FLIR Research Articles

Apple Fruit Recognition Algorithm Based on Multi-Spectral Dynamic Image Analysis.

The ability to accurately recognize fruit on trees is a critical step in robotic harvesting. Many researchers have investigated a variety of image analysis methods based on different imaging technologies for fruit recognition. However, challenges still occur in the implementation of this goal due to various factors, especially variable light and proximal color background. In this study, images with fruit were acquired with a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera based on the Multi-Spectral Dynamic Imaging (MSX) technology. In view of its imaging mechanism, the optimal timing and shooting angle for image acquisition were pre-analyzed to obtain the maximum contrast between fruit and background. An effective algorithm was developed for locking potential fruit regions, which was based on the pseudo-color and texture information from MSX images. The algorithm was applied to 506 training and 340 evaluating images, including a variety of fruit and complex backgrounds. Recognition precision and sensitivity of these complete fruit regions were both above 92%, and those of incomplete fruit regions were not lower than 72%. The average processing time for each image was less than 1 s. The results indicated that the developed algorithm based on MSX imaging was effective for fruit recognition and could be suggested as a potential method for the automation of orchard production.

Infrared-Inertial Navigation for Commercial Aircraft Precision Landing in Low Visibility and GPS-Denied Environments.

This paper proposes a novel infrared-inertial navigation method for the precise landing of commercial aircraft in low visibility and Global Position System (GPS)-denied environments. Within a Square-root Unscented Kalman Filter (SR_UKF), inertial measurement unit (IMU) data, forward-looking infrared (FLIR) images and airport geo-information are integrated to estimate the position, velocity and attitude of the aircraft during landing. Homography between the synthetic image and the real image which implicates the camera pose deviations is created as vision measurement. To accurately extract real runway features, the current results of runway detection are used as the prior knowledge for the next frame detection. To avoid possible homography decomposition solutions, it is directly converted to a vector and fed to the SR_UKF. Moreover, the proposed navigation system is proven to be observable by nonlinear observability analysis. Last but not least, a general aircraft was elaborately equipped with vision and inertial sensors to collect flight data for algorithm verification. The experimental results have demonstrated that the proposed method could be used for the precise landing of commercial aircraft in low visibility and GPS-denied environments.

Thermal stress analysis of AISI 316 stainless steels weldments in TIG and pulse TIG welding processes

Abstract An experimental investigation was made to measure and analyze the temperature distribution and residual stresses in TIG and pulse TIG weldments of AISI 316 stainless steels. Here, Infra-Red (IR) thermography was used to capture the surface temperature during welding processes. The IR images were captured during each welding pass at time intervals of 12 s, 25 s and 45 s. The captured images were analyzed using Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) tool plus software. The surface residual stresses were measured using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) technique. The nature of thermal fields and residual stresses were observed in both welding techniques and compared.

Infrared-Based Autonomous Navigation for Civil Aircraft Precision Approach and Landing

Precise navigation is a fundamental problem of aircraft safety approach and landing. However, the existing methods, including rotorcraft-based and fixed-wing-based, cannot meet the requirements of precision approach and landing of civil aircraft in the global position system (GPS)-denied and low visibility. This paper proposes an autonomous approach and landing navigation method whose accuracy is comparable to Inertial/Differential GPS (DGPS) integration. This method integrates inertial data, forward-looking infrared (FLIR) images, and runway geographic information to estimate kinetics states of aircraft during approach and landing. First, we improve an existing method to robustly detect runway, accurately extract three vertexes of runway contour from FLIR images, and synthesize the virtual runway features by runway geo-information and aircraft's pose parameters. Second, we propose to use real and synthetic runway features to create vision cues and integrate them with inertial data in square-root unscented Kalman filter to estimate the motion errors. Meanwhile, the measured motion states are corrected with the estimated state errors. Finally, we design a flight data acquisition platform equipped on a general aircraft and use the real flight data to verify our proposed method. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can run smoothly for civil aircraft precision approach and landing.

