A computational super-resolution technique based on coded aperture imaging

We report a new computational super-resolution (SR) imaging technique, termed as coded aperture super-resolution imaging (CASR), which is to modulate the point spread function (PSF) of the imaging system by rotating the aperture pattern. The pattern is designed in an anisotropic manner so that the PSF spreads across multiple pixels and contains clues about high-frequency structure. A fundamental difference between our approach and conventional multi-image superresolution is that CASR accounts for the diffraction effect explicitly with no need for relative motion between the scene and the detector. With CASR, we design and construct two sets of programmable aperture photoelectric imaging systems in the visible spectrum. The achievable equivalent Nyquist sampling frequency of the detectors is increased to 3.57×. Furthermore, it can be flexibly applied to long-distance HR detection due to its advantages of fast response, no mechanical movement, and anti-airflow disturbance.