Sequential light amplifier system

Claim 1

A LIGHT AMPLIFYING SYSTEM FOR RESOLVING THE OPTICAL INFORMATION IN SCENES OF EXTREMELY LOW BRIGHTNESS AND CONTRAST COMPRISING: AN IMAGE CONVERTER, HAVING A PHOTOCATHODE, A PHOSPHOR SCREEN AND A CASCADE OF ELECTRON IMAGE INTENSIFIERS BETWEN SAID PHOTOCATHODE AND SAID PHOSPHOR SCREEN, FOR RECEIVING AN OPTICAL IMAGE ON ITS PHOTOCATHODE AND PRODUCING A CORRESPONDING AMPLIFIED OPTICAL IMAGE ON ITS PHOSPHOR SCREEN; MEANS FOR FORMING AN OPTICAL IMAGE OF A SCENE ON SAID PHOTOCATHOE; AN OPTICAL IMAGE TO VIDEO SIGNAL TRANSDUCER HAVING A PHOTOCATHODE, A TARGET ELECTRODE IN THE FORM OF A THIN FLAT MEMBER HAVING LOW LATERAL CONDUCTIVITY BUT RELATIVELY HIGH CONDUCTIVITY BETWEEN FACES, A FINE MESH CONDUCTIVE TARGET SCREEN POSITIONED CLOSE TO SAID TARGET ELECTRODE ON THE PHOTOCATHODE SIDE FOR COLLECTING SECONDARY ELECTRONS EMITTED BY SAID TARGET ELECTRODE, AND AT LEAST ONE ELECTRON IMAGE INTENSIFIER SITUATED BETWEEN SAID PHOTOCATHODE AND SAID TARGET SCREEN FOR CONVERTING AN OPTICAL IMAGE ON SAID PHOTOCATHODE INTO A CORRESPONDING POSITIVE CHARGE DISTRIBUTION PATTERN ON SAID TARGET ELECTRODE, HAVING MEANS FOR VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY SCANNING SAID TARGET ELECTRODE WITH A LOW VELOCITY ELECTRON BEAM TO PRODUCE A RETURN BEAM OF ELECTRONS FROM SAID TARGET MODULATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAID CHARGE PATTERN, AND HAVING AN ELECTRON MULTIPLIER FOR RECEIVING AND AMPLIFYING SAID RETURN BEAM TO PRODUCE AN AMPLIFIED VIDEO SIGNAL; OPTICAL COU-