Investigation of the potential use of hyperspectral imaging for stand-off detection of person-borne IEDs

摘要

Advances in hyperspectral sensors and algorithms may benefit the detection of person-borne improvised explosive devices (PB-IEDs). While portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, such as the x-ray and terahertz regions, have been investigated for this application, the spectral region of the ultraviolet (UV) through shortwave infrared (SWIR) (250 nm to 2500 nm) has received little attention. The purpose of this work was to investigate what, if any, potential there may be for exploiting the spectral region of the UV through SWIR for the detection of hidden objects under the clothing of individuals. The optical properties of both common fabrics and materials potentially used to contain threat objects were measured, and a simple example using a hyperspectral imager is provided to illustrate the combined effect. The approach, measurement methods, and results are described in this paper, and the potential for hyperspectral imaging is addressed.