Thermography: High sensitivity and specificity diagnosing contact dermatitis in patch testing

BackgroundPatch testing of contact allergens to diagnose allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is a traditional, useful tool. The most important decision is the distinction between allergic and irritant reactions, as this has direct implications on diagnosis and management. Our objective was to evaluate a new method of non-contact infrared reading of patch tests. Secondary objectives included a possible correlation between the intensity of the patch test reaction and temperature change. Methods420 positive reactions from patients were included in our study. An independent patch test reader assessed the positive reactions and classified them as allergic (of intensity + to +++) or irritant (IR). At the same time, a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera attachment for an iPhone was used to acquire infrared thermal images of the patch tests, and images were analyzed using the FLIR ONE app. ResultsAllergic patch test reactions were characterized by temperature increases of 0.72 ± 0.67 °C compared to surrounding skin. Irritant reactions only resulted in 0.17 ± 0.31 °C temperature increase. The mean temperature difference between the two groups was highly significant (p < 0.0001) and therefore was used to predict the type of contact dermatitis. ConclusionsThermography is a reliable and effective way to distinguish between allergic and irritant contact dermatitis.

Effect of magnetic fluid hyperthermia with dendrimer coated iron oxide nanoparticles on breast cancer in BALB/c mice

Introduction: Magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) is a promising therapeutic method in cancer therapy with using magnetic nanoparticles (NPs). In this study, we assessed the effect of MFH on mechanisms of cell death in murine breast cancer cell line (MC4-L2) and also the treatment of breast tumor in BALB/C mice using four generation dendrimer coated iron oxide nanoparticles (G4@IONPs). Materials and Methods: Immediately after MFH, the viability of cells was assessed in all groups (MFH+NPs, only MFH, only NPs, control) by MTT assay. In order to determine the number of apoptosis and mRNA copies for Bax and Bcl-2 in the cells after MFH, TUNEL assay and RT-PCR were performed, respectively. The mice were exposed three times during twenty minutes to an MFH (12 kA/m, 300 kHz) after intertumoral injection of 5mg G4@IONPs. The temperature during MFH was monitored with an infrared thermometer (FLIR Systems). Tumor volume was measured during 28 days after MFH. Histopathology, Immunohistochemical staining, and TUNEL assay were performed in the liver and tumor tissues. Results: Cell viability percentage in the group of MFH+NPs decreased significantly (33%, P<0.05) while the viability in other groups had no any significant change. Also, the number of apoptotic cells and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in MFH+NPs increased significantly. The MFH led to significantly reduce the volume of the tumor 30 days after the treatment compared with control mice (saline injection) (p < 0.05). tissue destruction obviously was seen in tumor histopathology of MFH+NPs mice. CD31 as angiogenesis marker decreased in treated tumors compared with control ones and furthermore, apoptosis significantly increased in treated tumor tissues. Conclusion: Our study showed MFH with G4@IONPs could demolish the cancer cells mainly because of increasing the apoptosis and regulating the apoptotic genomes including Bax and Bcl-2. MFH can applied as a clinical anti-cancer strategy due to inhibition of tumor angiogenesis.

Forces and Heat Variation Laws of Pine Materials Processing and Microcosmic Characteristics of Surface Damage

Pinus massoniana material was processed on a shaper in which a quartz three-component dynamometer and forward-looking infrared (FLIR) system were used to measure the cutting forces and cutting zone temperature, respectively. In addition, a high-speed camera and the FLIR systems were used to capture the chip formation process. Cutting forces and cutting zone temperature were measured under the cutting conditions of three different rake angles (25°, 40°, and 50°) and four different cutting depths (0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, and 0.5 mm), while feed speed was kept constant. Analysis of the experimental data and chip formation process showed that the cutting forces and cutting zone temperature of pine material were both decreased by increases of rake angle and increased by increases of cutting depth. Cutting forces were decreased under the cutting conditions of 0.3 mm cutting depth and rake angles of 40° and 50° due to the cleavage failure parallel to pine grain. The cutting temperature was not decreased under that cutting condition. The microcosmic characteristics of surface damage were mainly fiber burrs and fiber traces.

