Patent ID: 8804834

Claim:
An image processing apparatus, comprising: representative-point storing means for functioning as storage means used for storing a plurality of pixels each existing on a reference image to serve as a representative point for which a motion vector is to be detected in an operation to detect a motion vector for said representative point representing pixels on said reference image by comparing said reference image with a referenced image; evaluation-value table generation means for generating an evaluation-value table by adoption of a representative-point matching technique making use of said representative points stored in said representative-point storing means; peak detection means for detecting a position corresponding to a maximum value of evaluation-value sums stored in said evaluation-value table as a candidate vector serving as a candidate for said motion vector; and correlation determination means for determining a correlation between said representative point on said reference image and a point existing at the end of said candidate vector detected for said representative point to serve as a referenced point at which a pixel is located on said referenced image for each of a plurality of said representative points stored in said representative-point storing means and deleting a representative point having a high correlation from said representative-point storing means in order to update said representative-point storing means, wherein an operation carried out by said evaluation-value table generation means to generate said evaluation-value table on the basis of representative points stored in said representative-point storing means, an operation carried out by said peak detection means to detect said candidate vector, an operation carried out by said correlation determination means to determine said correlation between said representative point and said referenced point as well as an operation carried out by said correlation determination means to update said representative-point storing means in accordance with a result of said operation to determine a correlation between said representative point and said referenced point are repeated as long as existence of a significant candidate vector is determined.