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Review of night vision technology

  • Invited Paper
  • Published:
Opto-Electronics Review

Abstract

Night vision based on technology of image intensifier tubes is the oldest electro-optical surveillance technology. However, it receives much less attention from international scientific community than thermal imagers or visible/NIR imagers due to series of reasons. This paper presents a review of a modern night vision technology and can help readers to understand sophisticated situation on the international night vision market.

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Abbreviations

ANVIS:

aviator night vision imaging system (a term used commonly for binocular night vision goggles)

CCD:

charge couple device (a technology for constructing integrated circuits that use a movement of electrical charge by “shifting” signals between stages within the device one at a time)

CCTV:

close circuit television (type of visible/NIR cameras used for short range surveillance)

CMOS:

complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (a technology that uses pairs of p-type and n-type metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors for constructing image sensors

CRT:

cathode ray tube (a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a phosphor screen used to generate images)

EMCCD:

electron multiplying charge coupled device

fc:

foot candela

fL:

foot lambert

ENVG:

enhanced night vision goggles

EBAPS:

electron bombarded active pixel sensor

FOM:

figure of merit

FOV:

field of view

HUD:

head-up display

ICCD:

intensified CCD (a technology that uses imaging modules achieved by combing image intensifier tube with CCD sensor)

IIT:

image intensifier tube

lp/mm:

line pair per millimeter

lp/mrad:

line per miliradian

MCP:

micro channel plate

MIL standard:

a United States defence standard, often called a military standard

NIR:

near infrared

NVD:

night vision device

NVG:

night vision goggles

RMS:

root mean square

SNR:

signal to noise ratio

SWIR:

short wave infrared

TFT LCD:

thin film transistor liquid crystal display

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Optoelectronics, Military University of Technology, 2 Kaliskiego Str., 00-908, Warsaw, Poland

    K. Chrzanowski

  2. Inframet, 24 Graniczna Str., Kwirynów, 05-082 Stare Babice, Poland

    K. Chrzanowski

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  1. K. Chrzanowski
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Correspondence to K. Chrzanowski.

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Chrzanowski, K. Review of night vision technology. Opto-Electron. Rev. 21, 153–181 (2013). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11772-013-0089-3

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