Owner contact methods, apparatuses, and systems

Abstract

A method for owner contact is disclosed, including: receiving, by a road side unit (RSU), a pending contact request from a caller, the pending contact request indicating that the caller desires to contact an owner and including ID information of the caller; verifying, by the RSU, the caller based on the ID information of the caller; sending, by the RSU, a verified contact request to a vehicle-mounted device based on the verification of the caller passing, the vehicle-mounted device being installed in a vehicle of the owner and having a contact method of the owner, and the verified contact request indicating that the caller desires to contact the owner and the verification of the caller has passed; initiating, by the vehicle-mounted device, a communication request to the owner through the contact method based on receiving the verified contact request, the communication request including ID information of the vehicle-mounted device and not including the ID information of the caller; and establishing, by the vehicle-mounted device, a communication link between the caller and the owner for the caller to communicate with the owner in response to the owner accepting the communication request. An apparatus and a system for implementing the above method are also provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to vehicle networking communication, specifically to a method, device, and system for contacting vehicle owners. Background Technology

[0002] Existing methods for contacting car owners often require them to register their license plate number and phone number with a service platform (e.g., a car relocation service platform). This provides callers with information retrieval capabilities (e.g., searching for the owner's phone number by license plate number and then contacting the owner via that number). When a caller needs to contact the owner, they can use the service platform's app or the QR code left on the car to request a call. The service platform then encrypts both the caller's and the owner's phone numbers using virtual numbers, ensuring that their phone information is not leaked. Some existing solutions also perform location verification to determine if the caller is near the vehicle, thus preventing unwanted harassing calls.

[0003] However, existing solutions have the following problems:

[0004] (1) The prerequisite for successfully contacting the car owner is that the car owner actively registers their license plate number and phone number on the service platform so that others can contact them when needed. This is highly dependent on the car owner's subjective awareness, and it is difficult for the service provider to cover all vehicles, making it difficult to popularize.

[0005] (2) Although the personal information of both parties can be protected from being leaked by using virtual phone numbers, the car owner is more likely to refuse to answer the call because the contact number seen is an unfamiliar number.

[0006] (3) The way to block harassing calls is often to compare the location of the vehicle and the location of the caller. This requires the caller's terminal and the vehicle to provide location information together, which places high demands on the system setup.

[0007] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an improved method of contacting car owners to solve the aforementioned problems of existing technology. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The following provides a brief overview of one or more aspects to offer a basic understanding of them. This overview is not an exhaustive summary of all conceived aspects, nor is it intended to identify the key or decisive elements of all aspects, nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description that follows.

[0009] This invention provides a method for contacting a vehicle owner via an in-vehicle device installed in the vehicle owner's vehicle and having the owner's contact information. The method includes: receiving a verified contact request from a roadside unit (RSU), wherein the verified contact request indicates that a caller wishes to contact the vehicle owner and that the caller's verification has been successful; initiating a communication request to the vehicle owner via the contact information based on the received verified contact request, wherein the communication request includes the ID information of the in-vehicle device but not the ID information of the caller; and establishing a communication link between the caller and the vehicle owner in response to the vehicle owner accepting the communication request, so that the caller and the vehicle owner can communicate.

[0010] In some embodiments, the method further includes: in response to the vehicle owner rejecting the communication request or not responding to the communication request, continuing to initiate the communication request after a preset time period until the vehicle owner accepts the communication request or until the number of communication requests initiated reaches a threshold.

[0011] In some embodiments, the on-board unit includes an on-board unit (OBU) and a telematics control unit (TCU), wherein the verified contact request is received by the OBU, and initiating a communication request to the vehicle owner further includes: after the OBU receives the verified contact request, the OBU communicates with the TCU to notify the TCU to initiate a communication request to the vehicle owner.

[0012] In some embodiments, communication between the caller and the RSU is V2X communication, communication between the RSU and the OBU is V2X communication, communication between the OBU and the TCU is in-vehicle communication, and communication between the TCU and the vehicle owner is cellular communication.

[0013] In some embodiments, the method further includes: in response to either the caller or the vehicle owner ending the communication, cutting off all communication links from the caller to the vehicle owner.

[0014] In some embodiments, verification of the caller is accomplished by performing a credit assessment of the caller based on the caller's ID information.

[0015] In some embodiments, communication between the caller and the vehicle owner includes at least one of the following: real-time voice communication, non-real-time voice communication, and non-voice communication.

[0016] The present invention also provides a method for contacting a vehicle owner performed by a caller, comprising: sending a contact request to be verified to a roadside unit (RSU), wherein the contact request to be verified indicates that the caller wishes to contact the owner of the target vehicle and includes the caller's ID information; and after the RSU verifies the caller, communicating with the vehicle owner on a communication link established between the caller and the vehicle owner, wherein the communication link is established in response to the vehicle owner accepting a communication request initiated by an on-board device in the target vehicle, the communication request including the ID information of the on-board device but not the caller's ID information, wherein the verification of the caller is accomplished by performing a credit assessment of the caller based on the caller's ID information.

[0017] In some embodiments, the communication request is initiated by the on-board unit based on a verified contact request received from the RSU, wherein the verified contact request indicates that the caller wishes to contact the vehicle owner and that the caller's verification has been successful.

[0018] In some embodiments, the target vehicle is selected by the caller from a list of nearby vehicles provided by the RSU, or provided by the caller to the RSU.

[0019] The present invention also provides a method for contacting a vehicle owner performed by a roadside unit (RSU), comprising: receiving a contact request to be verified from a caller, wherein the contact request to be verified indicates that the caller wishes to contact the owner of a target vehicle and includes the caller's ID information; verifying the caller based on the caller's ID information; and sending a verified contact request to the on-board unit of the target vehicle based on the successful verification of the caller, wherein the verified contact request indicates that the caller wishes to contact the vehicle owner and that the verification of the caller has been successful.

[0020] In some embodiments, verification of the caller is accomplished by performing a credit assessment of the caller based on the caller's ID information.

