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Submitted by | ACHINTA BAIDYA, E.C.E- 4th YEAR’09

CONTENTS
Contents ……………………………………………………. i
Introduction ………………………………………………… 1
Night vision……………………………………………….. 2
Key generation development………….…………………... 2
Low-Light Imaging………………….…………………….. 3
On-chip Gain Multiplication………….…………… …….. 4
Thermal Imaging…………………………………………. 5
Un-Cooled detector………………..……………………….. 7
Cryogenically cooled detector…………………………… 8
Near-infrared Illumination……………………………… 9
Characteristics of Night Vision…………………............. 10
Performance Attributes…………………….…………… 11
Conclusion………………………………………………... 12

INTRODUCTION
A night vision device (NVD) is an optical instrument that allows images to be pr
oduced in levels of light approaching total darkness. They are most often used b
y the military and law enforcement agencies. Night vision devices were first use
d in World War II, and came into wide use during the Vietnam War.
"Night Vision” is the technology that provides us with the miracle of vision in
total darkness and the improvement of vision in low light environments. The tech
nology has evolved greatly since their introduction, leading to several "generat
ions" of night vision equipment with performance increasing and price decreasing
.

Night vision device usually refers to a complete unit, including an image intens
ifier tube, a protective and generally water-resistant housing, and some type of
mounting system. Many NVDs also include sacrificial lenses, IR illuminators, an
d telescopic lenses.
"Night Vision” as referenced here is that technology that provides us with the m
iracle of vision in total darkness and the improvement of vision in low light en
vironments. This technology is an amalgam of several different methods each havi
ng its own advantages and disadvantages. The most common applications include ni
ght driving or flying, night security and surveillance, wildlife observation, sl
eep lab monitoring and search and rescue. A wide range of night vision products
are available to suit the various requirements that may exist for these applicat
ions.
KEY GENERATION DEVELOPMENTS:
• GENERATION 1 (Developed in 1960 s);
o Vacuum Tube Technology
o Full Moon Operation
o Amplification: 1,000
o Operating Life: 2,000 Hours
• GENERATION 2 (Developed in 1970 s);
o First Micro channel Plate (MCP) Application
o One-Quarter Moon Operation
o Amplification: 20,000
o Operating Life: 2,500 Hours
• GENERATION 2+ (1970s)
o Development increased image tube bias voltage to improve gain.
o Additionally, a glass faceplate was added to improve resolution.
• GENERATION 3 (Developed in 1990 s);
o Improved MCP & Photocathode
o Starlight Operation
o Amplification: 40,000
o Operating Life: 10,000 Hour
• GENERATION 3 Enhanced (2000 s);
o Improvements in the photocathode and MCP resulted in increased gain and
resolution.
Distance and Magnification Charts:

The most common methods as described below are Low-Light Imaging, Thermal Imagin
g and Near-infrared Illumination.
Low-Light Imaging,
The most popular and well known method of performing night vision is based on th
e use of image intensifiers.
Image intensifiers
This method of night vision amplifies the available light to achieve better visi
on. An objective lens focuses available light (photons) on the photocathode of a
n image intensifier. The light energy causes electrons to be released from the c
athode which are accelerated by an electric field to increase their speed (energ
y level). These electrons enter holes in a micro channel plate and bounce off th
e internal specially-coated walls which generate more electrons as the electrons
bounce through. This creates a denser “cloud” of electrons representing an inte
nsified version of the original image.
The final stage of the image intensifier involves electrons hitting a phosphor s
creen. The energy of the electrons makes the phosphor glow. The visual light sho
ws the desired view to the user or to an attached photographic camera or video d
evice. A green phosphor is used in these applications because the human eye can
differentiate more shades of green than any other color, allowing for greater di
fferentiation of objects in the picture.
Advantages:
• Excellent low-light level sensitivity
Enhanced visible imaging yields the best possible recognition and identi
fication performance.
High resolution
Low power and cost
Ability to identify people
Disadvantages:
• Because they are based on amplification methods, some light is required.
This method is not useful when there is essentially no light.
• Inferior daytime performance when compared to daylight-only methods
• Possibility of blooming and damage when observing bright sources under l
ow-light conditions
On-chip Gain Multiplication Cameras
In order to overcome some of the disadvantages of image intensifiers, CCD image
detector manufacturers have substantially improved the sensitivity of certain CC
D detectors by incorporating an on-chip multiplication gain technology to multip
ly photon-generated charge above the detector’s noise levels. The multiplication
gain takes place after photons have been detected in the device’s active area b
ut before one of the detector’s primary noise sources (e.g. readout noise). In a
new multiplication register, electrons are accelerated from pixel-to-pixel by a
pplying high CCD clock voltages. As a result, secondary electrons are generated
via an impact-ionization process. Gain can be controlled by varying the clock vo
ltages.
Because the signal boost occurs before the charge reaches the on-chip readout am
plifier and gets added to the primary noise source, the signal-to-noise ratio fo
r this device is significantly improved over standard CCD cameras and yields low
-light imaging performance far superior than traditional CCD cameras. However, s
ince the CCD temperature also affects the on-chip gain multiplication (lower tem
peratures yield higher gain) and because other noise sources exist that occur be
fore the multiplication (i.e. dark noise), it is prudent in these systems to tem
perature stabilize these detectors at temperatures about of below room temperatu
re.
Advantages
• High sensitivity in low-light.
• Reduced likelihood of damage to the imaging detector due to viewing brig
ht sources.
• High speed imaging capability.
• Good daytime imaging performance
Disadvantages
• High power dissipation due to the necessity to have a temperature stabil
izer.
• Blooming when viewing bright sources in dark scenes
HOW THERMAL IMAGING WORKS
In order to understand thermal imaging, 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 en
ergy, and red has the least. Just next to the visible light spectrum is the infr
ared spectrum.

