DETECTING OBJECTS IN AN IMAGE BEING ACQUIRED BY A DIGITAL CAMERA OR OTHER ELECTRONIC IMAGE ACQUISITION DEVICE

The likelihood of a particular type of object, such as a human face, being present within a digital image, and its location in that image, are determined by comparing the image data within defined windows across the image in sequence with two or more sets of data representing features of the particular type of object. The evaluation of each set of features after the first is preferably performed only on data of those windows that pass the evaluation with respect to the first set of features, thereby quickly narrowing potential target windows that contain at least some portion of the object. Correlation scores are preferably calculated by the use of non-linear interpolation techniques in order to obtain a more refined score. Evaluation of the individual windows also preferably includes maintaining separate feature set data for various positions of the object around one axis and rotating the feature set data with respect to the image data for the individual windows about another axis.