[0021] In some embodiments, the verification of the caller is performed by the RSU using a cloud server.

[0022] The present invention also provides a vehicle owner contact device, which is installed in the vehicle owner's vehicle and has the vehicle owner's contact information. The device includes: a contact request receiving module for receiving a verified contact request from a roadside unit (RSU), wherein the verified contact request indicates that the caller wishes to contact the vehicle owner and that the caller's verification has been successful; a communication request initiating module for initiating a communication request to the vehicle owner through the contact information based on the received verified contact request, wherein the communication request includes the ID information of the vehicle owner contact device but does not include the ID information of the caller; and a communication management module for establishing a communication link between the caller and the vehicle owner in response to the vehicle owner accepting the communication request, so that the caller and the vehicle owner can communicate.

[0023] The present invention also provides a vehicle owner contact device, comprising: a contact request sending module for sending a contact request to be verified to a roadside unit (RSU), wherein the contact request to be verified indicates that a caller associated with the device wishes to contact the owner of a target vehicle and includes the caller's ID information; and a communication management module for enabling the caller to communicate with the vehicle owner on a communication link established between the caller and the vehicle owner after the RSU verifies the caller's identity, wherein the communication link is established in response to the vehicle owner accepting a communication request initiated by an on-board device in the target vehicle, the communication request including the ID information of the on-board device but not the caller's ID information.

[0024] The present invention also provides a vehicle owner contact system, comprising: a roadside unit (RSU); and an in-vehicle device installed in the vehicle owner's vehicle and having the vehicle owner's contact information, wherein the RSU and the in-vehicle device are configured such that: the RSU receives a pending contact request from a caller, wherein the pending contact request indicates that the caller wishes to contact the vehicle owner and includes the caller's ID information; the RSU verifies the caller based on the caller's ID information; the RSU sends a verified contact request to the in-vehicle device based on the successful verification of the caller, wherein the verified contact request indicates that the caller wishes to contact the vehicle owner and the verification of the caller has been successful; the in-vehicle device initiates a communication request to the vehicle owner via the contact information based on the received verified contact request, wherein the communication request includes the in-vehicle device's ID information but not the caller's ID information; and the in-vehicle device establishes a communication link between the caller and the vehicle owner in response to the vehicle owner accepting the communication request, so that the caller and the vehicle owner can communicate.

[0025] In some embodiments, the in-vehicle device includes an on-board unit (OBU) and a telematics control unit (TCU), wherein the verified contact request is received by the OBU and the communication request is initiated by the TCU, wherein the OBU communicates with the TCU after receiving the verified contact request to notify the TCU to initiate a communication request to the vehicle owner.

[0026] In some embodiments, verification of the caller is accomplished by performing a credit assessment of the caller based on the caller's ID information.

[0027] In some embodiments, the verification of the caller is performed by the RSU using a cloud server.

[0028] The present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for contacting a vehicle owner, the computer program being executable by a processor to perform the aforementioned vehicle owner contact method. Attached Figure Description

[0029] The features, essence, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent when understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which provide a detailed description. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are consistently used. It should be noted that the described drawings are schematic and not restrictive. Some components in the drawings may be enlarged and are not drawn to scale for illustrative purposes.

[0030] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the vehicle owner contact system of the present invention is shown.

[0031] Figure 2 A flowchart of the vehicle owner contact method executed by an in-vehicle device according to the present invention is shown.

[0032] Figure 3 A flowchart of the vehicle owner contact method performed by the caller according to the present invention is shown.

[0033] Figure 4 A flowchart of the vehicle owner contact method performed by the RSU according to the present invention is shown.

[0034] Figure 5 An exemplary process for contacting a vehicle owner using the vehicle owner contact method of the present invention is shown.

[0035] Figure 6 The diagram illustrates the interaction flow between the various participants in the vehicle owner contact system of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 7 A block diagram of an exemplary vehicle owner contact device of the present invention is shown.

[0037] Figure 8 A block diagram of another exemplary vehicle owner contact device of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0038] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the described exemplary embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the described embodiments can be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other exemplary embodiments, well-known structures have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the concepts of this disclosure. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the various aspects described in the embodiments can be combined arbitrarily without conflict.

[0039] As mentioned above, existing methods of contacting car owners rely heavily on the car owner's subjective awareness, making it more likely that the car owner will refuse to answer the call, and also requiring a high level of system development expertise.

[0040] With the rapid development of Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), the penetration rate of V2X devices is increasing, and the coverage density is expanding. This invention effectively alleviates the aforementioned problems of existing technologies by flexibly applying the usage methods of existing V2X devices to achieve communication between callers and vehicle owners.

[0041] The technical solution of this invention utilizes a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication system composed of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) devices and a remote information control unit (TCU) inside the vehicle. Through V2X communication between V2X devices, in-vehicle communication between V2X devices and the TCU, and cellular communication between the TCU and the vehicle owner, the caller can contact the vehicle owner.

[0042] Specifically, when a caller wishes to contact the vehicle owner, the caller can submit a call request to the V2X Roadside Unit (RSU). After verifying the caller, the RSU establishes V2X communication with the V2X Onboard Unit (OBU). The OBU then communicates with the TCU (Traffic Control Unit) to instruct the TCU to contact the vehicle owner using stored contact information.

[0043] Both RSU (Roadside Unit) and OBU (On-Board Unit) are devices in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, primarily used for short-range communication. The RSU is roadside infrastructure, mainly used for information relay, road condition sensing, etc. The RSU is similar to a "base station" in a communication system. The OBU is an embedded processing unit deployed in the vehicle to participate in V2X communication. The OBU is similar to a "mobile terminal" in a communication system.

[0044] When the RSU and OBU communicate, the OBU provides vehicle information (e.g., license plate number, VIN, etc.) to the RSU. The RSU can then publish nearby license plate numbers to the caller, allowing the caller to select a target vehicle or perform a search based on the license plate number provided by the caller. Therefore, the implementation of this invention does not depend on the vehicle owner's subjective intent.

