TWI861775B - Tactical accessories that have a thermal image fusion night-vision device in survival games - Google Patents

Abstract

A tactical accessory with a thermal-fusion-night-vision device is suitable for the survival game of toy gun simulation night-battle. Even in the dark night and smoke environment, it can achieve the what you see is what you shot effect of the fast shooting. friend-enemy identification and the collaborative combat training with single soldier or small groups. Among them, the thermal-fusion night-vision device will capture the images containing far-infrared, visible-light and near-infrared. After the integration of σ blending technology, it is transmitted to various tactical accessories such like that is paired through the WIFI module. The tactical accessories include picatinny rail , tactical helmet, tactical bulletproof shield and mobile phone or tablet computer, etc.

Description

Toy gun uses tactical accessories with heat-fused night vision devices

Disclosure Information (1):

This invention application (hereinafter referred to as this case) is mainly based on the "War Zone" column of the U.S. military "The Drive" website in July 2021, which introduced the use of the ENVG-B "thermal fusion night vision device" in the U.S. Army Rifle and Cavalry Brigade test. Obviously, there may be two problems: "not being able to see things hidden in the dark shadow" and; because this advanced equipment is quite expensive, etc., and a solution and application solution are proposed.

Disclosure information (2):

In general, this case involves the application of the technical features of the miniature thermal imager disclosed in the US invention patent case US 10,848,691 B2 and the Republic of China invention patent case I 666935 of the same inventor, and adds the hardware structure of "infrared (IR) optical lens, WiFi module" and its tactical matching, and adds a software application of "σ blending" as a thermal fusion night vision device for toy guns, forming a variety of modern survival game tactical accessories with thermal fusion imaging technology features.

The present invention relates to a toy gun, and more particularly to a tactical accessory that utilizes alfaldo spectral imaging to perform thermal fusion night vision technology.

The family of the new generation of thermal fusion night vision equipment of the US military mainly includes two types of equipment, "low-light-level night vision equipment" and "thermal imager", each of which has its own shortcomings. However, if the "low-light-level night vision equipment" and "thermal imager" are combined into a "low-light-level night vision equipment + thermal imager", they can complement each other in terms of function.

For example: the U.S. Army's third-generation (3RD GEN NIGHT VISION VS THERMAL) AN /PSQ-20 helmet-mounted enhanced night vision goggle, ENVG (hereinafter referred to as AN /PSQ-20), is a thermal fusion night vision goggle manufactured by ITT Exelis (Raytheon Company). It combines the advantages of "low-light night vision goggle + thermal imager", allowing the wearer to see in an environment with "very little light (low light)". Once tested, it achieved unexpected results and the U.S. Army praised it highly.

The AN /PSQ-20 helmet-mounted enhanced night vision device cited above is a "thermal fusion" technology that includes three types of images: "thermal image + visible light image" + enhanced low-light image".

U.S. Patent No. 5,500,000 discloses an early form of night vision device, and U.S. Patent No. 1,936,514 in 1933 discloses an infrared converter with a searchlight, an infrared image tube that converts infrared images of objects that are normally invisible to the human eye into images on a glass screen. This infrared converter is the predecessor of the modern image intensifier.

The following U.S. patents disclose other systems that are at least known in the patent literature and should be considered together with the above-mentioned known devices as appropriate references for the present invention relative to the prior art: U.S. Patents No. 1,969,852, No. 3,509,344, No. 3,781,560, No. 3,787,693, No. 3,833,805, No. 3,989,947, No. 4,040,744, No. 4,112,300 ... and No. 4,376,889 in 1983, etc.

The "thermal fusion night vision device" involved in this invention (hereinafter referred to as this case) is a "thermal fusion" technology that includes three types of images: "thermal image + visible light image" + "near infrared image" and is processed by σ transparent image. Obviously, the image factors of the three types of image fusion involved in the above-mentioned "thermal image + visible light image" + "enhanced low light" are different, which will produce different image fusion results and benefits.

According to the U.S. military's "official website", this night vision device enables the U.S. military to master "unilateral transparency" in the dark. In August, a set of test photos were posted on the U.S. military's official website, but they were removed after just one day, indicating that the problems caused by this equipment are also sensitive content in the U.S. military.

For example, the following pictures 1 to 1D are taken from the U.S. military's "official website" and are related to the sensitive issues reported publicly by AN/PSQ-20.

Please refer to Figure 1 for the schematic diagram of the sensitivity problem of AN/PSQ-20, Figure 1A for the actual photo of the appearance of AN/PSQ-20, Figure 1B for the actual photo of AN/PSQ-20 imaging, Figure 1C for the schematic diagram of the sensitivity problem of AN/PSQ-20, and Figure 1D for the actual photo of the binocular low-light night vision device.

As shown in the first picture, although the low-light night vision device can clearly see the surrounding environment in the dark, it also has the problem of "not being able to see clearly what is in the dark shadows (such as in the red frame)"!

As shown in Figure 1A, the AN/PSQ-20 in service with the US military, is a combination of visible light image enhancement, which provides visual details in low-light conditions + thermal imager's thermal sensor can see through fog, dust and leaves that partially block vision. Unlike early night vision devices, it is useful both during the day and at night. This military night vision device has the characteristics of high concealment, high clarity, long distance, high durability and long-term observation, and is now widely used by the US military.

However, not all "low-light-level night vision + thermal imaging" equipment on the civilian market has this combination of the two functions. For example, some American hunters use "low-light-level night vision" and "thermal imaging" equipment that do not have this combination function, and must switch back and forth between the daytime and nighttime optical systems when using them.

For example, Figure 1B is a real photo captured by AN/PSQ-20. The left picture of this picture is a real photo captured by a low-light night vision device. What is in the shadow in the dark cannot be seen? However, the right picture of this picture is a real photo captured by a "low-light night vision device + thermal imager", and the enemy's "thermal image" can be seen!

As shown in Figure 1B, the image of the enemy can be seen. This is because the thermal imager displays the thermal image of the "person's" surface temperature. Even without a low-light night vision device (which cannot see infrared IR), the thermal image of this "person" can be seen. In Figure 1B, it is actually an enhanced low-light + thermal imaging technology, a kind of thermal fusion technology.

What is worth further discussion is: if the "person" in Figure 1B is assumed to be dead (no body temperature), then can we still see the thermal image of this "person" in Figure 1B?

The answer is: Obviously not!

This shows that thermal imaging cameras seem to be useless in an environment without "temperature difference"! Otherwise, look at the surroundings of the "person" in Figure 1B, it is also pitch black and you can't see anything, right!

As shown in Figure 1C, there is also the problem of "not being able to see clearly in the dark shadow within the red frame" in the image.

As shown in Figure 1C, the difference from Figure 1 is that Figure 1 is a monocular low-light-level night vision device and Figure 1C is a binocular low-light-level night vision device. The same thing about both is that both have the problem of "not being able to see clearly in the dark shadows within the red frame".

As shown in Figure 1D, it is a real photo of the enhanced binocular low-light night vision device in service in 2020, which includes a thermal imaging lens and two low-light night vision lenses.

From the above Figures 1 to 1D, we can see that the AN/PSQ-20 series (monocular/bi-cular) does have the problem of "not being able to see what is in the shadow (in the red frame) in the dark" and the two problems of the thermal image in Figure 1B being unable to detect "no temperature difference" environmental images!

Please refer to Figure 2 for the schematic diagram of thermal imager problems, Figure 2A for the schematic diagram of thermal imager problems, Figure 2B for the schematic diagram of the comparison between visible light and thermal image, and Figure 2C for the schematic diagram of the comparison between low-light night vision and thermal image.

For example, Figures 2 to 2C and the subsequent Figures 3 to 3E are all taken from the report of the "Helmet-mounted AN/PSQ-20 Enhanced Night Vision Device Test" in the online military magazine. They are used here as auxiliary reference materials to assist in the subsequent experiments and to make reasonable inferences.

As shown in the second picture, a soldier holds two photos of a "transparent" glass plate in the dark, and then another tester (not shown in the photo) wears an AN/PSQ-20 and prepares for testing.

As shown in Figure 2A, this soldier holding a transparent glass plate slowly walks into the jungle ahead in the dark. The left picture shows the photo he viewed with his "low-light night vision device" and the right picture shows the photo he viewed with his "thermal imaging device".

As shown on the left side of Figure 2A, it can be seen that the soldier is holding a transparent glass plate, which means that the "low light" of the "low light night vision device" can see through the transparent glass plate; however, as shown on the right side of Figure 2A, in the photo viewed by his "thermal imager", it can be seen that the "transparent" glass plate has turned into an "opaque" glass plate (as shown in the red circle), which obviously "blocks" part of the soldier's body.

The result is shown in Figure 2A, which proves that the "thermal imager" cannot penetrate the transparent glass plate to form an image.

Please continue to look at the actual photos released by AN/PSQ-20.

Please refer to Figure 3 for the first photo of AN/PSQ-20 released; Figure 3A for the second photo of AN/PSQ-20 released; Figure 3B for the third photo of AN/PSQ-20 released; Figure 3C for the fourth photo of AN/PSQ-20 released; Figure 3D for the fifth photo of AN/PSQ-20 released; and Figure 3E for the sixth photo of AN/PSQ-20 released.

As shown in Figure 3, a soldier is also walking slowly into the jungle ahead in the dark. Figure 3A in the upper left corner is an enlarged photo of Figure 3 viewed with "low-light night vision" and Figure 3B in the lower right corner is an enlarged photo of Figure 3 viewed with "thermal imaging device".

As shown in Figure 3A, in the "low-light night vision" photo, the shadows in the dark (such as the red frame in the picture) appear "indistinguishable" compared to the brightly lit leaves next to them?

As shown in Figure 3B, in the "thermal imager" photo in Figure 3, there is relatively no obvious dark shadow (such as the red frame in the picture)! Maybe the distance is too far?

As shown in Figure 3C, a soldier has also walked into the jungle ahead in the dark. Figure 3D in the upper left corner is an enlarged photo of Figure 3C viewed with a "low-light night vision device" and Figure 3E in the lower right corner is an enlarged photo of Figure 3C viewed with a "thermal imaging device".

As shown in Figure 3D, in the "low-light night vision device" photo, it seems that "no sign of the soldier's appearance can be seen" in the dark shadows.

As shown in Figure 3E, in the "thermal imager" photo in Figure 3C, we can see the soldier's obvious dark shadow (as shown in the red frame in the picture)!

