<title>Application of hyperspectral imaging spectrometer systems to industrial inspection</title>

Abstract

The past decade has seen the development of multispectral and hyperspectral imaging spectrometers for use in remote sensing applications in the aerospace business. Correspondingly, advanced electronic imaging techniques have been exploited for use in industrial inspection and manufacturing process control. TRW has been involved in hyperspectral imaging since 1989 for use in remote sensing of earth resources and has developed many instruments and related technologies which can easily be re-applied to unique industrial inspection applications. These instruments operate in the visible, near-infrared and short-wave infrared wavebands covering the range from 0.4 microns to 2.5 microns depending on the application. The exploitation of hyperspectral imagers for remote sensing has shown the power of spectral imaging for typing and discrimination tasks, which can be readily applied to industrial applications. In this paper we explain the relevant fundamentals of hyperspectral imaging and how it can be exploited for industrial inspection and process control tasks, particularly those that require color or spectral typing and discrimination. The associated technologies used to perform measurements and reduce the data also are described.