Abstract:
Correlation values between a plurality of templates prepared beforehand and a picture-element data distribution as a pick-up result of an image are calculated, and the position of a maximum template whose correlation value is the maximum of the calculated correlation values is obtained. Subsequently, a curved surface function is calculated which fits the distribution of calculated correlation-values in positions near the maximum template's position, and the position of the picked-up image is calculated based on the curved surface function. As a result, the number of templates prepared beforehand to achieve desired accuracy in detecting a position and the number of times of calculating correlation-values can be reduced, and the image position can be quickly and accurately detected.