Patent ID: 8693791

Claim:
An object detection apparatus that detects an object to be detected captured in a determination image according to a feature amount of the object to be detected preliminarily learned by use of a learning image, the object detection apparatus comprising: a plurality of weak classifiers each calculating an estimation value indicating a possibility that the object to be detected is captured in the determination image according to the feature amount of the object to be detected; a plurality of strong classifiers determining, with different levels of classification accuracy from one another, whether the object to be detected is captured or not in the determination image according to the plurality of feature amounts; and a detector causing the plurality of strong classifiers to operate in order of lower classification accuracy, continuing processing when a first strong classifier among the plurality of strong classifiers has determined that the object to be detected is captured in the determination image, and determining that the object to be detected has not been detected without causing a second strong classifier among the plurality of strong classifiers having classification accuracy higher than the first strong classifier to operate, when the first strong classifier has determined that the object to be detected is not captured in the determination image, wherein the first strong classifier inputs a classification result of a third strong classifier among the plurality of strong classifiers having classification accuracy lower than the first strong classifier and determines whether the object to be detected is captured or not in the determination image according to the plurality of estimation values and the input classification result, wherein the first strong classifier inputs a result of weighted voting by using weight indicating a degree of ease of identification of each of first weak classifiers among the plurality of weak classifiers that are combined for the first strong classifier and the estimation value of each of the first weak classifiers, as the classification result of the third strong classifier, and wherein each of the plurality of strong classifiers is provided with a weight according to the classification accuracy, and the first strong classifier multiplies the input result of the weighted voting by weight of the third strong classifier on an input side and determines whether the object to be detected is captured or not in the determination image by use of the multiplied value.