Evaluation of display system enhancements to assist an operator in the detection of point targets

Robert D. Reeves; Craig Thornton

doi:10.1117/12.21760

1 October 1990 Evaluation of display system enhancements to assist an operator in the detection of point targets

Robert D. Reeves, Craig Thornton

Proceedings Volume 1309, Infrared Imaging Systems: Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Testing; (1990) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.21760
Event: 1990 Technical Symposium on Optics, Electro-Optics, and Sensors, 1990, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

A series of experiments are described which quantify an operator's ability to detect an unresolved target in backgrounds representative of a slow scan, large volume infrared surveillance system. An inverse relationship was found between screen refresh rates and the probability of target detection, with high refresh rates asymptotically approaching a contrast limited threshold and low rates producing a higher detection threshold than can be attributed to eye integration effects alone. The effects of amplitude quantization on contrast threshold over a range of noise conditions revealed that quantization levels below the observer's contrast threshold had no effects on performance. An evaluation of azimuth data compression techniques indicated that a predictable threshold dependence was found, based on the mean and standard deviation of the background statistics. An investigation of the operator's ability to detect a uniform target of fixed but unknown dimensions revealed a contrast threshold dependence proportional to the square root of the target area, with contrast threshold sensitivity decreasing for large target areas.

Citation Download Citation

Robert D. Reeves and Craig Thornton "Evaluation of display system enhancements to assist an operator in the detection of point targets", Proc. SPIE 1309, Infrared Imaging Systems: Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Testing, (1 October 1990); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.21760

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