Infrared Image-Enhancement Algorithm for Weak Targets in Complex Backgrounds

Infrared small-target enhancement in complex contexts is one of the key technologies for infrared search and tracking systems. The effect of enhancement directly determines the reliability of the monitoring equipment. To address the problem of the low signal-to-noise ratio of small infrared moving targets in complex backgrounds and the poor effect of traditional enhancement algorithms, an accurate enhancement method for small infrared moving targets based on two-channel information is proposed. For a single frame, a modified curvature filter is used in the A channel to weaken the background while an improved PM model is used to enhance the target, and a modified band-pass filter is used in the B channel for coarse enhancement followed by a local contrast algorithm for fine enhancement, based on which a weighted superposition algorithm is used to extract a single-frame candidate target. The results of the experimental data analysis prove that the method has a good enhancement effect and robustness for small IR motion target enhancement in complex backgrounds, and it outperforms other advanced algorithms by about 43.7% in ROC.