Itt Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.

Exelis Inc.

Itt Electro Optical Products, a Division of Itt Corporation

Itt Corporation

Alcatel Na, Inc.,

K and M Electronics, Inc.

James Hoge Bowen

Mark Alan Bryant

William Eric Garris

John M Holland

Roger Douglas Whiddon

Richard Allen Kominsky

Ransom Hal Castleberry

Nathan Ray Schlotthober

David R Porter

David Geer Fletcher

John Carl Nelson

Harrison Lewis Buchanan, Jr

Joseph Reed

Lapthe Chau Flora

Joseph N Caserta

Raymond Aguero

Paul Thomas Schweitzer

William D Mims

Roger Charlton

Kevin Patrick Hines

Thomas Douglas Burton

Walter E Blouch

Michael S Clamme

Ronald E Champagne

Raymond Aquero

Leslie B Hodges

Keira Alyse Duffy

Jerry Raymond Long

Harrison Lewis Buchanan

A power supply for an image intensifier, the power supply including a DC voltage source generating a photocathode voltage; a bright source protection (BSP) resistor in series with the DC voltage source; and an oscillator in parallel with the DC voltage source and the BSP resistor, the oscillator providing an AC voltage component, the AC voltage component having a fixed pulse width, the AC voltage component being coupled to the photocathode by a diode, the pulse width and shape of the AC voltage component on the photocathode being determined by the photocathode current.

Clamped cathode power supply for image intensifier

Power supplies and methods for regulating performance of image intensifiers are disclosed. Performance is regulated by controlling the duty factor of the image intensifiers.

Performance regulated image intensifier power supply

A brightness tracking system for an optical device includes a first imager for viewing a target of interest, a second imager for viewing the same target of interest, and a photodiode circuit. The photodiode circuit (a) measures brightness levels of the target of interest received from the first imager, and (b) controls output brightness of the second imager, based on the measured brightness levels received from the first imager.

Brightness tracking light sensor

A gating module for gating an image intensifier tube. The gating module includes a frequency generator generating a base signal having a base frequency. A modulator spread-spectrum modulates the base frequency of the base signal to generate a modulated signal. A gating circuit coupled to the modulator generates a gating signal in response to the modulated signal.

Method and system for spread spectrum gating

A battery housing for use with a night vision device. The housing is arranged to carry a single, easily replaceable battery and is carried by an electronic device such as a night vision device.

Single battery housing assembly

An electronic circuit for use in a monocular night vision device for electronically controlling a plurality of components within the device, the device having an objective lens assembly for receiving low intensity light, a variable gain image intensifier tube having a user adjustable variable gain controller external to the tube for adjusting the light intensity level of a visible output image, a single eyepiece lens assembly for viewing the output image from the image intensifier assembly; and a non-metallic housing comprising an upper housing for receiving the objective lens assembly, image intensifier assembly, and eyepiece lens assembly, and a lower housing containing a battery cavity for receiving batteries to power the device. The housing aligns the objective lens assembly with the image intensifier assembly and the eyepiece lens assembly along an optical axis wherein the upper and lower housing are coupled to one another along the optical axis. The electronic circuit comprises a rigid printed circuit board (pcb) located within the lower housing having a plurality of contacts for enabling electronic communication with components mounted thereon and with the variable gain image intensifier tube, the rigid pcb including a pair of contacts in electrical communication with the image intensifier tube for energizing the intensifier tube, and a flexible printed circuit board coupled to the rigid pcb and adaptable to the geometry of the upper and lower housings for electronically interconnecting components located within the upper and lower housings with the rigid pcb, the flexible pcb having a first circuit connection to the image intensifier tube and a second circuit connection to an adjustable potentiometer mounted external to the image intensifier tube on the rigid pcb.

Circuit having a flexible printed circuit board for electronically controlling a night vision device and night vision device including the same

A method for providing user adjustable variable gain for a night vision device which utilizes an image intensifier tube, wherein the image intensifier tube has a given life expectancy, the image intensifier tube is subjected to factory calibration for providing an optimum output during operation, wherein the calibration undesirably differs from tube to tube and is adjustable by variable control means coupled to the tube, whereby when one tube is substituted for another the difference in calibration causes non-optimum performance, the method including the steps of: determining minimum and maximum gain limits associated with the optimum output of the night vision device; factory calibrating gain limiting means according to the determined minimum and maximum gain limits, wherein the gain limiting means are associated with the image intensifier tube and for limiting the variable control means; and, tethering the gain limiting means to the image intensifier tube.

Variable gain image intensifier

A light transmitting device for use in a viewing apparatus or optical device, particularly a night vision device. The device is composed of a material which is capable of transmitting light from a remote source. Light from a visible indicator such as an LED is transferred through at least one outer flat to an inner flat of the device. The inner flat provides a signal to the user that the power supply is low. An additional outer flat and inner flat provides a signal to the user that the infrared illuminator is in operation. A projection formed along the outer periphery of the device prevents rotation and aids in assembling the device in a viewing apparatus. With the light transmitting device, there is no need for a separate device attached to the housing of an optical device for indicating power supply. The device also avoids the presence of overlapping light signals in the user's eyes, by transferring separate channels of light from locations outside the field-of-view to specific locations inside the field-of-view of an optical device.

Light transmitting device

An image intensifier tube having an electromagnetic interference protection arrangement. The protection is accomplished by shielding the tube and filtering the power supply. Shielding is performed by means of a conductive metallic coating which surrounds the image intensifier tube housing. Filtering is accomplished by using capacitors to short the interference to ground.

Electromagnetic interference protection for image intensifier tube

A double-clad single mode optical fiber with a depressed inner cladding exhibits increased resistance to attenuation increases resulting from small radius bends and lower attenuation sensitivity to temperature changes when the mode field diameter is less than 7 um and the ratio of the radius of the inner cladding to the radius of the core is at least 6.5 to one.

Single mode bend insensitive fiber for use in fiber optic guidance

An optical fiber communications link which by means of pulse-width-modulation (PWM) encoding supports either synchronous or asynchronous data transmission and operation over a wide range of data rates. The link utilizes a PWM encoder which accepts either synchronous (clock plus data) or asynchronous (data only) binary inputs and generates a PWM encoded waveform. This waveform is transmitted via an optical transmitter, optical channel (e.g., fiber optics) and optical receiver to the PWM decoder which reconstructs the binary inputs. The optical receiver contains a receiver circuit for assuring automatic gain control regardless of the duty cycle. In the synchronous mode of operation the unsymmetrical clock output is restored to symmetry by using a clock symmetry restoration technique.

Synchronous, asynchronous, data rate transparent fiber optic

Synchronous, asynchronous, and data rate transparent fiber optic

Growing community of inventors

Salem, VA, United States of America

James Hoge Bowen