Fringe-adjusted joint transform correlator based target detection and tracking in forward looking infrared image sequence

The joint transform correlator (JTC) technique has been found to be suitable for real time pattern recognition applications. Among the various JTC techniques proposed in the literature, the fringe-adjusted JTC has been found to yield better correlation output for target detection. We propose a generalized fringe-adjusted JTC (GFJTC) based algorithm for efficient detection and tracking of a target in a video sequence. The proposed algorithm has been found to be suitable for near real-time recognition and tracking of a static or moving target, while accommodating the detrimental effects of background variations as well as other artifacts. The performance of the proposed technique has been verified with real life forward looking infrared (FLIR) image sequences. (C) 2004 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.