Patent ID: 7835552
Filing Date: 2010-11-16
Classification: G06K,H04N

Abstract:
1. An image capturing apparatus for comparing between each partial image in frame images output in a frame order from a solid-state image capturing element and plural types of face patterns, which are prepared in advance, according to pattern matching to extract an area of a person face image, which exists in each frame image, as a face candidate, the image capturing apparatus comprising: a face extraction unit that performs the pattern matching with limiting face patterns used in extracting a face candidate from a current frame image to face patterns, of the plural types of face patterns, used in extracting a face candidate from a preceding frame image, wherein when photometric data of the current frame image changes relative to photometric data of the preceding frame image, the face extraction unit extracts the face candidate from the current frame image using all of the plural types of face patterns, and when the photometric data of the current frame image does not change, the face extraction unit limits the face patterns used in extracting the face candidate from the current frame image to the face patterns used in extracting the face candidate from the preceding frame image.