Professional Documents
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Bachelor of Engineering
in
Submitted by
DEEPTHI M (1RG18EE001)
Under The Guidance of
Ms. VANDANA R
Assistant Professor
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the Technical Seminar Report entitled “NIGHT VISION
TECHNOLOGY” is a bonafide Work carried out by DEEPTHI M bearing USN (1RG18EE001) in
partial fulfillment for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Engineering in “Electrical and Electronics
Engineering” under Visveswaraya Technological University, Belagavi, during the year 2021-2022. It is
certified that all corrections/suggestions given for Internal assessment have been incorporated in the report.
This technical seminar report has been approved as it satisfies the academic requirements in respect of the
technical seminar work prescribed for the above said degree.
………………………… ………………………………..
Ms. Vandana R Dr. Lalithamma GA
Assistant Professor Professor & HOD
Dept of EEE Dept of EEE
RGIT, Bangalore RGIT, Bangalore
VISVESWARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
“Jnana Sangama”, Belgavi-590018
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the technical seminar report entitled “NIGHT VISION
TECHNOLOGY” submitted to the Visveswaraya Technological University, Belagavi during the
academic year 2021- 2022, is record of an original work done by me under the guidance of “Ms. Vandana
R” Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology,
Bangalore and this technical seminar report is submitted in the partial fulfillment of requirements for the
award of the degree of Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. The results
embodied in this report have not been submitted to any other University or Institute for award of any
degree or diploma.
DEEPTHI M (1RG18EE001)
Date:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my profound grateful thanks to Dr. D.G Anand, Principal, Rajiv
Gandhi Institute of Technology, for providing me excellent facilities and academic ambience, which
have helped me in satisfactory completion of the Seminar work.
I extend my sincere thanks to Dr. Lalithamma GA, HOD, Department of Electrical and
Electronics Engineering, for providing me an invaluable support throughout the period of my Seminar
work.
I express my truthful thanks to Prof. Gayatri Chavan, Seminar Coordinator, Department of
Electrical and Electronics Engineering for his constant support and guidance in completion of the
Seminar work.
I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to my guide, Ms. Vandana R for her valuable guidance
in completing the Seminar work successfully.
Finally, I take this opportunity to extend my earnest gratitude and respect to my Parents,
Teaching & Non-teaching staffs of the department, the library staff and all our Friends, who have
directly or indirectly supported me during the period of Seminar work.
Name: DEEPTHI M
1 INTRODUCTION 3
2 THEORY 4-5
5 GENERATION 10-13
7 EQUIPMENTS 15
8 APPLICATIONS 16
9 BIOLOGICAL VISION 17
15 CONCLUSION 29
16 REFERENCES 30
Introduction
Night vision technology, by definition, literally allows one to see in the dark. Originally
developed for military use, it has provided the United States with a strategic military
advantage, the value of which can be measured in lives. Federal and state agencies now
routinely utilize the technology for site security, surveillance as well as search and rescue.
Night vision equipment has evolved from bulky optical instruments in lightweight goggles
through the advancement of image intensification technology. The first thing you probably
think of when you see the words night vision is a spy or action movie you've seen, in which
someone straps on a pair of night-vision goggles to find someone else in a dark building on a
moonless night. And you may have wondered "Do those things really work? Can you actually
see in the dark?"
The answer is most definitely yes. With the proper night-vision equipment, you can see a
person standing over 200 yards (183 m) away on a moonless, cloudy night! Night vision can
work in two very different ways, depending on the technology used.
Image enhancement - This works by collecting the tiny amounts of light,
including the lower portion of the infrared light spectrum, that are
present but may be imperceptible to our eyes, and amplifying it to
the point that we can easily observe the image.
Thermal imaging - This technology operates by capturing the upper portion of the
infrared light spectrum, which is emitted as heat by objects instead of simply
reflected as light. Hotter objects, such as warm bodies, emit more of this light than
cooler objects like trees or buildings.
Theory
In order to understand night vision, it is important to understand something about light. The
amount of energy in a light wave is related to its wavelength: Shorter wavelengths have
higher energy. Of visible light, violet has the most energy, and red has the least. Just next to
the visible light spectrum is the infrared spectrum.
FIG-1
Generation 2 - The micro channel plate (MCP) electron multiplier prompted Gen 2
development in the 1970s. The "gain" provided by the MCP eliminated the need for back-
to-back tubes - thereby improving size and image quality. The MCP enabled development
of hand held and helmet mounted goggles.
