Modulation transfer function measurement of sparse-array sensors using a self-calibrating fringe pattern

A simple method for the measurement of the pixel modulation transfer function (MTF) of sparse-array (extended MTF) sensors has been developed. We use a phase-shifting Twyman-Green interferometer to generate a series of single spatial-frequency fringe patterns incident on the sensor The resulting signal modulation is measured. We achieve self-calibration by restricting the measured spatial frequencies to multiples of the Nyquist frequency. The aliased patterns at these frequencies are unique and easily identifiable. Spatial frequencies of 480 cycles/mm are generated and measured. This frequency value is more than ten times that of the sensor sampling frequency. The expected MTF shape is obtained at multiples of the sampling frequency. At odd multiples of the Nyquist frequency, the MTF's are affected by the electronic bandwidth and cross talk in the charge-injection device sensor.     

Partially light-controlled imager based on liquid crystal plate and image intensifier for aurora and airglow measurement

In order to obtain information both of aurora and airglow in one image by the same detector, a PLCI based on liquid crystal plate LCP and super second-generation image intensifier SSGII is proposed in this research. The detection thresholds of the CCD for aurora and airglow are calculated. For the detectable illumination range of 10(4)-10(-2) lx, the corresponding electron count is 1.57×10(5) - 0.2 for every pixel of CCD. The structure and work principle of the PLCI are described. An LC is introduced in the front of CCD to decrease the intensities of aurora in overexposure areas by means of controlling transmittances pixel by pixel, while an image intensifier is set between the LC and CCD to increase the intensity of the weak airglow. The modulation transfer function MTF of this system is calculated as 0.391 at a Nyquist frequency of 15 lp/mm. The curve of transmittance with regard to gray level for the LC is obtained by calibration experiment. Based on the design principle, the prototype is made and used to take photos of objects under strong light greater than 2×10(5) lx. The clear details of [symbols: see text] presented in the image indicate that the PLCI can greatly improve the imaging quality. The theoretical calculations and experiment results prove that this device can extend the dynamic range and it provides a more effective method for upper atmospheric wind measurement.     

利用CCD测定X射线增感屏的调制传递函数

本文论证了利用ＣＣＤ测定Ｘ射线胶片和增感屏调制传递函数和可行性，并给出了一种适用于ＣＣＤ测试数据的处理方法，对于同一种Ｘ射线胶片增感屏，分别给出了测微光密度计和ＣＣＤ两种测量数据及其误差分析，并用对几种不同增感屏和胶片性能做了评价，从实际应用中指出复ＣＣＤ探头测量调制传递函数的优越性。     

Recording, Display, and Evaluation Methods to Obtain Quantitative Information from Electron Holograms

Digital recording has become a basic requirement for electron holography for many reasons. The fact that it allows live-time evaluation of the phase information and easy recording of a reference hologram are two very important reasons that are widely appreciated. Here we will discuss requirements for recording electron holograms under the special conditions imposed by the Nyquist limit and the modulation transfer function (MTF) of the charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. As electron holography provides complex images carrying both the amplitude and phase of the image wave, the question of how to best display the information will be investigated. This is not an easy question, because special aspects of different applications require different solutions. Methods for display and evaluation of holographic data are described. Published by Elsevier Science Inc., 1999.     

用CCD测量光学系统OTF的研究

线性光学系统的光学传递函数可由线扩散函数的付立叶变换求出。本文研究了用电荷耦合器件测量光学系统OTF的系统,用CCD作为光电转换器件,对CCD接收到的LSF的光强信号进行视频放大,采样一保持、A/D转换接口到计算机,可方便而精确地测得光学系统的OTF。为了避免采用高速A/D和DMA方式,对CCD的信号处理采用分时处理。用CCD测量MTF的误差为3%,不重复性为1%,能在2分钟之内测试出物镜的10种空间频率的MTF值。     

Modulation transfer function measurement of an infrared focal plane array by use of the self-imaging property of a canted periodic target

We present a new technique for measuring the modulation transfer function (MTF) of a focal plane array (FPA). The main idea is to project a periodic pattern of thin lines that are canted with respect to the sensor's columns. Practically, one aims the projection by using the self-imaging property of a periodic target. The technique, called the canted periodic target test, has been validated experimentally on a specific infrared FPA, leading to MTF evaluation to as great as five times the Nyquist frequency.     

