Night vision goggle system

Claim 2

A night vision goggle system comprising: (a) a housing; (b) an optical system accommodated within said housing, said system including a pair of eyepiece assemblies; (c) each of said pair of eyepiece assemblies slidably mounted within said housing for individual lateral adjustment of interpupillary distance; (d) said optical system comprising an objective lens assembly, an image intensifier tube, and a collimator lens assembly, all mounted in optical axial alignment; and (e) a splitter member mounted concentric with said optical axial alignment.

Claim 3

The night vision goggle system of claim 1 further including means operatively associated with each of said pair of eyepiece assemblies for providing individual focusing thereto, and wherein each of said pair of eyepiece assemblies includes an individually adjustable focusing subassembly from +2 to -6 diopter, a flat replicated mirror and a second subassembly.

Claim 4

The night vision goggle system of claim 1 further including means for providing a wide field of view illumination designed for short distances, said means including visible indication via said optical system that said illumination is operational.

Claim 5

The night vision goggle system of claim 3 further including a detachable optical accessory designed to be mounted over said means for providing said wide field of view illumination to modify the same to a narrow field of view illumination at distances between about 100 to about 250 yards.

Claim 6

The night vision goggle system of claim 1 further including a face mask having an adjustable strap assembly, a connection designed removably to mount said housing to said face mask, and wherein said connection is of a quick-release type and being provided with a plurality of indented stops, and wherein said strap assembly is adjustable via a six-point connection to said face mask.

Claim 7

The night vision goggle system of claim 1 wherein said housing is so constructed as to enable said goggle system to be operational over a temperature range of about +45° C. to about -45° C. and in an environment of up to 99% humidity, including the capability of being immersed for up to three feet in water without adverse effects on said goggle system.

Claim 8

The night vision goggle system of claim 1 wherein said objective lens assembly comprises three cemented doublet lens components, having a focal length of about 26 mm and a relative aperture of f/1, and wherein said objective lens assembly is mounted for limited axial displacement by rotation within said housing over an 135° arc so as to adjust the focus thereof over a predetermined range.

Claim 9

A night vision goggle system comprising: (a) a housing; (b) an optical system accomodated within said housing, said system including a pair of eyepiece assemblies; (c) each of said pair of eyepiece assemblies slidably mounted within said housing for individual adjustment of interpupillary distance; (d) said optical system comprising an objective lens assembly, an image intensifier tube, and a collimator lens assembly, all mounted in optical axial alignement, and a splitter member mounted concentric with said optical axial alignment; (e) said objective lens assembly three cemented doublet lens components, having a focal length of about 26 mm and a relative aperture of f/1; (f) said three cemented doublet lens components include a first cemented doublet lens component having a convex surface on the object side with a radius of curvature R 1 , an interfacial radius of curvature R 2 , and a convex surface on the rear side with a radius of curvature R 3 , vertex thickness t 1 and t 2 and respective refractive indices n 1 -n 6 at three respective wavelengths; a second cemented doublet lens component having a front convex surface with a radius of curvature R 4 , and interfacial radius of curvature R 5 and a plane rear surface P 1 , vertex thickness t 3 and t 4 , and refractive indices n 7 -n 12 and at said three respective wavelenghts; a third cemented doublet lens component having a front convex surface with a radius of curvature R 6 , an interfacial radius of curvature R 7 and a plane rear surface P 2 , vertex thicknesses t 5 and t 6 , and refractive indices n 13 -n 18 ; with an airspace d 1 reserved between said first and second doublet lens components and an airspace d 2 reserved between said second and third doublet lens components.

Claim 10

A night vision goggle system comprising: (a) a housing; (b) an optical system accomodated within said housing, said system including a pair of eyepiece assemblies; (c) each of said pair of eyepiece assemblies slidably mounted within said housing for individual adjustment of interpupillary distance; (d) said optical system comprising an objective lens assembly, an image intensifier tube, and a collimator lens assembly, all mounted in optical axial alignement, and a splitter member mounted concentric with said optical axial alignment; (e) said objective lens assembly three cemented doublet lens components, having a focal length of about 26 mm and a relative aperture of f/1; (f) said three cemented doublet lens components include a first cemented doublet lens component having a convex surface on the object side with a radius of curvature R 1 , an interfacial radius of curvature R 2 , and a convex surface on the rear side with a radius of curvature R 3 , vertex thickness t 1 and t 2 and respective refractive indices n 1 -n 6 at three respective wavelengths; a second cemented doublet lens component having a front convex surface with a radius of curvature R 4 , and interfacial radius of curvature R 5 and a plane rear surface P 1 , vertex thickness t 3 and t 4 , and refractive indices n 7 -n 12 and at said three respective wavelenghts; a third cemented doublet lens component having a front convex surface with a radius of curvature R 6 , an interfacial radius of curvature R 7 and a plane rear surface P 2 , vertex thicknesses t 5 and t 6 , and refractive indices n 13 -n 18 ; with an airspace d 1 reserved between said first and second doublet lens components and an airspace d 2 reserved between said second and third doublet lens components.