Thermal Analysis of Radiator Under Natural and Forced Convection Conditions Using Numerical Simulation and Thermography

Based on the physical model in COMSOL Multiphysics package, a 3D model of a radiator has been developed. Using the finite element method, a number of numerical simulations were carried out. The results of the temperature distribution on the radiator surface were obtained. Numerical methods are subject to some errors, so it is important to validate the results. In order to verify the correctness of the numerical model, a test stand equipped with a radiator, a heating resistor, a fan and a FLIR SC7600 thermal imaging camera was constructed. The heating resistor allowed the regulation of the heat flux by changing the DC voltage. Thermograms were obtained showing the temperature distribution on the radiator surface. It has been found out that it is possible to use thermovision in laboratory tests to validate numerical models. The validation of the numerical results was carried out by comparing the results of the numerical simulations with temperature measurements in the real conditions. Therefore, both techniques can be methodically used when designing new equipment.

Mobile forward-looking infrared technology allows rapid assessment of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta in hemorrhage and blackout conditions.

Objective assessment of final resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) position and adequate distal aortic occlusion is critical in patients with hemorrhagic shock, especially as feasibility is being increasingly investigated in the prehospital setting. We propose that mobile forward-looking infrared (FLIR) thermal imaging is a fast, reliable, and noninvasive method to assess REBOA position and efficacy in scenarios applicable to battlefield and prehospital care. Ten swine were randomized to a 40% hemorrhage group (H, n = 5) or nonhemorrhage group (NH, n = 5). Three experiments were completed after Zone I placement of a REBOA catheter. Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta was deployed for 30 minutes in all animals followed by randomized continued deployment versus sham in both light and blackout conditions. Forward-looking infrared images and hemodynamic data were obtained. Images were presented to 62 blinded observers for assessment of REBOA inflation status. There was no difference in hemodynamic or laboratory values at baseline. The H group was significantly more hypotensive (mean arterial pressure 44 vs. 60 mm Hg, p < 0.01), vasodilated (systemic vascular resistance 634 vs. 938dyn·s/cm, p = 0.02), and anemic (hematocrit 12 vs. 23.2%, p < 0.01). Hemorrhage group animals remained more hypotensive, anemic, and acidotic throughout all three experiments. There was a significant difference in the temperature change (ΔTemp) measured by FLIR between animals with REBOA inflated versus not inflated (5.7°C vs. 0.7°C, p < 0.01). The H and NH animals exhibited equal magnitudes of ΔTemp in both inflated and deflated states. Blinded observer analysis of FLIR images correctly identified adequate REBOA inflation and aortic occlusion 95.4% at 5 minutes and 98.8% at 10 minutes (positive predictive value at 5 minutes = 99% and positive predictive value at 10 minutes = 100%). Mobile thermal imaging is an easy, rapid, and reliable method for assessing distal perfusion after occlusion by REBOA. Smartphone-based FLIR technology allows for confirmation of adequate REBOA placement at the point of care, and performance was not degraded in the setting of major hemorrhage or blackout conditions.

Infrared thermography to monitor body and udder skin surface temperature differences in relation to subclinical and clinical mastitis condition in Karan Fries (Bos taurus x Bos indicus) crossbred cows

This study was conducted to evaluate the ability of infrared thermography (IRT) for the early detection of mastitis. A total of 200 quarters of Karan Fries cows (50) were monitored for body temperature and udder skin surface temperature (USST) prior to milking using FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) i5 camera. Milk samples were collected from each quarter and screened for mastitis using somatic cell count (SCC), electrical conductivity (EC) and California mastitis test (CMT). The mean (±SD) body temperature of an individual cow during the study period was 37.17±0.07°C. The mean (±SD) body and USST (37.16±0.06°C) of non mastitis cow did not differ significantly; however, the mean USST of the mastitis affected quarters were significantly higher than the body and non-mastitis quarter temperature. The mean (±SD) USST of the subclinical and clinical mastitis affected quarters were 37.9±0.09°C and 38.2±0.10°C, respectively which is 0.8 and 1.1°C higher than the body and non-mastitis quarter temperature. The increase in USST of subclinical mastitis quarters showed a positive correlation with the SCC. It is concluded that IRT technique could be used as a potential non-invasive, quick cow side diagnostic tool for screening and early detection of mastitis in crossbred cows.