CMOS APS图像传感器的像质分析

使用标准CMOS制作工艺生产的有源像素传感器（APS）引起了广泛关注。为了确定CMOS APS成像系统设计的主要参数选择的正确性,以及能否满足要求或指标,需要对相机系统的像质进行分析。考虑到CMOS APS图像传感器与CCD的不同,在分析时计算了CMOS APS成像系统中的镜头、滤光片和焦平面的调制传递函数（MTF）,系统MTF曲线为各个部分MTF值之积。在系统截止频率范围内,利用MTF曲线所围面积的大小来评价系统的成像质量。在系统制造之前,用调制传递函数作为像质的评价方法,看其是否符合使用要求,是十分有价值的工作。     

LCD组件检测中用MTF评估自动聚焦分辨率的方法

液晶检测设备在自动聚焦后由于焦距变化,成像分辨率也不可避免的发生变化,为此必须提供一种快速评估检测设备实际分辨率的方法。由于检测设备总分辨率为镜头分辨率与相机分辨率的乘积,因此论文提出先根据相机的各种噪声模型建立相机对比度分辨值,接着用频率渐变的LCD黑白样条光栅评估不同频率下镜头MTF的像质退化情况,最后通过分析分辨率与对比度关系,得出相机最高对比度下能够分辨出的经过成像系统像质退化产生亮暗模糊所对应的空间截止频率。实验表明在使用光学检测设备对手机背光源进行缺陷检测时,论文的方法评估实际分辨率>17μm,用背光源标定样品实际检测后可以得到,对于17μm以上缺陷检测设备都能清晰成像,因此结果证明了该方法的有效性。     

投影机镜头的MTF实时检测系统

目前还没有标准的方法来检测投影机镜头的MTF,为此我们提出了一种基于图像分析的投影机镜头MTF实时测试系统.本系统使用CCD作为成像接收器,采用基于图像分析的方法,通过分析单个像素成像同时获得投影镜头子午和弧矢两个方向上的调制传递函数(MTF).阐述了整个测试系统的构造及理论框架,着重分析了系统参数标定的重要性以及如何正确地进行系统参数标定;全面分析了影响测试结果的因素以及如何正确快速地修正噪声的影响.检测了质量合格与质量不合格的投影机镜头,并将结果同设计值的进行比较,实验结果表明了本系统及其处理方法的有效性.     

AlGaN-Based Linear Array for UV Solar-Blind Imaging From 240 to 280 nm

The realization of a linear array of 300 pixels, with a 26-$mu hboxm$pitch, based on$hboxAl_xhboxGa_1-xhboxN$metal–semiconductor–metal photodetectors, is described. The composition of the active layer is chosen in order to optimize the solar-blind operation: A sharp cutoff at 280 nm is observed, with discrimination between far and medium ultraviolet (UV) of three orders of magnitude. The detector shows a peak responsivity of 12 mA/W and a dark current smaller than 1 fA at the typical polarization of 4 V. The maximum resolution is analyzed in terms of modulation transfer function (MTF): The best result is obtained for a front-side illumination, i.e., when an MTF of 0.45 is measured at the half Nyquist frequency (19.2 lp/mm). Some UV images, which are obtained in a pushbroom model, are reported. The visible rejection is proven by directly imaging the arc of a Xenon lamp: It is shown that only the relatively weak far-UV component contributes to the signal.     

