Infrared night vision device is a military night vision device using photoelectric conversion technology. It can be divided into two types: active and passive: the former uses infrared searchlights to illuminate the target and receives reflected infrared radiation to form an image; The latter does not emit infrared rays, but relies on the infrared radiation of the target itself to form a "thermal image", so it is also called a "thermal imager".
At present, all infrared night vision devices on the market are active. Passive infrared night vision equipment is not called night vision equipment, but called thermal imager.
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Visible light is weak at night, but infrared light invisible to human eyes is rich. Infrared vision instrument can help people observe, search, aim and drive vehicles at night. Although infrared ray was discovered long ago, the development of infrared remote sensing technology is very slow due to the limitation of infrared components.
It was not until 1940 that Germany developed lead sulfide and several infrared transmission materials that the birth of infrared remote sensing instruments became possible. After that, Germany first developed several infrared detection instruments, such as active infrared night vision device, but none of them were actually used in World War II.
Almost at the same time, the United States is also developing an infrared night vision device. Although the test was successful later than Germany, it was the first to be put into practical use. /kloc-in the summer of 0/945, American troops landed and attacked Okinawa. Japanese troops hiding in caves and tunnels used complex terrain to sneak up on American troops at night.
So the US military urgently transported a batch of newly manufactured infrared night vision devices to Okinawa, and put guns equipped with infrared night vision devices near the cave. As soon as the Japanese army climbed out of the cave in the dark, it was immediately shot down by a precise gun. I don't know why the Japanese army in the cave continued to rush out and died in a daze. When the infrared night vision device first entered the battlefield, it played an important role in eliminating the stubborn Japanese army on Okinawa.
Reference source; Baidu encyclopedia-infrared night vision device