Among them, as shown in Figure 3E, in the "thermal imager" photo, the soldier in the dark shadow (in the red frame in the picture) can also be seen. The reason why he can "see" it is because most of the soldier's (in the red frame in the picture) body is "not" blocked by the leaves. The places indicated by the two red arrows in the picture are partially blocked by the leaves, so the thermal image of most of the soldier's (in the red frame in the picture) body can be seen clearly.

As shown in Figures 3 to 3E above: (1) Its "low-light-level night vision device" can indeed "see nothing" in the dark shadows; and its "thermal imaging device" can indeed not "see through" the leaves (objects).

Normally, there are only two ways to see things in the world. One is that there is an object that emits light itself, such as a lamp or a computer monitor. It doesn't matter whether the room is brightly lit or absolutely dark, the human eye can still see the lamp and computer monitor that emit light.

The second is that an object itself does not emit light. To see these objects, you need a nearby light source. The light from these light sources reflects off the object, and then the light enters the human eye. If there is no light source, no light enters the eye, and people cannot see it.

In fact, from the perspective of infrared physics, all objects are luminous objects, but the light emitted by most objects is "invisible" to the human eye.

At present, night vision equipment used for night observation can be roughly divided into three types: enhanced low-light-level night vision device (low-light-level night vision device), infrared thermal imager (thermal imager) and near-infrared night vision device.

Among them, low-light-level night vision devices use the low-brightness starlight or natural light reflected by the target at night, and then use a photomultiplier tube (PMT) to amplify it to hundreds of thousands times. It is the heart of night vision goggles and is a light detection element with high sensitivity and ultra-fast response time. However, under strong light, the photomultiplier tube is easily burned out and cannot be used during the day.

Among them, the thermal imaging system can detect the temperature of the "surface" of any object, has the ability to penetrate smoke, fog, haze, snow, etc. and the ability to identify disguises, is not disturbed by strong light and glare in the environment, and can observe all day (day and night).

Among them, near-infrared night vision devices commonly use a near-infrared light source (such as 850nm, 940nm IR-LEDs or halogen lamps, etc.) to project light onto the target, which is then reflected back by the target to the light sensor for sensing and imaging.

The three different night vision devices (equipment) mentioned above, namely, low-light-level night vision device, thermal imager and near-infrared night vision device, have different functional characteristics due to the different wavelengths involved. For example, the wavelength range of low-light-level night vision device is 400nm~700nm (380nm~780nm) in visible light, the wavelength range of thermal imager is 8um~14um in far infrared, and the wavelength range of near-infrared night vision device is 700nm~1100nm in near infrared.

Among them, the low-light night vision device uses the existing light from the moon, stars or ground light sources for illumination. This "low light" is generally also called "starlight". For example, the common "starlight night vision device" on the market also uses its internal photomultiplier PMT to amplify the weak photons reflected back from the target and pass through the screen coated with phosphor (a fluorescent substance) to produce an image visible to the human eye to achieve night observation. However, it cannot be used in a "totally dark" environment!

Traditionally, well-known night vision devices use green phosphor, which is why night vision images have a green tint, but the latest equipment in the United States uses white phosphor, producing black and white images, which can produce greater contrast and higher clarity at night.

Currently, the image sensor chip of a high-sensitivity InGaAs camera can already sense wavelengths that extend from visible light to near-infrared, spanning the 400-1700nm spectrum.

The infrared region of thermal imagers is located between the visible light region and the microwave region of the electromagnetic wave spectrum. All objects radiate some energy in the infrared, even objects at room temperature and frozen objects such as ice.

In 2021, the U.S. Army released a new night vision goggles ENVG-B, which has a visual effect that is completely different from the previous green glare. It can clearly see the outline of people and the landscape is as clear as day. However, this may involve national security issues, and there are few reports on its related national defense technology characteristics.

The wavelength ranges of the terms "multi" and "high" in the multispectral imaging involved in this case and the common hyperspectral imaging (HSI) are completely different.

For example, the multi-spectrum involved in this case is "far infrared FIR (thermal image)" with a wavelength of 8~14um, "visible light VIS image" with a wavelength of 0.4~0.7um, and "near infrared NIR image" with a narrow wavelength of 940um. However, hyperspectral imaging (HSI) only includes wavelengths within the visible light VIS or/and near infrared NIR range, and "segments" to capture multiple (such as 20 or so) different spectral bands of "different" bands.

From the perspective of electromagnetic wave spectrum bands, the bands that can be used for fusion include: visible light (low light) or visible light plus near infrared, short-wave infrared, medium-wave infrared, long-wave infrared, etc. At present, the most common fusion night vision technology is the fusion of visible light and infrared bands, which is the combination of the two main night vision technologies: low-light night vision devices and thermal imagers.

At present, the literature data disclosed by the international military shows that the research on integrated night vision technology is mainly concentrated in the United States. The institutions engaged in related technical research mainly include Raytheon, ITT Exelis Night Vision Systems, L-3 Warrior Systems, BAE Systems Electronic Systems Division, DRS Technologies Imaging and Targeting Solutions Division, Sanov, etc. At present, the US military is in a leading position in the world in the field of night vision equipment.

The U.S. Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the Department of Commerce have imposed restrictions on the sale of U.S. night vision technology/equipment, including restrictions that mainly apply to 3rd generation night vision technology, which is an advanced technology currently used by the U.S. military. However, in order to support allies and ensure the interoperability of equipment, the U.S. government allows the export of this developing cutting-edge technology, 3rd generation fusion night vision technology, to all NATO countries as well as Japan, South Korea, Australia, Egypt and Israel.

Currently, Asian countries are at different stages of economic development and have different priorities for military spending, so whether they can afford more US night vision technology/field equipment in the next few years remains a question.

Currently, many hunters in the United States use low-light night vision devices to travel in the dark, and use thermal imaging devices to search for prey. If they use low-light night vision devices and thermal imaging scopes at the same time, they have to switch "back and forth between the two modes", which is a bit troublesome. Obviously, it is affected by military regulations or prices.

Therefore, we developed a relatively low-cost σ (Alpha) multi-spectral geothermal fusion night vision device for toy guns. It is urgently needed as a night vision device for the basic military training of our country's individual soldiers and the national defense education.

General "fusion" methods include simple optical fusion method, superposition method or "A+B" fusion method, and full digital fusion method. Among them, the full digital fusion method fuses different night vision images pixel by pixel, which can better adapt to changes in the external environment, but it is also more complicated to implement.

There are two problems to be solved in this case: (a) the "public" graphic data in the description of the AN /PSQ-20 "Low-light Night Vision Device + Thermal Imager" equipment is used as a "comparison" example, and the AN/PSQ-20 series (monocular/binocular) does have the problem of "not being able to see what is in the shadow (in the red frame) in the dark" as mentioned in Figures 1 and 1C, and the problem that the thermal imager in Figures 1B and 2 cannot detect the "no temperature difference" environment image, etc.;

(ii) The desire to emulate “the use of advanced night vision equipment such as AN /PSQ-20, but cannot afford such a high price”!

Before proposing solutions to these two "problems" in this case, we first need to find out the root cause of these problems.

The root cause of problem (I):

As mentioned before, the root cause of the problem of "not being able to see things hidden in the dark shadows" is that the photomultiplier tube of the "low-light-level night vision device" produces a very strong "contrast ratio" and the "thermal imager" only captures the temperature of the target surface!

So, why does the photomultiplier tube of the "low-light-level night vision device" have this problem?

It is known that the principle of low-light-level night vision devices is to use a "photomultiplier tube" to amplify the weak photons reflected by the target to about 10 ⁶ times, which produces a clearer image with a relatively strong "contrast ratio" (such as the green images in Figures 1, 1B, and 1C);

Because the enhanced "twilight" is an area with high contrast, but in areas with stronger light, it will emit a glaring light, just like a street lamp, which will cast a very glaring black shadow.

In other words, the enhanced "twilight" has a high-contrast area, and the "image brightness in this area" produces a more obvious contrast of "brighter becomes brighter, and darker becomes darker".

For example, if there are three points marked ABC in this dim environment, and the illumination at point A is 1Lux, the illumination at point B is 5Lux, and the illumination at point C is 0Lux (pure darkness), then what will happen if the illumination at points ABC is enhanced 1000 times?

The result is: the illumination at point A changes from 1 Lux to 1000 Lux (1 Lux * 1000), the illumination at point B changes to 5000 Lux, and the illumination at point C (pure black) is 0 Lux (0 Lux * 1000)! Therefore, in an environment with 0 Lux illumination (an environment with a large contrast between light and dark), it is natural that things in the dark shadow cannot be seen clearly! See Figures 1 and 1C.

So, how does the present invention provide a solution to the problem of "not being able to see clearly in the dark shadows within the red frame"?

As shown in Figures 1 and 1C: The problem of "not being able to see clearly in the dark shadows within the red frame" occurs in the A N/PSQ-20 "low-light-level night vision device + thermal imager" equipment. The reason is that the photomultiplier tube in the "low-light-level night vision device" produces a very strong "contrast" and its "thermal imager" does not have the equipment and function of "projecting visible light".

Please refer to Figure 4 for a schematic diagram of a general thermal imager structure; Figure 4A for a schematic diagram of a micro thermal imager structure and Figure 4B for a schematic diagram of an improved replacement structure.

In Figures 4, 4A, and 4B, only the "differences" in the various diagrams are marked with "red" icons to omit repeated symbols to avoid making the diagram marking symbols too complicated. Therefore, only the key points of the "differences" are clearly expressed.

As shown in Figure 4, the Lens 1 (first lens) of a general thermal imager captures the far infrared FIR part of 8~14um; Lens 2 (second lens) captures the visible light VIS part of 0.4~0.7um. In fact, all general thermal imagers have two types of lenses, Lens 1 and Lens 2. In the figure, there is a mark "A" in front of the two lenses, which represents the target object A.

As shown in Figure 4, it is worth noting that there is a red "ICF" marked on the Lens 2 (second lens) of a general thermal imager, which stands for Infrared Cut Filler (ICF). It means that when ambient light containing visible light VIS (Visible) and infrared light IR (Infrared) enters Lens 2 (second lens), the infrared light IR is blocked by the ICF and only the visible light VIS is allowed to pass.

As shown in Figure 4, the purpose of setting ICF is to allow Lens 2 to pass through the visible light VIS without the interference of infrared light IR, which would cause a "reddish" color.

