Patent ID: 8532958
Filing Date: 2013-09-10
Classification: G01S,G06F

Abstract:
1. A method performed by a specially programmed computer of remotely identifying material of which a physical target is made, the method comprising: delineating, with the specially programmed computer, within each of at least two images the same physical target, at least one of which is polarimetric reflective image that includes, but is not necessarily limited to, radiation reflected from the physical target, at least two of the least two images being taken by one or more sensors from different acquisition angles, each of the at least two images containing spectral radiance information for the physical target in at least one predetermined band; determining, using the specially programmed computer, an estimated target spectral signature for the target within each of the at least two images based at least in part on the radiance of the target in each of the images; determining, with the specially programmed computer, for each of the at least two acquisition angles, a predicted candidate spectral signature for a preselected candidate material based at least in part on the acquisition angle, the determination of the predicted candidate spectral signature for each of the at least one polarimetric reflective image includes a determining an estimated Mueller matrix based on a predetermined bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) for the preselected candidate material, and using the Mueller matrix to determine a candidate Stokes vector for the candidate material, the Stokes vector comprising the candidate spectral signature for the candidate material; and deciding with the specially programmed computer, based on a predetermined probability threshold, whether the candidate material and the target material match by comparing the estimated target signatures and the predicted candidate signatures.