Chromatic information coding in optical systems for hyperspectral imaging and chromatic confocal sensing

Dispersion causes the focal lengths of refractive and diffractive optical elements to vary with wavelength. In our contribution we show how it can be used for chromatic encoding and decoding of optical signals. We specifically discuss how these concepts can be applied for the implementation of systems with applications in the growing fields of hyperspectral imaging and chromatic distance coding. Refractive systems as well as hybrid combinations of diffractive and refractive elements are used to create specific chromatic aberrations of the sensors. Our design approach enables the tailoring of the sensor properties to the measurement problem and assists designers in finding optimized solutions for industrial applications. The focus of our research is on parallelized imaging systems that cover extended objects. In comparison to point sensors, such systems promise reduced image acquisition times and an increased overall performance. Concepts for three-dimensional profilometry with chromatic confocal sensor systems as well as spectrally resolved imaging of object scenes are discussed.