Night glasses are single or binocular with a large diameter objective. Large lenses can
gather and concentrate light, thus intensifying light with purely optical means and
enabling the user to see better in the dark than with the naked eye alone. Often night
glasses also have a fairly large exit pupil of 7 mm or more to let all gathered light into
the user's eye. However, many people cannot take advantage of this because of the
limited dilation of the human pupil. To overcome this, soldiers were sometimes
issued atropine eye drops to dilate pupils.
Night vision systems can also be installed in vehicles. An automotive night
vision system is used to improve a vehicle driver's perception and seeing distance in
darkness or poor weather. Such systems typically use infrared cameras, sometimes
combined with active illumination techniques, to collect information that is then
displayed to the driver. Such systems are currently offered as optional equipment on
certain premium vehicles.

11. Night Vision Technology in Automobiles

The streets of yesterday has turned to be monstrous night mare for the public with
demon like vehicle that swift past the roads at very high speeds and the case gets
worst in the night with drunken drivers ruling the road with high stake speeds.
The reckless accidents that occur on roads during night times mainly owe to the poor
visibility and make the drivers rather than driving ahead, predict their way ahead.
19

But this is not just the case of drunken drivers but also sensible drivers who find very
bad visibility during the wee hours of morning or the odd evenings
Thus comes the use of night vision systems which uses infra-red sensors or
headlights to provide a clear view of the road ahead and in the coming sections we
shall discuss about the detailed working of the night vision systems in automobiles.
HOW IS IT ASSOCIATED IN CAR
1. Night vision control unit
2. Controller display

Fig 16- NVDs in cars

3. Controller
4. Instrument Cluster
5. Button in light switch Centre
6. Night vision camera
20

Working Of Night Vision Systems in Cars

Automotive night vision comes into two flavors: near and far infrared (IR). The near
infrared technology detects the portion of the IR band nearest to visible light. But, the
near IR detector needs an assist. Special bulbs mounted next to the headlights are aimed
straight ahead like a car's high beams, but they don't blind other drivers because the
human eye is insensitive to the infrared light. The NIR system is illuminates the
surroundings with infrared light in the wavelength of 800 to 900 nm. The infrared
reflection of objects is captured and converted to a digital signal by a Charge Coupled
Device (CCD). The digital signal from the CCD is routed to the image processor that
translates it into a format that can be viewed into a black and white head-up display
beamed onto the wind-shield.
The far infrared technology detects energy farther up the infrared band that is emitted
by objects as heat. This far IR night vision is also called passive, because no special
light source is required. The special camera these systems use - essentially a phased
array of IR detector elements analogous to the pixels in an ordinary digital camera creates a temperature pattern called a thermo gram, which is refreshed 30 times a
second. The heat from a pedestrian or an animal is much greater than the heat coming
to the camera from its surroundings. A signal processor translates the thermo gram data
to an image suitable for display on a monitor. It has been found out that neither of the
technologies has a clear advantage. But, not everyone thinks night vision in cars makes
sense. The biggest problem with night vision is that these systems demand that the
driver take his/her focus from the road, which is not a good idea, and drivers will just
increase their speed, believing themselves to be less at risk, so to avoid this problem
the driver is given an automatic warning of the approaching object and thus he doesn't
have to look every time on the monitor to check for vehicles and he can completely
concentrate on the road while driving. Effective algorithms are required in order to
send a warning to the driver fast enough if a pedestrian is detected.

21

Fig17Night Vision Technology used in Mercedes Benz

Mercedes-Benz uses an active system or near-IR system that illuminates the night
with projected infrared light, much like optics found in military-issue nightvision goggles
Mercedes system uses NIR technology and produces an even, clear picture in the
dark. This system is similar to night-vision goggles soldiers use. The NIR system
in the Mercedes illuminates everything as if it were in the high beams of the
vehicle. By utilizing a series of projection bulbs and cameras, the Mercedes'
active night-vision system picks up the faintest traces of light and transforms it
into a clear picture. The advantage is that the Mercedes system can see warmer
living things just as clear as it can spot colder, dead animals or non-living objects.
The drawback to the Mercedes system is its range: The system has a maximum
effective range of less than 600 feet (183 meters). Another drawback is the
Mercedes' NIR system doesn't handle fog well, while the BMW's FIR system can
see through the dense conditions. But unlike the BMW's system, the Mercedes
monitor is located behind the steering wheel, directly in the driver's line of sight
to the road, and the image quality is also crisper on the NIR system.
Unlike night-vision optics used for military applications, BMW's system registers
images based on body heat and produces images that resemble a photo negative.
While that works well for deciphering between animals and people, it doesn't do
much for revealing a dead animal in the middle of the road or perhaps a large
rock or a fallen tree.
22

 BMW's infrared system uses sensors on the front of the car that pick up heat from
objects and processes the thermal signature to display images on a quarter video
graphics array (QVGA) display (320x240-pixel resolution) mounted on the dash
in the center of the vehicle's console
The BMW's system picks up the heat of the animal or pedestrian and displays it
as a bright image. The warmer the target, the brighter the image displays. It has
a range of around 980 feet (299 meters) and can pan in the direction the vehicle
is heading. The FIR night vision system illuminates what's directly in front of the
vehicle reasonably well, but doesn't offer the clarity found in the Mercedes
system.