Infrared light can be split into three categories:

1. Near-infrared (near-IR) - Closest to visible light, near-IR has waveleng
ths that range from 0.7 to 1.3 microns, or 700 billionths to 1,300 billionths of
a meter.
2. Mid-infrared (mid-IR) - Mid-IR has wavelengths ranging from 1.3 to 3 mic
rons. Both near-IR and mid-IR are used by a variety of electronic devices, inclu
ding remote controls.
3. Thermal-infrared (thermal-IR) - Occupying the largest part of the infrar
ed spectrum, thermal-IR has wavelengths ranging from 3 microns to over 30 micron
s.
The key difference between thermal-IR and the other two is that thermal-IR is em
itted by an object instead of reflected off it. Infrared light is emitted by an
object because of what is happening at the atomic level.
Thermal Imaging
Different from low-light imaging methods of night vision (which require some amb
ient light in order to produce an image), thermal imaging night vision methods d
o not require any ambient light at all. They operate on the principal that all o
bjects emit infrared energy as a function of their temperature. In general, the
hotter an object is, the more radiation it emits. A thermal imager is a product
that collects the infrared radiation from objects in the scene and creates an el
ectronic image. Since they do not rely on reflected ambient light, thermal image
rs are entirely ambient light-level independent. In addition, they also are able
to penetrate obscurants such as smoke, fog and haze.
A special lens focuses the infrared light emitted by all of the objects in view.
The focused light is scanned by a phased array of infrared-detector elements. Th
e detector elements create a very detailed temperature pattern called a thermogr
am. It only takes about one-thirtieth of a second for the detector array to obta
in the temperature information to make the thermogram. This information is obtai
ned from several thousand points in the field of view of the detector array.
The thermogram created by the detector elements is translated into electric impu
lses.
The impulses are sent to a signal-processing unit, a circuit board with a dedica
ted chip that translates the information from the elements into data for the dis
play.
The signal-processing unit sends the information to the display, where it appear
s as various colors depending on the intensity of the infrared emission. The com
bination of all the impulses from all of the elements creates the image. Thermal
images are normally black and white in nature, where black objects are cold and
white objects are hot. Some thermal cameras show images in color. This false co
lor is an excellent way of better distinguishing between objects at different te
mperatures.
Types of Thermal Imaging Devices
Most thermal-imaging devices scan at a rate of 30 times per second. They can sen
se temperatures ranging from -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius) to 3,60
0 F (2,000 C), and can normally detect changes in temperature of about 0.4 F (0.
2 C).

There are two types of thermal imaging detectors: cooled and uncooled. Cooled de
tector infrared cameras require cryogenic cooling to very cold temperatures (bel
ow 200K). Uncooled detector infrared cameras are normally either temperature sta
bilized (at room temperatures) or entirely unstabilized.
Un-cooled
Unlike the cryogenically cooled detectors described above, uncooled infrared det
ectors operate at or near room temperature rather than being cooled to extremely
low temperatures by bulky and expensive cryogenic coolers. When infrared radiat
ion from night-time scenes are focused onto uncooled detectors, the heat absorbe
d causes changes to the electrical properties of the detector material. These ch
anges are then compared to baseline values and a thermal image is created. Despi
te lower image quality than cooled detectors, uncooled detector technology makes
infrared cameras smaller and less costly and opens many viable commercial appli
cations.
Uncooled detectors are mostly based on materials that change their electrical pr
operties due to pyroelectric (capacitive) effects or micro bolometer (resistive)
effects.
Advantages
• Relatively inexpensive compared to other thermal imaging technologies.
• High contrast in most night-time scenarios.
• Easily detects people and vehicles.
• Not affected by bright light sources.
• Higher reliability than cooled detector thermal imagers
Disadvantages
• Less sensitive than cooled detector thermal imagers.
• Cannot be used for multispectral or high-speed infrared applications
Cryogenically cooled -Cooled infrared detectors are typically housed in a vacuum
-sealed case and cryogenically cooled. The detector designs are similar to other
more common imaging detectors and use semiconductor materials. However, it is t
he effect of absorbed infrared energy that causes changes to detector carrier co
ncentrations which in turn affect the detector’s electrical properties. Cooling
the detectors (typically to temperatures below 110 K, a value much lower than th
e temperature of objects being detected) greatly increases their sensitivity. Wi
thout cooling, the detectors would be flooded by their own self-radiation.
Materials used for infrared detection include a wide range of narrow gap semicon
ductor devices, where mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) and indium antimonide (
InSb) are the most common
these systems have the elements sealed inside a container that cools them to be
low 32 F (zero C). The advantage of such a system is the incredible resolution a
nd sensitivity that result from cooling the elements. Cryogenically-cooled syste
ms 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!

