Patent ID: 8017899

Claim:
A method of coded aperture imaging (CAI) using CAI apparatus having a coded aperture mask in a fixed relation to a detector array which outputs image data in response to illumination by radiation passing from a scene via the coded aperture mask, the method comprising the steps of: successively imaging each of a plurality of reference objects at a plurality of different reference object positions with respect to the CAI apparatus such that radiation from the plurality of reference objects reaches the detector array via different parts of the coded aperture mask, wherein, at each of the plurality of the different reference object positions, the plurality of reference objects are each disposed at different parts of the scene, and each of the plurality of reference objects is imaged using the CAI apparatus to form a reference intensity pattern upon the detector array, obtaining reference image data output from the detector array for each reference object position, using the reference image data to derive a decoding pattern for each different reference object, and monitoring a scene with the CAI apparatus to produce scene image data output from the detector array and using the decoding patterns to reconstruct an image of the scene from the scene image data.