Modulation Transfer Function Test Research Articles

Best Practices for Measuring the Modulation Transfer Function of Video Endoscopes.

Endoscopes are crucial for assisting in surgery and disease diagnosis, including the early detection of cancer. The effective use of endoscopes relies on their optical performance, which can be characterized with a series of metrics such as resolution, vital for revealing anatomical details. The modulation transfer function (MTF) is a key metric for evaluating endoscope resolution. However, the 2020 version of the ISO 8600-5 standard, while introducing an endoscope MTF measurement method, lacks empirical validation and excludes opto-electronic video endoscopes, the largest family of endoscopes. Measuring the MTF of video endoscopes requires tailored standards that address their unique characteristics. This paper aims to expand the scope of ISO 8600-5:2020 to include video endoscopes, by optimizing the MTF test method and addressing parameters affecting measurement accuracy. We studied the effects of intensity and uniformity of image luminance, chart modulation compensation, linearity of image digital values, auto gain control, image enhancement, image compression and the region of interest dimensions on images of slanted-edge test charts, and thus the MTF based on these images. By analyzing these effects, we provided recommendations for setting and controlling these factors to obtain accurate MTF curves. Our goal is to enhance the standard's relevance and effectiveness for measuring the MTF of a broader range of endoscopic devices, with potential applications in the MTF measurement of other digital imaging devices.

82‐3: Optical Quality Requirements for Accurate MTF/CTF Measurements on Near‐Eye‐Displays

Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) is an important image quality metric. Traditional displays generate images on a flat display, whereas Near‐Eye‐Displays (NEDs) project virtual images with amplitude and wave‐front phase information. Poorly designed NED MTF test systems can introduce uncorrectable measurement errors, in contrast to well‐designed systems with aberration‐free optical performance.

Can processed images be used to determine the modulation transfer function and detective quantum efficiency?

The modulation transfer function (MTF) and detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of x-ray detectors are key Fourier metrics of performance, valid only for linear and shift-invariant (LSI) systems and generally measured following IEC guidelines requiring the use of raw (unprocessed) image data. However, many detectors incorporate processing in the imaging chain that is difficult or impossible to disable, raising questions about the practical relevance of MTF and DQE testing. We investigate the impact of convolution-based embedded processing on MTF and DQE measurements. We use an impulse-sampled notation, consistent with a cascaded-systems analysis in spatial and spatial-frequency domains to determine the impact of discrete convolution (DC) on measured MTF and DQE following IEC guidelines. We show that digital systems remain LSI if we acknowledge both image pixel values and convolution kernels represent scaled Dirac -functions with an implied sinc convolution of image data. This enables use of the Fourier transform (FT) to determine impact on presampling MTF and DQE measurements. It is concluded that: (i)the MTF of DC is always an unbounded cosine series; (ii)the slanted-edge method yields the true presampling MTF, even when using processed images, with processing appearing as an analytic filter with cosine-series MTF applied to raw presampling image data; (iii)the DQE is unaffected by discrete-convolution-based processing with a possible exception near zero-points in the presampling MTF; and (iv)the FT of the impulse-sampled notation is equivalent to the transform of image data.

Analysis of the Slanted-Edge Measurement Method for the Modulation Transfer Function of Remote Sensing Cameras

The modulation transfer function (MTF) serves as a crucial technical index for assessing the imaging quality of remote sensing cameras, which is integral throughout their entire operational cycle. Currently, the MTF evaluation of remote sensing cameras primarily relies on the slanted-edge method. The factors influencing the slanted-edge method’s effectiveness are broadly classified into two categories: algorithmic factors and image factors. This paper innovatively comprehensively analyzes the influencing factors of the slanted-edge method and proposes an improved slanted-edge method to calculate the MTF testing method of remote sensing cameras, which is applied to the MTF testing of remote sensing cameras. Since the traditional algorithm can only be applied in the small angle situation, this paper proposes a new method of slanted-edge method test calculation based on the optimal oversampling rate (OSR) adaptive model of the slanted edge and uses simulation experiments to verify the reliability of the algorithm model through the deviation of the slanted-edge angle calculation and MTF measurement, and the results show that the algorithm improves the accuracy of the MTF measurement compared with the ISO-cos and OMINI-sine methods. Then, the effects of the slanted-edge angle, image region of interest (ROI), as well as image contrast and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on the accuracy of the MTF calculation by the slanted-edge method were quantitatively analyzed as the constraints of the slanted-edge method test. Based on the laboratory target experiment, the algorithm flow and various influencing factors obtained in the simulation stage are verified, and the experimental results are more consistent with the various test results obtained in the simulation stage. Consequently, the slanted-edge method introduced in this paper is applicable for future remote sensing camera MTF testing. This approach offers a valuable reference for on-orbit focusing, satellite operational condition monitoring, lifespan estimation, and image restoration.