Second-generation image intensification significantly increased gain and resolution by
employing a micro channel plate. Figure 2 depicts the basic configuration. [These two
sentences could have been combined: "Figure2 depicts how second-generation image plate
is."] The micro channel plate is composed of several million microscopic hollow glass
channels fused into a disk. Each channel, approximately 0.0125 mm in diameter, is coated
with a special semiconductor which easily liberates electrons. A single electron entering a
channel initiates an avalanche process of secondary emission, under influence of an applied
voltage, freeing hundreds of electrons. These electrons, effectively collimated by the
channel, increase the resolution of the device. With additional electron optics, details as fine
as 0.025 mm can be realized (half the diameter of a human hair).
FIG-2
Current image intensifiers incorporate their predecessor's resolution with additional light
amplification. The multi alkali photocathode is replaced with a gallium arsenide
photocathode; this extends the wavelength sensitivity of the detector into the near infrared.
The moon and stars provide light in these wavelengths, which boosts the effectively available
light by approximately 30%, bringing the total gain of the system to around 30,000.
Indeed one might have moved this material to the front in a more dramatic way, perhaps by
calling attention to the movie `Silence of the Lambs’ slight green tint similar to some
sunglasses. The apparent lighting of the landscape on a dark night is comparable to what the
unaided eye would see on a clear winter night with fresh snow on the ground and a full
moon.
Generation 3 - Two major advancements characterized development of Gen 3 in the late
1970s and early 1980s: the gallium arsenide (GaAs) photocathode and the ion-barrier film on
the MCP. The GaAs photocathode enabled detection of objects at greater distances under
much darker conditions. The ion-barrier film increased the operational life of the tube from
2000 hours (Gen 2) to 10,000 (Gen 3), as demonstrated by actual testing and not
extrapolation.
Generation 4- It was developed in early 2000’s and also known as “filmless and gated”
technology. Some of its characteristics are as:-
Using intensified night vision is different from using regular binoculars and/or your own
eyes. Below are some of the aspects of night vision that you should be aware of when you are
using an image intensified night vision system.
Textures, Light and Dark
Objects that appear light during the day but have a dull surface may appear darker, through
the night vision unit, than objects that are dark during the day but have a highly reflective
surface. For example, a shiny dark coloured jacket may appear brighter than a light
coloured jacket with a dull surface.
Depth Perception
Night vision does not present normal depth perception.
Fog and Rain
Night vision is very responsive to reflective ambient light; therefore, the light reflecting off
of fog or heavy rain causes much more light to go toward the night vision unit and may
degrade its performance.
Honeycomb: -
This is a faint hexagonal pattern which is the result of the manufacturing process.
Black Spots: -
A few black spots throughout the image area are also inherent characteristics of all night
vision technology. These spots will remain constant and should not increase in size or
number. See example below of an image with black spots. (FIG-3)
FIG-3
Equipment
Goggles - While goggles can be handheld, they are most often worn on
the head. Goggles are binocular (two eye-pieces) and may have a single
lens or stereo lens, depending on the model. Goggles are excellent for
constant viewing, such as moving around in a dark building.
Cameras - Cameras with night-vision technology can send the image to a monitor
for display or to a VCR for recording. When night-vision capability is desired in a
permanent location, such as on a building or as part of the equipment in a helicopter,
cameras are used. Many of the newer camcorders have night vision built right in.
Applications
Black Spots
These are common blemishes in the image intensifier of the NVD or can be dirt or debris
between the lenses of the NVG. Black spots that are in the image intensifier do not affect the
performance or reliability of a night vision device and are inherent in the manufacturing
processes. Every night vision image intensifier tube is different. They are like diamonds.
Monocular
Viewing a single image source with both eyes (example: watching a television set).
Binocular
Viewing a scene through two channels; i.e. one channel per eye.
Blooming
Loss of the entire night vision image parts of it, or small parts of it due to intensifier tube
overloading by a bright light source. Also known as a "halo" effect, when the viewer sees a
"halo" effect around visible light sources. When such a bright light source comes into the
night vision device's view, the entire night vision scene, or parts of it, become much brighter,
"whiting out" objects within the field of view. Blooming is common in Generation 0 and 1
devices. The lights in the image to the right would be considered to be "blooming".
C-Mount
A standard still and video camera lens thread size for mounting to the body of a camera.
Usually 1/2" or 3/4" in diameter.
COMSPEC (Commercial Specification)
A term used to describe image tube quality, testing and inspection done by the original
equipment manufacturer (OEM).
Chicken Wire
An irregular pattern of dark thin lines in the field of view either throughout the image area or
in parts of the image area. Under the worst-case condition, these lines will form hexagonal or
square wave-shape lines.
Daylight Lens Cover
Usually made of soft plastic or rubber with a pinhole that allows a small amount of light to
enter the objective lens of a night vision device. This should be used for training purposes
only, and is not recommended for an extended period of time.
