Adaptive Scene-Based Non-Uniformity Correction Method for Infrared-Focal Plane Arrays

The non-uniform response in infrared focal plane array (IRFPA) detectors produces corrupted images with a fixed-pattern noise. In this paper we present an enhanced adaptive scene-based non-uniformity correction (NUC) technique. The method simultaneously estimates detector’s parameters and performs the non-uniformity compensation using a neural network approach. In addition, the proposed method doesn’t make any assumption on the kind or amount of non-uniformity presented on the raw data. The strength and robustness of the proposed method relies in avoiding the presence of ghosting artifacts through the use of optimization techniques in the parameter estimation learning process, such as: momentum, regularization, and adaptive learning rate. The proposed method has been tested with video sequences of simulated and real infrared data taken with an InSb IRFPA, reaching high correction levels, reducing the fixed pattern noise, decreasing the ghosting, and obtaining an effective frame by frame adaptive estimation of each detector’s gain and offset.