The paper presents a real-time algorithm that compensates image distortions due to atmospheric turbulence in video sequences, while keeping the real moving objects in the video unharmed. The algorithm involves (1) generation of a ‘‘reference’’ frame, (2) estimation, for each incoming video frame, of a local image displacement map with respect to the reference frame, (3) segmentation of the displacement map into two classes: stationary and moving objects; (4) turbulence compensation of stationary objects. Experiments with both simulated and real-life sequences have shown that the restored videos, generated in real-time using standard computer hardware, exhibit excellent stability for stationary objects while retaining real motion. Keywords LOROS Á Turbulence compensation Á Real-time processing Á Rank filtering Á Optical-flow
Barak Fishbain, Leonid P. Yaroslavsky, Ianir A. Id