As shown in Figure 4A, the module of the second visible light lens of the miniature thermal imager Lens 2 contains two features that are not available in ordinary thermal imagers: the first is the removal of the infrared filter ICF, and the second is the placement of a 940nm narrow-band near-infrared filter V940.

Note: As shown in Figure 4A, there is a red "V940" marked on the Lens 2 (second lens) of the micro thermal imager. This is a filter for 940nm infrared light. This means that when the Lens 2 (second lens) is exposed to ambient light containing visible light VIS and infrared light IR, only visible light VIS or 940nm near-infrared light NIR will pass through.

As shown in Figure 4B, the thermal imager involved in this case has an additional IR optical lens marked as Lens 2A in the Lens 2 (second lens) part, replacing the original second visible light lens Lens 2.

Why use Lens 2A to replace Lens 2?

Lens 2 is a common CCTV lens. When designing its optics, it only performs chromatic aberration correction on the light in the 350-700nm band, and does not take infrared light above 700nm into consideration. This results in the separation of the focus planes of visible light and near-infrared light (400nm and 950nm). If the thermal fusion night vision device in this case is equipped with a common lens, the image will be slightly blurred in the stronger infrared region (780nm-950nm) at night, and refocusing is required.

From optics, we know that light of different wavelengths will refract through the lens and cause deviation (chromatic aberration), which is also an important reason for the reduction of lens clarity and inaccurate focus.

In the field of knowledge and technology, there are more than one way to correct night vision images. The most commonly used solution is a common lens + IR CUT solution, because the more parts there are, the more difficult it will be for later maintenance, and it is not easy to solve the "focus deviation" problem of ordinary electric zoom lenses under infrared conditions.

Lens 2A, an infrared optical lens, uses a special optical glass material (LD optical glass) and the latest optical design method to eliminate the focal plane offset of visible light and infrared light. Therefore, the visible light entering Lens 2A as shown in Figure 4B to the infrared light region can be imaged on the same focal plane, making the image clear.

In addition, the Lens 2A infrared optical lens also uses a special multi-layer coating technology, which can correct chromatic aberration well for light in the 350-950nm band, and can work 24 hours a day without refocusing. It can also increase the transmittance of infrared light. Therefore, the infrared optical lens used by Lens 2A has a relatively longer night vision distance and better effect than the ordinary optical lens it originally used.

Because the range of the light sensor in Lens 2A is about 400~1100nm, it already covers both "visible light VIS400~700nm" and "940nm near infrared light NIR".

As shown in Figure 4B, the target A in front of the Lens 2A infrared optical lens in this case, when illuminated by the 940nm auxiliary light source (such as the NIR LEDs in the figure) described later, a clearer image can be obtained.

To further illustrate the further device shown in Figure 4B, see Figure 5.

Please refer to Figure 5 for a schematic diagram of the principle structure of the thermal fusion night vision device.

For the sake of simplicity and clarity, Figure 5 is specially color-coded. For example, the red frame of the text (symbols 11, 16, 161, 18) represents the characteristics that the thermal imager of the previous technology does not have, and the spectral curve of the multi-spectral image (symbols 12~14) represents the characteristics of different wavelength ranges;

As shown in Figure 5, " α " here means "transparent". σ or Alpha or Alpha, which have the same meaning, are referred to as Alpha below. Similarly, the technology using Alpha processing is also called Alpha technology and the image processed by Alpha is also called Alpha image.

As shown in FIG. 5, the thermal fusion night vision device 100 has two lenses including a first lens (Lens 1) and a second lens (Lens 2A). As shown in the hardware technical features of FIG. 4B, the second lens (Lens 2A) of the thermal fusion night vision device adopts an IR optical lens 11, which is different from an ordinary optical lens in the prior art.

Among them, the first lens captures the "far infrared FIR (thermal image)" with a wavelength of 8~14um12, the second lens captures the "visible light VIS image" with a wavelength of 0.4~0.7um13, and the "near infrared NIR image" with a narrow wavelength of 940um14;

Among them, V940 behind the second lens represents a 940nm filter, a filter that only light with a wavelength of 940nm can pass through.

As shown in Figure 5, it is a spectrum curve diagram of multi-spectral thermal imaging, in which the wavelength unit of the horizontal axis is " um " and the unit of the vertical axis is "penetration %".

Among them, the 940nm light source 110 further includes a laser light NIR with a wavelength of 980nm or 1064nm, which can be selected according to different environments in the survival game field.

The above-mentioned "940nm" generally refers to NIR with a central wavelength of 940nm. In this case, it is also defined as "940±20nm" near-infrared, because the "±20nm" is the reference error range marked by IR-LEDs manufacturers when manufacturing products. Its characteristic is that the near-infrared is "completely invisible to the human eye"!

Other near-infrared chip products on the market with a center wavelength of 960nm should also be considered equally as a family with a center wavelength of 940nm.

Among them, the images captured by these two lenses (including image 12, image 13 and image 14) are called multispectral thermal (image) images 15, not the so-called high-spectral imaging (HSI).

Among them, in the multispectral image 15, this case emphasizes the multispectral image mainly based on "thermal image". Therefore, this thermal image is the thermal image captured by the first lens of the thermal imager as described in Figures 4 to 4B, so it is called multispectral thermal image 15.

Hyperspectral imaging only includes wavelengths within the visible light VIS and near infrared NIR ranges, and multiple (such as more than 20) different spectral bands are captured by segmentation.

Among them, it is worth noting that: .The thermal fusion night vision device 100 of one embodiment of this case is different from the thermal imager described in the previous technology. The thermal resolution used in its first lens is a relatively low-level 80*60 pixels, the viewing angle is about 40*30 and the weight is about 430 grams. The effective distance for capturing thermal images in the experiment is about 40 meters, which can form a low-cost survival game use.

Among them, the 940nm light source 110 required for assisting in capturing near-infrared images is matched with the thermal fusion night vision device 100 (indicated by the dotted arrow symbol). The 940nm emitted by it is near-infrared that is invisible to the human eye, and it is not like the general 850nm that produces a red-dot phenomenon and is easy to expose its identity.

That is, the 940nm light source projects 110 a narrow wavelength of 940nm directly onto the things in the "dark shadow that cannot be seen clearly (such as in the red frame)" as shown in Figures 1 and 1C. If there is a person (or object) in the dark shadow, then the near-infrared image reflected by the person (or object) will be displayed on the image (screen) display 17 of the thermal fusion night vision device 100, as described in detail in the following embodiments.

Among them, because the brightness of this "940nm" light is much greater than the "amount of light in the darkest shadow" in this strong contrast, it must be modulated (hence a dimmer 111 is required), otherwise it will cause "overexposure" or "underexposure" on the image display 17, thus producing a not very obvious image.

In the actual simulation of night battles in survival games, there may not be many opportunities to adjust the brightness of "940nm". Usually, players will conduct field surveys at the practice site and adjust it in advance.

As shown in Figure 5, how is the multispectral image 15 (including image 12, image 13 and image 14) captured by these two lenses processed with σ blending? The details are described in the following implementation example.

To give a simple example, it uses the 8~14 um FIR captured by the first lens (Lens 1) as the "background image" and the 0.4~0.7 um VIS or/and 940NIR image captured by the second lens (Lens 2A) as the "foreground image" (but there is no restriction on which is the foreground image or background image), and fuses (overlays) this foreground image on the background image. After transparency blending processing, it produces a so-called Alpha spectrum thermal image.

Here, "Alpha" means "transparent", that is, if the alpha value is 1, it is completely opaque. The simple mode of the fused alpha multi-spectral thermal image includes multiple modes of images such as "VIS+NIR" or "FIR+NIR" or "VIS" or "NIR" or "FIR"; if the alpha value is 0, it is completely transparent, and the fused alpha multi-spectral thermal image is just a "pure" thermal image with the background image.

From an optical perspective, the three different optical paths and two independent sensors (photosensor and FPA) such as the far infrared FIR captured by Lens 1 (first lens) in Figure 5 and the visible light VIR and narrowband near infrared NIR captured by Lens 2A (second lens) will cause "parallax" errors in the target scene "seen". Usually, the parallax of the fused image can be corrected by software processing adjustment or electronic methods.

Usually, the transformation relationship between two images is found, such as translation, rotation, and scaling. After the transformation, the same parts (image feature points) in the two images can be overlapped to complete the alignment. This process is called image alignment.

Among them, feature point detection refers to the method of finding feature points in an image by using information such as image gradient, brightness, and color.

The multispectral image 15 after alpha transparency processing 16 will be displayed on the image display 17.

The multispectral image 15 displayed on the image display 17 can be transmitted to a mobile phone (device) that has downloaded the corresponding APP application through the built-in WiFi module 18 of the thermal fusion night vision device 100, as shown in Figures 12 to 12B below.

Among them, the multispectral image 15 after alpha transparency processing 16 can also create a database 161 of the multispectral image 15 as a database 161 required for future AI artificial intelligence.

Please refer to Figure 6 for a schematic diagram of the tactical accessory application of thermal fusion night vision devices.

As shown in Figure 6, the tactical accessories 200 that can be used with the thermal fusion night vision device 100 include those installed on the tactical rails, on the tactical helmet, and for additional applications.

For the sake of simplicity and clarity, the three tactical accessories in Figure 6 are specially marked as accessories 201~206.

Among them, accessory 201 is "thermal fusion night vision device 100 mounted on tactical rails", accessory 202 is "mobile phone mounted on tactical helmet", accessory 203 is "thermal fusion night vision device 100 mounted on tactical helmet", accessory 204 is "thermal fusion night vision device 100 mounted on tactical bulletproof shield", accessory 205 is "identification Velcro mounted on helmet or combat uniform" and accessory 206 is "tablet computer far away from thermal fusion night vision device 100".

Among them, accessories 202 and 203 are combined and referred to as "tactical helmet accessories".

Specifically: The thermal fusion night vision device 100 is equipped with these accessories 201~206, which at least produces the following benefits (tactical functions) such as;

The "see and shoot" of benefit 210 means that the gunman "sees the target he wants to shoot". On the battlefield, if he sees the enemy and then aims and shoots, the target may have left his sight or been killed by the enemy in advance;

The "fast/aiming/shooting" of Benefit 211 means that the gunman no longer needs to raise the gun and aim with his eyes before shooting in "darkness or foggy places". In this way, he can detect and shoot the enemy earlier than the enemy;

Benefit 212's "Hide/Disguise/Self-Defense" means that before a surprise attack or an ambush, the gunman can easily hide or disguise himself to achieve the purpose of self-defense;

The "friend or foe identification" of benefit 213 means that in night battles or chaotic situations, Velcro (such as those made of infrared-transmitting materials in Figures 9A and 9B) can be used to identify our own side or the enemy to avoid accidentally injuring our teammates;

The "cooperative combat training" of Benefit 214 means learning the coordinated goal of real-time communication and command through joint training between individual soldiers in a specific regional battlefield.