Advantages
• The highest possible thermal sensitivity.
• Able to detect people and vehicles at great distances.
• Not affected by bright light sources.
• Able to perform high speed infrared imaging.
• Able to perform multi-spectral infrared imaging.
Disadvantages
• Expensive to purchase and to operate.
• Limited cooler operating lifetime.
• May require several minutes to cool down upon initiation.
• Bulky
Near Infrared Illumination
A popular and sometimes inexpensive method for performing night vision is by nea
r infrared illumination. In this method, a device that is sensitive to invisible
near infrared radiation is used in conjunction with an infrared illuminator. Th
e Sony Night Shot camcorder popularized this method. Because of the IR sensitivi
ty of the camcorder’s CCD detector and since Sony installed an infrared light so
urce in the camcorder, infrared illumination was available to augment otherwise
low-light video scenes and produce reasonable image quality in low-light situati
ons.
The method of near-infrared illumination has been used in a variety of night vis
ion applications including perimeter protection where, by integrating with video
motion detection and intelligent scene analysis devices, a reliable low-light v
ideo security system can be developed.
IR illumination
How they work: Several different near infrared illumination devices are availabl
e today, including:
• Filtered incandescent lamps: A standard high power lamp that is covered
by an infrared filter designed to pass the lamp’s near infrared radiation and bl
ock the visible light component. These devices typically need good heat transfer
properties since the intense visible light is internally absorbed and dissipate
d as heat.
• LED type illuminators: These illuminators utilize an array of standard i
nfrared emitting LEDs.
• Laser type: The most efficient infrared illuminator, these devices are b
ased on an infrared laser diode that emits near infrared energy.
Advantages
• Lowest cost compared to other night vision technologies.
• Eliminate shadows and reveal identifying lettering, numbers and objects.
Can also be used to perform facial identification.
• Able to perform high-speed video capture (such as reading license plates
of moving vehicles).
• IR illuminators can see through night-time fog, mist, rain and snowfall
as well as windows.
• Eliminates the variability of ambient light.
Disadvantages
• Users of infrared illuminators can be detected by others that have near-
infrared viewing devices.

Characteristics of Night Vision

Textures, Light and Dark
Objects that appear light during the day but have a dull surface may appear dark
er, through the night vision unit, than objects that are dark during the day but
have a highly reflective surface. For example, a shiney dark colored jacket may
appear brighter than a light colored jacket with a dull surface.
Depth Perception
Night vision does not present normal depth perception.
Fog and Rain
Night vision is very responsive to reflective ambient light; therefore, the ligh
t reflecting off of fog or heavy rain causes much more light to go toward the ni
ght vision unit and may degrade its performance.
Honeycomb*
This is a faint hexagonal pattern which is the result of the manufacturing proce
ss.
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 in
crease in size or number. See example below of an image with black spots.
Performance Attributes
There are three important attributes for judging performance. They are: sensitiv
ity, signal and resolution. As the customer, you need to know about these three
characteristics to determine the performance level of a night vision system.
Sensitivity, or photo response, is the image tube s ability to detect available
light. It is usually measured in "uA/lm," or microamperes per lumen. ITT s advan
ced technology and processing enable us to give our customers products with outs
tanding sensitivity. That s why many of our products do not come with standard I
R illuminators. With many applications, illuminators are not necessary. Our comp
etitors put IR illuminators on their products to obtain acceptable performance u
nder low light conditions.
Signal plays a key role in night vision performance. ITT s micro channel plate t
echnology is unsurpassed in its ability to transfer a strong signal from input t
o output. Just as high-end stereo equipment gives you quality sound, ITT Night V
ision gives you a quality output image without "noise."
Resolution is the third major consideration when purchasing night vision. This i
s the ability to resolve detail in your image. High-quality optics and the lates
t processing methods give ITT Night Vision the edge. Some of our competitors put
magnified optics in their systems to give the illusion that they have high reso
lving systems. In the trade-off, field of view is sacrificed. ITT gives the opti
on of higher magnification only so you can have it if you want it. The system do
es not need higher magnification to function effectively. Our technology offers
a uniquely formulated phosphor screen to create the highest contrasting images,
thereby generating the highest resolution products available to the consumer.
References:
1. Wikipedia
2. Google
3. ITT Night Vision
4. Electrophysics-A sofradir group company…….etc..
CONCLUSION
The most common applications include night driving or flying, night security and
surveillance, wildlife observation, sleep lab monitoring and search and rescue.
A wide range of night vision products are available to suit the various require
ments that may exist for these applications.