Multiple-wavelength range-gated active imaging principle integrating spectral information for five-dimensional imaging

Abstract

The combined multiple-wavelength range-gated active imaging (WRAI) principle is able to determine the position of a moving object in a four-dimensional space and to deduce its trajectory and its speed independently of the video frequency. By combining two wavelength categories, it determines the depth of moving objects in the scene with the warm color category and the precise moment of a moving object’s position with the cold color category. Therefore, since each object had the ability to transmit information from different wavelengths, related to the spectral reflectances, it became interesting to identify their spectral signatures from these reflectances. Using a conventional method of spectral classification, it was shown that it is possible to identify objects in a 3D scene from their a priori known spectral signatures and, thanks to this, to reveal especially the fifth dimension in the imaging of the WRAI principle. The experimental tests confirmed that it is possible to record moving objects in a five-dimensional space represented by a single image, thus validating this multi-wavelength imaging method.