Since thermal imaging detects the "surface" temperature of any object, it can also detect disguised objects in smoke, fog, haze, snow and other environments. It is not affected by strong light or glare in the environment and can be observed all day (day and night).

The disclosure of this case is provided for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted as an exclusive description of all specific embodiments of this case or limiting the scope of the patent application to specific elements depicted or described in connection with the following specific embodiments.

For example, the accessory 202 mentioned above obviously has the functions of benefits 210 and 211, and in practical applications, there are mostly overlapping additional benefits.

For another example, the above accessories 202 and 203 are both related to the tactical helmet, but the accessory 202 allows the wearer of the tactical helmet to indirectly see the image in front of the muzzle of the toy gun transmitted by the thermal fusion night vision device 100 on the toy gun through the display screen of the mobile phone, while the accessory 203 allows the wearer of the tactical helmet to directly see the image in front of the muzzle 301 transmitted by the thermal fusion night vision device with the naked eye, as shown in Figures 12 to 12C below, but the above accessories 202 and 203 both achieve the function of "quick aiming and shooting".

For another example, according to this case, is the "progressiveness" of the thermal fusion night vision device 100 in Figure 12C of the helmet affected by the "teachings" of the enhanced night vision device AN/PSQ-20 of the US military in Figure 1A?

The answer is yes! As can be seen in the [Prior Art Column], the AN/PSQ-20 helmet-mounted enhanced night vision device in Figure 1A is based on the structure of "thermal imager + low-light night vision device" and the helmet-mounted thermal fusion night vision device in Figure 12C of this case is based on the structure of "thermal imager + infrared night vision device + alpha transparent processing" (as shown in Figure 4B).

Specifically, due to the different structure, the thermal fusion night vision device 100 in this case can further solve the problems caused by the AN/PSQ-20 enhanced night vision device in Figures 1 and 1C!

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, these fall into the category of basic and applied concept research (such as TRL 1~3 level of combat system development).

That is to say: as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the combination of the thermal fusion night vision device 100, the tactical accessories 200 and the Alpha transparent processing of the multispectral image 15 is not a simple combination;

Because, compared to the AN/PSQ-20 enhanced night vision device described in Figure 1A, it is indeed for survival games that the purpose and benefit of this invention is to target problems, solve problems, and solve problems, which are "low cost, easy to operate, and achieve modern national defense education for all people".

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a thermal fusion night vision device 100, which does not use any American design or parts (including FPA), so it is not subject to the restrictions on the sale of American night vision technology/equipment imposed by the U.S. Department of Defense, the State Department, and the Department of Commerce, allowing Chinese toy gun licensed manufacturers to mass produce and export.

A N/PSQ-20: The third generation of the US military's helmet-mounted enhanced night vision device

σ Alpha: Alpha transparency

FPA: Focal Plane Array Detector

Lens 1: First lens

Lens 2: Second lens

NIR LEDs: Near infrared diode light sources

TIRM: Infrared Transparent Material

V940: filter

VIS: Visible light

100: Thermal fusion night vision device

11: IR optical lens

110: Near infrared 940nm light source

111: Dimmer

12: Thermal imaging spectrum

13: Visible light spectrum

130:Team leader (commander)

1301: Four-split screen host

13A~13D: Four members

13A1~13D1: Four-part screen of four members

14: Near infrared spectrum

15: Multispectral imaging

16: Alpha transparent processing

161: Create database

17: Image (screen) display

18: WiFi module

200: Tactical accessories

201~206: Accessories

210~214: Benefits

300:Toy gun

301: Toy gun muzzle

302: Tactical Track

303: Movable slide rail

304: Laser pointer

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the sensitivity problem of AN/PSQ-20

Figure 1A is a real photo of the appearance of AN/PSQ-20

Figure 1B is a real photo of AN/PSQ-20 imaging

Figure 1C is the second schematic diagram of the AN/PSQ-20 sensitivity problem

Figure 1D is a physical picture of a binocular low-light night vision device

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the thermal imager problem.

Figure 2A is the second schematic diagram of the thermal imager problem

Figure 2B is a schematic diagram comparing visible light and thermal images

Figure 2C is a schematic diagram comparing low-light night vision and thermal imaging

The third picture is the first photo of AN/PSQ-20 released publicly.

Figure 3A is the second photo of AN/PSQ-20 released to the public.

Figure 3B is the third photo of AN/PSQ-20 released to the public.

Figure 3C is the fourth photo released by AN/PSQ-20.

Figure 3D is the fifth photo of AN/PSQ-20 released to the public.

Figure 3E is the sixth photo of AN/PSQ-20 released to the public.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the general thermal imager structure

Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a micro thermal imager.

Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of the improved replacement structure

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the principle structure of the thermal fusion night vision device

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the application of tactical accessories for thermal fusion night vision devices

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of pure thermal image

Figure 7A is a schematic diagram of the line contour

Figure 7B is a schematic diagram of the thermal imager color palette

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a real shot of A N/PSQ-20

Figure 8 A is a schematic diagram of the actual shot of A N/PSQ-20

Figure 8B is a schematic diagram of the actual shot of PVS-21

Figure 8C is the second schematic diagram of the actual shot of PVS-21

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the experiment of portrait under visible light

Figure 9A is a schematic diagram of the experiment of insufficient fill light

Figure 9B is a schematic diagram of an experiment with sufficient lighting.

Figure 9C is a perspective experimental diagram 1

Figure 9D is the second perspective experimental diagram

Figure 9E is the third perspective experimental diagram

Figure 9F is the fourth perspective experimental diagram

Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the Alpha Hybrid concept

Figure 10A is the second schematic diagram of the Alpha blending concept

Figure 10B is the third schematic diagram of the Alpha Hybrid concept

Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of direct aiming of a thermal fusion night vision device and a toy gun.

Figure 11A is a schematic diagram of the tactical guide rail.

Figure 11B is a schematic diagram of the thermal fusion night vision device mounted on the tactical rail.

Figure 11C is a schematic diagram of the front and back appearance of the thermal fusion night vision device.

Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the indirect aiming of a thermal fusion night vision device and a toy gun.

Figure 12A is a schematic diagram of a mobile phone on a tactical helmet.

Figure 12B is the second schematic diagram of the indirect aiming of the thermal fusion night vision device and the toy gun.

Figure 12C is the third schematic diagram of the indirect aiming of the thermal fusion night vision device and the toy gun.

Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a special forces team using thermal fusion night vision equipment

Figure 13A is a schematic diagram of the combination of thermal fusion night vision device and tactical ballistic shield.

Figure 13B is the second schematic diagram of the combination of thermal fusion night vision device and tactical ballistic shield

Figure 13C is a schematic diagram for identifying Velcro.

This embodiment mainly provides a method for performing alpha transparency processing 16 on the multi-spectral thermal image 15 generated by the thermal fusion night vision device 100 of this case and a preferred application implementation method of combining the thermal fusion night vision device 100 with a tactical accessory 200.

In order to illustrate the technical features of the multi-spectral thermal image 15 of the thermal fusion night vision device 100 in this case involving the σ transparent processing 16 fusion of different images, reasonable inferences are simulated with the help of experimental data that are easy for ordinary people to understand in the laboratory. Please refer to the following embodiments.

Please refer to Figure 7 for a schematic diagram of pure thermal image; Figure 7A for a schematic diagram of line contours and Figure 7B for a schematic diagram of the thermal imager color palette.

As shown in Figure 7, it is a "pure" thermal image of a target A (such as target A in Figure 4B) after being sensed by Lens 1 (first lens) and its FPA. This "pure" thermal image only describes the temperature distribution of the surface of the target A. The "temperature color code (white arrow 7a)" on the right side of the figure shows the "color" corresponding to the temperature.

As shown in Figure 7, the temperature color of the "pure" thermal image corresponding to the "temperature color scale" on the right side of the target A is "red (white arrow 7a)", which indicates the highest temperature, and the temperature color around the target A is "black (white arrow 7b)", which indicates the lowest temperature. In addition, there are three color blocks above the target A, namely "blue (white arrow 7c)", "light green (white arrow 7d)" and "yellow (white arrow 7e)" as well as;

Among them, the black (7b) around the target A and the black (white arrow 7b1) above the blue (white arrow 7c), from the overall "pure" thermal image, it is difficult to tell what the target A is?

The reason why "it is impossible to tell what the target A is from the pure thermal image" is mainly because: first, the temperature gradient effect causes blurred boundaries; second, the color that shows the "temperature" is a "false color".

Among them, how does the blurred boundary caused by the temperature gradient effect occur?

Known: Thermal imagers detect the surface temperature of objects. According to the second law of thermodynamics [heat transfer from high temperature to low temperature], from the distribution color temperature graph of the target A's overall "pure thermal image" from the hottest part in the center to the lowest temperature in the surrounding area, it is obvious that there is a distinct phenomenon of "high temperature and low temperature convection or conduction".

These create different "temperature differences" from the center to the periphery, where the temperature gets lower, just like the steps of a staircase forming temperature gradients of different temperature stages!

Generally, the circuit control inside the thermal imager will automatically calculate the different temperatures and then convert them to display the corresponding different pseudo-color codes.

This "pure thermal image" indicates capturing and displaying the temperature state of the "surface" of target A. How come there is this false color "pseudo-color"?

We already know that the temperature detected by this type of long-wave thermal imager is invisible to the human eye, so we cannot interpret the content of the entire thermal image. If the content of the entire thermal image is a temperature number (for example, 37.1℃, 37.9℃, 33℃, 20.1℃...), it will appear very messy and difficult to interpret.

Therefore, the best, most intuitive and most effective method is to display the thermal image presented by the thermal imager with a corresponding "fake" color, and compile a color index pattern based on people's "subjective" feelings, so that it corresponds to the measured temperature one by one. In this way, a color thermal image is obtained! In other words, the temperature difference can be visualized!

