Patent ID: 8223216

Claim:
An image processing apparatus comprising: a characteristic detecting unit adapted to detect, from a received image signal constituting a moving image in a predetermined cycle, a characteristic portion of each of at least one object; a memory unit adapted to store data associated with the detected characteristic portion; and a control unit adapted to set a priority to the characteristic portion of each of the at least one object when the characteristic detecting unit detects a plurality of characteristic portions of a plurality of objects, wherein the control unit: stores in the memory unit the data associated with each of the detected plurality of characteristic portions; determines, when the characteristic detecting unit newly detects a characteristic portion, whether or not one of the detected plurality of characteristic portions stored in the memory unit and the newly detected characteristic portion both belong to the same object; counts up, in a case where the control unit determines that the one detected characteristic portion and the newly detected characteristic portion both belong to the same object, a detected duration of the one detected characteristic portion belonging to the same object; and sets, based on the counted-up detected duration, a higher priority to the one detected characteristic portion belonging to the same object for a longer duration.