The effect of motion on the detectability of low contrast targets is important to predicting target acquisition. Previous perception studies addressing a model for predicting detection of low contrast moving targets used square targets as a reflection of the description of a target given in the ACQUIRE model, along with various angular velocities. The results showed that the figure of merit for probability of detection was a function of the size of the target and the angular distance traveled on the screen. To determine if the moving target model required greater precision in the description of the shape of the target, the present perception study used five different sized targets that had aspect ratios of 4:1 or 1:4 for a total of ten target configurations. The results confirmed the probability of detection as a function of the angular distance traveled and the square root of the area, showing no consistent or significant effect of the horizontal or vertical orientation, nor of velocity. A simplified formula for the angular distance threshold as a function of target size is proposed.

Date Published: 5 May 2006
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 6207, Infrared Imaging Systems: Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Testing XVII, 620701 (5 May 2006); doi: 10.1117/12.664938

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6207:
Infrared Imaging Systems: Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Testing XVII
Gerald C. Holst, Editor(s)