Estimating uncertainty in resolution tests

Duarte Paulo Goncalves; Derek John Griffith

doi:10.1117/1.2202914

1 May 2006 Estimating uncertainty in resolution tests

Duarte Paulo Goncalves, Derek John Griffith

Author Affiliations +

Optical Engineering, Vol. 45, Issue 5, 053601 (May 2006). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.2202914

Abstract

Resolution testing of imaging optical equipment is still commonly performed using the USAF 1951 target. The limiting resolution is normally calculated from the group and element that can just be resolved by an observer. Although resolution testing has limitations, its appeal lies in the fact that it is a quick test with low complexity. Resolution uncertainty can serve as a diagnostic tool, aid in understanding observer variability, and assist in planning experiments. It may also be necessary to satisfy a customer requirement or international standard. This paper derives theoretical results for estimating resolution and calculating its uncertainty, based on observer measurements, while taking the target spatial-frequency quantization into account. We show that estimating the resolution by simply averaging the target spatial frequencies yields a biased estimate, and we provide an improved estimator. An application illustrates how the results derived can be incorporated into a larger uncertainty analysis.

©(2006) Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

Citation Download Citation

Duarte Paulo Goncalves and Derek John Griffith "Estimating uncertainty in resolution tests," Optical Engineering 45(5), 053601 (1 May 2006). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.2202914

Published: 1 May 2006

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available