Patent ID: 8144943

Claim:
An image processing apparatus comprising: a resizing unit configured to resize an input image into a plurality of images having different sizes; an extraction unit configured to extract a pattern having a specific size as a pattern to be collated from each of the images having different sizes; a resolution conversion unit configured to convert each of the patterns to be collated into collation patterns having different resolutions; a subject reliability calculation unit configured to calculate a subject reliability of each local region in respective collation patterns having different resolutions, based on a local feature in the local region; a discrimination unit configured to discriminate whether each of the collation patterns having different resolutions includes an image of a specific subject in accordance with the subject reliabilities of the local regions in respective collation patterns; a determination unit configured to determine that the input image includes the image of the specific subject based on discrimination results by the discrimination unit with respect to the collation patterns having different resolutions converted from the images having different sizes; and a processor configured to control at least one of the resizing unit, the extraction unit, the resolution conversion unit, the subject reliability calculation unit, the discrimination unit, and the determination unit.