Patent ID: 7193214
Filing Date: 2007-03-20
Classification: G01J,G01N,H01L,H04N

Abstract:
1. In a system for viewing a pre-selected scenery in the near-infrared spectrum, the system having an iris lens assembly for collecting incoming radiation, a charge-coupled device camera; a relay lens for focusing the collected radiation onto the CCD camera; a microchannel image intensifier positioned between the iris lens assembly and the relay lens, an optical path length compensator selectively-placeable between the iris lens and the image intensifier, the intensifier amplifying the incoming radiation level prior to transmitting the radiation to the relay lens; and a photocathode coupled to the image intensifier, AN IMPROVEMENT for providing a polarimetric processing capability to the system so as to enable distinction of various features of the pre-selected scenery, said IMPROVEMENT comprising: a polarizer placeable between the iris lens and the photocathode, said polarizer being composed of several discrete segments of different polarization orientations and being translatable along the length of the image intensifier in discrete steps so as to bring sequentially said discrete polarization segments to be engaged between the iris lens and the photocathode, each of said segments being of sufficient size to cover all the pixels of the image intensifier; a plurality of polarized frame grabbers coupled to the CCD camera, each polarized frame grabber receiving radiation of a particular polarization orientation and outputting an image frame of that particular polarization orientation; and a logic circuit for performing image processing on said image frame outputs from said polarized frame grabbers and producing therefrom polarization difference of any given pair of orthogonal polarization orientations, said polarization of difference being used to enhance the visual perception of the diverse features of the scenery.