Patent ID: 8311273

Claim:
An object detecting apparatus comprising: a pixel state determining unit that determines a pixel state indicative of temporal properties of pixel characteristics of an input image; a background model generating unit that adaptively generates a background model from said pixel state and a first characteristic distance as conditions to process per each pixel unit, the first characteristic distance being indicative of a degree of similarity between pixel characteristics of the input image and a preceding background model; and an object judging unit that judges an object based on a second characteristic distance indicative of a degree of similarity between a generated background model and pixel characteristics of the input image, wherein said pixel state has the temporal properties of pixel characteristics of the input image, and is selected in a state from among the following states: a stationary state that is a stable state over a short period of time, a moving state that is an unstable state over a short period of time as compared to a long period of time, a continuously stationary state that is a stable state over a long period of time, and a continuously moving state that is an unstable state over a long period of time.