Pixel Resolution Improvement using a Sliding Mask (PRISM)

Traditional imaging systems utilize very large format focal plane arrays (FPAs) to produce high resolution digital images. High definition visible band FPAs are relatively inexpensive and abound in commercial cameras. However for other applications such as infra-red imaging, FPAs are still expensive due inherent limits on yield and fabrication processes. In such cases, digital super-resolution techniques have proven useful for enhancing resolution by combining multiple low resolution images with sub-pixel shifts [1]. However, such techniques cannot improve the spatial resolution much beyond a factor of two (or thereabouts) due to the nulls in the detector’s spatial frequency response.