[0045] Meanwhile, the caller's direct communication point is the RSU, while the vehicle owner's direct communication point is the TCU. The two parties do not need to establish direct communication, thus protecting their privacy without the need for a virtual number. When contacting the vehicle owner through the TCU, the owner sees their own vehicle's TCU information (e.g., the TCU number), which is fixed and known information to the owner, making it less likely for them to refuse.

[0046] Furthermore, since the RSU itself is a short-range communication device with a range of hundreds of meters, the fact that the caller can communicate with the RSU indicates that the caller is near the RSU. Similarly, the fact that the OBU can communicate with the RSU indicates that the vehicle owner's vehicle is also near the RSU. Therefore, the technical solution of this invention does not require the caller's terminal or the vehicle owner's vehicle to provide location information, thus reducing the requirements for system setup.

[0047] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the vehicle owner contact system 100 of the present invention is shown.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, system 100 may include the caller, RSU, in-vehicle equipment, vehicle owner, and cloud server.

[0049] The caller may want a nearby target vehicle moved. To do this, the caller needs to contact the owner of the target vehicle.

[0050] As shown in the figure, the caller can first send a call request to the RSU. This call request can include the caller's ID information and the target vehicle's information (e.g., the target vehicle's license plate information).

[0051] The caller's ID information represents various information that can identify the caller, such as the caller's phone number, ID card number, passport number, vehicle information, and onboard equipment information of the vehicle.

[0052] Upon receiving a call request, the RSU can process the request, such as extracting the caller's ID information and the target vehicle's license plate information. Additionally, the RSU can process the target vehicle's license plate information to identify the on-board unit (OBU) associated with that license plate (e.g., the OBU specified by the license plate number).

[0053] Additionally, the RSU can also verify the caller. Preferably, the RSU can use a cloud server to verify the caller. For example, the RSU can send a verification request to the cloud server, which includes the caller's ID information. The cloud server verifies the caller based on the caller's ID information and returns the verification result to the RSU.

[0054] If the caller's authentication is successful, the RSU can communicate with the target vehicle's onboard equipment. Conversely, if the caller's authentication fails, the RSU will not communicate with the target vehicle's onboard equipment, and the caller's call request will fail.

[0055] As shown in the figure, the on-board unit (OBU) can include an Onboard Unit (OBU) and a Transmission Control Unit (TCU). The OBU can communicate with the Rear Unit (RSU) via V2X and with the TCU within the vehicle. The TCU can communicate with the OBU within the vehicle and with the vehicle owner via cellular communication. In-vehicle communication refers to wired network communication between various modules / components within the vehicle, such as CAN, LIN, FlexRay, MOST, and LVDS. The TCU can simultaneously support both in-vehicle and cellular communication modes and can switch between these two modes.

[0056] In some embodiments, the OBU and TCU can be separate modules and can communicate within the vehicle via wired or wireless connections. In other embodiments, the OBU and TCU can be integrated into the same module.

[0057] Once the caller's identity is verified, the RSU can communicate via V2X with the target vehicle's OBU to inform the OBU about the caller's call request. Because the caller's identity has been verified, the V2X communication between the RSU and the OBU can be conducted without involving the caller's private information (e.g., the caller's ID information), thereby protecting the caller's personal privacy from disclosure.

[0058] After receiving the V2X communication from the RSU, the OBU of the target vehicle can communicate with the TCU of the target vehicle to notify the TCU to contact the vehicle owner.

[0059] The TCU can store the vehicle owner's contact information (e.g., phone number). For example, when a vehicle owner purchases a vehicle, the seller can store the owner's contact information in the TCU's storage space. In some implementations, the owner can also be granted relevant permissions to set their own contact information in the TCU. Therefore, when the TCU receives a notification from the OBU, it can contact the owner using the stored phone number (e.g., send a call request to the owner).

[0060] When the TCU sends a call request to the vehicle owner, the owner sees the vehicle's own TCU information (e.g., the TCU number) rather than the caller's information. Because the TCU's information is known to the vehicle owner, the owner is unlikely to reject the call request.

[0061] After the car owner accepts the call request, a communication link can be established between the car owner and the caller, and both parties can talk. For example, the caller can ask the car owner to move the car during the call.

[0062] Because the caller's direct communication point is the RSU (Roadside Unit), while the vehicle owner's direct communication point is their vehicle's onboard unit (e.g., TCU), neither party can see the other's phone number, thus protecting their privacy. At the same time, by contacting the vehicle owner through their vehicle's onboard unit (e.g., TCU), the owner is less likely to refuse the communication request, thereby increasing the success rate of contacting the vehicle owner.

[0063] For ease of understanding, Figure 1 This explanation uses a telephone communication scenario between the caller and the car owner as an example. However, it should be noted that communication between the caller and the car owner is not limited to telephone communication. For example, the caller and the car owner can also engage in real-time voice communication such as WeChat voice calls, non-real-time voice communication such as voice messages, or non-voice communication such as text messaging.

[0064] It should also be noted that, in this invention, communication between the caller and the owner of the target vehicle refers to communication between the caller and the owner through their respective terminal devices. For example, the caller and the owner of the target vehicle can communicate via telephone using their respective smartphones. In other examples, the caller may be located inside their own vehicle. In this case, the caller can also communicate with the target vehicle owner's terminal device through their own vehicle's onboard equipment.

[0065] Figure 2 A flowchart of a vehicle owner contact method 200 executed by an in-vehicle device according to the present invention is shown. The in-vehicle device is installed in the vehicle owner's vehicle and has the vehicle owner's contact information.

[0066] Method 200 begins at step 205. In step 205, a verified contact request is received from the roadside unit (RSU), wherein the verified contact request indicates that the caller wishes to contact the vehicle owner and that the verification of the caller has been successful.

[0067] In some embodiments, verification of the caller is accomplished by performing a credit assessment of the caller based on the caller's ID information.

