Contrasted statistical processing algorithm for obtaining improved target detection performances in infrared cluttered environment

A contrasted statistical processing approach to obtain improved probabiliti es of false alarm when performing automatic target detection is presented. The technique is based on analyzing each sector of the image and comparing it with surrounding windows in which the desired statistical property is ca lculated. The contrast of the statistical property is extracted using the p rediction or the prediction-correction equations. The contrast of the stati stical property is shown to be a good discriminator of the target from its background allowing the reduction of the detection threshold applied over t he stationary region while maintaining a constant false alarm probability. (C) 2000 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. [S0091-3286(00 )02110-3].