ADVANTAGES
1. Improved vision conditions of dusk and darkness.
2. No dazzling by head lights of the oncoming vehicles.
3. Highlighting of illuminated, heat-emitting objects as pedestrian, cyclists, animals
etc. helps safe driving.
4. Better overview of the driving situations.
5. The zoom functions of the object in the far distance at high speeds.
6. Illumination of the bends/curves (pivoting of image details)
7. Small compact size
8. Easy and comprehensive installation
9. Low maintenance

23

LIMITATIONS
It is difficult to distinguish between objects in the foreground and the background of
the image the entire image is continuously changing and because pedestrians vary in
scale based on their distance to the viewer.
The probability of true warnings (i.e. when the driver is about to hit the pedestrian)
is low, as it often is in reality, then the odds of the true alarm, can be quite low even
for very sensitive warning systems with very high hit rates and low false alarm rates

12. NVIS AIRCRAFT INTEGRATION

Cockpit Lighting
Aircraft Exterior Lighting
Windshield/Window Transparency
Physical Constraints
Handling Qualities AFCS

These are the areas that need to be considered when integrating NVG into an aircraft.
For helicopters there is not usually a problem with windshield or window transmission
of infra-red light, but this needs to be considered. The cockpit may not be large
enough to allow pilot head movements with NVG, or there may be aircraft structure
which blocks a critical portion of the pilots FOV. Depending on what types of
operation are contemplated, under which environmental conditions, and the aircrafts
handling qualities, there may be a requirement to have increased AFCS automation,
i.e. Rad Alt Height hold, Position hold.
The complete loss of the NVG image is obviously hazardous, especially if it occurs
at a critical point in the flight. The NVG incorporate a dual independent power pack,
which warns the pilot of impending battery failure.
By design the NVG amplify light, they do not generate imagery. There are some
image defects that could occur, but they do not generally resemble the real world, and
24

as such can be easily identified by the pilot. With proper training pilots learn to cope
with the visual illusions possible with NVG. So hazardously misleading imagery is
not a problem by design.
The aircraft lighting system must be designed to make the illumination of a noncompatible light extremely remote. The most reliable way to do this is to remove all
incompatible light sources from the aircraft. If incompatible lights are retained they
must be controlled using very reliable switches that minimize inadvertent actuation
by the pilot.

13. Future Night Vision Devices

The Army is pushing night-vision technologies into the digital realm. Future nightvision goggles are being designed not just to see better at night but also to allow soldiers
to share images of what they see with other soldiers who may be miles away.
Technologists agree that the goal is feasible, but contractors currently working on these
next-generation goggles are encountering challenges in meeting the Armys
requirements for power, size and weight.
Soldiers currently use traditional night-vision technology, called image intensification.
These goggles amplify non-visible particles of light to a level of brightness that the
human eye can detect. They also employ infrared thermal sensors, which sense
temperature differences. Warmer items appear brighter on a display.
The fusion of both technologies would result in night-vision goggles that merge the
strengths of image intensification a clear, sharp green-tinted picture with the
advantages of infrared the ability to see practically under any environmental
condition. Green is the color that the human eye sees most easily.
The combination of the two systems into a single optical device resulted in what the
Army calls an enhanced night vision goggle, or ENVG.

25

14. CONCLUSION
In conclusion I believe that is wonderful how something originally designed
for destruction, can now help people on an every-day basis.
Today in the 21st century we have come a long way in the development of
night vision technology, from the early 1940s.
In present scenario the applications of night vision technology is very essential
to combat terrorism which is a major problem being faced by mankind.
The innovation and implementation of night vision system has a great impact
on automotive session such as saving many lives from death reducing
accidents at night.
NVDs have proved to be extremely versatile in the current day and have
brought maneuvering in combat, flight, and driving to a new level of safety
and security. Where we once forged ahead blindly into the night, now both
our armed forces and civilians alike are experiencing the ability of engineering
to continue to bring light to the darkness and to exceed the physical limits of
the human body. As new applications for NVDs continue to be found, research
for this area thrives, pointing towards future advancements such as panoramic
and color night vision goggles. We have much to look forward to in the field
of night vision devices.

26

15.REFERENCES
www.howstuffworks.com
www.autoevolution.com/night vision works
http://carl.sandiego.edu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_vision
Unknown author, Night Vision Devices. BookRags. 11/12/2008
<http://bookrags.com>
Unknown author, Night Vision Goggles. GlobalSecurity. 11/10/2008
<http://www.global securities.org>
<http://electronics.howstuffworks.com>

27