Claim 11

The night vision goggle system of claim 1 wherein said image intensifier tube includes an input fiber optic window formed with a concave input surface facing toward said objective lens assembly and having a radius of curvature R 8 and an output fiber optic formed with a concave output surface facing toward said collimator lens assembly and having a radius of curvature R 29 .

Claim 12

A night vision goggle system comprising: (a) a housing; (b) an optical system accommodated within said housing, said system including a pair of eyepiece assemblies; (c) each of said pair of eyepiece assemblies slidably mounted within said housing for individual adjustment of interpupillary distance; (d) means operatively associated with each of said pair of eyepiece assemblies for providing individual focusing thereto; (e) each of said pair of eyepiece assemblies including a focusing subassembly, a replicated mirror and a second subassembly; (f) said focusing subassembly comprising a first cemented doublet leans component having a convex surface on the eyeball side with a radius of curvature R 6 , an interfacial radius of curvature R 10 , and an convex surface on the distal side with a radius of curvature R 11 , vertex thicknesses t 7 and t 8 , and refractive indices n 19 -n 24 respectively at three predetermined wavelengths, and a second positive meniscus lens component having a convex surface with a radius of curvature R 12 and a concave surface with a radius of curvature R 13 , a vertex thickness t 9 and refractive indices n 25 , n 26 and n 27 at said three predetermined wavelengths, with an airspace d 5 reserved between said first and second lens components.

Claim 13

A night vision goggle system comprising: (a) a housing; (b) an optical system accommodated within said housing, said system including a pair of eyepiece assemblies; (c) each of said pair of eyepiece assemblies slidably mounted within said housing for individual adjustment of interpupillary distance; (d) means operatively associated with each of said pair of eyepiece assemblies for providing individual focusing thereto; (e) each of said pair of eyepiece assemblies including a focusing subassembly, a replicated mirror and a second subassembly; (f) said focusing subassembly comprising a first cemented doublet leans component having a convex surface on the eyeball side with a radius of curvature R 6 , an interfacial radius of curvature R 10 , and an convex surface on the distal side with a radius of curvature R 11 , vertex thicknesses t 7 and t 8 , and refractive indices n 19 -n 24 respectively at three predetermined wavelengths, and a second positive meniscus lens component having a convex surface with a radius of curvature R 12 and a concave surface with a radius of curvature R 13 , a vertex thickness t 9 and refractive indices n 25 , n 26 and n 27 at said three predetermined wavelengths, with an airspace d 5 reserved between said first and second lens components.

Claim 14

The night vision goggle system of claim 10 wherein said second subassembly comprises a first positive meniscus lens component having a concave surface with a radius of curvature R 14 and a convex surface with a radius of curvature R 15 , a vertex thickness t 10 and refractive indices n 28 , n 29 and n 30 at three predetermined wavelengths, and a second cemented doublet lens component having a convex surface with a radius of curvature R 16 , an interfacial radius of curvature R 17 , and a convex surface with a radius of curvature R 18 , respective vertex thicknesses t 11 and t 12 , and refractive indices n 31 -n 36 respectively at said three predetermined wavelengths, with an airspace d 8 reserved between said first and second lens components.

Claim 15

The night vision goggle system of claim 1 wherein said collimator lens assembly comprises a first lens group of two cemented doublets having respective radii R 19 through R 24 , vertex thicknesses t 13 through t 16 respectively, and refractive indices n 32 through n 43 respectively at three predetermined wavelengths, with an airspace d 10 reserved between said doublets, and a second lends group of two lenses consisting of a double convex lens having radii R 25 and R 26 , a vertex thickness t 17 and refractive indices n 44 -n 46 at said three predetermined wavelengths, and of a double concave lens having radii R 27 and R 28 , a vertex thickness t 18 and refractive indices n 47 -n 49 , with an airspace d 12 reserved between said two lenses and an airspace d 11 reserved between said first and second lens groups.

