Field test validation of the TCOM thermal image model sensor model: results of comparison with a real sensor

摘要

'Does it look like a real sensor image?' This is the question that is often asked by users of the TTIM model. A common way to examine the resemblance of simulated and measured images is to compare the MRTD curves obtained from simulation and measurements. But a good agreement between the MRTD curves does not necessarily ensure that the simulated images look like the actual sensor images of real scenarios. In this work, the approach taken to validate the sensor model was to compare images. Thermal images from various scenes and ranges were recorded in the field with known sensors. At the same time, high resolution radiometric maps of the same scenes were measured as well, and later on used as input for the TTIM sensor model. The simulated images were compared to the digitized images obtained from the sensors. This paper describes the field test procedure and presents the results of this comparison. Some of the sensor effects that are not taken into account in the model are identified.