Multispectral imaging speeds ahead with simple LED-based system

Dec. 1, 2010
Measuring the reflectance spectrum of an object can be accomplished in numerous ways, including a single-point spectrometer coupled to a two-dimensional scanning system, a linescan spectrograph combined with a digital camera, a colored filter wheel and a monochrome camera, or a digital camera and a liquid-crystal tunable filter, among others.

Measuring the reflectance spectrum of an object can be accomplished in numerous ways, including a single-point spectrometer coupled to a two-dimensional scanning system, a linescan spectrograph combined with a digital camera, a colored filter wheel and a monochrome camera, or a digital camera and a liquid-crystal tunable filter, among others. These numerous multispectral imaging systems all have tradeoffs in terms of measurement speed and spectral and spatial resolution; however, each of them has in common a rather expensive and complex optical illumination system.

Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland (Kuopio, Finland) have instead developed a simplified multispectral imaging system that pairs 17 light-emitting diodes (LEDs) synchronously switched with a digital monochrome CMOS camera for image acquisition at a high frame rate. The approach is only applicable to objects with smooth spectra. Spanning a wavelength range from 400 to 700 nm, the system was able to accurately reproduce the reflectance spectra of red, yellow, and blue color-chip samples from the Munsell book with magnitudes that deviated from the original spectra by less than 10%. The system is a fast, simple, and low-cost solution for the measurement of reflection/absorption spectra and its dynamics. Multispectral imaging of various objects including biological samples is underway.

Contact Laure Fauch at[email protected].


More Laser Focus World Current Issue Articles


More Laser Focus World Archives Issue Articles

Sponsored Recommendations

Demonstrating Flexible, Powerful 5-axis Laser Micromachining

Sept. 18, 2024
Five-axis scan heads offer fast and flexible solutions for generating precise holes, contoured slots and other geometries with fully defined cross sections. With a suitable system...

Enhance Your Experiments with Chroma's Spectra Viewer

Sept. 5, 2024
Visualize and compare fluorescence spectra with our interactive Spectra Viewer tool. Easily compare and optimize filters and fluorochromes for your experiments with this intuitive...

Optical Filter Orientation Guide

Sept. 5, 2024
Ensure optimal performance of your optical filters with our Orientation Guide. Learn the correct placement and handling techniques to maximize light transmission and filter efficiency...

Ensure Optimal Performance with Shortpass Filters

Sept. 5, 2024
Achieve precise wavelength blocking with our Shortpass Filters. Ideal for applications requiring effective light transmission and cutoff, these filters ensure optimal performance...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!