End-to-end design of superresolution electro-optic imaging systems

A superresolution electro-optic imaging system comprising:

• an optical subsystem for imaging a source, wherein the optical subsystem is characterized by an optical MTF which, in comparison to an equivalent diffraction-limited optical MTF, contains a higher fraction of energy in a pass band of frequencies below a superresolved sampling frequency;
• a detector subsystem positioned to capture two or more lower resolution images of the source, wherein the detector subsystem is characterized by a detector sampling frequency;
• and
• a superresolution digital image processing subsystem coupled to the detector subsystem for combining the lower resolution images via superresolution processing into a higher resolution image of the source, wherein the superresolution processing determines a superresolved sampling frequency that is higher than the detector sampling frequency;
• wherein, for each lower resolution image, the optical subsystem and detector subsystem together are characterized by an imaging MTF that has no zeroes below the superresolved sampling frequency.

A superresolution electro-optic imaging system comprising:

• an optical subsystem for imaging a source, wherein the optical subsystem is characterized by an optical MTF which, in comparison to an equivalent diffraction-limited optical MTF, contains a higher fraction of energy in a pass band of frequencies below a superresolved sampling frequency;
• a detector subsystem positioned to capture two or more lower resolution images of the source, wherein the detector subsystem is characterized by a detector sampling frequency;
• and
• a superresolution digital image processing subsystem coupled to the detector subsystem for combining the lower resolution images via superresolution processing into a higher resolution image of the source, wherein the superresolution processing determines a superresolved sampling frequency that is higher than the detector sampling frequency;
• wherein, in comparison both to the equivalent diffraction-limited optical MTF and to an equivalent low pass filtered single-frame optical MTF, for each lower resolution image, the optical MTF contains a higher fraction of energy in a superresolution band of frequencies between the detector sampling frequency and the superresolved sampling frequency.

A multiple mode superresolution electro-optic imaging system comprising:

• an imaging subsystem comprising an optical subsystem coupled to a detector subsystem, and a digital image processing subsystem coupled to the imaging subsystem, both the imaging subsystem and digital image processing subsystem capable of operating either in a single-frame mode or in a superresolution mode;
• wherein:
• in a single-frame mode, the imaging subsystem produces an image of a source and the digital image processing subsystem processes the image;
• in a superresolution mode, the imaging subsystem produces two or more lower resolution images of a source and the digital image processing subsystem combines the lower resolution images via superresolution processing into a higher resolution image of the source;
• and
• the optical subsystem has one or more moveable optical components, and the optical subsystem is switched between single-frame mode and superresolution mode by moving the optical component(s).

A multiple mode superresolution electro-optic imaging system comprising:

• an imaging subsystem comprising an optical subsystem coupled to a detector subsystem, and a digital image processing subsystem coupled to the imaging subsystem, both the imaging subsystem and digital image processing subsystem capable of operating either in a single-frame mode or in a superresolution mode;
• wherein:
• in a single-frame mode, the imaging subsystem produces an image of a source and the digital image processing subsystem processes the image;
• in a superresolution mode, the imaging subsystem produces two or more lower resolution images of a source and the digital image processing subsystem combines the lower resolution images via superresolution processing into a higher resolution image of the source;
• and
• the optical subsystem and detector subsystem together determine an imaging MTF characterized by an imaging cutoff frequency, and the imaging cutoff frequency for each of the lower resolution images captured in the superresolution mode is higher than the imaging cutoff frequency for the single-frame mode.

A multiple mode superresolution electro-optic imaging system comprising:

• an imaging subsystem comprising an optical subsystem coupled to a detector subsystem, and a digital image processing subsystem coupled to the imaging subsystem, both the imaging subsystem and digital image processing subsystem capable of operating either in a single-frame mode or in a superresolution mode;
• wherein:
• in a single-frame mode, the imaging subsystem produces an image of a source and the digital image processing subsystem processes the image;
• in a superresolution mode, the imaging subsystem produces two or more lower resolution images of a source and the digital image processing subsystem combines the lower resolution images via superresolution processing into a higher resolution image of the source;
• and
• in the superresolution mode, the superresolution processing determines a superresolved sampling frequency that is higher than the detector sampling frequency and, in comparison both to an equivalent diffraction-limited optical MTF and to a low pass filtered single-frame optical MTF, for each lower resolution image, an optical MTF for the optical subsystem contains a higher fraction of energy in a superresolution band of frequencies between the detector sampling frequency and the superresolved sampling frequency.