Physical modeling and characterization of the halo phenomenon in night vision goggles

Paul J. Thomas; Robert S. Allison; Peter Carr; Edward Shen; Sion Jennings; Todd Macuda; Greg Craig; Richard Hornsey

doi:10.1117/12.602736

19 May 2005 Physical modeling and characterization of the halo phenomenon in night vision goggles

Paul J. Thomas, Robert S. Allison, Peter Carr, Edward Shen, Sion Jennings, Todd Macuda, Greg Craig, Richard Hornsey

Proceedings Volume 5800, Helmet- and Head-Mounted Displays X: Technologies and Applications; (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.602736
Event: Defense and Security, 2005, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

When a bright light source is viewed through Night Vision Goggles (NVG), the image of the source can appear enveloped in a “halo” that is much larger than the “weak-signal” point spread function of the NVG. The halo phenomenon was investigated in order to produce an accurate model of NVG performance for use in psychophysical experiments. Halos were created and measured under controlled laboratory conditions using representative Generation III NVGs. To quantitatively measure halo characteristics, the NVG eyepiece was replaced by a CMOS imager. Halo size and intensity were determined from camera images as functions of point-source intensity and ambient scene illumination. Halo images were captured over a wide range of source radiances (7 orders of magnitude) and then processed with standard analysis tools to yield spot characteristics. The spot characteristics were analyzed to verify our proposed parametric model of NVG halo event formation. The model considered the potential effects of many subsystems of the NVG in the generation of halo: objective lens, photocathode, image intensifier, fluorescent screen and image guide. A description of the halo effects and the model parameters are contained in this work, along with a qualitative rationale for some of the parameter choices.

Citation Download Citation

Paul J. Thomas, Robert S. Allison, Peter Carr, Edward Shen, Sion Jennings, Todd Macuda, Greg Craig, and Richard Hornsey "Physical modeling and characterization of the halo phenomenon in night vision goggles", Proc. SPIE 5800, Helmet- and Head-Mounted Displays X: Technologies and Applications, (19 May 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.602736

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