The Optimal Design of a Binaural Sparse-Aperture System

Abstract Optical sparse-aperture (OSA) can greatly improve the spatial resolution of optical system. However, its optical designs are complex. This paper proposes a binaural sparse-aperture system with a simple and symmetrical structure, which is composed of three apertures. Apertures are rotated to obtain rich frequency information. The scheme of rotating apertures is analyzed by taking the ratios of sub-apertures and the number of rotations as variables. The image artifacts are suppressed through processing in the frequency domain. Simulation results analyze the effects on OTFs and imaging quality with different rotation numbers and ratios of sub-apertures. Experimental results show that this system can reach almost the same cut-off frequency as what the equivalent multi-aperture system can reach.