Performance characterization of night vision equipment based on Triangle Orientation Discrimination (TOD) methodology

Performance characterization of night vision equipment based on Triangle Orientation Discrimination (TOD) methodology

Laurent, N.
Lejard, C.
Deltel, G.
Bijl, P.

Israel, K.R. (editor)
Whelan, D.A. (editor)

2013

Night vision equipment is crucial in order to accomplish supremacy and safety of the troops on the battlefield. Evidently, system integrators, MODs and end-users need access to reliable quantitative characterization of the expected field performance when using night vision equipment. The Image Intensifier tube is one of the most important engines driving the performance for night vision equipment. As a major tube manufacturer, PHOTONIS has investigated the link between its products physical design parameters and the actual end-user field performance. The developments include 1) an end-to-end performance measurement method and test facility, 2) an image-based night vision simulation and 3) a range estimation model. The purpose is twofold: i) being able to support the need of the integrators and end users, and ii) further systematic improvement of night vision equipment design. For the end-to-end test, PHOTONIS and TNO cooperated in the implementation of the TOD (Triangle Orientation Discrimination) test for night vision equipment. This test provides a clear and rigorous ranking of the products with respect to their target acquisition performance level. With respect to the image-based simulation, PHOTONIS performs physical and performance comparisons between artificial and real imagery, promising exciting further development of a model based on the merging of the different approaches of night vision evaluation and modelling. In this paper, we present the PHOTONIS night vision test laboratory, provide TOD results for a set of night vision devices and show range prediction examples.Abstract in Program : http://ris-data.tno.nl/bibliotheek/sv-015068/TNO/Publicaties/2013/laurent-2013-performance-abstract.pdf

Field performance
TOD test
Image Intensifier Tube
Night Vision Equipment
ICMOS
Defence Research
Defence, Safety and Security
Human
PCS - Perceptual and Cognitive Systems
BSS - Behavioural and Societal Sciences

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:90462206-db24-412b-8c88-0011c9151125

https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2015382

471635

SPIE

Infrared Imaging Systems : Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Testing XXIV. 2013 Defense Security+Sensing, Conference 8706, Baltimore, MD, USA, 43

Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

conference paper