[0068] In some embodiments, caller verification can be performed by the RSU using a cloud server. For example, the RSU can transmit the caller's ID information to the cloud server, which can then perform a credit assessment of the caller based on that ID information. For instance, the cloud server can query a cloud database or a third-party database based on the caller's ID information (e.g., phone number) to obtain a credit assessment (e.g., credit score) for the caller.

[0069] If the caller's credit assessment meets preset conditions (e.g., the caller's credit score is higher than a preset threshold), the caller's verification can be considered successful. For example, if the caller's ID information is a phone number, the phone number can be considered not to be a spam call.

[0070] If the caller's credit assessment does not meet preset conditions (e.g., the caller's credit score is below a preset threshold), then the verification of the caller can be considered to have failed. For example, if the caller's ID information is a phone number, then that phone number can be considered a harassing call.

[0071] It should be noted that the caller's credit assessment (e.g., credit score) is not fixed. When the caller's credit history changes, the caller's credit assessment will also change accordingly. For example, as the number of harassing calls increases, individual car owners who receive these calls can report it to the system so that the system can modify the caller's credit history (e.g., lower the caller's credit score).

[0072] Furthermore, while caller authentication is performed via a cloud server here, this is merely exemplary and not restrictive. In alternative implementations, caller authentication can also be performed locally at the RSU (e.g., by querying the RSU's local database). In practice, those skilled in the art can employ appropriate authentication methods based on actual needs.

[0073] In step 210, a communication request is initiated to the vehicle owner via a contact method based on the received verified contact request, wherein the communication request includes the ID information of the vehicle device but does not include the ID information of the caller.

[0074] The ID information of an in-vehicle device represents various information that can identify the in-vehicle device, such as the name, serial number, telephone number, identifier, etc.

[0075] In some embodiments, the in-vehicle device may have a separate SIM card and an associated phone number. When the in-vehicle device contacts the vehicle owner, the owner sees the phone number of their own in-vehicle device, not an unknown number.

[0076] In other embodiments, the in-vehicle device may have other ID information (such as name, number, identifier, etc.) known to the vehicle owner, and can display this ID information to the vehicle owner when contacting them. In this way, when the in-vehicle device contacts the vehicle owner, the owner knows that the contact is their own vehicle's in-vehicle device. Because the in-vehicle device is a known and trusted device to the vehicle owner, the owner is less likely to refuse the communication request, thus increasing the likelihood of successfully contacting the vehicle owner.

[0077] At the same time, since the caller's ID information is not included in the communication request, the caller's personal privacy is protected.

[0078] In some embodiments, the in-vehicle equipment may include an On-Board Unit (OBU) and a Transmission Control Unit (TCU). In such embodiments, the OBU may receive the verified contact request. After receiving the verified contact request, the OBU communicates with the TCU within the vehicle to notify the TCU to initiate a communication request to the vehicle owner.

[0079] After the vehicle stops, the TCU can typically enter a low-power operating state, such as hibernation or sleep, to conserve energy. When the OBU receives a verified contact request, it can first wake up the TCU to exit the low-power operating state, and then communicate with the TCU to notify the TCU to initiate a communication request to the vehicle owner. In this way, timely contact with the vehicle owner can be ensured while minimizing vehicle energy consumption.

[0080] In step 215, in response to the vehicle owner accepting the communication request, a communication link is established between the caller and the vehicle owner to enable communication between them.

[0081] In some embodiments, communication between the caller and the vehicle owner includes at least one of the following: real-time voice communication, non-real-time voice communication, and non-voice communication.

[0082] For example, the caller can have real-time voice communication with the car owner (e.g., telephone communication, WeChat voice call). In other examples, the caller can also have non-real-time voice communication with the car owner (e.g., voicemail, WeChat voice message), non-voice communication (text message), and so on.

[0083] In some embodiments, the communication link established between the caller and the vehicle owner may include multiple communication links, such as a communication link from the caller to the RSU, a communication link from the RSU to the OBU, a communication link from the OBU to the TCU, and a communication link from the TCU to the vehicle owner. That is, the communication link established between the caller and the vehicle owner is an indirect communication link composed of multiple communication links rather than a direct communication link.

[0084] In various embodiments of the present invention, the communication between the caller and the RSU is V2X communication, the communication between the RSU and the OBU is V2X communication, the communication between the OBU and the TCU is in-vehicle communication (e.g., CAN communication), and the communication between the TCU and the vehicle owner is cellular communication.

[0085] In some embodiments, in response to either the caller or the vehicle owner ending the communication, all communication links from the caller to the vehicle owner can be cut off. For example, when either party hangs up the phone, the call ends, and all communication links between the two parties can be cut off.

[0086] Figure 2 This illustrates a scenario where a vehicle owner accepts a communication request. In different implementations, the vehicle owner may reject the communication request or fail to respond to it.

[0087] For example, if the driver is on another call, does not see the communication request in time, or does not have their device with them, the driver may reject the communication request or not respond to it. In such cases, the in-vehicle device can continue to initiate communication requests after a preset time period (e.g., 5 seconds, 1 minute, etc.) until the driver accepts the request or until a threshold number of communication requests has been reached (e.g., 3, 5, 10, etc.). The preset time period and threshold number can be pre-set by the in-vehicle device and can be changed by the user according to actual needs.

[0088] In other embodiments, if a threshold number of communication requests of a certain type have been initiated and the vehicle owner still has not responded, the type of communication request can be changed. For example, if a threshold number of real-time voice communication requests (e.g., telephone communication requests) have been initiated and the vehicle owner still has not responded, a non-real-time voice communication request or a non-voice communication request (e.g., sending a voice message or text message to the vehicle owner, etc.) can be initiated instead.

