New top-hat transformation and application on infrared small target detection

To improve the detectability of the Top-hat transformation and suppress the effect of noises or clutters, a new class of Top-hat transformation is proposed. Firstly, the shortcomings of the classical Top-hat transformation are analyzed. Then, the new Top-hat transformation is proposed through regrouping the calculation of the classical Top-hat transformation by using two different but related structuring elements. Moreover, the differences between the classical and the new Top-hat transformations, and the properties of the new Top-hat transformation are analyzed. Since the two structuring elements well utilize the differences between the target region and the surrounding region, the new Top-hat transformation can suppress the shortcomings of the classical Top-hat transformation and improve the detectability. Experimental results demonstrate that the new Top-hat transformation can detect the infrared dim small target, compared with the classical Top-hat transformation and other widely used methods.