Peripheral vehicle recognition system

Abstract

To provide a peripheral vehicle recognition system capable of making moving experience by a vehicle special experience for all occupants, and creating an opportunity for interaction with an occupant of a peripheral vehicle.SOLUTION: A peripheral vehicle recognition system includes: peripheral vehicle detection / recognition means 11 that detects and recognizes a peripheral vehicle; identity confirmation means 21 that specifies the peripheral vehicle by checking identity of the peripheral vehicle recognized by a mobile terminal 4 operated by an occupant of a host vehicle 1 and the peripheral vehicle recognized by the peripheral vehicle detection / recognition means 11; and information acquisition means 22 that acquires information on the peripheral vehicle whose identity has been checked by referring to a server S on the cloud.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a surrounding vehicle recognition system for recognizing vehicles around a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In the field of automobiles and other vehicles, so-called CASE-related technologies are attracting attention. CASE is an acronym made up of the initial letters of Connected, Autonomous / Automated, Shared, and Electric, and indicates a new area in the automotive industry where technological innovation is desired. Various CASE-related technologies have been proposed to date.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes an invention for a vehicle model identification device that identifies the model of a nearby vehicle, in which the vehicle name is determined based on features contained in a photographed portion of the vehicle body. Patent Document 2 proposes an invention for a friendship support device that supports the formation of friendships among users of multiple mobile vehicles, in which drivers going to the same destination are first approached anonymously to promote encounters. Patent Document 3 proposes an invention for a location information system that supports friendship building, in which when displaying similar vehicles on a map, the vehicle's driving status is displayed as either ordinary or extraordinary, allowing for appropriate communication. Patent Document 4 discloses an invention for a vehicle occupant emotion response control device that communicates with each vehicle occupant via smartphone and estimates the occupant's emotion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6868769 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-054630 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 5904138 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-137200 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As such, various technologies have been proposed for the "Connected" aspect of CASE, i.e., technologies that connect vehicles via communication, but technologies that allow general car users (vehicle drivers and other passengers) to directly feel new benefits (services that provide vehicle passengers with new experiences) are still in the development stage.

[0006] For example, in relation to the use of mobile devices by vehicle occupants, technologies have been proposed that display the screen of a mobile device on an in-vehicle display, use map and route information used on a mobile device in the vehicle, and enable stable use of a mobile device using in-vehicle Wi-Fi. However, these are merely an extension of the functions of conventional mobile devices, merely enhancing their convenience (making operation easier for the individual operator), and do not provide vehicle occupants with a new experience (a special travel experience).

[0007] Furthermore, in most cases, surrounding vehicles that should be connected through connected technology are only targets for maintaining safe driving through ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems). For this reason, there is a demand for technology that can build active connections with the occupants of surrounding vehicles (for example, technology that allows a driver to proactively approach the occupants of a car that they happen to come across and feel an affinity with).

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a surrounding vehicle recognition system that can make the travel experience in a vehicle a special experience for all occupants and create opportunities for interaction with occupants of surrounding vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following solution: That is, as described in claim 1, a surrounding vehicle recognition system for recognizing surrounding vehicles traveling around a host vehicle includes a surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means for detecting and recognizing surrounding vehicles, and an identity confirmation means for identifying the surrounding vehicle recognized by the portable terminal operated by an occupant of the host vehicle by confirming the identity of the surrounding vehicle recognized by the surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means.

[0010] According to the above solution, the identity confirmation means confirms the identity of a surrounding vehicle recognized by an occupant of the vehicle on a mobile device (for example, photographed by the camera of the mobile device) with a surrounding vehicle detected and recognized by the on-board surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means, and the surrounding vehicle recognized by the mobile device is appropriately identified.Therefore, the experience of each occupant of the vehicle recognizing surrounding vehicles on their own separate mobile device can be appropriately shared by all occupants, making the experience of traveling by vehicle a special and enjoyable one.

[0011] A preferred embodiment based on the above solution method is as set forth in claim 2 and subsequent claims. That is, the identification by the identification confirmation means is performed by distinguishing the surrounding vehicles recognized by the mobile terminal from the surrounding vehicles recognized by the surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means using the vehicle name and / or vehicle color as a judgment criterion (corresponding to claim 2). In this case, the identification of the surrounding vehicles can be efficiently and accurately confirmed by linking them by the vehicle name and / or vehicle color.

[0012] The recognition by the mobile terminal is performed by taking a photograph with a camera provided in the mobile terminal (corresponding to claim 3). In this case, the camera function of the existing mobile terminal can be used to recognize surrounding vehicles.

