Spatial scanning hyperspectral imaging combining a rotating slit with a Dove prism

We present a new concept for spatial scanning hyperspectral imaging. Spatial scanning is one of the main methods used for hyperspectral data acquisition and can provide high spectral resolution over a wide spectral range. However, conventional techniques, such as the whiskbroom and the pushbroom techniques, suffer from the need for relative motion between the target and the imaging system, which increases the complexity on the hardware side and limits the application possibilities. Our new approach combines a rotating slit and a co-rotating Dove prism. The rotating slit scans the target image by selecting one line from the image at each angular position of the slit. The rotating Dove prism is used to synchronously re-align the transmitted light from the selected image line with respect to the transmission grating to allow the projection of the diffracted light over the same range of pixel columns of the image sensor to facilitate data acquisition and extraction of spectral information. The new approach enables the spatial scanning of the target image without the need for relative linear motion or the use of additional external equipment and therefore opens the door for more application scenarios.