Nikon 9350 manual How Image Intensifiers Work

1.4How Image Intensifiers Work

Image intensifiers are predominant in night vision applications due to their ability to amplify low-light scenes at night, making them visible to the human eye and commercial cameras and camcorders. Unlike thermal images, image intensifiers can be used to read vehicle license tags and registration markings on boats and aircraft, as well as to recognize faces, which can be entered as evidence in criminal prosecutions.

The sequence to image formation in an image intensifier is as follows: light is converted to electrons then converted back to light, making intensifiers very simple devices featuring very high resolution and extremely low power consumption.

Photons Electrons Photons

Unenhanced

Image

NVD Image

Photo	Microchannel
		Phosphor
Cathode
	Plate	Screen

A night vision system based on an image intensifier operates as follows:

1.The very dim light reflected by scenes at night (lower than 0.1 lux) is focused by an objective lens onto a highly sensitive

1-5