Wavefront coded-aperture pixel super-resolution imaging based on circular patterns

In multi-frame super-resolution imaging, we need a physical moving device or scanning mechanism to acquire multiple samples of the original scene to recover detailed information about the high-resolution image. However, these imaging systems are usually bulky and complex in structure, relying on a high-precision displacement stage for scanning, which is costly, not easily portable, and difficult to miniaturize. We propose a wavefront coded aperture pixel super-resolution imaging method based on circular patterns, where a variable aperture is placed in front of the imaging lens to achieve modulation of the point spread function, and an incoherent Fourier ptychography imaging algorithm with adaptive step size used to reconstruct high-frequency detail information from a series of low-resolution images. Experimental results show that the imaging resolution can be improved by a factor of 1.41 using the coded aperture super-resolution imaging method. The proposed method only requires a variable aperture placed in front of the imaging lens, without the need for scanning devices or increasing the size and volume of the imaging system and is expected to be applied in super-resolution imaging for miniaturized devices.