Material Sensing with Spatial and Spectral Resolution Based on an Integrated Near-Infrared Spectral Sensor and a CMOS...

Area of Science:

• Spectroscopy
• Material Science
• Remote Sensing

Background:

• Material composition analysis is crucial for industrial monitoring, recycling, agriculture, and environmental applications.
• Spectral imaging offers combined spatial and spectral data but faces cost barriers, especially for near-infrared (NIR) applications due to expensive detector arrays.
• Existing visible multispectral imaging (MSI) solutions are cost-effective due to silicon detector availability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a cost-effective standoff material sensing system that bridges the gap in NIR spectral imaging.
• To enable chemical characterization of materials without full spectral imaging hardware.
• To demonstrate the system's utility in practical applications like plastic classification.

Main Methods:

• A novel concept combining spatial imaging in the visible spectrum using a CMOS camera with point-based NIR spectral measurements.
• Utilizing a dedicated NIR spectral sensor for targeted spectral data acquisition.
• Implementing the system in a standoff configuration for non-contact material analysis.

Main Results:

• The system successfully performed chemical characterization of materials from a distance.
• Demonstrated capability in classifying visually identical plastics of different types in a standoff setup.
• Enabled spectral measurements at up to 100 distinct points within a scene.

Conclusions:

• The developed system offers a viable alternative to traditional spectral imaging for standoff material sensing.
• This approach reduces hardware costs associated with NIR spectral imaging.
• The technology shows significant potential for applications in recycling and industrial process monitoring.