Moving Target Identification (MTI) Algorithm For Passive Sensors

A critical problem in target detection is to develop algorithms for autonomous target acquisition at long ranges. When the angular extent of a target is so small that identification is impossible, then detection of object motion can be an important method for acquiring and tracking military targets. Moving target identification (MTI) may be difficult however for down-looking airborne sensors where the apparent motion of back-ground clutter can mask the movement of any objects in the scene. To get around this problem, an algorithm has been developed which compares successive frames from a passive imaging sensor and estimates the apparent background motion. The velocity model is applied to an earlier image to predict the appearance of the most recent image. The predicted and measured images are compared and the portions of the background which did not move in the expected manner are identified as moving objects. Several sequences of FLIR images are included where the algorithm has successfully extracted targets from cluttered moving backgrounds.