Image processing apparatus

• US 20030133613A1
• Filed: 12/19/2002
• Published: 07/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ono, Shuji
• Granted Patent: US 7,319,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/209
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/75 Organisation of the matching processes, e.g. simultaneous or sequential comparisons of image or video features; Coarse-fine approaches, e.g. multi-scale approaches; using context analysis; Selection of dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions

Abstract

An image processing apparatus for detecting a desired image-element from a given image, includes: a storing unit for storing a plurality of first templates indicating the desired image-element and a plurality of second templates stored corresponding to the first templates, each of the second templates indicating a part of a corresponding one of the first templates; the first comparing unit for selecting any of the first templates and comparing the selected first template with the given image; and the second comparing unit for comparing a second template corresponding to the selected first template selected by the first comparing unit with the given image; and a detecting unit for detecting the desired image-element from the given image based on the comparison results by the first and second comparing units.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus for detecting a desired image-element from a given image, comprising:

a storing unit operable to store a plurality of first templates indicating said desired image-element and a plurality of second templates stored corresponding to said plurality of first templates, each of said second templates indicating a part of a corresponding one of said plurality of first templates;

a first comparing unit operable to select any one of said first templates and compare said selected one first template with said given image; and

a second comparing unit operable to compare a second template corresponding to said selected one first template selected by said first comparing unit with said given image; and

a detecting unit operable to detect said desired image-element from said given image based on the comparison results by said first and second comparing units.

2. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said storing unit stores at least one first template that corresponds to said plurality of second templates.

3. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said storing unit stores at least one second template that corresponds to other one of said second templates.

4. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said second comparing unit compares each of a plurality ones of said second templates, that correspond to said selected one first template selected by said first comparing unit, with said given image.

5. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said storing unit stores a second template that has a higher resolution than that of said corresponding first template.