Underwater hyperspectral imaging system using a prism-grating-prism structure.

Area of Science:

• Ocean optics
• Remote sensing technology
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Underwater target detection is crucial for marine research and surveillance.
• Existing imaging systems often face limitations in spectral resolution and imaging quality in aquatic environments.
• Hyperspectral imaging offers potential for detailed analysis of underwater features.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and develop an advanced underwater hyperspectral imager (UHI) detection system.
• To evaluate the imaging quality and spectral resolution of the developed UHI system.
• To demonstrate the system's capability in distinguishing various underwater targets.

Main Methods:

• A push-broom scan imaging mode was employed for data acquisition.
• An image-side telecentric telescope design with a 22 mm focal length and 11°×11° field of view was utilized.
• A prism-grating-prism structure was implemented as the spectrometer's spectral unit to minimize spectral line bending.

Main Results:

• The UHI system achieved a spectral resolution of 5 nm across the 400 nm to 800 nm range.
• The system's modulation transfer function exceeded 0.62 at the characteristic frequency within the spectral range.
• Experiments confirmed the UHI system's superior imaging quality and spectral resolution, enabling clear differentiation of underwater targets.

Conclusions:

• The developed underwater hyperspectral imager (UHI) system meets design specifications for high-quality underwater detection.
• The system's performance in spectral resolution and imaging quality is suitable for distinguishing diverse underwater targets.
• This technology advances underwater sensing capabilities for scientific and operational applications.