Patent ID: 7254279

Claim:
A method for removing undesired motion from a sequential plurality of related images, each of such images including a stationary component and being fixed within a frame of uniform dimension, said method comprising the steps of: determining a plurality of sequential inter-frame movements of said stationary component over a plurality of frames, each of said inter-frame movements being associated with one of said plurality of frames; choosing a reference frame, said reference frame having an associated inter-frame movement; measuring the difference between each of said inter-frame movements and the inter-frame movement associated with said reference frame; choosing an image shift parameter; choosing a smoothing filter; designating a test frame; selecting at least one additional frame adjacent said test frame, said at least one additional frame and said test frame defining a sample; applying said smoothing filter to the difference values of said sample to obtain a filtered difference value; subtracting the difference associated with said test frame from said filtered value to obtain an image shift value; comparing said image shift value to said image shift parameter; adjusting the number of frames of said sample in accordance with said comparison; calculating said image shift value on the basis of said adjusted number of frames of said sample; shifting the position of the image associated with said test frame and image shift value with respect to said test frame by said image shift value; designating the next frame of said sequence as said test frame.