Evaluation of hardware implementation of the infrared image enhancement algorithm

Infrared images are a specific source of information. Perception and interpretation of the infrared image greatly depends on thermal properties of observed object and surrounding scenery. The most effective solution for enhancing infrared images are digital image processing mechanisms implemented in the camera or applied after image registration. The paper evaluates effectiveness of a hardware implementation of the infrared image enhancing algorithm in a digital data processing system. The algorithm is based on plateau histogram equalization and was finally implemented in FPGA. The algorithm allows real time improvement of the image quality and thus increases the effectiveness of object detection.