Effect of Contralateral Acoustic Stimulation on Temporal Processing Abilities in Individuals with Normal Hearing.

The aim of the article was to compare the conditions of silent and contralateral noise on the temporal processing parameters. A total of 40 participants (20 males and 20 females) were enrolled in the study with a mean age of 21.7years, participants with normal hearing thresholds and no history of middle ear pathology were enrolled for the study. The temporal processing tests such as duration discrimination test, gap detection test, and temporal modulation transfer function tests were carried out in these 40 individuals in the two conditions of silent and contralateral noise using MATLAB. Statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS version 25.0 were descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out. Data was normally distributed on the Shapiro-Wilk's test of normality due to which a paired t test was carried out to establish the nature of significance between the silent and contralateral noise condition. Results reveal the presence of significant difference (p < 0.01) between the groups for all the parameters of temporal resolution with contralateral noise condition performing better than silent condition for the parameters. There is a positive effect of the efferent auditory pathway on the temporal resolution parameters thus implying that speech perception in noise is improved in the presence of background noise for normal hearing individuals due to this effect.

Research on Stray-Light Suppression Method for Large Off-Axis Three-Mirror Anastigmatic Space Camera.

The stray-light suppression of a large off-axis three-mirror anastigmatic space camera has been a hot topic, and this study proposes a composite stray-light suppression strategy that effectively suppresses stray light using the combination of a baffle, retaining ring, and internal antistray light measures. Additionally, the light barrier of the third mirror with a three-layered structure was designed to further optimize the composite stray-light suppression system. At the stray-light simulation analysis stage, in view of the limitations of the Torrance–Sparrow scattering analysis model, an analysis model with wide adaptability is proposed, which can be applied to the stray-light simulation analysis of large-size mirrors with rough surfaces. The simulation results indicate that the point source transmittance of the composite stray-light suppression strategy proposed in this paper is of the order of 10−5 before installing the light barrier of the third mirror, and the veiling glare index of the full field of view is less than 5.8%. After installing the light barrier of the third mirror, the point source transmittance reached the order of 10−8, and the veiling glare index of the full field of view was less than 1.31%. Moreover, the influence of the light barrier of the third mirror on the modulation transfer function of the system was less than 2.3%. The modulation transfer function test of the large-width off-axis three-mirror anastigmatic space camera in a simulated vacuum on-orbit environment was completed, and the test results indicated that the negative impact of the light barrier of the third mirror on the modulation transfer function was less than 3.6%. Moreover, an out-of-field imaging test of the space camera was conducted and the results showed that the image was clear, and the SNR reached 80 dB. The simulation and experimental results prove that the solution in this study can effectively solve the problem of stray-light suppression for large off-axis three-mirror anastigmatic space cameras.

Image blur analysis and elimination algorithm for an MTF test target of a space camera.

The high-resolution space camera needs to image the fringe target that meets the sampling frequency in the modulation transfer function test. However, blurry regions often appear in the target image, which seriously affects the visual effect and test efficiency. In this paper, by analyzing the imaging process of the rectangle striated target by a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor detector, a moiré fringe blurry degradation model of the target image is proposed. According to the degradation model, it is concluded that there are low blurry degradation regions in the image. Taking the low blurry degradation region as the reference information and the region similarity as the weight, the weighted spatial filtering and mean filtering are carried out to eliminate the blurry band in the target image. The experimental results show that compared with bilinear interpolation and guidance filter, this algorithm can effectively remove the image blur caused by the target periodic error and the angle error. The work in this paper provides a practical tool and theoretical support for subsequent space camera tests.

Performance of a deep learning‐based CT image denoising method: Generalizability over dose, reconstruction kernel, and slice thickness