[0089] In a further embodiment, if the vehicle owner's in-vehicle device has multiple contact methods (e.g., phone number, WeChat, QQ, Skype, etc.), one method can be selected. For example, these contact methods can be prioritized (e.g., based on the vehicle owner's usage preferences, frequency of use, etc.). When the in-vehicle device initiates a communication request to the vehicle owner, it can first attempt to contact the owner using the highest priority contact method (e.g., phone number). If the vehicle owner cannot be contacted successfully within a predetermined time period, it can attempt to contact the owner using the next highest priority contact method (e.g., WeChat), and so on. This method increases the likelihood of successfully contacting the vehicle owner.

[0090] Figure 3 A flowchart of the vehicle owner contact method 300 performed by the caller according to the present invention is shown.

[0091] Method 300 begins at step 305. In step 305, a pending contact request is sent to the roadside unit (RSU), wherein the pending contact request indicates that the caller wishes to contact the owner of the target vehicle and includes the caller's ID information.

[0092] In this invention, the target vehicle can be selected by the caller from a list of nearby vehicles provided by the RSU, or it can be provided by the caller to the RSU.

[0093] In an embodiment where the caller selects a target vehicle from a list of nearby vehicles, the RSU can broadcast a vehicle information request to the OBUs of all nearby vehicles (e.g., within the RSU's communication range). Upon receiving the request, the OBUs can provide their respective vehicle information (e.g., license plate number, vehicle identification number, etc.) to the RSU. When the caller sends a pending verification request to the RSU, the RSU can provide the caller with information on all nearby vehicles (e.g., license plate numbers) so that the caller can select the desired target vehicle. In this embodiment, the pending verification request sent by the caller to the RSU does not include target vehicle information. To ensure information security, the RSU can first verify the caller upon receiving the pending verification request. Only after successful verification can the RSU provide the caller with a list of nearby vehicles for the caller to select the desired target vehicle.

[0094] In an embodiment where the caller provides the target vehicle to the RSU, when the caller wishes to contact the owner of the target vehicle, the caller can provide the target vehicle information in the pending contact request sent to the RSU.

[0095] Taking a terminal app implementation as an example, in some implementations, when a caller wishes to contact the owner of a target vehicle, the caller can indicate their intention to contact the owner through the terminal app without providing information about the target vehicle (e.g., the caller selects the "Contact Owner" option on the terminal app but does not enter the target vehicle's license plate number). In this case, the terminal app can send a pending contact request to the RSU, and this request does not include the target vehicle's information. The RSU can then verify the caller's identity and, upon successful verification, provide the caller's terminal app with a list of nearby vehicles (e.g., displaying a list of nearby vehicle license plate numbers on the terminal app). The caller can then select the target vehicle from this list and inform the RSU. The RSU can then use the target vehicle's information to determine the on-board unit (e.g., the OBU specified by the license plate number) within the target vehicle.

[0096] In the replacement implementation, when a caller wishes to contact the owner of a target vehicle, the caller can indicate their intention to contact the owner and provide information about the target vehicle via a terminal app (e.g., the caller selects the "Contact Owner" option on the terminal app and enters the target vehicle's license plate number). At this point, the terminal app can send a pending contact request to the RSU, and this request includes the target vehicle's information. The RSU can then use this information to determine the on-board unit (OBU) within the target vehicle (e.g., the OBU specified by the license plate number).

[0097] In step 310, after the RSU verifies the caller, it communicates with the vehicle owner on the communication link established between the caller and the vehicle owner. This communication link is established in response to the vehicle owner accepting a communication request initiated by the in-vehicle device in the target vehicle. The communication request includes the ID information of the in-vehicle device but not the ID information of the caller. The verification of the caller is completed by performing a credit assessment of the caller based on the caller's ID information.

[0098] In some embodiments, the communication request is initiated by the on-board unit based on a verified contact request received from the RSU, wherein the verified contact request indicates that the caller wishes to contact the vehicle owner and that the caller's verification has been successful.

[0099] For example, the RSU can obtain the caller's ID information from the received unverified contact request and verify the caller based on that ID. If the caller is successfully verified, the RSU can send a verified contact request to the onboard unit. The process for verifying the caller has been described above. Figure 2 A detailed description will not be provided here.

[0100] Figure 4 A flowchart of the vehicle owner contact method 400 performed by the RSU according to the present invention is shown.

[0101] Method 400 begins at step 405. In step 405, a contact request to be verified is received from the caller, wherein the contact request to be verified indicates that the caller wishes to contact the owner of the target vehicle and includes the caller's ID information.

[0102] In step 410, the caller is verified based on the caller's ID information.

[0103] In some embodiments, verification of the caller is accomplished by performing a credit assessment of the caller based on the caller's ID information.

[0104] In some embodiments, the verification of the caller is performed by the RSU using a cloud server.

[0105] In step 415, a verified contact request is sent to the vehicle's onboard equipment based on the successful verification of the caller, wherein the verified contact request indicates that the caller wishes to contact the vehicle owner and that the verification of the caller has been successful.

[0106] In some embodiments, the RSU may refuse a caller's contact request in response to a failure to verify the caller's identity. For example, if the RSU determines, based on verification, that the caller's phone number is a nuisance call, it may refuse the caller's contact request and not communicate with the target vehicle's onboard equipment.

[0107] from Figures 2-4 As can be seen, the caller's direct contact is the RSU (Remote Service Unit), while the vehicle owner's direct contact is the vehicle's onboard unit (e.g., TCU). The caller and vehicle owner do not need to establish direct communication, effectively protecting their privacy. Furthermore, the communication request received by the vehicle owner originates from the onboard unit and displays its ID information, which is fixed and known information to the owner, making it unlikely they will refuse the request. Additionally, since the RSU is a short-range communication device, the fact that both the caller's and the vehicle owner's OBU (On-Board Unit) can communicate with the RSU indicates that both are near the RSU, eliminating the need for location information from the caller's terminal or the vehicle owner's vehicle, thus reducing system requirements. Moreover, verifying the caller through the RSU filters out potential nuisance calls, further enhancing communication security.

[0108] Figure 5 An exemplary process 500 for contacting a vehicle owner using the vehicle owner contact method of the present invention is shown.

