What is VNIR hyperspectral imaging?

Exploring VNIR Hyperspectral Imaging: The Role and Importance of VNR Sensors in Hyperspectral Cameras and Spectral Imaging

Visible-Near Infrared (VNIR) sensors capture light within the visible (400-700 nm) and near-infrared (700-1000 nm) wavelength ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum.

VNIR hyperspectral imaging is a technique where the sensor captures images at numerous narrow and contiguous bands within the VNIR range. Each pixel in the image contains a spectrum of reflectance values at these wavelengths, providing extensive information about the chemical composition, reflectance, and absorption properties of objects within the scene.

Figure 1: A typical line-scan Hyperspectral camera and illumination setup on a conveyor detecting visually similar objects from each other.

The VNIR sensor’s spectral data facilitates the identification and characterization of materials that exhibit unique and distinct spectral signatures within the VNIR range. Different materials reflect and absorb light in distinct ways across the VNIR spectrum, allowing for precise identification of substances in the scene.

Figure 2: Image example was taken with Specim FX10 camera (400 – 1000 nm) False RGB on the left and the distinct Spectra of pistachio (yellow) and shell (orange) within the VNIR spectrum.

VNIR hyperspectral imaging transforms various industries and enables data-driven decision-making by providing a granular level of detail about the world around us.

Food Quality and Safety:

• Assess food quality, freshness, ripeness, and chemical composition.
• Detect foreign material, adulteration, and contamination in food products.

Agriculture and Precision Farming:

• Crop health assessment, disease detection, and pest infestation monitoring.
• Precision agriculture for optimizing fertilization and irrigation strategies.
• Monitoring and predicting crop yield.

Environmental Monitoring:

• Assessing vegetation health and identifying plant species.
• Water quality assessment in rivers, lakes, and coastal areas.
• Detection and mapping of pollutants and harmful algae blooms.
• Monitoring vegetation in ecosystems and detecting changes in biodiversity.

Art and Archeology:

• Analyze artwork authentication, archaeological sites, and ancient materials.
• Reveal hidden or obscured features that may not be visible to the naked eye.
• Assess the degradation and deterioration of art and archaeological objects and guide restoration and conservation processes.

Color Density and Quality Control:

• Analyze and detect color variations in products or materials.
• Evaluate the quality of prints, surface coatings, paints, or varnishes.

Thin Film Thickness:

• Monitor thin film deposition processes.
• Ensures that the manufactured thin films meet precise thickness specifications.

In summary, VNIR hyperspectral imaging captures high-resolution spectral data in the visible and near-infrared regions. This data is essential for identifying materials and analyzing their properties. VNIR hyperspectral imaging opens up a world of possibilities by providing detailed spectral information that reveals hidden insights about our environment. The applications and use cases highlighted above are just a glimpse of this technology’s potential.

We hope this article has shed some light on VNIR hyperspectral imaging technology and its diverse applications. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions or thoughts on this topic. We look forward to connecting with you soon.