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Night Vision Imaging System

(NVIS) Compliant Lighting Components

Military, Law Enforcement, and Search and Rescue personnel using night vision goggles (NVG) must be able to read illuminated displays without the displays interfering with the performance of the goggles. The displays must also be readable to those not using night vision. Displays illuminated with unfiltered incandescent lamps or LEDs (light emitting diodes) can interfere with NVG since they can emit significant energy in the Infra Red (IR) region of the spectrum. Excess IR radiation can cause conflicts with NVG night vision functionality. For example, IR interference can cause night vision goggles to bloom (creating a halo-like glow around the displays and reducing visibility), can create ghosting images (IR reflections from the cockpit surface), or create goggle sensitivity loss due to activation of the automatic gain control due to higher levels of of IR.

The solution is to filter the display (light source) so that it emits the necessary light for proper operation in both day and night environments while attenuating levels of the respective red and near IR radiation (i.e., removing the component that falls within the NVIS response curve). The filter must attenuate the noise to a level less than the lowest outside night sky radiation reflective source. MIL-L-85762A and MIL-STD 3009 establishes the requirements for NVIS compatible aircraft interior lighting.

Lumitron offers many NVG/NVIS optical filtering choices for both incandescent and LED light sources. Our glass construction NVG/NVIS optical ring filters, flexible lead assembly lamps, and legacy replacement based lamps are widely used in the industry to effectively meet night vision compatible lighting specifications. We now offer PolyVision for incandescent light sources for added design flexibility. Our PolyVision NVG/NVIS optical filtering for LEDs extends achievable night vision compatible lighting compliance to a broad range of display products from annunciators and push-button switches to the most advanced active-matrix multi-color liquid crystal displays (AMLCDs).

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