Wavefront coding

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In optics, Wavefront Coding is a method for increasing the depth of field in an image to produce sharper images. It works by blurring the image using a specially shaped waveplate so that the image is out of focus by a constant amount. Digital image processing then removes the blur and introduced noise.

The technique was pioneered by a radar engineer Edward Dowski and his thesis adviser Thomas Cathey at the University of Colorado in America in the 1990s. After the university showed little interest in the research^{[citation needed]} they have since founded a company to commercialize the method called CDM-Optics. The company was acquired in 2005 by Omnivision Technologies, which has released Wavefront-Coding-based mobile camera chips as TrueFocus sensors.

[edit] External links

• CDM-Optics
• Wavefront coding finds increasing use (Laser Focus World)
• Omnivision Technologies, Inc.