When the iris of the Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) contracts it constrains the path of light that can focus onto the two areas of the retina having a finer retinal mosaic. Under high ambient light conditions the operculum of the iris shields the lens and forms in the process two asymmetrically shaped, sized and positioned slit pupils. Tracing rays of light in the reverse direction through the pupils from the retinal regions associated with higher resolution confirm behaviorally observed preferred aerial and underwater viewing directions. In the forward and downward viewing direction, the larger temporal pupil admits light that is focused by the weakly refractive margin of a bifocal lens onto the temporal area centralis compensating for the addition of the optically strong front surface of the cornea in air. A schematic dolphin eye model incorporating a bifocal lens offers an explanation for a dolphin's comparable visual acuities in air and water for both high and low ambient light conditions. Comparison of methods for curve fitting psychometric ogive functions to behavioral visual acuity and spectral sensitivity data are discussed.
The ability to quantitatively characterize the performance of night
vision goggles (NVG) is being investigated because the present method
of resolution evaluation relies on an imprecise, subjective pass/fail
judgement by a trained observer viewing a test pattern. Variation in
an observer's training, experience, psychological state, decision
bias and visual acuity strongly affect his or her decision when
required to decide if a marginal pair of goggles passes or fails. The
controversy concerning the increase in commercial and military
helicopter accidents involving NVG indicates a need to determine if
1) the use of defective or marginal NVG is a contributing factor to
the increase in accidents or 2) the apparent correlation between NVG
and accidents is simply due to the increased use of NVG in an
expanded and inherently more dangerous flight envelope. The U.S. Army
TMDE Support Group (USATSG) has developed instrumentation to augment
the AN/3895 TS test set that presents high and low light level
resolution targets to AN/PVS-5, AN/AVS-6 and AN/PVS-7 NVG. The NVG
Resolution Augmentation to the AN/3895 TS presented here can also
quantitatively measure image quality of other image producing systems
which are normally viewed, adjusted or inspected by a human observer.
The NVG Resolution Augmentation features a custom electronic circuit
which provides a user-friendly interface between a commercially
available CCD camera, monitor and oscilloscope. USATSG's Army Primary
Standards Laboratory at the Redstone Arsenal is presently studying
the possibility of a new measurement service by investigating various
CCD camera/lens combinations in order to characterize a machine
vision standard observer. A characterized image analysis system would
enable absolute as well as relative measurements of image quality.
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