Fast Reflectance Spectral Profile Reconstruction Method for Full-waveform Hyperspectral LiDAR

Hyperspectral LiDAR (HSL) can obtain high precision and resolution spatial data along with the spectral information of the target, which can provide effective and multidimensional data for various research and application fields. However, differences in transmitting signal intensities of HSL at various wavelengths lead to variations in corresponding echo intensities, making it challenging to directly reconstruct accurate optical characteristics (reflectance spectral profile) of the target with echo intensities. To obtain the target reflectance spectral profile, a common solution is to correct the echo intensity (standard reference correction method) using standard diffuse reflectance whiteboards. However, in complex detection environments, whiteboards are susceptible to contamination, and the transmitting intensity of the laser may fluctuate due to changes in the environment and equipment conditions, which may potentially impact the calculation accuracy. The direct transmission of information from the full-waveform signals to the reconstruction of the reflectance spectral profiles is a more efficient approach. Therefore, we propose an echo intensity correction method based on HSL full-waveform data for the rapid generation of reflectance spectral profiles of targets. The initial step is to conduct a theoretical analysis that illustrates the similarity between the echo signals and the transmitting signals in terms of their waveforms. A skew-normal Gaussian function is then employed to fit the transmitting and echo signals of the HSL full waveform. Thereafter, the transmit-to-echo signal peak ratios (normalization factors) of the standard diffuse reflectance whiteboard at different wavelengths are calculated under ideal conditions. Finally, the reflectance spectral profile of the target is constructed by combining the normalization factor of the standard diffuse reflectance whiteboard with that of the target. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, we conducted experiments to compare the reflectance spectral profiles calculated using the standard reference correction method. Moreover, we performed wood-leaf separation and target classification experiments to assess its reliability and usability. The experimental results reveal the following: (1) The reconstructed reflectance spectral profiles of the target can be obtained by correcting the echo intensity with the transmitting signals, which is similar to that obtained by the standard reference correction method. Moreover, it demonstrates excellent stability under various temperatures and lighting conditions. Compared with the standard reference correction method, this approach effectively overcomes the influence of laser emission energy fluctuations, thereby considerably improving the measurement accuracy and consistency of reflectance spectral curves, especially under prolonged HSL operation conditions. (2) The wood-leaf separation and the multiple target classification can be conducted using the reconstructed target reflectance spectral profiles, with a classification accuracy of over 90%. Overall, the proposed method simplifies the correction of echo intensity for full-waveform HSL, which is suitable for the rapid reconstruction of target hyperspectral information during data acquisition.