Patent ID: 7589309

Claim:
An imager system, in a microscope, comprising: an image intensifier including an entrance window and an exit window, and comprising a photo-cathode, a dynode, an anode, and a phosphor screen; an image intensifier control and power supply unit operationally configured to allow control and powering of said image intensifier and configured to effect overload control of said image intensifier, said image intensifier control and power supply unit operationally connected to said image intensifier; a CMOS image sensor having an input window; an optical coupler having an input window and an output window, said input window of said optical coupler directly connected to said exit window of said image intensifier, said output window of said optical coupler directly connected to input window of said CMOS image sensor; a processor operationally connected to said CMOS image sensor, and operationally configured to interrogate and process data from said CMOS sensor; said processor further connected to said image intensifier control and power supply unit and operatively configured to generate gain control and photo-cathode gating commands said gain control command being generated in response to detection of light intensity hot spots occurring at localized areas within the total image, and said photo-cathode dating command being generated in response to measurement of anode current of said image intensifier; and wherein said gain control and said cathode gating commands are applied to said image intensifier control and power supply unit.