As shown in Figure 7, the red area in the center of target A shows the highest temperature (e.g. 43.5℃). This temperature will gradually spread from the red area to the lower temperature surrounding areas, and produce "cold/hot" convection with the surrounding low-temperature air, resulting in a "temperature difference" of different cold/hot temperatures that have not yet reached thermal equilibrium. The further outward this "temperature difference caused by convection" is, the lower its temperature will be, forming a "temperature gradient" of different temperature stages! The circuit control inside the thermal imager will automatically calculate these different temperatures, and then convert them to display corresponding different pseudo-color codes.

In order to solve the above-mentioned temperature gradient effect that causes the blurred "pure thermal image" of target A, there are many different image processing methods, among which the simpler one is shown in Figure 7A.

As shown in Figure 7A, a target A is a ceramic cup filled with about 80% hot water. A thermal imager is used to first take a visible light (VIS) image (71) and a thermal image (FIR) image (73) of the ceramic cup, and then an outline image (72) of the edge image strip in the visible light (VIS) image is taken out; and the image (72) is superimposed on the image (73) to form a fused thermal image (74) or (OR) thermal image (75) of the ceramic cup.

As shown in Figure 7A, it is worth noting that: the image (72) of the contour in the visible light (VIS) image is defined as the visible light contour. In the following embodiments, similarly, the image of the contour in the near infrared (NIR) image is defined as the near infrared contour and the image of the edge strip in the far infrared (FIR) image is defined as the far infrared contour.

The above three types of visible light profiles, near infrared profiles and far infrared profiles are collectively referred to as multispectral profiles.

Among them, the thermal image (74) or (OR) thermal image (75) of this ceramic cup are both built-in "color palette" functions of the thermal imager. Almost all thermal imager manufacturers have built-in different "color palette" functions.

As shown in Figure 7B, there are four common "palette" functions of thermal imagers. Some "palette" functions have even developed to nine types. For example, the micro thermal imager has a "palette" function with nine types.

As shown in Figure 7B, there are four palette samples. The gray palette is particularly suitable for resolving smaller geometric details, but not so suitable for showing smaller temperature differences. The iron palette is very intuitive and easy to understand for those who have no experience with thermal imaging. The rainbow palette is brighter and can switch between light and dark colors, which will produce greater contrast, but for objects with different surfaces or many temperatures, it may produce noisy images. In short, palettes with different effects have different interpretation uses and can distinguish certain subtle differences!

From the above, we can know and reasonably infer from Figure 7A: For example, the target object A in Figure 7 is "a cup filled with about eight-tenths of hot water", because there is no thermal image of hot water in the "cup" near the top of the cup, and the temperature color is the same as the background environment, which is "black" (about ten points minus eight points equals two points of space), which can prove that it is a cup filled with about eight-tenths of hot water.

Please refer to Figure 8 which is the schematic diagram 1 of the actual shot of AN /PSQ-20, Figure 8A which is the schematic diagram 2 of the actual shot of AN /PSQ-20, Figure 8B which is the schematic diagram 1 of the actual shot of PVS-21, and Figure 8C which is the schematic diagram 2 of the actual shot of PVS-21.

Among them, Figures 8, 8A, and 8B are also extracted from the online report AN /PSQ-20 on thermal fusion night vision photos.

As shown in the left picture of Figure 8, the thermal image (a small area within a certain range in the center) taken by the AN /PSQ-20 is fused with the night vision image displayed by the low-light night vision device; and as shown in the right picture of Figure 8, the thermal image (a small area within a certain range in the center) taken by the AN /PSQ-20 is fused with the visible light image, forming a "picture-in-picture" composite image on the night vision image displayed on the right picture of Figure 8.

As shown in Figure 8A, the left picture shows a distant low-light image, and the right picture shows a low-light image superimposed with a pure FIR thermal image. The two target portraits (indicated by black arrows) in the right picture are clearly visible.

As shown in Figure 8B, the left picture is the latest thermal fusion night vision device (PVS-21) released by the US military in 2020, and the right picture is the helicopter seen by the low-light night vision device. Obviously, the color thermal image of this latest thermal fusion low-light night vision device has a clearer identification image at night than the low-light night vision device.

As shown in Figure 8C, this is the latest thermal fusion night vision device (PVS-21) released by the US military in 2020. Obviously, the color thermal image of this latest thermal fusion low-light night vision device has a clearer identification image at night than the low-light night vision device.

Generally speaking, due to factors such as parallax, lens distortion, and exposure differences, two aligned images may still have a distinct boundary and not look like a complete composite image. Image fusion refers to the technology that allows the aligned images to be smoothly stitched together, such as alpha blending.

Adjust the transparency of the overlapping part of the two images to give the joined part a "gradient" effect. The length of the gradient range needs to be adjusted. If it is too long, there will be ghosting problems, and if it is too short, the joined part will look unnatural.

Among them, for the Alpha software processing technology involved in this case, there are already many professionals who are familiar with image processing programs and can edit different "image mixing factors" according to the purpose. For example, AN /PSQ-20 mixes two different "image factors" such as 8~14um FIR and 0.4~0.7um VIS for fusion editing.

The thermal fusion night vision device 100 of the present invention is to mix and edit different "image factors" such as 8~14um FIR, 0.4~0.7um VIS, and 0.94um NIR and the multispectral profiles of these three types. Its main purpose is to enable the thermal fusion night vision device 100 to obtain more and clearer multispectral thermal (image) images.

So, what is Alpha 16 image processing?

For example, it uses the 8~14 um FIR captured by the first lens (Lens 1) of the thermal fusion night vision device 100 as shown in Figure 5 as the "background image" and the 0.4~0.7um VIS+940NIR image captured by its second lens (Lens 2A) as the "foreground image" (but there is no restriction on which is the foreground image or the background image), and fuses (overlays) this foreground image on the background image. After transparency blending processing, a multi-spectral thermal image called alpha is generated.

If the alpha value is 1, it is completely opaque. The simple modes of the fused alpha multi-spectral thermal image include "VIS+NIR" or "FIR+NIR" or "VIS" or "NIR" or "FIR" and other modes of image; if the alpha value is 0, it is completely transparent. The fused alpha multi-spectral thermal image is only a "pure" thermal image of the background image.

Please refer to Figure 9 for the experimental diagram of portraits under visible light; Figure 9A for the experimental diagram of insufficient fill light; Figure 9B for the experimental diagram of sufficient fill light; Figure 9C for the experimental diagram of perspective 1; Figure 9D for the experimental diagram of perspective 2; Figure 9E for the experimental diagram of perspective 3 and Figure 9F for the experimental diagram of perspective 4.

As shown in Figure 9, a person wearing a black coat and sunglasses (opaque) is exposed to visible light. Others can only see the black coat but cannot see the eyes of the person wearing sunglasses.

As shown in Figure 9A, this person wearing a black coat and sunglasses can be clearly seen from the front by the thermal fusion night vision camera and under the illumination of the narrow-wave 940nm NIR light source. Only "four white squares" are shown on the black clothes of this person, but "the eyes inside the sunglasses of this person" are not shown. Why is this the case?

As shown in Figure 9A, from the "big white spot (indicated by the red arrow)" on the wall to the right of the person's face, it is obvious that the "940nm NIR" light is not correctly aimed at the person's face, so the eyes behind the person's sunglasses cannot be seen! In other words: the "fill light" for the "eyes behind the person's sunglasses" is insufficient.

As shown in Figure 9B, the "940nm NIR" light is correctly aimed at the person's face, so the eyes behind the person's sunglasses can be seen, which means that the "eyes behind the person's sunglasses" have sufficient "fill light"!

It is worth mentioning that: as can be clearly seen in Figure 9B: the feature of "the eyes in the man's sunglasses and the four white squares on the black clothes" is a technical feature that other general thermal imagers do not have. The reason is as shown in Figures 4, 4A, and 4B and their explanations.

From Figures 9A and 9B, we can see that the four white squares on the person's black clothes are mainly due to the irradiation of the "940nm NIR" light source 110. Why are the four white squares in Figure 9A slightly "darker (gray)" than the four white squares in Figure 9B?

On the black clothes in Figure 9, the human eye looks completely "black", but in Figures 9A and 9B, under the illumination of the "940nm NIR" light source 110, the four invisible blocks appear uniquely white. Why?

Because the fabric material of these four invisible blocks shows "reflection" phenomenon to this "940nmNIR" light source 110, while other surrounding materials show "absorption" phenomenon. Among them, the reflection of the four white blocks in Figure 9A is slightly "weaker" than that of the four white blocks in Figure 9B. Why?

This involves the issue of the intensity of the "940nm NIR" light "fill light".

Among them, the three factors that affect "intensity" include (1) the "emission power" of the "940nmNIR" light source 110 itself. The greater the "emission power", the longer the emission distance; (2) the "transmittance" of the "940nmNIR" light source 110 itself. The "transmittance" refers to the ability to penetrate the material structure of the object (such as sunglasses in this case).

In simple terms, the "sunglasses" are made of a material that can "penetrate infrared" (such as the TIRM in Figure 4B), while the black clothes are made of a material that cannot "penetrate infrared"; (3) The "emission angle" of the "940nm NIR" light source 110 itself. The larger the "emission angle", the wider the range of the emitted illumination, that is, the larger the fill light range.

From the "big white spot" on the wall to the right of the person's face shown in Figure 9A, it is obvious that the "940nmNIR" light source 110 of the adjustable narrow-band NIR light source does not have a large enough "emission angle" to cover the person's face. Otherwise, the "eyes in the sunglasses" and the "four squares on the black clothes" can be clearly seen at the same time.

Among the three factors that affect "intensity" mentioned above, factors (1) and (2) are easier to solve by increasing or decreasing costs, but factor (3) depends on the needs of the environment. If the "emission angle" is larger, the range of the emitted illumination is easier to be "discovered by the other party"; if the "emission angle" is smaller, the range of the emitted illumination is smaller, and it is more difficult to clearly detect the ability to identify the target object, such as the target object in Figure 9A is "eyes".

But how can this "emission angle" be adapted to size (adjustable)? Let's give a simple example to illustrate.

For example, the narrow-wavelength "940nm NIR" light source 110 is emitted forward, and a magnifying lens head cap that can be spirally rotated to adjust the length distance is added, and the angle of "diffusion" of the "940nm NIR" light source 110 emission (projection) is adjusted by "rotating" the head cap at different distances.

But how to do the "rotation" action?

For example, "using a rechargeable battery to rotate a DC motor, and using the rotational torque of the DC motor to drive the magnifying lens cap to move forward and backward", or using the automatic distance measurement result of a laser rangefinder to provide the DC motor with a basis for "automatic rotation" action.

