IR scene image generation from visual image based on thermal database

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a new method to generate complex IR scene image directly from the corresponding visual scene image based on material thermal database. For the input visual scene image, we realize an interactive tool based on the combined method of global magic wand and intelligent scissors to segment the object areas in the scene. And the thermal attributes are assigned to each object area from the thermal database of materials. By adopting the scene infrared signature model based on infrared Physics and Heat Transfer, the surface temperature distribution of the scene are calculated and the corresponding grayscale of each area in IR image is determined by our transformation rule. We also propose a pixel-based RGB spacial similarity model to determine the mixture grayscales of residual area in the scene image. To realistically simulate the IR scene, we develop an IR imager blur model considering the effect of different resolving power of visual and thermal imagers, IR atmospheric noise and the modulation transfer function of thermal imager. Finally, IR scene images at different intervals under different weather conditions are generated. Compared with real IR scene images, our simulated results are quite satisfactory and effective.