[0109] When a caller wishes to contact the owner of a target vehicle, the caller may send a contact request (505) to the RSU. This contact request indicates that the caller expects to contact the owner and includes the caller's ID information (e.g., the caller's phone number). It should be noted that the caller has not yet been verified at this point, therefore the contact request in 505 is equivalent to... Figures 2-4 The pending contact request in the system.

[0110] Next, the RSU can verify the caller (510) to obtain a verification result (515). For example, the RSU can verify the caller based on the caller's ID information included in the contact request.

[0111] In a preferred embodiment, the RSU can authenticate the caller using a cloud server. In this embodiment, the RSU can send the caller's ID information to the cloud server, which then verifies the caller and returns the verification result to the RSU.

[0112] If the verification of the caller fails (marked "Failed" in box 515), the caller's contact request is rejected, the communication ends, and all communication links can be severed. For example, if the verification result indicates that the caller's phone number is a nuisance call, the RSU can reject the caller's contact request.

[0113] If the caller's authentication is successful (marked "Passed" in box 515), and the target vehicle's information is provided in the contact request sent by the caller to the RSU, the RSU can directly communicate with the target vehicle's OBU via V2X (520). For example, the RSU can inform the OBU about the caller's contact request. Since the caller's authentication has been successful, the V2X communication between the RSU and the OBU can proceed without involving the caller's ID information, thereby protecting the caller's privacy.

[0114] If the caller's authentication passes (marked "Passed" in box 515), and the target vehicle is not provided in the contact request sent by the caller to the RSU, the RSU provides the caller with a list of nearby RSU vehicles. The caller selects the target vehicle from this list and informs the RSU. Subsequently, the RSU conducts V2X communication with the target vehicle's OBU (520).

[0115] Subsequently, the OBU can communicate with the TCU within the vehicle (525). For example, the OBU can notify the TCU to contact the vehicle owner.

[0116] The TCU can contact the vehicle owner (530) using saved contact information (e.g., the owner's phone number).

[0117] Once the vehicle owner accepts the contact request from the TCU, a communication link is established between the caller and the vehicle owner, and both parties can communicate on this communication link (535).

[0118] The communication ends when either the caller or the vehicle owner terminates the communication, and all communication links between the caller and the vehicle owner can be cut off (540).

[0119] Figure 6 A flowchart 600 illustrating the interaction between the various participants in the vehicle owner contact system of the present invention is shown.

[0120] For ease of explanation, Figure 6 This diagram only illustrates the scenario where the caller's authentication is successful and the vehicle owner accepts the communication request. Furthermore, while flowchart 600 shows the interactions between the caller, RSU, OBU, TCU, and vehicle owner, this is merely exemplary and not restrictive. In some implementations, the OBU and TCU may be combined into the same module. In other implementations, flowchart 600 may also include other participants (such as a cloud server).

[0121] When a caller wishes to contact the owner of a target vehicle, it may send a pending contact request (605) to the RSU. The pending contact request may include information about the target vehicle (e.g., license plate number) to indicate that the caller wishes to contact the owner of the target vehicle. Additionally, the pending contact request may include the caller's ID information (e.g., the caller's phone number) for the RSU to verify the caller.

[0122] Upon receiving a contact verification request, the RSU can verify the caller based on the caller's ID information. In some embodiments, the RSU can utilize a cloud server ( Figure 6 (Not shown in the image) is used to verify the caller.

[0123] In response to successful verification of the caller (610), the RSU may send a verified contact request (615) to the OBU of the target vehicle. The verified contact request indicates that the caller wishes to contact the owner of the target vehicle and that verification of the caller has been successful.

[0124] After receiving a verified contact request, the OBU can communicate with the TCU in-vehicle (620) to notify the TCU to initiate a communication request to the vehicle owner.

[0125] Subsequently, the TCU initiates a communication request to the vehicle owner using the owner's contact information (625). The communication request includes the ID information of the on-board unit (e.g., the TCU) (e.g., the TCU's telephone number) but does not include the caller's ID information.

[0126] Once the vehicle owner accepts the communication request (630), a communication link is established between the caller and the vehicle owner, and both parties can communicate on this communication link (635). As described above, the communication link between the caller and the vehicle owner is an indirect communication link consisting of multiple communication links, including the communication link from the caller to the RSU, the communication link from the RSU to the OBU, the communication link from the OBU to the TCU, and the communication link from the TCU to the vehicle owner.

[0127] When either the caller or the vehicle owner ends communication (640, 645), all communication links between the caller and the vehicle owner can be cut off (650), and the process 600 ends.

[0128] In some embodiments, the unverified contact request sent by the caller to the RSU may not include information about the target vehicle (e.g., license plate number). After receiving the unverified contact request, the RSU verifies the caller based on the caller's ID information. If the verification is successful (610), the RSU provides the caller with a list of nearby vehicles, from which the caller selects the target vehicle and informs the RSU. Subsequently, the RSU sends a verified contact request to the OBU of the target vehicle (615).

[0129] from Figure 6 As can be seen, the caller's direct contact is the RSU (Remote Service Unit), while the vehicle owner's direct contact is the TCU (Traffic Control Unit), thus protecting the privacy of both parties. Simultaneously, the communication request received by the vehicle owner originates from the vehicle's TCU, which is a trusted device for the owner, making it highly likely that the owner will accept the request. Furthermore, verifying the caller through the RSU filters out spam calls. In this way, communication between the caller and the vehicle owner can be effectively achieved while protecting the privacy of both parties.

[0130] Figure 7 A block diagram of an exemplary vehicle owner contact device 700 of the present invention is shown. The vehicle owner contact device 700 may be an example of an in-vehicle device. The vehicle owner contact device 700 is installed in the vehicle owner's vehicle and has the vehicle owner's contact information.

[0131] See Figure 7 The vehicle owner contact device 700 may include a contact request receiving module 705, a communication request initiating module 710, and a communication management module 715. As shown in the figure, the contact request receiving module 705, the communication request initiating module 710, and the communication management module 715 may be directly or indirectly connected to or communicate with each other on one or more buses 720.