The magnifying lens cap can also be rotated by using a "manual button" on the butt of the toy gun.

Alternatively, it is possible to simply add and utilize two or more "940nm NIR" light sources 110 with "different emission angles" and allow individual soldiers to switch and operate them as appropriate.

As shown in Figures 9, 9A, and 9B above, it is necessary to adjust the three factors that affect the "940nmNIR" light source 110 to achieve the best effect, including adjusting the "emission power, transmittance, and emission angle" of the "940nmNIR" light source 110. This is defined as the "adjustable" of the "adjustable narrow-band NIR light source", where the narrow-band NIR light source 110 here refers to the narrow light wave of the "940nmNIR".

It is worth mentioning that this "940nmNIR" narrow-wavelength light source further includes a family with a "940nm-centered wavelength", such as 960nm.

In addition, let’s do an auxiliary illustrative experiment:

This further proves the importance of "adjustable" in adjustable narrowband NIR light sources.

As shown in Figure 9C, there is an opaque bottle of cola and a transparent glass cup in a visible light environment. The color temperature on the right side of the picture indicates that the black color of the cola bottle indicates that it is cold cola, and the orange color at the bottom of the glass indicates that it contains some hot water. In a visible light environment, cola is also an opaque black liquid to the human eye.

As shown in Figure 9D, pour about 20CC (as indicated by the scale on the cup) of cola drink into the transparent glass cup, and then insert a wooden chopstick into the transparent glass cup. At this time, just like Figure 9A, the "940nmNIR" light source 110 is also "incorrectly" aimed at the glass cup, such as the large circular bright spot (940nmNIR light circular bright spot) on the right side of the cup. Therefore, the human eye can only see the wooden chopstick "above" the cola drink, but the human eye cannot see the wooden chopstick "under" the cola drink. Obviously, this is the result of insufficient "fill light".

As shown in Figure 9E, when the "940nm NIR" light source 110 is correctly aimed at the glass cup, just like Figure 9B, not only can the wooden chopsticks on the cola drink be seen, but also the "wooden chopsticks sunk under the cola drink" can be seen at the same time. Obviously, this is also the so-called "fill light" is sufficient.

As shown in Figure 9F, this is a simple demonstration, taking an inverted black cup as an example. When the "940nm NIR" light source 110 is correctly and adequately supplemented with light, it is possible to clearly see an image of an "object" in the cup (such as the white dot in the figure).

As can be inferred from the experiments in Figure 9B and Figure 9E above, the combination of the thermal fusion night vision device 100 and the adjustable "940nm NIR" light source 110 can solve the aforementioned defect problem in an actual night environment. This can indeed prove the situation of "seeing in the shadows in the dark" in a night environment as shown in Figures 1 and 1C!

In order to further understand and explain the concept of Alpha, the following example also takes an experiment of an object (a cup filled with hot water) as an example.

Please refer to Figure 10 for the schematic diagram of the Alpha Hybrid concept 1; Figure 10A for the schematic diagram of the Alpha Hybrid concept 2 and Figure 10B for the schematic diagram of the Alpha Hybrid concept 3.

As shown in Figure 10, the hot water in the ceramic cup is about 80% full. The visible light image VIS of the ceramic cup is multiplied by an alpha value (assuming it is 40%) to form the VS10 image of the ceramic cup under the alpha value;

The VS10 image and the thermal image FIR of the ceramic cup are superimposed and "fused" to finally form an alpha multi-spectral thermal image of the ceramic cup at the alpha value alpha 10 .

Similarly, as shown in Figure 10A, the hot water in the ceramic cup occupies about 80% of the cup. The visible light VIS of the ceramic cup is multiplied by an alpha value (assuming it is 40%) to form the VS10 image of the ceramic cup under the alpha value;

After multiplying the thermal image FIR of the ceramic cup by an alpha value (assuming it is 40%), the F10 image of the ceramic cup under the alpha value is formed. Finally, the VS10 and F10 images are superimposed and "fused" to form the final alpha multi-spectral thermal image Alpha 101 of the ceramic cup.

It is worth noting that the differences in details between the Alpha multi-spectrum thermal image Alpha 9 and the Alpha multi-spectrum thermal image Alpha 101 can be discovered through the color palette on the image display 17 of the thermal fusion night vision device 100!

As shown in Figure 10B, the ceramic cup in Figure 10 (about 80% full of hot water) is used as an example, and its single FIR thermal image is used as the background image; and its single VIS image is used as the foreground image, and then the foreground image is "superimposed" on the background image, wherein the VIS image foreground image is multiplied by 80%, 60%, 40%, 20% and 0% alpha values respectively, to form a diagram arranged in sequence as shown in Figure 10B.

Also, it is worth noting that in the "60%" diagram in Figure 10B, you can "clearly" see the "superimposed" image of "thermal image (FIR) + visible light VIS" on this ceramic cup, which means that it is feasible to "superimpose" images of "thermal image (FIR) + visible light VIS"!

Note 2: As shown in Figure 10A, this means that it is feasible to use "thermal image (FIR) + 940nm NIR" as a "superimposed" image!

As shown in Figure 10B, the alpha values are set to 100%, 80%, 60%, 40%, 20% and 0% respectively, and 6 alpha multi-spectral thermal images are displayed. Of course, if the interval distance is divided into equal parts of 10%, there will be 11 alpha multi-spectral thermal images.

Note 3: If the thermal fusion night vision device 100 is used as the spectrum in Figure 5, 12-14, with an interval of 8%, 5%, 3% or 1% as an equal part, it is obvious that many types of alpha multi-spectrum thermal images can be formed. After these "many types of alpha multi-spectrum thermal images" are stored and used through various AI artificial intelligence calculation modes, a big data database of alpha multi-spectrum thermal images can be further formed.

Among them, if the pixels of the foreground image are "transparent" (that is, its alpha = 0), then the pixels of the background layer should all be "transparent".

In fact, if you superimpose a foreground layer of the same size (otherwise it must be stretched first) on top of the background layer, reducing the alpha value will gradually darken the color, which is to make this spectral image produce a multi-spectral thermal image with different levels of transparency.

The above alpha value is between 0% and 100% (or 0.0 and 1.0). If the alpha multi-spectrum thermal image after transparency processing is output to a corresponding image display 17 for observation, it will be easier to find the alpha multi-spectrum thermal image that is most conducive to "interpretation and analysis".

As mentioned above, there are many different pixel-level calculation methods for the alpha technology of superimposing (fusion) the foreground image on the background image in the public literature. Currently, there is no calculation method found that adds the alpha value to the multispectral image 15 shown in Figure 5 of the thermal fusion night vision device 100.

Basically, the above fusion operation is to multiply the color value by the alpha value, so if alpha is 1, the color value remains unchanged, and if the alpha value is reduced, the color will become darker. In fact, the above fusion operation is a basic mathematical operation, such as addition or subtraction, and the two fusion factors come from the multispectral image as shown in Figure 5.

Generally, for the alpha blending function, most of the known modes are the "RGB+grayscale" blending, such as the "RGB+grayscale+thermal image" blending of the American thermal imager manufacturer FLUKE and;

FLIR Thermal Imaging Company of the United States has a patent called IR-Fusion ^TM , which is a fusion technology of visible light VIS and thermal image FIR. In other words, after extracting the obvious visible light lines from the visible light VIS image, it is fused with the pure thermal image FIR to form the thermal image of the MSX patent, as shown in Figure 7A.

Among them, IR-Fusion technology automatically corrects the parallax of visible light images and adjusts their size to match infrared thermal (image) images. Therefore, thermal images and visible images can be superimposed on each other and transmitted to the image display. When applied, you can choose to view the visible image alone or the thermal image alone, or a mixed (fused) combination of the two or more.

The above-mentioned IR-Fusion technology is a method of processing mixed images, which is "similar" to a transparency mixed alpha technology and the alpha multi-spectral thermal imaging involved in this case is also an alpha fusion technology.

In the present embodiment, the words such as image mixing, fusion, superposition or image composition are all expressed as image fusion. Image fusion refers to the same scene image captured by the first and second lenses, or the same scene image captured by the same lens in different working modes or at different imaging times, which are combined into an image with richer content by using fusion technology, combining the advantages of the previous multi-spectrum.

The difference is that the MSX patented technology and IR-Fusion technology are two types of transparency fusion of "VIS+FIR". The Alpha multi-spectral thermal image in this case, as shown in Figure 5, includes three types of images, "VIS13, NIR14, FIR12". In addition to mixing the transparency of one or/and another or/and any two of them, a multi-spectral outline can also be added. Obviously, the different mixing factors will result in different image effects and uses.

Among them, the near-infrared profile in the multi-spectral profile is matched with the adjustable 940nm NIR light source 110. As shown in Figure 7A, the near-infrared lines are first taken out and then superimposed with the thermal image to obtain a clearer near-infrared image.

Obviously, the alpha fusion (overlay/mixing) function of this embodiment is very different from the known mode. At least one more direct influence of 940nm NIR and multi-spectral profile can be added to form a different visual effect of mixed images, so that this embodiment can obtain a clearer and more distinctive multi-spectral recognition image.

In this way, a visual effect of many different fused (mixed) images is formed, which can be used to process the large amount of image database required for the establishment of advanced (or real gun) AI artificial intelligence in the future.

When testing the alpha multi-spectral image in the present embodiment, the near-infrared projection may cause different degrees of "absorption, reflection or diffusion" effects on the target object, which indirectly affects the new image and its visual effect produced by different transparent mixing degrees.

In order to reduce the indirect effects of the above-mentioned different degrees of "absorption, reflection or diffusion" effects, this embodiment can adjust its different intensities and angles through the dimmer 111.

Figures 11 to 13 below show the best application implementation methods for toy guns.

Please refer to Figure 11 for a schematic diagram of a thermal fusion night vision device and a toy gun aiming directly at each other; Figure 11A for a schematic diagram of a tactical rail; Figure 11B for a schematic diagram of a thermal fusion night vision device mounted on a tactical rail; and Figure 11C for a schematic diagram of the front and back appearance of a thermal fusion night vision device.

As shown in Figure 11, the soldier aiming and shooting (the gun holder painted black) holds a toy gun 300, and a thermal fusion night vision device 100 (as shown in Figure 11B) is mounted on the tactical rail 302 (as shown in Figure 11A) of the toy gun 300.

