The Optical Design and Calibration of a Finite-Conjugate VNIR Pushbroom Hyperspectral Camera for Close-Range Cultural Heritage Imaging

Visible–near-infrared (VNIR) hyperspectral imaging provides a non-contact approach for cultural heritage examination. This study presents the design and calibration of a compact finite-conjugate VNIR pushbroom hyperspectral camera for close-range mural imaging. Operating over 400–1000 nm at a nominal working distance of 404 mm, the system provides a mean spectral sampling interval of 4.85 nm and an object-space sampling interval of approximately 82.4 μm/pixel. An integrated calibration workflow was established for wavelength assignment, spectral response characterization, geometric correction, radiometric calibration, and scan synchronization. The experimental results yielded a modulation transfer function (MTF) of 0.34 at the effective detector Nyquist frequency, a mean spectral response function full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 6.3 nm, a maximum absolute wavelength residual below 0.90 nm, residual smile and keystone errors below 0.3 pixels, a residual radiometric nonuniformity of 0.71%, and a mean signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 339. Measurements of Potala Palace mural samples demonstrate the acquisition of spatially detailed, radiometrically corrected hyperspectral data under close-range conditions.