Regularization approach to scene-based nonuniformity correction

Abstract

Various scene-based nonuniformity correction (SBNUC) methods have been proposed to diminish the residual nonuniformity (RNU) of the infrared focal plane array (IRFPA) sensors. Most existing SBNUC techniques require a relatively large number of image frames to reduce the RNU. In some applications, however, there is not enough time for capturing a large number of image frames prior to the camera operation, or only several image frames are available to users. A new scene-based approach that can correct the RNU using only several image frames is proposed. The proposed method formulates the SBNUC process as an energy minimization problem. In the proposed energy function, we introduce regularization terms for the parameter regarding the responsivity of the IRFPA as well as for the true scene irradiance. Correction results are obtained by minimizing the energy function using a numerical technique. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. (C) The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.