Deep learning (DL) is rapidly finding applications in low-dose CT image denoising. While having the potential to improve the image quality (IQ) over the filtered back projection method (FBP) and produce images quickly, performance generalizability of the data-driven DL methods is not fully understood yet. The main purpose of this work is to investigate the performance generalizability of a low-dose CT image denoising neural network in data acquired under different scan conditions, particularly relating to these three parameters: reconstruction kernel, slice thickness, and dose (noise) level. A secondary goal is to identify any underlying data property associated with the CT scan settings that might help predict the generalizability of the denoising network. We select the residual encoder-decoder convolutional neural network (REDCNN) as an example of a low-dose CT image denoising technique in this work. To study how the network generalizes on the three imaging parameters, we grouped the CT volumes in the Low-Dose Grand Challenge (LDGC) data into three pairs of training datasets according to their imaging parameters, changing only one parameter in each pair. We trained REDCNN with them to obtain six denoising models. We test each denoising model on datasets of matching and mismatching parameters with respect to its training sets regarding dose, reconstruction kernel, and slice thickness, respectively, to evaluate the denoising performance changes. Denoising performances are evaluated on patient scans, simulated phantom scans, and physical phantom scans using IQ metrics including mean-squared error (MSE), contrast-dependent modulation transfer function (MTF), pixel-level noise power spectrum (pNPS), and low-contrast lesion detectability (LCD). REDCNN had larger MSE when the testing data were different from the training data in reconstruction kernel, but no significant MSE difference when varying slice thickness in the testing data. REDCNN trained with quarter-dose data had slightly worse MSE in denoising higher-dose images than that trained with mixed-dose data (17%-80%). The MTF tests showed that REDCNN trained with the two reconstruction kernels and slice thicknesses yielded images of similar image resolution. However, REDCNN trained with mixed-dose data preserved the low-contrast resolution better compared to REDCNN trained with quarter-dose data. In the pNPS test, it was found that REDCNN trained with smooth-kernel data could not remove high-frequency noise in the test data of sharp kernel, possibly because the lack of high-frequency noise in the smooth-kernel data limited the ability of the trained model in removing high-frequency noise. Finally, in the LCD test, REDCNN improved the lesion detectability over the original FBP images regardless of whether the training and testing data had matching reconstruction kernels. REDCNN is observed to be poorly generalizable between reconstruction kernels, more robust in denoising data of arbitrary dose levels when trained with mixed-dose data, and not highly sensitive to slice thickness. It is known that reconstruction kernel affects the in-plane pNPS shape of a CT image, whereas slice thickness and dose level do not, so it is possible that the generalizability performance of this CT image denoising network highly correlates to the pNPS similarity between the testing and training data.

The kVCT System Commissioning of a Novel Medical Linear Accelerator Designed for Biology-Guided Radiotherapy

A novel therapeutic machine that combines PET, fan beam kVCT and linear accelerator to support real-time PET-guided treatment, termed biology-guided radiotherapy (BgRT). This study reports the positioning accuracy, image quality, and dose commissioning of the kVCT imaging system of the first clinical BgRT machine at our institute.The helical fan-beam kVCT subsystem consists of an X-ray tube with a voltage of 120kV and a 16-row GOS Ceramic Scintillator detector. The gantry rotation speed is 60 rpm. The tube currents are 45, 67, 133mA for 0.5 pitch; 100, 150, and 300mA for 0.5 pitch; 267 and 400mA for 1.333 pitch. The image slice thickness is 1.25mm with a field of view of 500mm and a resolution of 512 × 512. A ball-cube phantom was used to test the positioning accuracy of the kVCT subsystem with respect to the setup laser and MV beam. Catphan504 phantom was imaged with 0.5 pitch and 150mAs to test the kVCT image quality of the BgRT system, including the uniformity, noise, HU constancy, spatial resolution, geometric distortion, slice thickness, and low contrast visibility and detectability using the PIPSproTM software. The RTI MAS-2 and Piranha detectors were used to verify the accuracy of the mA and voltage. The CTDI dose was measured using a CTDI phantom and a Standard Imaging A101 pencil chamber.The localization error of the ball cube phantom was -0.8, 0.9, and 0.3mm in IEC x, y, and z directions, respectively. For the Catphan504 tests, the vertical and horizontal uniformities were 0.926 and 0.857, respectively. The HU constancy tests of the air, water, polystyrene, acrylic, Delrin, Teflon were all within 40HU to the expected values. The modulation transfer function test results were 0.467, 0.528, and 0.595 lp/mm for F50, F40, and F30, respectively, which showed a comparable spatial resolution to regular CT simulators. The geometric distortion was 0.12mm and slice thickness inaccuracy was 0.13mm. The low contrast detectability was 0.734. The measured mA and voltage were within 5% of the nominal setting of 120 kV and 150 mA. The CTDIw was less than 1.4 cGy for body and 3 cGy for head with a protocol of 120 kVp, 150 mAs, and 1.25 mm slice thickness.This evaluation represents the kVCT characteristics of the novel BgRT system with architecture designed to accommodate CT, PET and a LINAC. The image quality and HU constancy are comparable to our CT simulators and is a useful tool for online adaptive radiotherapy. The commissioning data will serve as a standard for units installed at future clinical sites.

