Visible and Near Infrared Image Fusion Using Base Tone Compression and Detail Transform Fusion

Abstract

This study aims to develop a spatial dual-sensor module for acquiring visible and near-infrared images in the same space without time shifting and to synthesize the captured images. The proposed method synthesizes visible and near-infrared images using contourlet transform, principal component analysis, and iCAM06, while the blending method uses color information in a visible image and detailed information in an infrared image. The contourlet transform obtains detailed information and can decompose an image into directional images, making it better in obtaining detailed information than decomposition algorithms. The global tone information is enhanced by iCAM06, which is used for high-dynamic range imaging. The result of the blended images shows a clear appearance through both the compressed tone information of the visible image and the details of the infrared image.