Hybrid imaging with extended depth of field based on binocular ranging.

We present a new method to reduce the image artifacts in defocused hybrid imaging systems with a cubic phase mask. Image artifacts are caused by a mismatch of phase during decoding. A new definition of the Strehl ratio is proposed, and the defocus tolerance of the high-quality decoded image is calculated using this standard. According to the corresponding relationship between the defocus amount and the object distance, we analyze the feasibility of identifying the defocus amount according to distance information obtained by the binocular ranging principle to optimize the decoding process via simulation. Experimental results show that our method can improve image quality over a wide range of defocus.