Uncertainty Analysis in Triangle Orientation Discrimination Threshold Measurement

The Triangle Orientation Discrimination Threshold (TOD) is a new figure of merit for characterizing the performance of an infrared imager. In this paper, focusing on a reflective infrared target projector, the TOD curve is measured utilizing four alternative forced choice (4AFC) test method. Furthermore, the dominant sources affecting uncertainties in the TOD measure values, are analyzed in detail, the effective temperature difference, sensor, and observer. And, the variation of the TOD measurement is described quantitatively utilizing the uncertainty analysis theory. Simulation results show that the TOD measurement values vary in a small range, which show a higher stability than minimum resolvable temperature difference (MRTD) measure values. Project supported by National natural foundation of China (No: 60477038).