All
things considered, electronic imaging systems do not rival the human
visual system despite notable progress over 40 years since the invention
of the CCD. This work presents a method that allows design engineers to
evaluate the performance gap between a digital camera and the human
eye. The method identifies limiting factors of the electronic systems
by benchmarking against the human system. It considers power
consumption, visual field, spatial resolution, temporal resolution, and
properties related to signal and noise power. A figure of merit is
defined as the performance gap of the weakest parameter. Experimental
work done with observers and cadavers is reviewed to assess the
parameters of the human eye, and assessment techniques are also covered
for digital cameras.
The method is applied to 24 modern image sensors of various types, where an ideal lens is assumed to complete a digital camera.
Results indicate that dynamic range and dark limit are the most limiting factors. The substantial functional gap, from 1.6 to 4.5 orders of magnitude, between the human eye and digital cameras may arise from architectural differences between the human retina, arranged in a multiple-layer structure, and image sensors, mostly fabricated in planar technologies. Functionality of image sensors may be significantly improved by exploiting technologies that allow vertical stacking of active tiers.
full paper: University of Alberta; http://tinyurl.com/bwn9jwy
The method is applied to 24 modern image sensors of various types, where an ideal lens is assumed to complete a digital camera.
Results indicate that dynamic range and dark limit are the most limiting factors. The substantial functional gap, from 1.6 to 4.5 orders of magnitude, between the human eye and digital cameras may arise from architectural differences between the human retina, arranged in a multiple-layer structure, and image sensors, mostly fabricated in planar technologies. Functionality of image sensors may be significantly improved by exploiting technologies that allow vertical stacking of active tiers.
full paper: University of Alberta; http://tinyurl.com/bwn9jwy
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