METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USING A REGIONALLY SPECIFIC SPECTRAL MODEL TO IDENTIFY THE SPECTRAL BANDS FOR USE FOR ISOLATING REMOTELY SENSED MATERIALS OF INTEREST

• US 20180007288A1
• Filed: 07/01/2016
• Published: 01/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Klein, Robert J., Baker, Anthony W.
• Granted Patent: US 10,462,389 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2003/2826 Multispectral imaging, e.g. filter imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0264 Electrical interface; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/28 Investigating the spectrum using colour filters G01J3/51
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2823 Imaging spectrometer
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10036 Multispectral image; Hyperspectral image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30188 Vegetation; Agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths

Abstract

A system and method for collecting spectral data of a region of interest with a sensor is described. In one embodiment, the method comprises generating a simulated spectral representation of a region of interest, identifying at least one of the plurality of materials as a material of interest within the region of interest, identifying other of the plurality of materials not identified as a material of interest as background materials within the region of interest, selecting a subset spectral portion of the spectral data according to the simulated spectral representation of the material of interest and the simulated spectral representation of the background materials within the region of interest, and configuring the sensor to collect a subset spectral portion of the spectral data.

Claims

1. A method of collecting spectral data of a region of interest with a sensor, comprising:

(a) generating a simulated spectral representation of a region of interest, the simulated spectral representation comprising

a plurality of geospatial portions at least partially disposed in the region of interest, each geospatial portion having fused spectral characteristics of a plurality of materials disposed in the respective geospatial portion;

(b) identifying at least one of the plurality of materials as a material of interest within the region of interest;

(c) identifying other of the plurality of materials not identified as a material of interest as background materials within the region of interest;

(d) selecting a subset spectral portion of the spectral data according to the simulated spectral representation of the material of interest and the simulated spectral representation of the background materials within the region of interest; and

(e) configuring the sensor to collect a subset spectral portion of the spectral data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the subset spectral portion comprises a frequency band, and

an amplitude of the simulated spectral representation of the material of interest is greater than an amplitude of the simulated spectral representation of the background materials in the frequency band.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the subset spectral portion further comprises a second frequency band; and

the amplitude of the simulated spectral representation of the material of interest is greater than the simulated spectral representation of the background materials in the second frequency band.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

post processing the collected subset spectral portion of the spectral data according to the simulated spectral representation of the material of interest in the subset spectral portion and the simulated spectral representation of the background materials in the subset spectral portion within the region of interest.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein post processing the collected subset spectral portion of the spectral data according to the simulated spectral representation of the material of interest in the subset spectral portion and the simulated spectral representation of the background materials in the subset spectral portion within the region of interest comprises:

bandwidth filtering the collected subset spectral portion of the spectral data; and

noise filtering the collected subset spectral portion of the spectral data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising

collecting the subset spectral portion of the spectral data;

and

updating the spectral characteristics of at least some of the plurality of materials according to the collected subset spectral portion of the spectral data.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising performing steps (a)-(e) using the updated spectral characteristics of the at least some of the plurality of materials.

8. An apparatus for collecting spectral data of a region of interest with a sensor, comprising:

a processor,

a memory, communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions comprising instructions for;

(a) generating a simulated spectral representation of a region of interest, the simulated spectral representation comprising

a plurality of geospatial portions at least partially disposed in the region of interest, each geospatial portion having [fused] spectral characteristics of a plurality of materials disposed in the respective geospatial portion;

(b) identifying at least one of the plurality of materials as a material of interest within the region of interest;

(c) identifying other of the plurality of materials not identified as a material of interest as background materials within the region of interest;

(d) selecting a subset spectral portion of the spectral data according to the simulated spectral representation of the material of interest and the simulated spectral representation of the background materials within the region of interest; and

(e) configuring the sensor to collect a subset spectral portion of the spectral data.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

the subset spectral portion comprises a frequency band, and

an amplitude of the simulated spectral representation of the material of interest is greater than an amplitude of the simulated spectral representation of the background materials in the frequency band.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

the subset spectral portion further comprises a second frequency band; and

the amplitude of the simulated spectral representation of the material of interest is greater than the simulated spectral representation of the background materials in the second frequency band.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for:

post processing the collected subset spectral portion of the spectral data according to the simulated spectral representation of the material of interest in the subset spectral portion and the simulated spectral representation of the background materials in the subset spectral portion within the region of interest.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions for post processing the collected subset spectral portion of the spectral data according to the simulated spectral representation of the material of interest in the subset spectral portion and the simulated spectral representation of the background materials in the subset spectral portion within the region of interest comprise instructions for:

bandwidth filtering the collected subset spectral portion of the spectral data; and

noise filtering the collected subset spectral portion of the spectral data.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for:

collecting the subset spectral portion of the spectral data; and

updating the spectral characteristics of at least some of the plurality of materials according to the collected subset spectral portion of the spectral data.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for performing steps (a)-(e) using the updated spectral characteristics of the at least some of the plurality of materials.

15. An apparatus for collecting spectral data of a region of interest with a sensor, comprising:

means for generating a simulated spectral representation of a region of interest, the simulated spectral representation comprising

a plurality of geospatial portions at least partially disposed in the region of interest, each geospatial portion having [fused] spectral characteristics of a plurality of materials disposed in the respective geospatial portion;

means for identifying at least one of the plurality of materials as a material of interest within the region of interest;

means for identifying other of the plurality of materials not identified as a material of interest as background materials within the region of interest;

means for selecting a subset spectral portion of the spectral data according to the simulated spectral representation of the material of interest and the simulated spectral representation of the background materials within the region of interest; and

means for configuring the sensor to collect a subset spectral portion of the spectral data.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the subset spectral portion comprises a frequency band, and

an amplitude of the simulated spectral representation of the material of interest is greater than an amplitude of the simulated spectral representation of the background materials in the frequency band.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

means for post processing the collected subset spectral portion of the spectral data according to the simulated spectral representation of the material of interest in the subset spectral portion and the simulated spectral representation of the background materials in the subset spectral portion within the region of interest.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for post processing the collected subset spectral portion of the spectral data according to the simulated spectral representation of the material of interest in the subset spectral portion and the simulated spectral representation of the background materials in the subset spectral portion within the region of interest comprises:

means for bandwidth filtering the collected subset spectral portion of the spectral data; and

means for noise filtering the collected subset spectral portion of the spectral data.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

means for collecting the subset spectral portion of the spectral data; and

means for updating the spectral characteristics of at least some of the plurality of materials according to the collected subset spectral portion of the spectral data.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for performing steps (a)-(e) using the updated spectral characteristics of the at least some of the plurality of materials.