Experimental evaluation of video preprocessing algorithms for automatic target hand-off

It is pointed out that the Automatic Target Hand-Off Correlator (ATHOC) hardware has been modified to permit operation in a nonreal-time mode as a programmable laboratory test unit using video recordings as inputs and allowing several preprocessing algorithms to be software programmable. In parallel with this hardware modification effort, an analysis and simulation effort has been underway to help determine which of the many available preprocessing algorithms should be implemented in the ATHOC software. It is noted that videotapes from a current technology airborne target acquisition system and an imaging infrared missile seeker were recorded and used in the laboratory experiments. These experiments are described and the results are presented. A set of standard parameters is found for each case. Consideration of the background in the target scene is found to be important. Analog filter cutoff frequencies of 2.5 MHz for low pass and 300 kHz for high pass are found to give best results. EPNC = 1 is found to be slightly better than EPNC = 0. It is also shown that trilevel gives better results than bilevel.