US 8,913,241 B2Granted

Hyperspectral imaging system and method for imaging a remote object

AssigneeCorning Incorporated

InventorsVikram Bhatia, Carl Edgar Crossland, Paul G Dewa, Michael Lucien Genier

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Abstract

A hyperspectral imaging system and method are described herein for providing a hyperspectral image of an area of a remote object (e.g., scene of interest). The hyperspectral imaging system includes at least one optic, a scannable slit mechanism, a spectrometer, a two-dimensional image sensor, and a controller. The scannable slit mechanism can be a micro-electromechanical system spatial light modulator (MEMS SLM), a diffractive Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MOEMS) spatial light modulator (SLM), a digital light processing (DLP) system, a liquid crystal display, a rotating drum with at least one slit formed therein, or a rotating disk with at least one slit formed therein.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A hyperspectral imaging system for providing a hyperspectral image of an area of a remote object, the hyperspectral imaging system comprising:

at least one optic configured to receive light associated with the remote object;
a scannable slit mechanism comprising a surface configured to receive the light from the at least one optic, and the surface further positioned at an image plane of the at least one optic;
the scannable slit mechanism configured to activate at a first time multiple first slits located in multiple positions on the surface, where the activated multiple first slits provide multiple first lines of the light;
a spectrometer comprising at least a diffraction grating configured to receive the multiple first lines of the light and provide multiple first diffracted lights;
a two-dimensional image sensor configured to receive the multiple first diffracted lights and provide a two dimensional image of the multiple first diffracted lights, and wherein the multiple first slits are separated from one another by a predetermined spectral band so that the multiple first diffracted lights are separated from one another in the two dimensional image of the multiple first diffracted lights;
and
wherein the scannable slit mechanism comprises a drum with multiple slits formed therein and an actuator that rotates the drum.

4 more elements

A method for providing a hyperspectral image of an area of a remote object, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a hyperspectral imaging system comprising:
at least one optic configured to receive light associated with the remote object;
a scannable slit mechanism comprising a surface configured to receive the light from the at least one optic, and the surface further positioned at an image plane of the at least one optic;
the scannable slit mechanism is configured to activate at a first time multiple first slits located in at least one position on the surface, where the activated multiple first slits provide multiple first lines of the light;
a spectrometer comprising at least a diffraction grating configured to receive the multiple first lines of the light and provide multiple first diffracted lights;
a two-dimensional image sensor configured to receive the multiple first diffracted lights and provide a two dimensional image of the multiple first diffracted lights, and wherein the multiple first slits are separated from one another by a predetermined spectral band so that the multiple first diffracted lights are separated from one another in the two dimensional image of the multiple first diffracted lights;
and
wherein the scannable slit mechanism comprises a drum with multiple slits formed therein and an actuator that rotates the drum.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.