Abstract
Multispectral imaging is an attractive sensing modality for small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in numerous applications. The most compact spectral camera architecture is based on spectral filters in the focal plane. Vehicle movement can be used to scan the scene using multiple bandpass filters arranged perpendicular to the flight direction. With known camera trajectory and scene structure, it is possible to assemble a spectral image in software. In this letter, we demonstrate the feasibility of a novel concept for low-cost wide area multispectral imaging with integrated spectral consistency testing. Six bandpass filters are arranged in a periodically repeating pattern. Since different bands are recorded at different times and in different viewing directions, there is a risk of obtaining spectral artifacts in the image. We exploit the repeated sampling of bands to enable spectral consistency testing, which leads to significantly improved spectral integrity. In addition, an unfiltered region permits conventional 2D video imaging that can be used for image-based navigation and 3D reconstruction. The proposed multimodal imaging system was tested on a UAV in a realistic experiment. The results demonstrate that spectral reconstruction and consistency testing can be performed by image processing alone, based on visual simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM).
Highlights
S MALL unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have evolved rapidly over the past decades, offering many new opportunities as platforms for remote sensing
By exploiting the platform movement, UAV imagery can be used to estimate the 3D structure of the ground landscape, as well as the sensor movement itself, using visual simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM) techniques
With this work we have shown that a novel concept for multispectral imaging is feasible for use in the challenging case of low-cost wide area mapping using small UAVs
Summary
S MALL unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have evolved rapidly over the past decades, offering many new opportunities as platforms for remote sensing. By exploiting the platform movement, UAV imagery can be used to estimate the 3D structure of the ground landscape, as well as the sensor movement itself, using visual simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM) techniques. A sensing modality of increasing interest is spectral imaging, which enables a wide. Manuscript received September 10, 2019; accepted January 6, 2020. Date of publication January 17, 2020; date of current version January 30, 2020. This letter was recommended for publication by Associate Editor T. Marchand upon evaluation of the reviewers’ comments.
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