Minimum resolvable contrast (MRC) is a subjective measure of a
visible spectrum
The visible spectrum is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye. Electromagnetic radiation in this range of wavelengths is called ''visible light'' or simply light. A typical human eye will respond to wav ...
sensor’s or camera's sensitivity and ability to resolve
data
In the pursuit of knowledge, data (; ) is a collection of discrete values that convey information, describing quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpret ...
. A snapshot image of a series of three bar targets of selected spatial frequencies and various contrast coatings captured by the unit under test (UUT) is used to determine the MRC of the UUT, i.e. the visible spectrum camera or sensor. A trained observer selects the smallest target resolvable at each contrast level. Typically, specialized computer software collects the inputted data of the observer and provides a graph of contrast v.s. spatial frequency at a given luminance level. A first order
polynomial
In mathematics, a polynomial is an expression consisting of indeterminates (also called variables) and coefficients, that involves only the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and positive-integer powers of variables. An ex ...
is
fitted to the data and an MRC curve of spatial frequency versus contrast is generated.
[Electro Optical Industries, Inc. (2005) "EO TestLab Methodology". In ''Education/Ref''. ]
See also
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Distortion
In signal processing, distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of a signal. In communications and electronics it means the alteration of the waveform of an information-bearing signal, such as an audio s ...
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Image resolution
Image resolution is the detail an image holds. The term applies to digital images, film images, and other types of images. "Higher resolution" means more image detail.
Image resolution can be measured in various ways. Resolution quantifies how cl ...
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Integrating sphere
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Minimum resolvable temperature difference
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Optical resolution
Optical resolution describes the ability of an imaging system to resolve detail, in the object that is being imaged.
An imaging system may have many individual components, including one or more lenses, and/or recording and display components. ...
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Signal-to-noise ratio
Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR or S/N) is a measure used in science and engineering that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise. SNR is defined as the ratio of signal power to the noise power, often expressed in d ...
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References
External links
Electro-Optical Industries Educational References
Image processing
Image sensors