Image-processing device and image-processing method, image-pickup device, and computer program

1. An image-processing device configured to process image data including at least one face image, the image-processing device comprising:

image-input means configured to input the image data;

face-detection means configured to detect the at least one face image from an image frame of the input image data;

importance-determination means configured to determine importance of each of the at least one detected face image; and

priority-determination means configured to determine priority of each of the at least one detected face image based on the determined importance,

wherein the importance-determination means determines the importance considering data on a size and a position of the detected face image shown in the image frame, and a priority determined by last time by the priority-determination means.

2. The image-processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the image-input means inputs video, as the image data, and

wherein the importance-determination means determines the importance further considering a speed with which the detected face image moves in the video.

3. The image-processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the importance-determination means assigns a higher priority to a detected face image near a center of the image frame.

4. The image-processing device according to claim 2 , wherein the importance-determination means determines the importance in order of the speed with which the detected face image moves in the video, the size of the detected face image shown in the image frame, and the position of the detected face image shown in the image frame.

5. The image-processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the importance-determination means assigns a higher priority to a detected face image near a lower end of the image frame.

6. The image-processing device according to claim 1 , wherein, where a plurality of subject images is produced in the image frame, the importance-determination means assigns a higher priority to a detected face image near a barycenter of each of the subject images.

7. The image-processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising a face-recognition means configured to recognize each of the at least one detected face image,

wherein the importance-determination means assigns a higher priority to the detected face image corresponding to a person recognized by the face-recognition means.

8. An image-processing method provided to process image data including at least one face image, the image-processing method comprising the steps of:

inputting the image data;

detecting the at least one face image from an image frame;

determining importance of each of the at least one detected face image; and

determining priority of each of the at least one detected face image based on the determined importance,

wherein, at the importance-determining step, the importance is determined considering data on a size and a position of the detected face image shown in the image frame, and a priority determined by last time, at the priority-determination step.

9. An image-pickup device configured to pick up an image of a subject, the image-pickup device comprising:

image-pickup means configured to generate an image signal based on incident light from the subject;

an optical system configured to condense light from the subject on a light-reception face of the image-pickup means;

optical-system-drive means configured to drive the optical system;

image-signal-processing means configured to process the generated image signal;

face-detection means configured to detect at least one face image from an image frame of image data transmitted from the image-signal-processing means;

importance-determination means configured to determine importance of each of the at least one detected face image;

priority-determination means configured to determine priority of each of the at least one detected face image based on the determined importance; and

control means configured to determine a detected face image with a high priority to be a main subject and control an operation performed in the optical-system-drive means and/or the image-signal-processing means,

wherein the importance-determination means determines the importance considering data on a size and a position of the detected face image shown in the image frame, and a priority determined by last time by the priority-determination means.

10. The image-pickup device according to claim 9 , wherein the control means, which determines the detected face image with the high priority to be the main subject, performs automatic focusing and/or automatic exposure for the optical system provided in the optical-system-drive means, and/or the automatic focusing, the automatic exposure, and image-quality adjustment in the image-signal-processing means.

11. The image-pickup device according to claim 9 , wherein the importance-determination means determines the importance further considering a speed with which the detected face image moves in a through image and/or picked up video transmitted from the image-pickup means.

12. The image-pickup device according to claim 9 , wherein the importance-determination means assigns a higher priority to a detected face image near a center of the image frame.

13. The image-pickup device according to claim 9 , wherein the importance-determination means determines the importance in order of the speed with which the detected face image moves in video, the size of the detected face image shown in the image frame, and the position of the detected face image shown in the image frame.

14. The image-pickup device according to claim 9 , wherein the importance-determination means assigns a higher priority to a detected face image near a lower end of the image frame.

15. The image-pickup device according to claim 9 , wherein, where a plurality of the subject images is produced in the image frame, the importance-determination means assigns a higher priority to a detected face image near a barycenter of each of the subject images.

16. The image-pickup device according to claim 9 , further comprising a face-recognition means configured to recognize each of the at least one detected face image,

wherein the importance-determination means assigns a higher priority to the detected face image corresponding to a person recognized by the face-recognition means.

17. A computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, so as to process image data including at least one face image on a computer, the computer program making the computer execute the steps of:

inputting the image data;

detecting the at least one face image from an image frame of the input image data;

determining importance of each of the at least one detected face image; and

determining priority of each of the at least one detected face image based on the determined importance,

wherein, at the importance-determining step, the computer is made to determine the importance considering data on a size and a position of the detected face image shown in the image frame, and a priority determined by last time, at the priority-determination step.

18. An image-processing device configured to process image data including at least one face image, the image-processing device comprising:

an image-input unit configured to input the image data;

a face-detection unit configured to detect the at least one face image from an image frame of the input image data;

an importance-determination unit configured to determine importance of each of the at least one detected face image; and

a priority-determination unit configured to determine priority of each of the at least one detected face image based on the determined importance,

wherein the importance-determination unit determines the importance considering data on a size and a position of the detected face image shown in the image frame, and a priority determined by last time by the priority-determination unit.

19. An image-pickup device configured to pick up an image of a subject, the image-pickup device comprising:

an image-pickup unit configured to generate an image signal based on incident light from the subject;

an optical system configured to condense light from the subject on a light-reception face of the image-pickup unit;

an optical-system-drive unit configured to drive the optical system;

an image-signal-processing unit configured to process the generated image signal;

a face-detection unit configured to detect at least one face image from an image frame of image data transmitted from the image-signal-processing unit;

an importance-determination unit configured to determine importance of each of the at least one detected face image;

a priority-determination unit configured to determine priority of each of the at least one detected face image based on the determined importance; and

a control unit configured to determine a detected face image with a high priority to be a main subject and control an operation performed in the optical-system-drive unit and/or the image-signal-processing unit,

wherein the importance-determination unit determines the importance considering data on a size and a position of the detected face image shown in the image frame, and a priority determined by last time by the priority-determination unit.