In most common trainings, the gun holder matches the line of sight of his "eye" with the line of sight extended from the "muzzle" 301 of the toy gun 300, or shoots the enemy (target) through the "crosshair", which can be called a "direct aiming" method.

Among them, the gun holder holding the thermal fusion night vision device 100 visually looks at the line of sight of the "eye" on its image display 17. In fact, it can be said that it is different from the traditional "direct aiming" method mentioned above, and is defined as an "indirect aiming" method.

Among them, the 940nm light source 110 required for assisting in capturing near-infrared images is mounted on another tactical track (not shown in the figure) on the lower side of the muzzle 301 or on another tactical track with adjustable angle on the side of the helmet (not shown in the figure). It emits near-infrared light that is invisible to the human eye and does not produce the red-dot phenomenon of the general 850nm light, which can easily expose one's identity.

As shown in Figure 11, it actually also includes the battery that must be equipped on the helmet and the toy gun, and the laser pointer 304 equipped near the muzzle of the toy gun (used to point to the target in front of the muzzle) or a "switch (used to switch the adjustable narrow-band 940nm NIR on or off)" on its butt (covered by the soldier's hand in the figure).

Among them, the laser pointer 304 (e.g., wavelength 808nm) is a laser light that emits a very small divergence (about only 0.001 radians) and a very bright beam in a uniform direction. This is very different from ordinary light that emits light in all directions. It projects laser light to the front to mark the target. The indicator can be used by the soldier to aim at the target in front more accurately.

There are many common lasers. During the initial basic military training, it is recommended to use He-Ne gas lasers that generally emit red (630nm) light. Green (532nm) lasers are cheaper and safer (milliwatt level). If high power (watt) level is used, a heat sink needs to be attached to the toy gun.

The toy gun 300 further includes a GPS module (for positioning and recording the course), which is not shown in FIG. 11 because it is a known component technology and will not be described in detail here.

Among them, it is worth mentioning that the function of this "switch" is: when using the thermal fusion night vision device 100, if you need to see clearly the situation in the "darkest shadow" of this image (such as the shadow in the red frame in Figure 1), you need to switch to the light source 110 for projecting 940nm NIR.

In many embodiments of the present case, the "switch" is used to control the projection or shutdown of the adjustable narrow-band 940nm NIR light source 110, which has two functions: the first is to save power (switch it only when needed), and the second is to reduce the chance of exposure (being discovered by the enemy, if the enemy is equipped with a 940nm NIR detector).

Now the question arises, will the laser spot projected by the laser pointer 304 be obscured or interfered with by the Alpha multispectral thermal image?

The answer is: No!

Because, (1) the contrast of the laser spot projected by the laser pointer 304 is much stronger than that of the multispectral thermal (imaging) image; and the laser spot seen on the image display 17 is just a strong small spot.

In this way, what is seen on the image display 17 of the thermal fusion night vision device 100 should be "laser spot + alpha multi-spectrum thermal image".

As shown in Figure 11A, the Picatinny rail 302 is a rail interface system on a firearm that is used to provide a standardized mounting platform for tactical accessories. It is a platform that can be "moved" and "locked" on the Picatinny frame.

In general, as special police and special forces began to equip their weapons with larger and larger tactical accessories, such as flashlights, red dot sights and even handles, the standardization and universalization of interface components to improve installation options gradually became a necessity. This is the concept of rail interface system (RIS) that was later used to provide a multi-compatible standardized accessory platform.

As shown in Figure 11B, the thermal fusion night vision device 100 of this case is different from the thermal imager described in the prior art. The thermal resolution used in its first lens is a lower-level 80*60 pixels, the viewing angle is about 40*30 and the weight is about 430 grams. The effective distance for capturing thermal images during the experiment is about 40 meters. It can be matched with a toy gun to form a low-cost, high-value-added tactical accessory.

As shown in Figure 11B, the thermal fusion night vision device 100 is mounted on a common movable slide (the gray part in the figure), and then the movable slide is locked on the tactical rail (as shown in Figure 11A above). This is a common technology in the industry and will not be explained here.

It is worth noting that when the thermal fusion night vision device 100 is mounted on the tactical rail 302 (as shown in Figure 11A above), a "shockproof unit (such as a rubber shockproof pad)" should be added between the thermal fusion night vision device 100 and the tactical rail 302 (not shown in the figure) to reduce the vibration of the thermal fusion night vision device 100 caused by continuous shooting.

As shown in Figure 11C, the left side is the appearance of the rear side of the thermal fusion night vision device 100, which mainly has an image display 17 facing the gun holder so that the gun holder can view the image of the situation in front of the muzzle. Below the image display 17 is the operation interface;

As shown in Figure 11C, the multispectral image 15 displayed on the image display 17 can be transmitted to a mobile phone (device) that has downloaded the corresponding APP application through the built-in WiFi module of the thermal fusion night vision device 100, as shown in Figures 12 to 12B below.

As shown in Figure 11C, the right side is the front appearance of the thermal fusion night vision device 100, which mainly has a first lens (Lens 1) that can capture thermal images and a second lens (Lens 2A) that can capture visible light and near infrared (light). The front of the thermal fusion night vision device 100 faces the muzzle 301 and is used to capture the image of the situation in front of the muzzle 301.

Please refer to Figure 12 for the schematic diagram of the indirect aiming of the thermal fusion night vision device and the toy gun; Figure 12A for the schematic diagram of the mobile phone on the tactical helmet; Figure 12B for the schematic diagram of the indirect aiming of the thermal fusion night vision device 100 and the toy gun 300; and Figure 12C for the schematic diagram of the indirect aiming of the thermal fusion night vision device and the toy gun.

As shown in Figure 12, during the aiming and shooting training, the soldier (gun holder) "looks" at the mobile phone display mounted on the helmet. As shown in Figure 12A, the mobile phone has been downloaded with WiFi function. The "soldier's eyes" and the "gun muzzle 301" are kept at a distance. This is a kind of "indirect aiming" method.

In the market, among the three major wireless technology standards such as WiFi module 18, ZigBee or Bluetooth module, Wi-Fi module 18 is undoubtedly the one with the most stringent and detailed alliance specifications, the most invested manufacturers, the broadest application base, integration and update in the market, and the widest coverage of development, from low-frequency 2.4GHz to high-frequency 5GHz, and even ultra-high frequency 60GHz. In addition, long transmission distance and high transmission rate are its specialties;

But high power consumption has always been the Achilles' heel of the WiFi module 18, which is why a rechargeable battery is installed on the toy gun 300.

Compared with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth's advantages are low power consumption, low cost and high security, and the Bluetooth Technology Alliance also clearly focuses on this. Currently, it has developed to version 4.2, which not only improves the transmission distance and transmission rate, but also reduces its power consumption, adds privacy functions, and strengthens security.

In addition, ZigBee's hardware is the cheapest of the three, so the cost is also the lowest. As for security, since it supports the advanced encryption standard AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), it has extremely high security as long as it is properly configured. It can be said that low transmission rate, low cost, power saving, security, and dedicated communication between devices (Machine to Machine, M2M) are the basic characteristics of ZigBee.

In other embodiments of this case, in order to meet the commercialization needs of different markets, the use of Bluetooth or ZigBee modules is not excluded. Therefore, the above-mentioned WiFi module 18 is defined as the scope of the equalization theory.

As shown in Figures 12 and 12A, the mobile phone is mounted on a helmet, which is a kind of stand (commonly known as a dump truck) that can be lifted up when not in use.

In the embodiment of the present case as shown in Figures 12 and 12A, the method for connecting the mobile phone to the thermal fusion night vision device 100 is to first download the SBC APP from the Google Play Store/APP Store (IOS) to install it and activate the WiFi network connection system function;

Search with your phone, set a unique name and enter the password to connect, open the SBC APP, press Add New Camera-Select Wi-Fi connection, and then press "OK" to enter the connection mode.

As shown in Figure 12B, this is also a method of "indirect aiming".

As shown in Figure 12B, the thermal fusion night vision device 100 is mounted on a toy gun 300 (remote control machine gun). However, the gun holder with a mobile phone mounted on the helmet is at an "effectively controllable" distance from the toy gun. The gun holder realizes the "what you see is what you shoot" method by "looking" at the display of the mobile phone.

The soldier hides in a hidden location some distance away from the remote-controlled machine gun, and uses the image display on the helmet to aim at the situation in front of the muzzle of the remote-controlled machine gun to shoot or monitor.

As shown in Figure 12B, the "situation in front of the muzzle of the remote-controlled machine gun" and the "shooting or monitoring" of the individual soldier are performed by "two sets" of wireless modules: one set of wireless transmitting modules is installed in front of the muzzle of the remote-controlled machine gun, transmitting the image of the situation in front of the muzzle to the individual soldier's helmet, and the other set of wireless receiving modules is used by the individual soldier to control the remote-controlled machine gun to automatically shoot after receiving the image in a wireless/wired manner.

Another wireless launch module is installed on the automatic trigger of the remote control machine gun. After the soldier sends the "start shooting command" signal from the wireless launch module, the automatic trigger will automatically fire upon receiving the signal.

As shown in Figure 12B, when this toy gun (remote-controlled machine gun) is shooting, it may be discovered by the enemy and retaliate and fight back. The enemy's target of retaliation is the remote-controlled machine gun that fired the gun, and it is not easy to find the position of this individual soldier. In this way, the function of "hiding/disguising/self-defense" of this individual soldier can be achieved.

It is worth noting that: as shown in Figures 12, 12A, and 12B, the laser pointer 304 (as shown in Figure 11) near the muzzle (such as above the muzzle) allows the gun holder with a mobile phone mounted on the helmet to "look" at the mobile phone display screen, and a "new laser aiming point" will reappear to provide the gun holder with "visual" and instant shooting, so that further aiming can be achieved to achieve the "see and shoot" function.

Among them, the point image displayed by this "new laser aiming point", referred to as the "thermal aiming point", must be the "highest priority" "foreground image" in the alpha transparency processing of the multispectral image 15, so that the gun holder can observe it clearly and quickly aim at the image displayed by the "thermal imaging sight" to shoot the enemy!

Figure 12C is used to further illustrate the indirect and direct relationship between accessories 202 and 203 and the tactical helmet.

As shown in Figure 12C, in the left figure, the thermal fusion night vision device 100 is directly mounted on the helmet by a so-called helmet dumper in the industry. Like the helmet used by the US military in Figure 1A, it can also be pulled up and down on the helmet in the right figure (as shown by the dotted double arrow symbol), which is convenient for storage when not in use.

