Image tracking apparatus

An image tracking apparatus, which tracks a subject in a moving image in which the subject is captured, comprising:

• an image acquisition device that acquires image data indicating the moving image;
• a plurality of detectors each of which detects an area of at least one subject in acquired image data to track the detected area in the moving image;
• and
• a controller that tracks the subject by switching among tracking results of the areas of the subject obtained by each of the plurality of detectors,
• wherein
• the plurality of detectors include at least a first detector that detects a first area as an area of the subject and a second detector that detects a second area as an area of the subject, and
• first operation period which is a cyclic period for the first detector to execute detection of the first area is shorter than second operation period which is a cyclic period for the second detector to execute detection of the second area, and
• wherein the controller
• tracks the subject using a tracking result of the first detector when the first area is tracked by the first detector,
• tracks the subject using a tracking result of the second detector when the first area is not tracked by the first detector and the second area is tracked by the second detector, and
• wherein after switching to the tracking result of the second detector, the controller switches from the tracking result of the second detector operating in the second operation period to the tracking result of the first detector upon tracking the first area by the first detector operating in the first operation period.

An image tracking apparatus, which tracks a subject in a moving image in which the subject is captured, comprising:

• an image acquisition device that acquires image data indicating the moving image;
• a first detector that detects a first area of at least one subject in acquired image data to track the first area in the moving image;
• a second detector that detects a second area of at least one subject in the image data to track the second area in the moving image;
• and
• a controller that tracks the subject by switching between a tracking result of the first area by the first detector and a tracking result of the second area by the second detector,
• wherein an operation period which is a cyclic period for the first detector to execute detection of the first area and an operation period which is a cyclic period for the second detector to execute detection of the second area are the same, and
• wherein the controller
• tracks the subject using a tracking result of the first detector when the first area is tracked by the first detector,
• tracks the subject using a tracking result of the second detector when the first area is not tracked by the first detector and the second area is tracked by the second detector, and
• wherein after switching to the tracking result of the second detector, the controller continues tracking the subject using the tracking result of the second detector when the first area is tracked by the first detector with the second detector tracking the second area.