JPS62235887A - Color night vision device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To observe and monitor a view as a color image even under the dark state such as night by multiplying the respective color components of weak incident light, and synthesizing as the color image again. CONSTITUTION:The weak incident light 2 reflected by an object is converged by an image forming lens 3 and the image of the object 1 is formed on a photoelectric surface 5. The photoelectric surface 5 emits secondary electrons of the number proportional to the two dimensional optical strength distribution of the object image formed on the photoelectric surface by the image forming lens 3. The secondary electron 10 is multiplied by a microchannel plate 6 having both ends to which a high voltage is applied by a microchannel plate (MCP) drive circuit 14 and emitted. The multiplied electron 11 is driven to a fluorescent surface 7 and the fluorescent surface 7 emits the fluorescence of the strength proportional to the charge of the driven multiplied electron 11. The image formed by this fluorescence is formed on the photoelectric surface 5 by the image forming lens 3 and this is an image amplifying the brightness of the object image.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a night vision device that monitors the surrounding scenery in dark conditions such as at night, and in particular to a color vision device that can monitor in color even in dark conditions. Regarding visual equipment.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, night vision devices include a lens that forms an optical image on a photocathode, a photocathode that emits photoelectrons according to the optical image, a microchannel plate that multiplies the photoelectrons, and an electron beam.
The multiplied electrons collide to emit fluorescent light.I Comprised of a fluorescent surface, it converts a weak optical image into electrons, multiplies the electrons, and converts them back into an optical image on the fluorescent surface. There is something.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

As a result, the weak incident light is multiplied into an optical image of about 40,000 times, but the optical image is expressed as a monochromatic gray image, such as the edge color due to the characteristic of the fluorescent surface.

For this reason, there is a problem in that color information from incident light cannot be obtained from an optical image reproduced by multiplying the magnification.

Therefore, the present invention provides a color night vision device that solves the above problems.
That is, the object is to provide a night vision device that can obtain color information of weak incident light.

[Means for solving problems]

As a means to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a photoelectric conversion means that receives incident light and converts it into photoelectrons, and a photoelectric conversion means that is provided in front of the photoelectric conversion means and that sequentially transmits three primary colors of light according to a control signal. a photoelectron multiplier that multiplies the photoelectrons, and when a photoelectron multiplied by the photoelectron hits the photoelectron, it emits fluorescence corresponding to the charge of the electron. an optical imaging means that receives a fluorescent image of the fluorescent image and converts it into an electrical signal according to the light intensity distribution of the fluorescent image; and an electrical signal from the optical imaging means and the optical Storage means for storing and holding image signals corresponding to each light primary color in response to a control signal for controlling the filter means, and forming a composite color image signal based on the image signals corresponding to each light primary color from the storage means. The present invention is characterized in that it includes an image synthesizing means for performing the combined color image signal, and a display means for displaying the color image in response to the synthesized color image signal.

[Action/Effect]

According to the above configuration of the present invention, weak incident light is sequentially transmitted through the optical filter means into each of the three primary colors of light, red, green, and blue, and each is converted into photoelectrons by the photoelectron conversion means. Then, it is multiplied by a photoelectron multiplier and converted into an electrical signal by an optical imaging means as a fluorescent image. The image signals of each color component are once stored and held in the storage means, and then combined and displayed as a color image. As described above, the present invention can multiply each color component of weak incident light and synthesize it again as a color image, so it is possible to observe and monitor the landscape as a color image even in dark conditions such as at night. It has this effect.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing one embodiment. Reference numeral 3 in the figure denotes an imaging lens fixed to the case 19, which is made of optical glass or resin, and forms an optical image on the photocathode 5. 4
is a liquid crystal filter, which is constructed by stacking three layers of guest-host liquid crystals to which a red dye, a green dye, and a blue dye are added.

5 is a charging surface installed behind the liquid crystal filter 4 and converts incident light into photoelectrons. Behind this photocathode, a microchannel plate 6 serving as a photoelectron multiplier for multiplying photoelectrons is installed, and behind it is a fluorescent surface that emits fluorescent light proportional to the charge of the multiplied photoelectrons. 7 will be installed.

An imaging lens 8 made of the same material as the imaging lens 3 is installed behind the fluorescent surface 7, and the imaging lens 8 focuses a fluorescent image onto the CCD il image element 9 located behind it. Image.

When a fluorescent image hits the CCD image sensor 9, which serves as an optical image pickup means, it converts the image into an electrical signal according to the light intensity distribution of the image.

