Objective evaluation of IR image enhancement algorithms

摘要

The MWIR imaging systems developed by L-3 Communications Cincinnati Electronics (L-3 CE) include several video processing algorithms designed to provide enhanced imagery that meets a variety of military and other application requirements. When IR imaging systems are confronted with varying IR conditions, video processing algorithms are designed and selected to optimize human interpretation of specific scene details. The Visual Difference Predictor model has been used and a derived Image Enhancement Score has been developed to provide an objective metric to evaluate the effects of processing algorithms on imagery. Comparing the Image Enhancement Score of the processed image gives an objective measure of the success of the video processing algorithm being evaluated. This paper will describe selected algorithms in the L-3 CE Video Processing Suite, evaluate them against several test scenes and present associated Image Enhancement Scores. These will include a novel local contrast enhancement, general sharpening, and display mapping algorithms. Finally, the direction of ongoing and future efforts in Video Processing Suite development will be discussed.