Face detection device, imaging apparatus, and face detection method

An imaging apparatus for capturing an image using a solid-state image pickup device, the imaging apparatus comprising:

• a face detection circuit including a hardware circuit configured to detect a face in an input image;
• a signal processing circuit configured to perform signal processing based on an input image signal in accordance with a rewritable program that includes a face detection program for detecting a area in an input image;
• and
• a controller configured to allow the face detection circuit and the signal processing circuit to perform face detection in a parallel manner, among consecutively captured images, on an image of a frame or on respective images of adjacent frames,
• wherein the controller is configured to selectively output one of information based on a face detection result obtained by the face detection circuit or information based on a face detection result obtained by the signal processing circuit as a final face detection result, and in a case where the face detection result obtained by the face detection circuit is output as the final detection result, the controller stops face detection performed by the signal processing circuit.

A face detection method for detecting the face of a person in an input image, the method comprising:

• detecting a face in an input image by a face detection circuit including a hardware circuit configured to perform face detection;
• executing, by a signal processing unit circuit configured to perform signal processing based on an input image signal in accordance with a rewritable program that includes a face software program for detecting a face, the face detection program thereby performing face detection in a manner parallel to processing performed by the face detection circuit on an image of a frame which is same as that input to the face detection circuit or on, among consecutive frames, an image of a frame adjacent to that input to the face detection circuit;
• and
• selectively outputting one of information based on a face detection result obtained by the face detection circuit or information based on a face detection result obtained by the signal processing circuit as a final face detection result, and in a case where the face detection result obtained by the face detection circuit is output as the final detection result, stopping the face detection performed by the signal processing circuit.