Modulation Transfer Function Testing Technology of Ultraviolet Focal Plane Arrays Device

Modulation Transfer Function Testing Technology of Ultraviolet Focal Plane Arrays Device

How good is your lens? Assessing performance with MTF full-field displays

Modern optical systems achieve incredible resolution and require more thorough testing. We present a method of evaluating and displaying the modulation transfer function (MTF) of a lens over its full rectangular field of view. The method consists of utilizing commercially available MTF test stations to gather data as well as custom software to plot the results. Critically, these measurements allow the characterization of misaligned systems with much higher accuracy than the typical three- or five-field-point MTF measurements yield. Examples are provided of both well-centered and poorly centered systems.

Image quality assessment based on modulation transfer function for synthetic aperture radar systems

The performance of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image interpretation directly depends on the image quality. However, conventional SAR image-quality indicators are measured to check whether the SAR system has maintained its performance specifications, not to assess how well the SAR image can serve image interpretation. An SAR image-quality assessment method based on the modulation transfer function (MTF) is proposed for image interpretation, which jointly reflects the resolution and the contrast of the SAR image. In addition, it describes the imaging performance of the SAR system at different spatial frequencies. Specifically, we propose a feasible MTF test field and realize it in Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. Then, we give the MTF measurement procedure and utilize the MTF curve to evaluate SAR image quality. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed MTF-based method is more accurate to assess the SAR image quality than the conventional methods. In addition, the spaceborne SAR experiments are carried out by the TerraSAR-X sensor and the experimental results are given to confirm the benefits of the proposed method.

Linear chirped slope profile for spatial calibration in slope measuring deflectometry.

Slope measuring deflectometry is commonly used by the X-ray optics community to measure the long-spatial-wavelength surface figure error of optical components dedicated to guide and focus X-rays under grazing incidence condition at synchrotron and free electron laser beamlines. The best performing instruments of this kind are capable of absolute accuracy on the level of 30-50 nrad. However, the exact bandwidth of the measurements, determined at the higher spatial frequencies by the instrument's spatial resolution, or more generally by the instrument's modulation transfer function (MTF) is hard to determine. An MTF calibration method based on application of a test surface with a one-dimensional (1D) chirped height profile of constant amplitude was suggested in the past. In this work, we propose a new approach to designing the test surfaces with a 2D-chirped topography, specially optimized for MTF characterization of slope measuring instruments. The design of the developed MTF test samples based on the proposed linear chirped slope profiles (LCSPs) is free of the major drawback of the 1D chirped height profiles, where in the slope domain, the amplitude strongly increases with the local spatial frequency of the profile. We provide the details of fabrication of the LCSP samples. The results of first application of the developed test samples to measure the spatial resolution of the BESSY-NOM at different experimental arrangements are also presented and discussed.

Effective modulation transfer function measurement method for an off-axis optical system.

The most common modulation transfer function (MTF) measurement equipment operates along a coaxial testing light path. It can be used to test several fields along one radial direction and is suitable for an optical system with rotational symmetry. However, off-axis optical systems need multidimensional adjustment and complex mechanical structures to measure the MTF of fields. In this paper, we propose a MTF testing module to address this issue by adding a rotatable mirror to redirect the light. The testing module greatly simplifies MTF measurement of off-axis imaging systems in both the process and mechanism. The figure error of the rotatable mirror is analyzed to ensure testing accuracy. MTF testing of a free-form surface prism using this novel method was successfully implemented and the results are presented. The method can be extended to the measurement of other parameters, such as the effective focal length.

Design of Projection Lithography Objective Lens with Sub-Ten Micrometer Line-Width and its MTF Experimental Measurements

Double fold reduction projection lithography objective lens with bi-telecentric configuration, consists of 6 lenses and the number aperture , is designed based on the optical design software Zemax. It uses the 405nm laser diode (LD) as light source. The spatial resolving capacity approaches to 5um. In a field of view of , its wave-front aberration is less than a quarter of wave-length and the distortion ratio is not more than. The imaging performance, in particular, the accurate modulation transfer function (MTF) value of the projection objective lens being fabricated by experiments is determined in this paper. Through analyzing the noise disturbance law in MTF tests, the result show that the projection objective lens has sub ten micrometer resolving ability.

