INSPEC²T: Inexpensive Spectrometer Color Camera Technology

Abstract

Modern spectrometer equipment tends to be expensive, thus increasing the cost of emerging systems that take advantage of spectral properties as part of their operation. This paper introduces a novel technique that exploits the spectral response characteristics of a traditional sensor (i.e. CMOS or CCD) to utilize it as a low-cost spectrometer. Using the raw Bayer pattern data from a sensor, we estimate the brightness and wavelength of the measured light at a particular point. We use this information to support wide dynamic range, high noise tolerance, and, if sampling takes place on a slope, sub-pixel resolution. Experimental results are provided for both simulation and real data. Further, we investigate the potential of this low-cost technology for spoof detection in biometric systems. Lastly, an actual hardware systhsis is conducted to show the ease with which this algorthim can be implemented onto an FPGA.