Obviously, Figures 11, 12, 12B, and 12C are all "indirect aiming" methods, that is to say, Figures 11, 12, 12B, and 12C are all "see and shoot" methods!

Specifically, the "see and shoot" in Figures 11, 12, 12B, and 12C already have the "aim and shoot" function that can be used as a reference for individual soldiers (gun holders) to identify and shoot.

Please refer to Figure 13 for a diagram of a special forces team using thermal fusion night vision goggles.

As shown in Figure 13, which further illustrates the application example of Figure 12B, the figure includes a team leader 130 holding a four-split screen host (such as a tablet computer) 1301, and four scattered team members 13A, 13B, 13C and 13D.

Among them, each team member's thermal fusion night vision device 100 can use the password to transmit the captured images via the WiFi module 18 to the team leader 130's tablet computer 1301 with a handheld four-split screen host, so that the team leader 130 can observe and command the actions of the four team members.

For example, the team leader 130 leads four team members to attack a building and prepare to rescue hostages held by criminals. The team leader 130 can use the observation and judgment of the four-split screen host 1301, and then use a set of radio intercom systems to command the four team members to execute different tasks and advance direction commands.

The images displayed in front of the muzzles of the four team members in the four-partition screen host 1301 observed and judged by the team leader 130 are abbreviated as 13A1, 13B1, 13C1 and 13D1.

As shown in Figure 13, the multispectral image signal captured by the thermal fusion night vision device 100 on the toy gun 300 is directly transmitted to the WiFi module 18 and image display 17 on the helmet of the team leader (commander) 130 of the small group (about 2 to 4 soldiers) through a WiFi module 18 transmission method. The thermal fusion night vision device 100 can achieve basic military training of coordinated joint operations through wireless transmission.

Please refer to Figure 13A for the schematic diagram of the combination of thermal fusion night vision device and tactical ballistic shield and Figure 13B for the schematic diagram of the combination of thermal fusion night vision device and tactical ballistic shield.

As shown in Figures 13A and 13B, a tactical bulletproof shield is equipped with a thermal fusion night vision device 100. In the upper front of the bulletproof shield, only the dual lenses of the thermal fusion night vision device 100 and the lens of the adjustable narrow-band 940nm NIR light source 110 are exposed, a total of three lenses.

An image display 17 (not shown) is mounted on the upper rear of the tactical ballistic shield for visual viewing by the person holding the tactical ballistic shield.

As shown in Figures 13A and 13B, a single soldier or a team leader can hold the weapon and lead the team to move forward slowly, so as to carry out assaults in urban street fighting or counter-terrorism missions, and achieve the functions of self-defense, disguise and concealment.

Please refer to Figure 13C for a diagram of identifying Velcro.

As shown in Figure 13C, a Velcro identification material that can be attached to a tactical helmet, a military uniform sleeve or a toy gun 300 to identify friend or foe is made of a material that can reflect near infrared, such as the square material in Figures 9A and 9B.

As shown in Figures 6, 13~13C above, Velcro and tablet computers can be identified as accessories of the related toy gun 300 set.

Military report: Night vision goggles are not popular in our country's military. It is difficult for soldiers to use this kind of equipment, let alone use it for combat training. This makes the military lack experience in the use of night vision goggles, which also affects the speed of research and development. It may be that the military does not attach importance to night vision goggles or lacks budget.

For example, in the close combat of the street fighting in eastern Ukraine during the Russia-Ukraine War in 2022, the situation often faced was that there might be a wall or a room between them and the enemy, but how to attack became a problem. In the early stage, the equipment rate was not high. If the soldiers' lives were risked to attack, the efficiency would be too low and the casualties would be high.

As we all know, in most battle situations, frontline soldiers do not have much time to aim, let alone use a scope. Although a scope can make the target very precise, the enemy may have killed them by the time they are ready to aim!

In modern warfare, most soldiers do not have the opportunity to engage in face-to-face shooting with the enemy, but they must be able to master the use of firearms.

This case uses the survival game of the toy gun 300 and the "what you see is what you shoot" function formed by the combination of the thermal imaging night vision device 100 and the tactical accessories 200 to train new soldiers to simulate night combat and become modern soldiers regardless of day or night.

For example, the basic operation of the thermal fusion night vision device 100 to form a so-called "corner gun" is as follows: after the thermal fusion night vision device 100, the tactical accessory 200 and the toy gun 300 are connected by wire or wireless pairing, the soldier can be at a corner or behind a shelter at the entrance of an alley, and even without looking at the target with his eyes and head, and without aiming (as shown in Figures 12 to 12B), the gun holder can achieve the effects of observation/aiming/shooting/hiding/disguising and self-defense.

The above "Observe/Aim/Shoot/Hide/Disguise and Self-Defense" is equivalent to "Observe, Aim, Shoot, Hide, Disguise and Self-Defense".

In summary, the conclusion on the patentability of this case is as follows:

(1). Novelty: No reports or published patent literature were found in the 2019-2022 Taiwan International Military Outdoor Toy Gun Products Exhibition, 2017-2022 MOA EXHIBITUON, and the Republic of China patent information search for products such as thermal fusion night vision devices 100 and tactical accessories 200 that are paired or installed on toy guns 300;

(1-1). Compared with the existing toy guns suitable for survival games, this case provides a combination of a thermal fusion night vision device with Alfar transparent processing and WiFi module and the tactical accessory, which can achieve the effect of "seeing and shooting" even in complete darkness and smoky environment;

(1-2). A toy gun suitable for survival games, which can simulate night battles regardless of day or night or in a smoky environment, compared to general survival games using toy guns which are limited to daytime operations;

(1-3). In order to meet the needs of modern battlefields, many countries in the world have conducted similar individual combat training. This case is an overall system that uses high technology to strengthen the combat capability, mobility and protection of future individual soldiers. It is not purely for entertainment like traditional survival games.

(2) Progressiveness: (2-1) With respect to the principle structure of the thermal fusion night vision device 100 as shown in FIG. 5 and the contents of the benefits 210 to 214 as shown in FIG. 6, the following "non-obvious" proof has been obtained through the experimental diagrams of FIGS. 7 to 7A, 9 to 9E, and 10 to 10B above;

(2-2). The helmet-mounted thermal fusion night vision device in this case can solve the problem of the US military AN/PSQ-20 helmet-mounted enhanced night vision device "not being able to see clearly what is in the dark shadow (such as in the red frame)" as shown in Figures 1 and 1C!

(2-3). Youth Daily reported on September 7, 2020: The TS-93 rifle/machine gun night vision goggles and TS-96 night vision goggles currently used by our military are developed and produced by the 401 Factory of the Armament Bureau. They use advanced "18mm light-emitting tube technology". The TS-96 night vision goggles are divided into two types: single-lens single-barrel (special forces) and binocular single-barrel (general forces). This type of night vision goggles can be worn on the head or on a helmet (helmet type) depending on the mission requirements... Obviously, the TS-93 rifle/machine gun night vision goggles and TS-96 night vision goggles currently used by our military will also have the same problems to be solved (2-2).

(2-4). The price of the AN/PSQ-20 helmet-mounted enhanced night vision device in service with the US military is over USD.18,000. The cost of the helmet-mounted thermal fusion night vision device adapted and manufactured by this case is about one-twentieth of the cost, and it is easier to promote for use in the domestic or export market.

(2-5). A toy gun suitable for survival games, which can display the thermal image aiming point of the target in front of the muzzle and the fusion of multispectral images, that is, this fusion includes far infrared, visible light, near infrared and alpha images.

(3) Practicality: The toy gun 300 in this case can achieve the following functional training and fun by thermally fusing the night vision device 100 and the tactical accessory 200 as well as the alpha multi-spectrum image and its thermal image aiming point:

(3-1). Replace the traditional "what you see is what you shoot" method with a new model, (3-2). Multi-spectral aiming and friend-or-foe identification, (3-3). Camouflage and deception of man-made obstacles, fire and movement and revetting, and (3-4). Probing fire attacks on possible enemy hiding places to test the enemy's reaction, etc.

For example, in Figure 12B, the soldier hides behind a safe cover and waits for the artillery fire to pass before moving forward, which greatly reduces the probability of casualties among frontline soldiers and achieves the ideal goal of "zero casualties";

For example, in a survival game, the sniper is inefficient in searching for targets using a sniper rifle scope, and needs the thermal imaging night vision device on the toy gun in this case to assist in searching for targets.

200: Tactical accessories

201~206: Accessories

210~214: Benefits

Claims (10)

A toy gun suitable for survival games, comprising: a thermal fusion night vision device, the front appearance of which includes a first lens for capturing 8~14um FIR images and an IR optical lens for capturing 0.4~0.7um VIS, 0.94um The second lens of the NIR image, and the appearance of the rear thereof includes an image display, the bottom of which includes a shockproof unit, and the interior of which includes an Afar transparent processing and WiFi module; a tactical accessory, which is equipped with the thermal fusion night vision device or/and a combination of related toy gun accessories, whereby the toy gun can achieve the effect of seeing and shooting, and the effects of rapid aiming and shooting/hiding/camouflage/self-defense, friend-enemy identification, and single-soldier or small-group coordinated combat training through the thermal fusion night vision device and the tactical accessory even in complete darkness and smoke. According to a toy gun described in item 1 of the patent application, the toy gun further comprises a light source projecting 940nm NIR and a dimmer of the light source. A toy gun according to item 1 of the patent application, wherein the toy gun further comprises a laser pointer and/or a GPS module. A toy gun according to item 1 of the patent application, wherein the toy gun further comprises a helmet-type tactical accessory. According to a toy gun described in item 1 of the patent application, the Alpha transparency processing includes multiplying the images captured by the first lens and the second lens by an Alpha value respectively and then performing a fusion process. According to a toy gun described in item 1 of the patent application, the tactical accessories include a tactical rail, a tactical helmet, a tactical bulletproof shield, an identification Velcro and a tablet computer. According to a toy gun described in item 5 of the patent application, the fusion process further includes taking out the image of the near-infrared contour under the matching of an adjustable 940nm NIR light source and then fusing it with the thermal image. According to a toy gun described in item 1 of the patent application, the image display includes an aiming point that can display a thermal image. According to a toy gun described in item 5 of the patent application, the fusion process further includes processing a large amount of image database required to establish AI artificial intelligence. A toy gun according to item 1 of the patent application, wherein the toy gun includes the application of a remote-controlled machine gun or a curved gun.