Smart Fusion Night Vision System for Extreme Low Light Situational Awareness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fused man-portable night vision systems fail to provide situational awareness in extreme low light conditions, as the low light level sensor cannot supply information, leading to reduced resolution and threat cueing, and the thermal data threshold is fixed, limiting situational awareness below overcast starlight.
Innovation Solution
A smart fusion system that allocates thermal information to the green situational awareness channel, using Local Area Contrast Enhancement and spatial frequency based histogram thresholding to maintain high resolution and capability, ensuring situational awareness never drops below the native thermal sensor resolution, by dynamically adjusting the contribution of low light and thermal sensors based on Signal to Noise Ratio metrics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If low light level imaging is used for situational awareness, then visibility in low light conditions is improved, but resolution and sensitivity deteriorate below overcast starlight levels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines low light level (LLL) sensor data with thermal imaging sensor data to create a fused image. The LLL sensor provides situational awareness in low light conditions while the thermal sensor provides high-resolution target detection. By merging these two different sensing modalities, the system achieves both broad situational awareness and high-resolution target cueing across all light levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a dual-sensor fusion approach where the same fused image output serves multiple functions: situational awareness for mobility and target cueing for threat detection. The adaptable threshold mechanism allows the system to optimize for different operational modes dynamically, making the system universally applicable across varying light conditions and operational requirements.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If thermal imaging is used for target cueing, then ability to detect threats through obscurants is improved, but resolution and sensitivity are insufficient for acceptable imagery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges thermal imaging data with low light level sensor data. The thermal sensor's ability to penetrate obscurants like smoke and fog is combined with the LLL sensor's higher resolution capability. This fusion allows the system to maintain high-resolution imagery even when thermal data alone would be insufficient, while still benefiting from thermal penetration through obscurants.
3Device complexity
If fixed thermal data threshold is used, then processing simplicity is maintained, but situational awareness is limited in dark scenarios with low signal to noise ratio
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an adaptable threshold mechanism that dynamically adjusts the thermal data threshold based on scene statistics and signal-to-noise ratio conditions. In dark scenarios with low SNR, the threshold adapts to preserve more thermal data for situational awareness. This dynamic adjustment maintains processing efficiency while significantly improving situational awareness in challenging lighting conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses scene statistics and signal-to-noise ratio measurements as feedback to dynamically adjust the thermal data threshold. This feedback mechanism allows the system to automatically optimize its performance based on current environmental conditions, improving situational awareness in dark scenarios while maintaining processing simplicity through automated adaptation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system maintains high situational awareness and target cueing resolution across a range of light conditions, surpassing existing low light level sensor technology, providing contextual information and threat detection in extreme low light situations without degrading below the thermal sensor's native resolution.
Implementation Method 1
The available light is focused through the objective lens onto a photocathode of the image intensifier. Then the electrons released by the cathode are accelerated by an electric field.
Implementation Method 2
The accelerated electrons enter holes in a microchannel plate and bounce off specially-coated internal walls which generate more electrons as they bounce through. This activity creates a denser 'cloud' of electrons representing an intensified version of the original image.
Implementation Method 3
The electrons hit a phosphor screen, making the phosphor glow. The light displays the desired view to the user or to an attached camera or video device.
Implementation Method 4
Infrared thermal imaging is less attenuated by smoke and dust and a drawback is that they do not have sufficient resolution and sensitivity to provide acceptable imagery of a scene.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for situational awareness and target cueing for use in military applications is disclosed. In extreme low light situations where the LLL sensor cannot provide SA information, the system allocates thermal information to the green SA channel to maintain the supply of contextual information to the user and thus situational awareness (SA) never drops below the native resolution of the thermal sensor. This improved SA capability, surpasses any existing LLL sensor technology in a single channel (stand-alone) application in overcast star light and below conditions.