Night vision viewing system

A night vision viewing system comprising:

• a viewing arrangement providing an eye of a user of the system with a direct view of a portion of a scene ahead of the user on which is superimposed in register for simultaneous viewing an intensified image of said portion of the said scene, said viewing arrangement including:
• (a) a frame part;
• (b) an optical projector supported by said frame part, said optical projector having
• I. an image intensifier and
• II. optical means arranged in conjunction with said image intensifier so as to project an intensified image of said portion of the scene ahead of the user;
• and
• (c) a body of light-refractive material mounted on said frame part in front of the eye of the user, said body having
• I. an input surface,
• II. flat parallel fore and aft further surfaces, and
• III. an additional internal surface within said body between said fore and aft further surfaces and concavely curved towards said aft further surface, said additional internal surface possessing both light-reflecting and light-transmitting properties,
• IV. the arrangement being such that
• (i) rays of said intensified image from said optical projector
• 1. enter said body at said input surface,
• 2. are totally internally reflected forwardly towards said curved additional surface,
• 3. are reflected at said curved surface rearwardly towards said aft further surface, and
• 4. finally are transmitted through said aft further surface to the user's eye, and
• (ii) the eye of the user is provided with a view of said scene ahead of the user through said body on which view said intensified image is superimposed in register.

A night vision viewing system comprising a viewing arrangement providing an eye of a user of the system with a direct view of a portion of a scene ahead of the user on which is superimposed in register for simultaneous viewing an intensified image of said portion on the said scene, said viewing arrangement including:

• (a) a frame part;
• (b) an optical projector supported by said frame part, said optical projector having
• I. an image intensifier and
• II. optical means arranged in conjunction with said image intensifier so as to project an intensified image of said portion of the scene ahead of the user;
• and
• (c) a body of light-refractive material mounted on said frame part in front of the eye of the user, said body having
• I. an input surface,
• II. flat fore and aft further surfaces spanned by said input surface, and
• III. an additional internal surface within said body between said fore and aft further surfaces and concavely curved towards said aft further surface, said additional internal surface possessing both light-reflecting and light-transmitting properties,
• IV. said input surface, said fore and aft further surfaces and said concavely curved additional surface being angularly mutually disposed
• (i) so that rays of said intensified image from said optical projector
• 1. enter said body at said input surface,
• 2. are totally internally reflected forwardly at said aft further surface towards said curved additional surface,
• 3. are reflected at said curved surface rearwardly towards said aft further surface, and
• 4. finally are transmitted through said aft further surface to the user's eye, and
• (ii) so as to provide the eye of the user with a view of said scene ahead of the user through said body on which view said intensified image is superimposed in register.

A night vision viewing system comprising:

• (A) a helmet having a face aperture;
• and
• (B) a night vision goggle arrangement fixedly supported on the helmet from a position above said face aperture, said night vision goggle arrangement including two independent viewing arrangements, one for each eye of a wearer of the helmet, each said viewing arrangement providing the associated eye of the wearer with a direct view of a portion of the scene ahead of the wearer on which is superimposed in register for simultaneous viewing an intensified image of said portion of the said scene, each said viewing arrangement including:
• (a) a frame part;
• (b) an optical projector supported by said frame part, said optical projector having
• I. an image intensifier and
• II. optical means arranged in conjunction with said image intensifier to project an intensified image of said portion of the scene ahead of the wearer;
• and
• (c) a body of light-refractive material mounted on said frame part in front of a respective one of the eyes of the wearer, said body having
• I. an input surface,
• II. flat parallel fore and aft further surfaces spanned by said input surface, and
• III. an additional internal surface within the body between said fore and aft further surfaces and concavely curved towards said aft further surface, said additional internal surface possessing both light-reflecting and light-transmitting properties,
• IV. said input surface, said fore and aft further surfaces and said concavely curved additional surface being angularly mutually disposed
• (i) so that rays of said intensified image from said optical projector
• 1. enter said body at said input surface,
• 2. are totally internally reflected forwardly towards said curved additional surface,
• 3. are reflected at said curved surface rearwardly towards said aft further surface, and
• 4. finally are transmitted through said aft further surface to the wearer's eye, and
• (ii) so as to provide the associated eye of the wearer with a view of said scene ahead of the wearer through said body on which view said intensified image is superimposed in register.