大视场时间延迟积分CCD遥感相机的精密定焦

A precise focusing technology for a spliced TDICCD camera was introduced. Firstly, the components of focal plane were assembled to the designed locations on the camera under the circumstance of a constant temperature and vibration-isolation. Then, the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) of the camera image was obtained through a data acquisition and processing system, the curve of MTF-focus value of every TDICCD image was plotted, and the optimum imaging plane of every TDICCD was obtained. Finally, the common optimum imaging plane of the 8 chips for TDICCD was fitted according to the every single optimum imaging plane obtained above, and then the machining values of the external interfaces of the focal plane components were derived to finish the assembly and adjustment. Precision analysis on the focusing shows that the focusing error is 9.1 m and the relative error to the depth of field is 4.4%. The MTF test indicates that the 8 chips of TDICCD have approximately even MTF values, which are high than the camera's static MTF requirement of 0.2. Obtained results coincide with the variation regularity of the camera's optical MTF values and can provide references for the precise focusing technologies of the same kinds of remote sensing cameras.

Binary pseudo-random gratings and arrays for calibration of modulation transfer functions of surface profilometers

A technique for precise measurement of the modulation transfer function (MTF), suitable for characterization of a broad class of surface profilometers, is investigated in detail. The technique suggested in papers Yashchuk et al. (2007) [26], Yashchuk et al. (2008) [25] is based on use of binary pseudo-random (BPR) gratings and arrays as standard MTF test surfaces. Unlike most conventional test surfaces, BPR gratings and arrays possess white-noise-like inherent power spectral densities (PSD), allowing the direct determination of the one- and two-dimensional MTF, respectively, with a sensitivity uniform over the entire spatial frequency range of a profiler. In the cited work, a one-dimensional realization of the suggested method based on use of BPR gratings has been demonstrated. Here, a high performance of the MTF calibration technique is demonstrated via cross comparison measurements of a number of two-dimensional BPR arrays using two different interferometric microscopes and a scatterometer. We also present the results of application of the experimentally determined MTF correction to the measurement taken with the Micromap™-570 interferometric microscope of the surface roughness of a super-polished test mirror. In this particular case, without accounting for the instrumental MTF, the surface rms roughness over half of the instrumental spatial frequency bandwidth would be underestimated by a factor of approximately 1.4.

Performance of presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses in distance optical bench tests

To compare the optical performance of 6 presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses (IOLs) of different designs (accommodating or multifocal and aspheric or spheric). Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, USA. The optical performance of 6 IOLs were compared using modulation transfer function (MTF) and the United States Air Force 1951 Resolution Target (AFT) testing. The IOLs included 3 spheric designs (Crystalens AT-50SE, AcrySof ReSTOR SA60D3, and ReZoom NXG1) and 3 aspheric designs (AcrySof ReSTOR SN6AD3, Acri.Lisa 366D, and Tecnis ZM900). Tests were performed with a modified International Organization for Standardization (ISO) model eye with a 5.0 mm aperture at the distance focus. The ReSTOR aspheric IOL had the highest MTF values at all spatial frequencies, and the ReZoom IOL had the lowest MTF values at most spatial frequencies. The ReSTOR aspheric IOL produced the image with the highest resolution on the AFT test; the Tecnis and the ReZoom IOLs produced the images with the poorest resolution. The Acri.Lisa multifocal IOL was second to the ReSTOR aspheric IOL on the MTF test and had high resolution on the AFT test. The accommodating Crystalens performed poorly on the MTF test but had the second highest resolution on the AFT test. The AcrySof ReSTOR SN6AD3 aspheric IOL showed superior optical properties, demonstrated in MTF and AFT optical bench testing, among 6 presbyopia-correcting IOLs including the monofocal accommodating Crystalens. The Acri.Lisa IOL also performed well. The ReZoom IOL demonstrated the poorest overall optical quality.

Microlens diffusers for efficient laser speckle generation

Laser Speckle is the optical phenomena resulting from the random interference of coherent light. This phenomenon can be utilized to measure the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) of detector arrays. Common devices used for speckle generation, such as integrating spheres and ground glass, suffer from low efficiencies less than 20%. Microlens diffusers are shown to be more efficient alternatives for speckle generation. An analysis of the statistical behavior of microlens diffusers is presented with emphasis on their application to MTF testing of detector arrays in the visible spectrum.

Effects of intensity thresholding on the power spectrum of laser speckle

Spatial-frequency filtering of laser-speckle patterns has proved to be a useful tool in the measurement of the modulation transfer function for focal plane arrays. Intensity thresholding of the laser-speckle patterns offers nearly an order of magnitude savings in digital storage space. The effect of this thresholding on the spatial-frequency power spectral density of the speckle pattern is investigated. An optimum threshold level is found that minimizes distortion of the power spectrum for the classes of speckle data used for modulation transfer function testing.