Method and apparatus for synthesis of higher resolution images

An image-processing apparatus comprising:

• (i) an imager for obtaining an image including a target object, the image being formed by an array of pixels;
• (ii) a stack of for storing a predetermined number of frame portions;
• (iii) an image processor configured to
• a. extract a frame portion from the image, the frame portion being at least a portion of the pixels forming the image, corresponding to a region of interest in the image, the region of interest comprising the target object, the frame portion having an associated phase, representative of a sub-pixel translation shift of the region of interest defined by the frame portion relative to the region of interest defined by another frame portion;
• b. store the frame portion in the stack, the storing including discarding an oldest previously stored frame portion from the stack if the number of frame portions stored in the stack has reached the predetermined number;
• and
• c. calculating a super-resolved image from a plurality of phase averages, wherein each phase average is the average of frame portions in the stack having the same phase, wherein the frame portions of each phase average have an associated phase representative of a sub-pixel translation shift of the regions of interest defined by those frame portions relative to the region of interest defined by another frame portion.

A computer program product embodied on non-transitory, computer-readable medium and configured to cause, when the computer program is executed, data-processing apparatus to:

• (i) receive an image including a target object, the image being formed by an array of pixels;
• (ii) extract a frame portion from the image, the frame portion being at least a portion of the pixels forming the image, corresponding to a region of interest in the image, the region of interest comprising the target object, the frame portion having an associated phase, representative of a sub-pixel translation shift of the region of interest defined by the frame portion relative to the region of interest defined by another frame portion;
• (iii) store the frame portion in a stack for storing a predetermined number of frame portions, the storing including discarding an oldest previously stored frame portion from the stack if the number of frame portions stored in the stack has reached the predetermined number;
• (iv) repeat steps (i) to (iii) a plurality of times;
• and
• (v) calculating a super-resolved image from a plurality of phase averages, wherein each phase average is the average of frame portions in the stack having the same phase, wherein the frame portions of each phase average have an associated phase representative of a sub-pixel translation shift of the regions of interest defined by those frame portions relative to the region of interest defined by another frame portion.