US 2025/0168514 A1 · OBSERVATION DEVICE

Abstract

An observation device, such as a night vision device, a range finder, a sighting device, or a scope, with a more useful night vision image during use. One embodiment obtains night-vision images of a scene at different illuminations and merging the night-vision images, resulting in a merged image that exhibits greater dynamic range than any of the individual night-vision images. This may be achieved by selecting regions in each image which contain the greatest image detail and combining the selected regions from each image into a single image which exhibits greater image detail as a result. Illumination may be provided at different illumination levels and/or at different beam angles, and may be provided by the same or by different illuminators. Another embodiment also obtains night-vision images of a scene at different illuminations and determines the level of detail of an object of interest in a first night-vision image at a first illumination so as to determine a second illumination that increases the level of detail in a second night-vision image.

Claims47

Dependent claims

An observation device comprising:

a night vision imaging module;
and
image processing means;
wherein the night vision imaging module is configured to capture a first night vision image of a scene and a second night vision image of substantially the same scene;
wherein the image processing means is configured to generate a merged night-vision image from the first image and the second image;
and
wherein the first night-vision image is captured at a first illumination and the second night-vision image is captured at a second illumination such that the merged night-vision image exhibits a greater dynamic range than the first image or the second image alone.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Observation device

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Observation device

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims47