1) Select the image intensifier according to the purpose of the instrument, the requirements of the sight distance and the cost.

Like helmet-type glasses, vehicle pilots, starlight mirrors, etc., the sight distance requirement is generally 100~300m, and they can choose the first-generation single-stage image intensifier, which can not only meet the imaging quality requirements, but also ensure low cost. On the other hand, when choosing the effective diameter of the image intensifier (photocathode/phosphor screen), the system's requirements for the field of view are mainly considered. For example, a tank pilot usually has a periscope of a certain size, and its objective lens has a long focal length and a large field of view (such as 30°), which requires an image intensifier with a large effective diameter; while helmet glasses require light and portable , so use a small-sized image intensifier.

For the commander's command mirror, gunner's sight, long-distance reconnaissance instrument, etc., the sight distance is usually 500~1200m, and high image quality and high resolution are required. At this time, the three-stage cascaded generation is often used. Image intensifier or second-generation inverted image tube; its effective diameter is determined according to the requirements of the field of view.

2) Preliminarily formulate optical system parameters such as objective lens and eyepiece, such as focal length, relative aperture, system field of view, etc.

3) Overall system dimension calculation and overall layout design. This step is to integrate the whole system according to the above-preliminarily formulated component parameters, and examine the coupling of the main performance parameters and the layout, overall shape and size of the whole system.

4) Modify the design so that the overall performance reaches the expected state.