The BMW Night Vision camera is a thermal imaging camera, which converts thermal
radiation into electronic signals and then into images visible to the human eye. The thermal
image is converted first by the sensor into electrical signals and then with the aid of image-
processing software into a visible image in the control display. The sensor elements alter the
resistance in proportion to the temperature. The higher the temperature, the higher the
electrical signal and the whiter the pixel will be shown. The sensor can generate a new image
up to 60 times per second. This results in a softer and clearer image. Heat radiation is
absorbed and dissipated by virtually every solid or liquid body. Heat radiation, however, is
not visible to the human eye because it belongs in the long-wave infrared range. From a
physical standpoint, this represents electromagnetic waves with a wavelength of 8 μm to 15
μm. This long-wave infrared radiation is known as Far Infrared (FIR). The advantage of
utilizing radiation in the Far Infrared range is the greater range compared with Near Infrared
systems with a wavelength of 0.7 μm to 1.4 μm. These systems require illumination with just
this wavelength. Essentially, FIR systems consist of an optical element, a thermal imaging
camera, a control unit and a display.
Advantages
An increase in nighttime situational awareness for pilots as this helps them to see the things
clearly at a distance and reduce the risk of accidents.
This would markedly decrease the possibility of collisions with terrain or man-made
obstructions.
It does permit the user to see objects that normally would not be seen by the unaided eye.
Improved vision conditions of dusk and darkness helps to see in the severe condition which
naked eye can’t see.
Highlighting of illuminated, heat-emitting objects as pedestrian, cyclists, deer, Etc.
Disadvantages
Lack of color discrimination: - As most of the cases the output image is green so there is no
color discrimination is there in the image obtained in the display.
Neck strain and fatigue: - Night vision goggles are mounted on the helmet which one have
to wear on head. So, there is a chance of neck strain and fatigue.
High initial cost to purchase: - As high-resolution cameras are used so initial cost for
installing this device is high.
Need for recurrent training: - Before using these devices one have to properly get training
about use of these devices so that they can use that devices more efficiently.
Decreased field of aided view: - This technique is used to cover a specific area only so extra
field of view cannot be added.
Although generic image processing algorithms have been addressing similar goals for many
years, there are several problems that are unique to image processing in automotive
application. For example, it is difficult to distinguish between objects in the foreground and
the background of the image the entire image is continuously changing and because
pedestrians vary in scale based on their distance to the viewer.
The probability of true warnings (i.e., when the driver is about to hit the pedestrian) is
low, as it often is in reality, then the odds of the true alarm, can be quite low even for
very sensitive warning systems with very high hit rates and low false alarm rates.
Conclusion
Through night vision device we can see the object in dark environment. We have seen four
generation of this device and seen different ranges. Initially this device was used by military
but now it also available for civilians. The innovation and implementation of night vision
system has a great impact on automotive session such as saving many lives from death
reducing accidents at night. In NIGHT VISION SYSTEM of automobiles which gave us the
knowledge about the whole system. By the study of the system, we got familiarize with the
technology used in BMW NIGHT VISION SYSTEM. Also understood that how to utilize the
BMW NIGHT VISION feature. Finally, we came to know the benefits to having this
technology in the vehicle which can be used to avoid the accidents. On the basis of that we
conclude that automatic pedestrian warning, in the form of highlighting the pedestrians on the
night vision display, is generally helpful in increasing detection distance and accuracy.
In this we have described various night vision technologies which are available and also its
working in order to avoid various low light problem, this shows that how efficiently a
soldiers can work efficiently during night also wild life observer can work during dark and
also shown how surveillance can be kept in low light condition this summarize a various
generations of night vision technology.
References
1. A Simple and effective Display foe night vision system, Omer Tsimoni
,Michael J. Flannigan, Mary Lynn Milford and Naoko Takenobu,
University of Michigan transportation research Institute
2. Pedestrian detection with night vision system enhanced by automatic
warnings by Omer Simoni, Michael J. Flannagan and Takako Minoda,
September,2005
3. International Journal of Environmental Science Volume-3, No.1, 2012
4. BMW Night-Vision Available in the 5 and 6 series as of
March”. Worldcarfans.com. 2006-01-08.
5. http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/nightvision3.html
6. http://www.nightvision.com/military/militaryhome.html
7. http://www.physics.ohiostate.edu/~wilkins/writing/Samples/shortmed/joh
medium/index.html
8. http://www.atncorp.com/HowNightVisionWorks
9. http://www.morovision.com/hownightvisionworks.htm
10. http://www.alanaecology.com/acatalog/Introduction to Night vision html
11. http://www.photonis.com/nightvision/products/supergen/supergen_specifi
cations
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