Infrared small target detection using multi-scale attention and dilated separable convolution (original) (raw)

Abstract

Detecting small infrared targets is a critical challenge in computer vision, focusing on identifying and localizing minimal-pixel-sized targets within infrared imagery. This task faces significant challenges due to the extremely small size of the targets, variability in target dimensions and shapes across diverse scenes, intricate background complexities, and instances of target occlusion. In this study, we introduce an enhanced U-Net model featuring three novel modules: the Residual Coordinate Attention Block (RCA-Block) integrates coordinate attention and residual structures to enhance feature representation; the Dynamic Context-aware Multi-scale Fusion Module (DCMFM) dynamically fuses multi-scale features based on target characteristics; and the Multi-dilation Depthwise Separable Convolutional Module (MDSCM) employs multi-dilation depthwise separable convolutions to capture spatial features across varying receptive fields. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed model synergizes multi-scale feature fusion and spatial information enhancement, achieving superior accuracy in small target detection, robust noise resistance.

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Funding

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 62476126.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Artificial Intelligence, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, Jiangsu, China
    Wenjuan Tang & Qun Dai
  2. HIWING Technology Academy, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Limited (CASIC), Beijing, 100074, China
    Wenjuan Tang
  3. College of Computer Science and Technology, Jilin University, Qianjin Street, Changchun, 130012, Jilin, China
    Yuning Zhu
  4. School of Artificial Intelligence, Jilin University, Qianjin Street, Changchun, 130012, Jilin, China
    Rui Ma

Authors

  1. Wenjuan Tang
  2. Qun Dai
  3. Yuning Zhu
  4. Rui Ma

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Correspondence toQun Dai.

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Tang, W., Dai, Q., Zhu, Y. et al. Infrared small target detection using multi-scale attention and dilated separable convolution.Appl Intell 56, 137 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10489-026-07181-6

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