Adaptive multispectral imaging

1. A method for multispectral imaging, the method comprising:

positioning a continuously graded color filter in front of a plurality of detectors,

wherein wavelengths of energy passed by the filter vary smoothly along the filter length, and

wherein the detectors are configured in a pattern having a plurality of rows each having a plurality of detectors, and

wherein each of the plurality of rows is oriented across the length of the filter;

measuring outputs of the detectors in response to moving an image along the length of the filter; and

generating a spectrum response function for the image based on the outputs of two or more rows of the detectors using a time delayed integration method.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of generating a spectrum response function includes summing the outputs of two or more rows of the detectors.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of generating a spectrum response function includes subtracting the outputs of two or more rows of the detectors.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising selecting specific rows to sum or subtract to control wavelength filtering properties.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rows selected for generating the spectrum response function are not adjacent rows.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of generating a spectrum response function includes subtracting the outputs of two or more rows of the detectors to produce a spectrum response function that has two peaks in the spectrum.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising moving the image relative to the detectors at a constant velocity along the length of the filter.

8. The method of claim 1 , comprising generating multiple spectrum response functions based on the outputs of different combinations of rows.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising converting the detector outputs to digital data prior to generating the spectrum response function.

10. The method of claim 1 , comprising convolving the spectrum response function with a target spectrum to produce a target signature for a target in the image.

11. A multispectral imaging apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a continuously graded color filter configured so wavelengths of energy passed by the filter vary smoothly along the filter length;

a plurality of detectors located on a first side of the filter and configured in a pattern having a plurality of rows each having a plurality of detectors to output signals generated in response to an image moving across the length of the filter,

wherein each of the plurality of rows is oriented along the length of the filter, and

wherein the detectors measure energy passing through the filter and; and

a spectrum response module coupled to the plurality of detectors and configured to generate a spectrum response function for the image based on digital data associated with the outputs of two or more rows of the detectors using a time delayed integration method.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the spectrum response module is configured to generate the spectrum response function by summing the outputs of two or more rows of the detectors.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the spectrum response module is configured to generate the spectrum response function by subtracting the outputs of two or more rows of the detectors.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the spectrum response module is configured to sum or subtract specific rows to control wavelength filtering properties of the apparatus.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the rows selected for summing or subtracting are not adjacent rows.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the spectrum response module is configured to subtract the outputs of two or more rows of the detectors to generate a spectrum response function that has two peaks in the spectrum.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 , comprising an actuator stage coupled to the filter and detectors to move the image relative to the detectors.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the spectrum response module is configured to generate multiple spectrum response functions based on the outputs of different combinations of rows.

19. The apparatus of claim 11 , comprising an analog-to-digital converter module configured to convert the detector outputs to digital data and to provide the digital data to the spectrum response module to generate the spectrum response function.

20. The apparatus of claim 11 , comprising a convolution module configured to convolve the spectrum response function with a target spectrum to produce a target signature for a target in the image.