Abstract: A method combines two digital images, one in the visible range and the other in the infrared range. The combined image provides an intensity band of pixels and shows detected warm objects that are superimposed on the intensity band of pixels. A user of the present invention may (1) view increased detail in the fused image of a scene and (2) have high confidence that an object in the scene is warm or hot. Hot objects collected by the infrared channel, but not visible in the visible channel may also be seen by the viewer in the fused image.

Abstract: A method of forming an output image based on first and second input images includes the steps of: (a) selecting a desired mix-ratio between the first and second input images; (b) determining an angle ? based on the selected mix-ratio; and (c) extending a diagonal line, at the angle of ? between a vertical axis and a horizontal axis, in which the vertical axis includes a first set of gray levels from the first input image and the horizontal axis includes a second set of gray levels from the second input image. The method further includes the steps of: (d) computing an area A included within the horizontal and vertical axes and the diagonal line, in order to determine a gray level value of a pixel of the output image based on a probability value of k=A/n2, where, n is a maximum gray level value of each of the input images, and k varies from 0 to 1. In one embodiment, the fixed probability distribution is uniform, and the input and output image bit depths are equal to each other.