Novel detection approach of small and weak target based on fuzzy classification

In this paper, we propose a new method for the detection of dim and small targets in infrared images with clouds cluster. Pixels in the image can be divided into three classes, such as clear sky and cloud inner areas class, cloud edge areas class, small targets class. And different models for each class are established with corresponsive feature vectors. Then based on the fuzzy classification, correlation coefficients are calculated to determine the most relevant class which each pixel belongs to. Extract the pixels if belonging to the target class, and then the detection is complete. Experimental results have shown that the proposed method can efficiently detect dim and small targets in infrared images with low SNR.