Night Vision Apparatus Using Time-Gated Optical Pulse Imaging

The patent applies periodic action by using time-gated imaging where the image sensor is activated at specific time intervals to capture reflected optical pulses at different distances. Multiple images are taken at different gate activation times, and these are synthesized to produce a final image with uniform brightness across all distances while maintaining accurate distance information through the time-of-flight data.

The patent applies preliminary action by actively illuminating the scene with optical pulses before capturing the reflected light. The optical pulse output unit emits controlled pulses of light toward the scene, and the image sensor captures the reflected pulses at specific time gates. This preliminary illumination compensates for the naturally reduced reflected light from far-distance objects, enabling sufficient signal capture while maintaining accurate distance measurement through time-of-flight calculation.

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the imaging process into multiple discrete time-gated captures, where each gate captures reflections from specific distance ranges. The controller segments the total imaging time into multiple intervals, activating the image sensor at specific gates to capture images at different depth ranges. These segmented images are then synthesized by the controller to produce the final enhanced image, allowing complex processing to be managed through systematic temporal segmentation.