Enhancement of single pixel targets using two-dimensional digital filters

It is pointed out that, in order to aid an image seeker's ability to acquire and track small objects that subtend one pixel or less, some method of image enhancement which will isolate single-pixel targets from the background by means of increasing the signal-to-noise ratio must be used. Using the two-dimensional discrete Fourier transform and windowing techniques, two-dimensional digital filters were designed and evaluated against sample scenes for their ability to enhance single-pixel targets. The performance was compared to the performance of other available techniques. The designed filter was found to achieve nearly the same degree of enhancement as the Laplacian filter with the major advantage of preserving the background structure.<>