Patent attributes
One embodiment includes a sequential spectral imaging system with a color filter disposed over imaging sensor. The color filter includes zones of multiple color elements of discrete or continuous spectra. The color filter is configured to have multiple cycles of wavelength bands along diagonal lines of the imaging sensor, each cycle of wavelength bands includes a full spectra from red to blue. Another embodiment combines an imaging sensor of a wide FOV with pixelated color filters and a spectra sensor of smaller FOV. A calibration technique acquires imaging sensor's spectral response. The sequential spectral imaging system acquires a sequence of continuous frames of spatial and spectral data during recording an object moving relatively to the camera. Multiple frames of the moving object are tracked sequentially. Image processing to correct distortion and extract features enables identification and tracking of the object. The object's full spectra is established by connecting different frames.