Analysis of MTF degradation in the imaging of cells in a flow system

The time-delay and integration method can be used with a charge-coupled device array to acquire images of cell in a flow cytometer. The loss of high spatial frequency components in images acquired with this technique is studied by deriving the modulation transfer function (MTF) for each of the main causes of image degradation: finite sampling aperture, nonsynchronism between image movement and charge transfer rate, discrete charge motion, transfer inefficiency, and axis misalignment. The system MTF and resolution in the horizontal and vertical directions are then examined.©1994 John Wiley & Sons Inc     

Calculation of the modulation transfer function for object brightness distribution function oriented along any direction in axis-symmetrical optical systems

The literature deals with the modulation transfer function (MTF) only for object brightness distribution functions (OBDFs) oriented along the meridional and sagittal directions. This paper addresses computation of the geometrical MTF for an off-axis source point when the OBDF is oriented along any arbitrarily defined direction. This study finds that the MTF is not a monotonic increasing or decreasing function when the direction of the OBDF is changing. Consequently, the extreme MTF values may occur when the OBDF is aligned at any direction between the meridional and sagittal directions. Four theorems are provided for the MTF and the phase shift variations that take place when the OBDF is translated or rotated. It is found that the MTF and the phase shift are symmetrical or antisymmetrical about certain directions. Thus, to observe all possible changes in the MTF and the phase shift, it is sufficient to rotate the OBDF through a range of just 90°. The presented method is based on a recent irradiance method for MTF computation that does not rely on counting the number of ray hits on a mesh, making the method immune to effects of grid size and thus improving traditional accuracy.     

Design, assembly, and optical bench testing of a high-numerical-aperture miniature injection-molded objective for fiber-optic confocal reflectance microscopy

The design, analysis, assembly methods, and optical-bench test results for a miniature injection-molded plastic objective lens used in a fiber-optic confocal reflectance microscope are presented. The five-lens plastic objective was tested as a stand-alone optical system before its integration into a confocal microscope for in vivo imaging of cells and tissue. Changing the spacing and rotation of the individual optical elements can compensate for fabrication inaccuracies and improve performance. The system performance of the miniature objective lens is measured by use of an industry-accepted slanted-edge modulation transfer function (MTF) metric. An estimated Strehl ratio of 0.61 and a MTF value of 0.66 at the fiber-optic bundle Nyquist frequency have been obtained. The optical bench testing system is configured to permit interactive optical alignment during testing to optimize performance. These results are part of an effort to demonstrate the manufacturability of low-cost, high-performance biomedical optics for high-resolution in vivo imaging. Disposable endoscopic microscope objectives could help in vivo confocal microscopy technology mature to permit wide-scale clinical screening and detection of early cancers and precancerous lesions.     

Digital Method for Determining the Initial Phase of a Harmonic Signal at a Sampling Frequency Less Than the Nyquist Frequency

Measurement Techniques - A digital method is proposed for determining the initial phase of a harmonic signal at a sampling frequency less than the Nyquist frequency. The method includes sampling...     

Improved-resolution digital holography using the generalized sampling theorem for locally band-limited fields

We describe the recording conditions that, together with the appropriate numerical reconstruction process, permit high-lateral-resolution reconstruction of in-line digital holograms. By high resolution, we mean a resolution that is beyond the Nyquist frequency, which is achieved by common methods. The proposed method is based on a previously reported generalized sampling theory that presents the conditions to precisely reconstruct fields that in certain cases may be sampled with a sampling rate lower than the Nyquist rate. We examine the hologram-recording process in the Wigner space. On the basis of this analysis, we demonstrate a simple high-resolution numerical reconstruction method.     

基于插值数浮动的MTF精确测量方法

采用刀口法测量成像系统调制传递函数(MTF)时,刀口装置与探测器矩阵夹角的准确测量是难点和关键点之一.针对这一问题,首先模拟刀口图像倾角对应的理论基准插值,研究了加载噪声情况下插值数浮动与线扩散函数(LSF)波动性变化以及MTF曲线衰减特性的定量关系;接着对实际X射线数字化成像系统获得的特定倾角下的刀口边缘图像进行了基于插值浮动的MTF测量,并将由其获得的MTF值与线对卡结果进行比较,证明了该方法用于成像系统MTF测量的有效性.结果表明:角度测量误差造成实际插值数偏离理想基准插值,导致LSF曲线光滑性变差,MTF衰减程度高于实际衰减.通过插值浮动方法,能够有效地避免角度测量误差引起的MTF测量的误差,降低角度测量的高精密性要求.     