A filter drive circuit 13 is connected to the liquid crystal filter 4, which generates a control signal for switching the color to red, green, and blue. Furthermore, in the filter drive circuit 13,
A synchronous circuit 15 is connected. Further, an image processing circuit 16 is connected to the output end of the CCD 11 image element 9, and the synchronization circuit 15 is connected to this. The image processing circuit 1
6 is connected to a monitor 17 which serves as a display means for displaying the night vision image in color. Furthermore, an MCP drive circuit 14 is connected to the microchannel plate 6, and a COD drive circuit 18 is connected to the CCD image sensor 9. Further, the image processing circuit 16 includes a CCD
The image signal from the illumination image 9 is transferred to a magnetic disk or
It is comprised of a storage section 19 for storing onto an optical disk or the like, a reading section 20 for reading out the stored signals, and a combining section 21 for combining the read signals into one image.

Next, its operation will be explained based on the above configuration.

The weak incident light 2 reflected by the object is focused by the imaging lens 3, and an image of the object 1 is formed on the photocathode 5. Here, a liquid crystal filter 4 is installed between the imaging lens 3 and the photocathode 5, which is a guest-host type liquid crystal.
This is a stack of three cells, one containing only the red pigment of the three primary colors of light, one containing only the green pigment, and one containing only the blue pigment.When a voltage is applied to the cell, the added pigment changes. It has properties as a wavelength-selective optical bandpass filter that absorbs light of wavelengths other than the color of the dye and transmits light of the wavelength of the color of the dye. Therefore, the filter drive circuit 13 sequentially applies voltage to the three cells of the liquid crystal filter 4.
When the liquid crystal filter 4 is sequentially switched to red, green, and blue, an object image by red wavelength light, an object image by green wavelength light, and an object image by blue wavelength light are sequentially displayed on the photocathode 5. imaged.

The photocathode 5 has a number of secondary electrons 1 proportional to the two-dimensional light intensity distribution of the object image formed on the photocathode by the imaging lens 3.
Emit 0. These secondary electrons 10 are multiplied and emitted by a microchannel plate 6 to which a high voltage is applied at both ends by a microchannel play (MCP) drive circuit 14. The multiplied electrons 11 are implanted into the fluorescent surface 7, and the fluorescent surface 7 emits fluorescent light with an intensity proportional to the charge of the multiplied electrons 11. The image formed by this fluorescent light is an image obtained by amplifying the brightness of the object image formed on the photocathode 5 by the imaging lens 3.

The fluorescent image from this fluorescent surface 7 is captured by an imaging lens 8 on a CC
The image is formed on the D image sensor 9, and the CCD image sensor 9 captures 2 images.
Converts dimensional image information into time-series electrical signals. CCD
The 1i image element 9 is driven by a COD drive circuit 18, and the output signal of the CCD fl image element 9 is sent to an image processing circuit 16.
sent to. The output signal of the CCD image sensor 9 is sent to a storage section in the image processing circuit 16 by a synchronization circuit 15, which distinguishes whether it is an object image signal resulting from light filtered in red, green, or blue by the liquid crystal filter 4. 19 is stored.

An image signal of an object image that has undergone red, green, and blue filtering for one object to be imaged is stored in the storage unit 19.
Then, the readout section 20 reads out the filtered image signals, and then the synthesis section 21 reads out the image signals that have undergone the respective filtering. The images are combined, colored, and displayed on the TV monitor 17.

As mentioned above, after the weak incident light is multiplied by the wavelength of each color component, the multiplied images of each color component are synthesized again. ,
It is possible to monitor the surrounding landscape in color images in areas where the illumination of the vehicle's headlights does not reach.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings are block diagrams showing one embodiment of the present invention. 3... Imaging lens, 4... Liquid crystal filter, 5...
Photocathode, 6... Microchannel plate, 7...
- Fluorescent surface, 9... CCD image sensor, 13... Filter drive circuit, 16... Image processing circuit, 19... Storage section, 21... Combination section, 17... TV monitor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] a photoelectric conversion means for receiving incident light and converting it into photoelectrons; an optical filter means provided in front of the photoelectric conversion means and controlled by a control signal to sequentially transmit three primary colors of light; a photoelectron multiplier for multiplying electrons; a fluorescent light emitting means for emitting fluorescence corresponding to the electric charge of the electrons when hit by photoelectrons multiplied by the photoelectron multiplier; and the fluorescent light emitting means an optical imaging means for receiving a fluorescent image and converting it into an electrical signal according to the light intensity distribution of the fluorescent image; and receiving an electrical signal from the optical imaging means and a control signal for controlling the optical filter means; a storage means for storing and holding image signals corresponding to each of the light primary colors; an image synthesis means for forming a composite color image signal based on the image signals corresponding to each light primary color from the storage means; 1. A color night vision device comprising: display means for displaying a color image in response to a received signal.