Open Access
22 August 2019 Fusion of interpolated frames superresolution in the presence of atmospheric optical turbulence
Author Affiliations +
Funded by: Air Force Research Labs (AFRL)
Abstract

An extension of the fusion of interpolated frames superresolution (FIF SR) method to perform SR in the presence of atmospheric optical turbulence is presented. The goal of such processing is to improve the performance of imaging systems impacted by turbulence. We provide an optical transfer function analysis that illustrates regimes where significant degradation from both aliasing and turbulence may be present in imaging systems. This analysis demonstrates the potential need for simultaneous SR and turbulence mitigation (TM). While the FIF SR method was not originally proposed to address this joint restoration problem, we believe it is well suited for this task. We propose a variation of the FIF SR method that has a fusion parameter that allows it to transition from traditional diffraction-limited SR to pure TM with no SR as well as a continuum in between. This fusion parameter balances subpixel resolution, needed for SR, with the amount of temporal averaging, needed for TM and noise reduction. In addition, we develop a model of the interpolation blurring that results from the fusion process, as a function of this tuning parameter. The blurring model is then incorporated into the overall degradation model that is addressed in the restoration step of the FIF SR method. This innovation benefits the FIF SR method in all applications. We present a number of experimental results to demonstrate the efficacy of the FIF SR method in different levels of turbulence. Simulated imagery with known ground truth is used for a detailed quantitative analysis. Three real infrared image sequences are also used. Two of these include bar targets that allow for a quantitative resolution enhancement assessment.

CC BY: © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.
Russell C. Hardie, Michael Rucci, Barry K. Karch, Alexander J. Dapore, Douglas R. Droege, and Joseph C. French "Fusion of interpolated frames superresolution in the presence of atmospheric optical turbulence," Optical Engineering 58(8), 083103 (22 August 2019). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.58.8.083103
Received: 14 May 2019; Accepted: 2 August 2019; Published: 22 August 2019
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CITATIONS
Cited by 11 scholarly publications.
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KEYWORDS
Turbulence

Optical transfer functions

Atmospheric optics

Optical turbulence

Super resolution

Image fusion

Cameras

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