An experimental infrared sensor using adaptive coded apertures for enhanced resolution

Adaptive coded aperture imaging (ACAI) has the potential to enhance greatly the performance of sensing systems by allowing sub detector pixel image and tracking resolution. A small experimental system has been set up to allow the practical demonstration of these benefits in the mid infrared, as well as investigating the calibration and stability of the system. The system can also be used to test modeling of similar ACAI systems in the infrared. The demonstrator can use either a set of fixed masks or a novel MOEMS adaptive transmissive spatial light modulator. This paper discusses the design and testing of the system including the development of novel decoding algorithms and some initial imaging results are presented.