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Main Authors: Li, Shuying, Ma, Qiang, Zhang, San, Wang, Wuwei, Yang, Chuang
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.16434
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author Li, Shuying
Ma, Qiang
Zhang, San
Wang, Wuwei
Yang, Chuang
author_facet Li, Shuying
Ma, Qiang
Zhang, San
Wang, Wuwei
Yang, Chuang
contents Infrared small target detection (IRSTD) plays a crucial role in numerous military and civilian applications. However, existing methods often face the gradual degradation of target edge pixels as the number of network layers increases, and traditional convolution struggles to differentiate between frequency components during feature extraction, leading to low-frequency backgrounds interfering with high-frequency targets and high-frequency noise triggering false detections. To address these limitations, we propose MDAFNet (Multi-scale Differential Edge and Adaptive Frequency Guided Network for Infrared Small Target Detection), which integrates the Multi-Scale Differential Edge (MSDE) module and Dual-Domain Adaptive Feature Enhancement (DAFE) module. The MSDE module, through a multi-scale edge extraction and enhancement mechanism, effectively compensates for the cumulative loss of target edge information during downsampling. The DAFE module combines frequency domain processing mechanisms with simulated frequency decomposition and fusion mechanisms in the spatial domain to effectively improve the network's capability to adaptively enhance high-frequency targets and selectively suppress high-frequency noise. Experimental results on multiple datasets demonstrate the superior detection performance of MDAFNet.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_16434
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle MDAFNet: Multiscale Differential Edge and Adaptive Frequency Guided Network for Infrared Small Target Detection
Li, Shuying
Ma, Qiang
Zhang, San
Wang, Wuwei
Yang, Chuang
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Infrared small target detection (IRSTD) plays a crucial role in numerous military and civilian applications. However, existing methods often face the gradual degradation of target edge pixels as the number of network layers increases, and traditional convolution struggles to differentiate between frequency components during feature extraction, leading to low-frequency backgrounds interfering with high-frequency targets and high-frequency noise triggering false detections. To address these limitations, we propose MDAFNet (Multi-scale Differential Edge and Adaptive Frequency Guided Network for Infrared Small Target Detection), which integrates the Multi-Scale Differential Edge (MSDE) module and Dual-Domain Adaptive Feature Enhancement (DAFE) module. The MSDE module, through a multi-scale edge extraction and enhancement mechanism, effectively compensates for the cumulative loss of target edge information during downsampling. The DAFE module combines frequency domain processing mechanisms with simulated frequency decomposition and fusion mechanisms in the spatial domain to effectively improve the network's capability to adaptively enhance high-frequency targets and selectively suppress high-frequency noise. Experimental results on multiple datasets demonstrate the superior detection performance of MDAFNet.
title MDAFNet: Multiscale Differential Edge and Adaptive Frequency Guided Network for Infrared Small Target Detection
topic Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.16434