Image pickup apparatus with a human face detecting function, method and program product for detecting a human face

A non-transitory computer readable medium having a face region detection program stored thereon which causes a computer equipped with an imaging portion to function as sections comprising:

• a setting section which sets a detection precision of a face region;
• a first display output section which displays an indicator indicating the detection precision set by the setting section together with a subject successively imaged by the imaging portion;
• a control section which performs control to limit information read from an information storage portion, which stores information to define features of a face image, according to the detection precision set by the setting section, so as to detect a face region from the successively imaged subject;
• and
• a second display output section which, when the face region is detected through the control by the control section, performs control so as to display and output a face frame indicator in the detected face region of the subject in addition to what is output by the first display output section;
• wherein the detection precision of the face region set by the setting section includes a first mode in which priority is given to face region detection speed and a second mode in which priority is given to face region detection precision;
• wherein the setting section includes a selection detection section which selects one of the first and second modes;
• wherein the information storage portion stores a permissible rotation range of the face image as information with respect to a plurality of angles;
• and
• wherein, when the mode selected by the selection detection section is the first mode, the control section performs control to reduce a permissible rotation range read from the information storage portion as compared with a case in which the second mode is selected and detected, so as to detect the face region from the subject imaged by the imaging section.

A face region detection method comprising:

• setting a detection precision of a face region;
• displaying and outputting an indicator indicating the set detection precision together with a subject successively imaged by an imaging portion;
• performing control to limit information read from an information storage portion, which stores information to define features of a face image, according to the set detection precision, so as to detect a face region from the successively imaged subject;
• and
• when the face region is detected through the control, performing control so as to display and output a face frame indicator in the detected face region of the subject in addition to what is output in said displaying and outputting;
• wherein the detection precision of the face region includes a first mode in which priority is given to face region detection speed and a second mode in which priority is given to face region detection precision;
• wherein said setting the detection precision comprises selecting one of the first and second modes;
• wherein the information storage portion stores a permissible rotation range of the face image as information with respect to a plurality of angles;
• and
• wherein, when the selected mode is the first mode, said control is performed to reduce a permissible rotation range read from the information storage portion as compared with a case in which the second mode is selected, so as to detect the face region from the subject imaged by the imaging section.