Electric Field Induced Changes of a Diffusion Flame and Heat Transfer near an Impinging Surface

This research investigates heat transfer phenomena on a plate used with impinging electric field flames; i.e., flames burning in the presence of an electric field. Electric field effects on flames have been investigated in different applications but not when the flames are impinging on nearby surfaces. Challenges to measurement methods when an electric field is applied in the system have limited the understanding of changes to the temperature distributions and species concentrations caused by the field. This study uses an infrared forward looking infrared (FLIR) camera with Schlieren visualization to examine the heat flux from flames over an impinging plate with different electric fields applied. In particular, we study the electric field effects on flames when those flames transfer heat to a nearby plate, and then how that transfer can be controlled using the electric field. The results show that electric fields affect substantially the heat flux distribution through the ion-driven wind, particularly when the plate location is just above the flame tip.

Risk Prevention of Spreading Emerging Infectious Diseases Using a HybridCrowdsensing Paradigm, Optical Sensors, and Smartphone.

The risk of spreading diseases within (ad-hoc)crowds and the need to pervasively screen asymptomatic individuals to protect the population against emerging infectious diseases, request permanentcrowd surveillance., particularly in high-risk regions. Thecase of Ebola epidemic in West Africa in recent years has shown the need for pervasive screening. The trend today in diseases surveillance is consisting of epidemiological data collection about emerging infectious diseases using social media, wearable sensors systems, or mobile applications and data analysis. This approach presents various limitations. This paper proposes a novel approach for diseases monitoring and risk prevention of spreading infectious diseases. The proposed approach, aiming at overcoming the limitation of existing disease surveillance approaches, combines the hybrid crowdsensing paradigm with sensing individuals' bio-signals using optical sensors for monitoring any risks of spreading emerging infectious diseases in any (ad-hoc) crowds. A proof-of-concept has been performed using a drone armed with a cat s60 smartphone featuring a Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) camera. According to the results of the conducted experiment, the concept has the potential to improve the conventional epidemiological data collection. The measurement is reliable, and the recorded data are valid. The measurement error rates are about 8%.

Background Registration-Based Adaptive Noise Filtering of LWIR/MWIR Imaging Sensors for UAV Applications.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are equipped with optical systems including an infrared (IR) camera such as electro-optical IR (EO/IR), target acquisition and designation sights (TADS), or forward looking IR (FLIR). However, images obtained from IR cameras are subject to noise such as dead pixels, lines, and fixed pattern noise. Nonuniformity correction (NUC) is a widely employed method to reduce noise in IR images, but it has limitations in removing noise that occurs during operation. Methods have been proposed to overcome the limitations of the NUC method, such as two-point correction (TPC) and scene-based NUC (SBNUC). However, these methods still suffer from unfixed pattern noise. In this paper, a background registration-based adaptive noise filtering (BRANF) method is proposed to overcome the limitations of conventional methods. The proposed BRANF method utilizes background registration processing and robust principle component analysis (RPCA). In addition, image quality verification methods are proposed that can measure the noise filtering performance quantitatively without ground truth images. Experiments were performed for performance verification with middle wave infrared (MWIR) and long wave infrared (LWIR) images obtained from practical military optical systems. As a result, it is found that the image quality improvement rate of BRANF is 30% higher than that of conventional NUC.

Using Distance-sampling to Estimate Density of White-tailed Deer in Forested, Mountainous Landscapes in Virginia

Abstract Although Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer, hereafter, Deer) are abundant on private lands throughout much of the western Virginia mountain region, populations are comparatively low on publicly owned lands in this area. Concerns voiced by sportsmen regarding declining numbers of Deer on public lands in western Virginia prompted research to estimate the population density in selected areas within this region. From January 2012 through April 2013, we used ground-based transect sampling with forward-looking infrared (FLIR) techniques in a distance-sampling framework to estimate seasonal Deer density in mountainous western Virginia. We included habitat variables and abiotic factors thought to influence detection and ranked models using AICc model selection in the program DISTANCE. We observed 430 groups of Deer (mean group size = 2.9) during 5 sampling sessions conducted along 562.5 km traveled in Bath County, versus 102 groups (mean group size = 2.6) along 643.6 km in Rockingham County. Wind...