[0132] In various embodiments of the present invention, the contact request receiving module 705 may be used to receive a verified contact request from the RSU, wherein the verified contact request indicates that the caller wishes to contact the vehicle owner and that the verification of the caller has been successful.

[0133] In some embodiments, the communication request initiation module 710 can be used to initiate a communication request to the vehicle owner via a contact method based on the receipt of a verified contact request, wherein the communication request includes the ID information of the vehicle owner contact device 700 but does not include the ID information of the caller.

[0134] In some embodiments, the communication management module 715 may be used to establish a communication link between the caller and the vehicle owner in response to the vehicle owner accepting a communication request, so that the caller and the vehicle owner can communicate.

[0135] Figure 7 Specific modules of the vehicle owner contact device 700 are shown, but it should be understood that these modules are merely exemplary and not limiting. In different implementations, one or more of these modules may be combined, split, removed, or additional modules may be added.

[0136] Figure 8A block diagram of another exemplary vehicle owner contact device 800 of the present invention is shown. The vehicle owner contact device 800 may be an example of a terminal device associated with a caller. For example, the vehicle owner contact device 800 may be a smartphone owned by the caller, an in-vehicle device in the vehicle the caller is traveling in, etc.

[0137] See Figure 8 The vehicle owner contact device 800 may include a contact request sending module 805, a communication management module 810, and an optional target vehicle determination module 815. As shown in the figure, the contact request sending module 805, the communication management module 810, and the target vehicle determination module 815 may be directly or indirectly connected to or communicate with each other on one or more buses 820.

[0138] In various embodiments of the present invention, the contact request sending module 805 can be used to send a contact request to be verified to the RSU, wherein the contact request to be verified indicates that a caller associated with the vehicle owner contact device 800 wishes to contact the owner of the target vehicle and includes the caller's ID information.

[0139] In some embodiments, the communication management module 810 can be used to enable the caller to communicate with the vehicle owner on a communication link established between the caller and the vehicle owner, wherein the communication link is established in response to the vehicle owner accepting a communication request initiated by an in-vehicle device in the target vehicle, the communication request including the ID information of the in-vehicle device but not the ID information of the caller.

[0140] In some embodiments, the target vehicle determination module 815 may be used to select a target vehicle from a list of nearby vehicles provided by the RSU.

[0141] Figure 8 Specific modules of the vehicle owner contact device 800 are shown, but it should be understood that these modules are exemplary and not limiting. In different implementations, one or more of these modules may be combined, split, removed, or additional modules may be added. For example, in some implementations, the contact request sending module 805 and the target vehicle determination module 815 may be combined into a single module.

[0142] This invention flexibly applies existing V2X RSU usage methods, enabling the RSU to act as a communication intermediary between the caller and the vehicle owner. This effectively facilitates communication between the caller and the vehicle owner while ensuring the privacy of both parties. Furthermore, the RSU's verification of the caller further enhances communication security. In addition, since the RSU itself is a short-range communication device, it does not require the caller's terminal or the vehicle owner's vehicle to provide location information to determine their proximity, thus lowering the requirements for system setup.

[0143] The detailed description above, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, describes examples but does not represent all examples that can be implemented or fall within the scope of the claims. The terms "example" and "exemplary" are used in this specification to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration" and do not imply "superiority or superiority over other examples."

[0144] Throughout this specification, the terms "an embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Therefore, the use of these phrases may refer to more than one embodiment. Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0145] The preceding description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will readily be understood by those skilled in the art, and the universal principles defined herein can be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be granted the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein references to the singular form of an element, unless specifically stated otherwise, are not intended to mean “one and only one,” but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. All structural and functional equivalents of the various aspects of the invention described throughout are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims.

[0146] It should also be noted that these embodiments may be described as processes depicted as flowcharts, flow diagrams, structure diagrams, or block diagrams. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of these operations can be executed in parallel or concurrently. Furthermore, the order of these operations can be rearranged.

[0147] While various embodiments have been described and illustrated, it should be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the precise configurations and components described above. Various modifications, substitutions, and improvements that will be apparent to those skilled in the art can be made to the arrangement, operation, and details of the apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for contacting a vehicle owner via an in-vehicle device, the in-vehicle device being installed in the vehicle owner's vehicle and having the vehicle owner's contact information, the method comprising: The system receives a verified contact request from a roadside unit (RSU), wherein the verified contact request indicates that the caller wishes to contact the vehicle owner and that the verification of the caller has been successful. The verification of the caller is accomplished by performing a credit assessment on the caller based on the caller's ID information, which includes an assessment of the likelihood that the caller's ID information is used for harassment calls. Based on receiving the verified contact request, a communication request is initiated to the vehicle owner via the contact method, wherein the communication request includes the ID information of the in-vehicle device but excludes the ID information of the caller; and In response to the vehicle owner accepting the communication request, a communication link is established between the caller and the vehicle owner to enable communication between them. The direct communication object of the caller is the RSU, and the direct communication object of the vehicle owner is the in-vehicle device. The caller and the vehicle owner do not establish direct communication and cannot see each other's ID information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Further includes: In response to the vehicle owner rejecting the communication request or not responding to the communication request, the communication request will continue to be initiated after a preset time period until the vehicle owner accepts the communication request or until the number of communication requests initiated reaches a threshold.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The in-vehicle equipment includes an on-board unit (OBU) and a telematics control unit (TCU), wherein the verified contact request is received by the OBU, and initiating the communication request to the vehicle owner further includes: After the OBU receives the verified contact request, the OBU communicates with the TCU to notify the TCU to initiate the communication request to the vehicle owner.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The communication between the caller and the RSU is V2X communication, the communication between the RSU and the OBU is V2X communication, the communication between the OBU and the TCU is in-vehicle communication, and the communication between the TCU and the vehicle owner is cellular communication.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, Further includes: In response to either the caller or the vehicle owner ending the communication, all communication links from the caller to the vehicle owner are severed.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The communication between the caller and the vehicle owner includes at least one of the following: real-time voice communication, non-real-time voice communication, and non-voice communication.