利用三条谱线计算频率紧邻的两个成分的参数

对频率间隔小于2个FFT分辨率的两个成分，直接使用比值校正法精度较差。就双频率模型(DFM)而言，利用谱峰附近三点的频谱可建立一个非线性复约束的DFM方程，它表现为一个复行列式等于零。给出了牛顿法求解该约束的具体格式，讨论了迭代的相关细节。研究结果表明：这种方法对初值要求比较苛刻；通过设置容许区间和随机重置初值等措施，可减弱对初值的要求；除了一些奇异点外，若初值选择合适。经过大约10次迭代，两个频率可收敛到准确值；当两个频率计算准确之后，幅值和相位可由另外一组线性关系解出。     

Liquid-crystal-display projector-based modulation transfer function measurements of charge-coupled-device video camera systems

We demonstrate the ability to measure the system modulation transfer function (MTF) of both color and monochrome charge-coupled-device (CCD) video camera systems with a liquid-crystal-display (LCD) projector. Test matrices programmed to the LCD projector were chosen primarily to have a flat power spectral density (PSD) when averaged along one dimension. We explored several matrices and present results for a matrix produced with a random-number generator, a matrix of sequency-ordered Walsh functions, a pseudorandom Hadamard matrix, and a pseudorandom uniformly redundant array. All results are in agreement with expected filtering. The Walsh matrix and the Hadamard matrix show excellent agreement with the matrix from the random-number generator. We show that shift-variant effects between the LCD array and the CCD array can be kept small. This projector test method offers convenient measurement of the MTF of a low-cost video system. Such characterization is useful for an increasing number of machine vision applications and metrology applications.     

一种彩色大面阵航空遥感相机前向像移补偿机构设计及精度分析

提高彩色大面阵航空遥感相机地面分辨力需设计像移补偿环节以消除工作时CCD像面的像移,本文在分析航空遥感器4种像移补偿方式及像移补偿机构设计原则的基础上,针对某航空遥感器的要求设计了一种前向像移补偿机构,利用等径共轭凸轮机构将电机旋转转化为直线运动,并配合精密直线导轨约束运动自由度。具有传动简单,精度较高的优点,可有效的避免传动误差。分析了原动件输入速度波动、制造误差对像移补偿残差的影响,并对像移补偿总体效果进行了评价。试验数据及数据分析表明,像移补偿机构的补偿残差小到600μm/s,动态目标发生器及外场航拍图像良好,满足使用要求。     

Estimation of point-spread functions and modulation-transfer functions of optical devices by statistical properties of randomly distributed surfaces

The point-spread function a(PSF) and the modulation-transfer function (MTF) are important tools to characterize the information transfer through optical devices. They give useful information about the resolution. Several methods have already been achieved to calculate the PSF and the MTF from theoretical aspects of wave propagation or from experimental results. I present a novel way of estimating these two functions. It deals with statistical considerations for a randomly distributed surface involving a statistical determination of the PSF and the MTF. Indeed, in this case the theoretical shape of the autocorrelation function of such surface profiles is known. It is a decaying exponential function α[exp(-β|x|)]. Comparingthe theoretical autocorrelation-function profile with the experimental one and deconvolving in Fourier space leads to an estimation of the MTF of the imaging device. Applying the inverse Fourier transform to the MTF involves the computation of the PSF, assuming that the latter has no imaginary part and is symmetrical. The two-dimensional images are regarded as an iteration of one-dimensional ones according to the orthogonal direction. The MTF's and PSF's are therefore one-dimensional. Different results are presented. The first result proceeds from investigation with scanning near-field microscopy and illustrates the method step by step. The tunneling effect is detected assuming that the information transfer is linear. The last result concerns an optical profilometer, and the influence of the microscope objective is studied.