Exelis Inc.

Scott Joseph Adams

William Eric Garris

Todd Michael Neff

William Allen Smith

Jeff Ronald Lynam

Kevin Schlirf

Jean Cathcart

A night vision goggle system includes a housing, and an eyepiece forming a back end of the housing for viewing an object of interest. An optical field-of-view (FOV) is formed through the eyepiece, where the FOV is defined by a cone having an apex formed adjacent to an exit pupil at the eyepiece and tapering outwardly toward the object of interest. A desiccant is disposed within the housing, and located outside the FOV. The desiccant is visible through the eyepiece when viewed from outside the FOV. In addition, when the eye of a user is placed within the FOV, the desiccant is not visible through the eyepiece; and when the eye of the user is placed outside the FOV, the desiccant is visible through the eyepiece.

Indicating desiccant in night vision goggles

A beam combiner is configured to generate a combined image by combining a first image and a second image, and transmit the combined image to a user. One or more light pipes are coupled to the beam combiner from one or more indicator lights. Each light pipe is configured to receive light from a respective indicator light and transmit the light from the respective indicator light to the beam combiner, which is then seen by the user.

Indicator systems in beam combiner assemblies

An optical system includes an optical bench defining a mounting surface, an objective lens mounted to the optical bench, and an image intensifier tube. The image intensifier tube includes: (i) a housing defining an interior region and a mounting surface, and (ii) a photocathode bonded to a glass faceplate defining a faceplate surface, wherein the photocathode is positioned within the interior region of the housing, and wherein the mounting surface of the housing resides on the same plane as the faceplate surface. The mounting surface of the optical bench is mounted onto the mounting surface of the image intensifier tube housing such that the mounting surface of the optical bench resides on the same plane as the faceplate surface and the faceplate surface of the faceplate is the surface of the faceplate that is positioned closest to the objective lens.

Image intensifier tube with a mounting surface

In an optical system including an optical bench and an imaging device that is configured to be mounted to the optical bench, a method of aligning the imaging device on the optical bench includes the steps of:

Growing community of inventors

Roanoke, VA, United States of America

Scott Joseph Adams