7. A method for contacting a vehicle owner performed by a caller, comprising: Send a pending contact request to the roadside unit (RSU), wherein the pending contact request indicates that the caller wishes to contact the owner of the target vehicle and includes the caller's ID information; as well as After the RSU verifies the caller's identity, it communicates with the vehicle owner on the established communication link between the caller and the vehicle owner. This communication link is established in response to the vehicle owner accepting a communication request initiated by an in-vehicle device in the target vehicle. The communication request includes the ID information of the in-vehicle device but not the caller's ID information. The verification of the caller is performed by conducting a credit assessment based on the caller's ID information. This credit assessment includes evaluating the likelihood that the caller's ID information indicates a harassing call. The direct communication object of the caller is the RSU, and the direct communication object of the vehicle owner is the in-vehicle device. The caller and the vehicle owner do not establish direct communication and cannot see each other's ID information.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The communication request is initiated by the on-board unit based on a verified contact request received from the RSU, wherein the verified contact request indicates that the caller wishes to contact the vehicle owner and that the verification of the caller has been successful.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The target vehicle is selected by the caller from a list of nearby vehicles provided by the RSU, or is provided by the caller to the RSU.

10. A method for contacting vehicle owners performed by a roadside unit (RSU), comprising: Receive a contact request to be verified from the caller, wherein the contact request to be verified indicates that the caller wishes to contact the owner of the target vehicle and includes the caller's ID information; The caller is verified based on the caller's ID information, wherein the verification of the caller is accomplished by performing a credit assessment on the caller based on the caller's ID information, and the credit assessment includes an assessment of the likelihood that the caller's ID information is a harassing call. Based on the successful verification of the caller, a verified contact request is sent to the in-vehicle equipment of the target vehicle, wherein the verified contact request indicates that the caller wishes to contact the vehicle owner and that the verification of the caller has been successful. The direct communication object of the caller is the RSU, and the direct communication object of the vehicle owner is the in-vehicle device. The caller and the vehicle owner do not establish direct communication and cannot see each other's ID information.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The verification of the caller is performed by the RSU using a cloud server.

12. A vehicle owner contact device, wherein the vehicle owner contact device is installed in the vehicle of a vehicle owner and has the vehicle owner's contact information, the device comprising: A contact request receiving module is used to receive a verified contact request from a roadside unit (RSU), wherein the verified contact request indicates that the caller wishes to contact the vehicle owner and the verification of the caller has been passed. The verification of the caller is accomplished by performing a credit assessment on the caller based on the caller's ID information, and the credit assessment includes an assessment of the possibility that the caller's ID information is a nuisance call. A communication request initiation module is used to initiate a communication request to the vehicle owner through the contact method based on the received verified contact request, wherein the communication request includes the ID information of the vehicle owner's contact device but does not include the ID information of the caller; as well as The communication management module is used to establish a communication link between the caller and the vehicle owner in response to the vehicle owner accepting the communication request, so that the caller and the vehicle owner can communicate. The direct communication object of the caller is the RSU, and the direct communication object of the vehicle owner is the in-vehicle device. The caller and the vehicle owner do not establish direct communication and cannot see each other's ID information.

13. A vehicle owner contact device, comprising: A contact request sending module is used to send a contact request to be verified to a roadside unit (RSU), wherein the contact request to be verified indicates that a caller associated with the device wishes to contact the owner of the target vehicle and includes the caller's ID information; as well as The communication management module is used to enable the caller to communicate with the vehicle owner on the established communication link between the caller and the vehicle owner after the RSU verifies the caller's identity. This communication link is established in response to the vehicle owner accepting a communication request initiated by an in-vehicle device in the target vehicle. The communication request includes the ID information of the in-vehicle device but not the caller's ID information. Verification of the caller is performed by conducting a credit assessment based on the caller's ID information, including an assessment of the likelihood that the caller's ID information indicates a harassing call. The direct communication object of the caller is the RSU, and the direct communication object of the vehicle owner is the in-vehicle device. The caller and the vehicle owner do not establish direct communication and cannot see each other's ID information.

14. A vehicle owner contact system, comprising: Roadside Unit (RSU); as well as An in-vehicle device, installed in the vehicle owner's vehicle and having the owner's contact information, wherein the RSU and the in-vehicle device are configured to: The RSU receives a contact request to be verified from the caller, wherein the contact request to be verified indicates that the caller wishes to contact the vehicle owner and includes the caller's ID information; The RSU verifies the caller based on the caller's ID information, wherein the verification of the caller is accomplished by performing a credit assessment on the caller based on the caller's ID information, and the credit assessment includes an assessment of the likelihood that the caller's ID information is a harassing call. The RSU sends a verified contact request to the in-vehicle device based on the successful verification of the caller, wherein the verified contact request indicates that the caller wishes to contact the vehicle owner and that the verification of the caller has been successful; The in-vehicle device initiates a communication request to the vehicle owner through the contact method based on the received verified contact request, wherein the communication request includes the ID information of the in-vehicle device but does not include the ID information of the caller; In response to the vehicle owner accepting the communication request, the in-vehicle device establishes a communication link between the caller and the vehicle owner to enable communication between them. The direct communication object of the caller is the RSU, and the direct communication object of the vehicle owner is the in-vehicle device. The caller and the vehicle owner do not establish direct communication and cannot see each other's ID information.

15. The system according to claim 14, characterized in that, The in-vehicle equipment includes an on-board unit (OBU) and a remote information control unit (TCU), wherein the verified contact request is received by the OBU and the communication request is initiated by the TCU, wherein after receiving the verified contact request, the OBU communicates with the TCU to notify the TCU to initiate the communication request to the vehicle owner.

16. The system according to claim 14, characterized in that, The verification of the caller is performed by the RSU using a cloud server.

17. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for contacting a vehicle owner, the computer program being executable by a processor to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

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