Monitoring Eradication of European Mouflon Sheep from the Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park

Abstract: European mouflon (Ovis gmelini musimon), the world's smallest wild sheep, have proliferated and degraded fragile native ecosystems in the Hawaiian Islands through browsing, bark stripping, and trampling, including native forests within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park (HAVO). HAVO resource managers initiated ungulate control efforts in the 469 km2 Kahuku Unit after it was acquired in 2003. We tracked control effort and used aerial surveys in a 64.7 km2 area from 2004 to 2017 and more intensive ground surveys and camera-trap monitoring to detect the last remaining animals within a 25.9 km2 subunit after it was enclosed by fence in 2012. Aerial shooting yielded the most removals per unit effort (3.2 animals/ hour), resulting in 261 animals. However, ground-based methods yielded 4,607 removals overall, 3,038 of which resulted from assistance of volunteers. Ground shooting with dogs, intensive aerial shooting, ground sweeps, and forward-looking infrared (FLIR)-assisted shooting were necessary to find...

493 Non-contact reading of patch tests utilizing infrared imaging

Patch testing of contact allergens to diagnose allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is a traditional, useful tool. Reading the test shows high inter-individual variation between readers. During manual reading, the morphology of each contact allergen application site is evaluated by taking erythema, infiltration, vesicles and demarcation into account. The most important decision during reading of the patch test is the distinction between allergic and irritant reactions, as this has direct implications on the diagnosis of the patient. We aimed to evaluate a new method of non-contact infrared reading of patch tests. Following from this, a possible correlation between the intensity of the reaction and the increase in temperature was sought. 14 consecutive patients with 30 positive lesions were included in our study. Independent patch test readers assessed the reactive lesions and graded them allergic (of intensity + to +++) or irritant. At the same time, a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera attachment for iOS was used to acquire infrared thermal images of the readings. The photos were analyzed by the FLIR ONE app. Allergic patch test reactions showed temperatures increases of ≥ 0.7°C compared to surrounding skin. Irritant reactions however only resulted in ≤ 0.3°C temperature increase. Interestingly, the amount of the temperature increase did not correlate with the clinical intensity of the reaction. Thermography in evaluating erythematous lesion in patch testing demonstrated that allergic reactions seem to generate more heat that irritant reactions. With currently available devices, workflows could be established for half-automated, non-contact reading of patch tests. camera is an easy-to-use tool that can assist the physician in making a decision in difficult cases. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Helicopter thermal imaging for detecting insect infested cadavers

One of the most common techniques applied for searching living and even dead persons is the FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) system fixed on an aircraft like e.g. a helicopter, visualizing the thermal patterns emitted from objects in the long-infrared spectrum. However, as body temperature cools down to ambient values within approximately 24h after death, it is common sense that searching for deceased persons can be just applied the first day post-mortem. We postulated that the insect larval masses on a decomposing body generate a heat which can be considerably higher than ambient temperatures for a period of several weeks and that such heat signatures might be used for locating insect infested human remains.We examined the thermal history of two 70 and 90kg heavy pig cadavers for 21days in May and June 2014 in Germany. Adult and immature insects on the carcasses were sampled daily. Temperatures were measured on and inside the cadavers, in selected maggot masses and at the surroundings. Thermal imaging from a helicopter using the FLIR system was performed at three different altitudes up to 1500ft. during seven day-flights and one night-flight.Insect colonization was dominated by blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) which occurred almost immediately after placement of the cadavers. Larvae were noted first on day 2 and infestation of both cadavers was enormous with several thousand larvae each. After day 14 a first wave of post-feeding larvae left the carcasses for pupation. Body temperature of both cadavers ranged between 15°C and 35°C during the first two weeks of the experiment, while body surface temperatures peaked at about 45°C. Maggot masses temperatures reached values up to almost 25°C above ambient temperature. Detection of both cadavers by thermal imaging was possible on seven of the eight helicopter flights until day 21.

