Development of software for spectral imaging data acquisition using LabVIEW

Developing data acquisition software is a major challenge in integrating a spectral imaging system. This paper presents the design and implementation of a data acquisition program using LabVIEW for a liquid crystal tunable filter based spectral imaging system (900–1700 nm). The module-based program was designed in a three-tier structure. The image acquisition process, modelled by a finite state machine, was implemented in LabVIEW to control the spectral imaging system to collect hyperspectral or multispectral images. The collected spectral images were encoded in general format and could be further processed by other common spectral image analysis tools. In addition, the program could be used to observe band ratio images of the test object in real-time, collect spectral images after ensemble averaging, and select region of interest for spectral image acquisitions. This program is a useful data acquisition tool for the filter-based spectral imaging system. The design and implementation techniques described in this article could also be used to develop similar spectral image acquisition programs.

► A LabVIEW data acquisition program for an LCTF-based spectral imaging system is demonstrated.
► The module-based architecture and finite state machine make the program flexible and reusable.
► Graphical user interface is built on LabVIEW virtual instruments.
► The program can acquire hyperspectral, multispectral, and color images effectively.
► Advanced features such as band ratio images, regions of interest, and ensemble averaging.