Improving the False Alarm Capability of the Extended Maximum Average Correlation Height Filter

Abstract

The extended maximum average correlation height (EMACH) filter is a potent pattern-detection tool used in image processing and computer vision applications. This filter enhances the effectiveness of the maximum average correlation height (MACH) filter by adding more features and flexibility. Incorporating the benefits of wavelet decomposition, we updated the EMACH filter to enhance its performance. The updated filter offered improved accuracy, robustness, and flexibility in recognizing complex patterns and objects in images with varying lighting conditions, noise levels, and occlusions. To verify the results’ consistency and compare their performance with that of the MACH filter and EMACH filter, performance metrics like peak-to-correlation energy, peak-to-sidelobe ratio, signal-to-noise ratio, and discrimination ratio were computed. Through numerical and experimental studies, we found that the proposed filter enhances the identification rate and decreases the number of false alarms.

Keywords

• correlation filter
• MACH filter
• EMACH filter
• wavelet transform
• optical correlator
• hybrid digital–optical correlator