Patent ID: 7957567

Claim:
A specific facing direction face detecting method, for detecting faces facing specific directions by employing classifiers that judge whether judgment target images include faces facing directions within angular ranges corresponding to predetermined angular ranges, generated by a machine learning technique employing a plurality of sample images that include faces having different shapes and facing directions within the predetermined angular ranges, comprising the steps of: cutting out a partial image from an input image; judging the partial image employing a first classifier that judges whether an image includes a face facing a direction within a first angular range; judging the partial image employing at least one other classifier that judges whether an image includes a face facing a direction within at least one other angular range, a portion of which overlaps with the first angular range; and judging that the partial image includes a face facing a direction within a specific angular range, which is the first angular range from which the portion that overlaps with the at least one angular range corresponding to the at least one other classifier has been removed, in the case that partial image is judged to include a face facing a direction within the first angular range and judged not to include a face within the other angular range.