Object detection method, object detection apparatus and image pickup apparatus

Abstract

An object detection method performed by an apparatus which stores a general model for a specific object type in advance, the general model describing a plurality of components which are expected to co-exist in objects of the specific object type, the method including: a sample image receiving step of receiving one or more sample images, the one or more sample images each include a same query object of the specific object type; an object detector creating step of creating, using the general model and the one or more sample images, a detector specific to said query object; and an object detecting step of detecting, using the created detector specific to the query object, the query object from a destination image. According to the object detection method mentioned above, various objects of a specific object type can be precisely detected with high flexibility.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.