Use of Portable Infrared Cameras to Facilitate Detection and Capture Success of Montezuma Quail

Survey and trapping methods for Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) require means not traditionally used for other quail species (e.g., northern bobwhite, Colinus virginianus). Trapping Montezuma quail is most effective using pointing dogs at night when coveys can be located and captured by net during roosting. However, reduced visibility at night, cryptic coloration of plumage, and behavioral adaptive stillness reduce detection rates and increase accidental flushing of birds while searching for roost locations. Forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras have been used to aid in detection of cryptic wildlife, including avifauna roosting sites. We conducted 25 survey and night-trapping sessions for Montezuma quail in southeast Arizona using a combination of trained pointing dogs and a portable FLIR camera. Detection of coveys on a roost was less successful when ambient climate conditions were freezing (below 3.88 8C), when residual heat signatures from surrounding soils and rocks were greater than 18.33 8C, or when density of grass cover exceeded 40% and the distance to covey was . 2.5 m. The small thermal signatures of quail were often obstructed by vegetative cover or confused with residual thermal signatures reflected by inanimate objects (e.g., rocks, bare ground). Successful detection of coveys combining the use of dogs and FLIR before trapping was 6.06%. Trapping success and detection of coveys with FLIR was improved when used with radiotelemetry and coveys which included radio-marked individuals. Proper tuning of FLIR camera sensitivity to a limited thermal bandwidth, or isotherm range, may effectively narrow covey locations approximated by a pointing dog. The FLIR camera was of limited benefit when actively trapping coveys with dogs and a team of 2–3 people, but may be beneficial for non-invasive monitoring and estimating covey size of marked birds on roosts in landscapes with reduced vegetative cover.

Investigation of body and udder skin surface temperature differentials as an early indicator of mastitis in Holstein Friesian crossbred cows using digital infrared thermography technique.

Aim:The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of infrared thermography (IRT) technique and its interrelationship with conventional mastitis indicators for the early detection of mastitis in Holstein Friesian (HF) crossbred cows.Materials and Methods:A total of 76 quarters of lactating HF crossbred (Bos indicus × Bos taurus) cows (n=19) were monitored for body temperature (i.e., eye temperature) and udder skin surface temperature (USST) before milking using forward-looking infrared (FLIR) i5 camera. Milk samples were collected from each quarter and screened for mastitis using Somatic Cell Count (SCC), Electrical Conductivity (EC), and California mastitis test. Thermographic images were analyzed using FLIR Quick Report 1.2 image analysis software. Data on body and USST were compiled and analyzed statistically using SPSS 16.0 and Sigmaplot 11.Results:The mean±standard deviation (SD) body (37.23±0.08°C) and USST (37.22±0.04°C) of non-mastitic cow did not differ significantly; however, the mean USST of the mastitis-affected quarters were significantly higher than the body temperature and USST of unaffected quarters (p<0.001). The mean±SD USST of the subclinical mastitis (SCM) and clinical mastitis-affected quarters were 38.08±0.17 °C and 38.25±0.33 °C, respectively, which is 0.72 and 1.05 °C higher than the USST temperature of unaffected quarters. The USST was positively correlated with EC (r=0.95) and SCC (r=0.93). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed a higher sensitivity for USST in early prediction of SCM with a cut-off value of >37.61°C.Conclusion:It is concluded that infrared thermal imaging technique could be used as a potential noninvasive, quick cow-side diagnostic technique for screening and early detection of SCM and clinical mastitis in crossbred cows.

Hierarchical search strategy in particle filter framework to track infrared target

A target of interest may exhibit significant appearance variations because of its complex maneuvers, ego-motion of the camera platform, etc. Currently, target tracking in forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sequences is still a challenging problem in the field of computer vision. Although many efforts have been devoted, there are still some issues to be addressed. First, state particles generated by prior information cannot approximate the probability density function well when the target state changes obviously. Second, plenty of particles have to be employed to obtain satisfying estimation of target state which will cause heavy computational burden in turn. In this paper, a hierarchical search strategy (HS tracker) is proposed to track infrared target in the particle filter framework, and there are two observation models employed to locate the target robustly. In the first stage, a saliency map leads the redistributed state particles to cover the salient areas that can provide a rough prediction of the target areas. In the second stage, sparse representation is employed to search for a subset of true ones from all the target candidates; thus, only efficient state particles are used to estimate the target state. The proposed method is tested on numerous FLIR sequences from the US army aviation and missile command database, and experimental results demonstrate the excellent performance.