Co-site sampling

Colour co-site sampling is a system of photographic color sensing, wherein 4, 16 or 36 images are collected from the sensor and merged to form a single image. Each subsequent image physically moves the sensor by exactly one pixel, in order to collect R, G and B data for each pixel, known as micro scanning. This is a viable alternative to the typical Bayer filter array of pixels which returns a lower quality image with interpolated pixel colors.

Operation

Several images are captured and combined to a sharp resulting image. After the acquisition of each image a piezo mechanism moves the sensor by precisely the distance of one pixel and delivers the complete color information for each detail and with the same sharpness in all three color channels.

Micro scanning is essential for the method. 4 (2×2), 16 (4×4) or 36 (6×6) shots can be used for improved color reproduction.

Advantages

• Higher-resolution possible in comparison with the basic CCD pixel count
• No color interpolation required
• Better sensitivity than a three-chip camera
• Live color image possible at the basic CCD sensor's resolution
• Only one color sensor required

Disadvantages

• Stable imaging conditions required due to micro scanning
• Longer acquisition times because of multiple exposures