High Spatial Resolution Hyperspectral Sensor

ABSTRACT: The Air Force has need of a Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) Hyperspectral imager with simultaneously high spectral and spatial resolution. Most hyperspectral imaging systems sacrifice spatial resolution for spectral resolution. As a result, the imagery that contains spectral information which may be important in target selection will not have the spatial resolution to allow simultaneous detection of objects by shape-based algorithms or human-in the-loop exploitation. This project is directed towards the development of a multiplexed hyperspectral imager suitable for deployment on a Tier 2 UAV. In Phase I, we were able to develop hardware and software for the creation of high-resolution hyperspectral images by using a scanning fore-optic, an array of apertures and a dispersive optical processor. The prototype system demonstrated in Phase produces composite LWIR hyperspectral images at the resolution of the focal plane array by combining images from varying scan positions, processed with custom software. The great promise demonstrated in Phase 1 will be scaled up in Phase 2 with a much faster focal plane array, integrated cooling system, and a dedicated computer with integrated data acquisition and processing software with a user-friendly GUI, allowing the production of high resolution LWIR hyperspectral images at 5 Hz. BENEFIT: The multiplexed scanning hyperspectral imager allows the production of LWIR hyperspectral images with simultaneously high spatial and spectral resolution. This will allow the integration of spectral and shape-based detection algorithms in a single system for greatly enhanced target identification and discrimination.