Claim 16

The night vision goggle system of claim 8 wherein the preferred characteristics of said three cemented doublet lens components are as follows: __________________________________________________________________________ Refractory Indices (n) Thickness at Wavelengths (λ) Glass I.D. Radii and Spacing in Nanometers: Lenses Nos. (mm) (mm) λ.sub.1 546 nm) λ.sub.2 (706 nm) λ.sub.3 (852 __________________________________________________________________________ nm) L.sub.1 533580 R.sub.1 = 39.129003 t.sub.1 = 7.999999 1.535340 1.528770 1.525420 R.sub.2 = -32.156408 L.sub.2 683445 R.sub.3 = -1000.000393 t.sub.2 = 1.564999 1.686370 1.675610 1.670420 d.sub.1 = 0.782499 L.sub.3 620635 R.sub.4 = 28.1682 t.sub.3 = 13.302490 1.622470 1.615480 1.611920 R.sub.5 = -31.546746 L.sub.4 706303 t.sub.4 = 6.259997 1.711350 1.695380 1.687980 d.sub.2 = 5.150000 L.sub.5 620635 R.sub.6 = 24.434965 t.sub.5 = 8.356000 1.622470 1.615480 1.611920 R.sub.7 = -15.239962 L.sub.6 706303 t.sub.6 = 5.659998 1.711350 1.695380 1.687980 __________________________________________________________________________

Claim 17

The night vision goggle system of claim 9 wherein preferably R 8 is -28.957816 mm and R 29 is -14.388489 mm.

Claim 18

The night vision goggle system of claim 10 wherein the preferred characteristics of said focusing subassembly are as follows: __________________________________________________________________________ Refractory Indices (n) Thickness at Wavelengths (λ) Glass I.D. Radii and Spacing in Nanometers: Lenses Nos. (mm) (mm) λ.sub.1 (546 nm) λ.sub.2 (706 nm) λ.sub.3 (852 __________________________________________________________________________ nm) d.sub.4 = 13.800000 L.sub.7 589613 R.sub.9 = 30.555809 t.sub.7 = 4.100000 1.591420 1.596350 1.586660 R.sub.10 = -10.947386 L.sub.8 755276 R.sub.11 = -26.213006 t.sub.8 = 0.980942 1.761670 1.776360 1.748530 d.sub.5 = 0.392380 L.sub.9 713538 R.sub.12 = 19.126310 t.sub.9 = 5.500000 1.716160 1.722980 1.709620 R.sub.13 = 55.321973 d.sub.6 = 12.453708 d.sub.7 = 14.000000 __________________________________________________________________________

Claim 19

The night vision goggle system of claim 11 wherein the preferred characteristics of said second subassembly are as follows: __________________________________________________________________________ Refractory Indices (n) Thickness at Wavelengths (λ) Glass I.D. Radii and Spacing in Nanometers: Lenses Nos. (mm) (mm) λ.sub.1 (546 nm) λ.sub.2 (706 nm) λ.sub.3 (852 __________________________________________________________________________ nm) L.sub.10 607567 R.sub.14 = -26.213006 t.sub.10 = 3.000000 1.609940 1.615470 1.604650 R.sub.15 = -13.309553 d.sub.8 = 0.700000 L.sub.11 755276 R.sub.16 = 26.213006 t.sub.11 = 0.981000 1.761670 1.776360 1.748530 R.sub.17 = 10.947386 t.sub.12 = 4.100000 L.sub.12 589613 R.sub.18 = -30.555809 1.591420 1.596350 1.586660 __________________________________________________________________________

Claim 20

The night vision goggle system of claim 12 wherein the preferred characteristics of said collimator lens assembly are as follows: __________________________________________________________________________ Refractory Indices (n) Thickness at Wavelengths (λ) Glass I.D. Radii and Spacing in Nanometers Lenses (Nos.) (mm) (mm) λ.sub.1 (546 nm) λ.sub.2 (480 nm) λ.sub.3 (643 __________________________________________________________________________ nm) L.sub.13 575415 R.sub.19 = 36.321371 t.sub.13 = 4.600000 1.578300 1.585580 1.571550 R.sub.20 = -35.508841 L.sub.14 728284 R.sub.21 = 399.999996 t.sub.14 = 1.949400 1.734300 1.748050 1.722000 d.sub.10 = 0.475000 L.sub.15 607567 R.sub.22 = 21.462911 t.sub.15 = 6.500000 1.609940 1.615470 1.604650 R.sub.23 = -40.817992 L.sub.16 755276 R.sub.24 = 122.384040 t.sub.16 = 1.710000 1.761670 1.776370 1.748530 d.sub.11 = 11.600000 L.sub.17 620603 R.sub.25 = 23.317088 t.sub.17 = 5.100000 1.622860 1.628140 1.617770 R.sub.26 = -76.405867 d.sub.12 = 1.820000 L.sub.18 603380 R.sub.27 = -25.679215 t.sub.18 = 1.500000 1.607180 1.615560 1.599480 R.sub.28 = 67.006164 __________________________________________________________________________