[0013] The system further includes an information acquisition means that can inquire at a server on the cloud about information about the surrounding vehicles whose identities have been confirmed by the identification confirmation means and acquire it from the server (corresponding to claim 4). In this case, information about the recognized surrounding vehicles can be acquired from the server on the cloud, so that information for communicating with the occupants of the surrounding vehicles can be obtained, creating opportunities to interact with the occupants of the surrounding vehicles and build personal connections.

[0014] The information acquisition means acquires information about the surrounding vehicles by providing the license plate numbers of the surrounding vehicles to the server and making an inquiry (corresponding to claim 5). In this case, the inquiry is made based on the license plate numbers of the surrounding vehicles, so that the server side can efficiently and accurately identify the surrounding vehicles and appropriately acquire information.

[0015] The information acquired by the information acquisition means includes individual information of the surrounding vehicles (corresponding to claim 6). In this case, the occupants of the vehicle can know the individual information of the surrounding vehicles, and can therefore appropriately approach the occupants of the surrounding vehicles.

[0016] The information about the occupants of the surrounding vehicles includes ID information of the SNS accounts of the occupants of the surrounding vehicles (corresponding to claim 7). In this case, the occupants of the vehicle and the occupants of the surrounding vehicles can exchange messages on the SNS, which allows the occupants of the vehicle and the occupants of the surrounding vehicles to build new human relationships.

[0017] The vehicle includes a display control means for displaying the recognition result of the surrounding vehicle on an in-vehicle display, and when the information acquisition means acquires information about the surrounding vehicle, the display control means displays the information about the surrounding vehicle on the in-vehicle display (corresponding to claim 8). In this case, the occupants of the vehicle can know the information about the surrounding vehicle from the display on the in-vehicle display, and can therefore try to contact the surrounding vehicle as appropriate.

[0018] The information about the occupants of the surrounding vehicles includes information about avatar displays of the occupants of the surrounding vehicles (corresponding to claim 9). In this case, communication with the occupants of the surrounding vehicles is possible using avatar displays, so that the driver can enjoy communication with the occupants of the surrounding vehicles while maintaining an appropriate psychological distance.

[0019] The surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means is provided in a driving assistance system (corresponding to claim 10). In this case, by utilizing the functions of an existing driving assistance system (for example, ADAS10), it is possible to efficiently configure an appropriate surrounding vehicle recognition system while keeping costs down.

[0020] The identification means and the information acquisition means are provided in a cockpit domain controller (corresponding to claim 11). In this case, the cockpit domain controller (e.g., CDC20) takes on part of the role of the surrounding vehicle recognition system, so that appropriate roles are assigned within the vehicle system, and the surrounding vehicle recognition system can be appropriately configured. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the present invention, the occupants of the vehicle can appropriately recognize (identify) the surrounding vehicles by confirming the identity of the surrounding vehicles recognized by the surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means with the vehicle occupants recognized by the surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means. Furthermore, if the recognized surrounding vehicle is a communicable vehicle, the occupants of the vehicle can acquire communication information and communicate with the occupants of the surrounding vehicle. Therefore, the occupants of the vehicle can enjoy the recognition operation (taking a photo with the camera of the mobile device) of an interesting surrounding vehicle they find while driving (e.g., a vehicle that has the same style as the vehicle and feels a sense of familiarity), and if possible, can attempt to communicate with the occupants of the surrounding vehicle. Therefore, through the recognition of surrounding vehicles by the surrounding vehicle recognition system, the travel experience by vehicle can be made special for all occupants, and an opportunity can be created for the occupants of the vehicle to build personal connections with the occupants of the surrounding vehicles. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle equipped with a surrounding vehicle recognition system according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a control system according to the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display on an in-vehicle display when catching a nearby vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display on an in-vehicle display during communication with nearby vehicles via SNS. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a control procedure as an example of control according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 shows an example of a vehicle (host vehicle 1) equipped with a surrounding vehicle recognition system of the present invention. As shown in the figure, host vehicle 1 has a right front seat (driver's seat) 2A, a left front seat (passenger's seat) 2B, a right rear seat 2C, a left rear seat 2D, and a central rear seat 2E. In this example, as occupants of host vehicle 1, occupants 3A to 3D (occupant 3A is the driver) are seated in seats 2A to 2D, respectively, and occupants 3B to 3D are operating mobile terminals 4B to 4C, respectively.

[0024] The mobile terminals 4B to 4C are, for example, existing smartphones possessed by the respective occupants 3B to 3D, and each of these has a camera function. A predetermined application (software) is installed in each of the mobile terminals 4B to 4C so that the mobile terminals 4B to 4C operate in conjunction with the surrounding vehicle recognition system of the present invention.

[0025] As will be described in more detail later, when using the surrounding vehicle recognition system of the present invention, occupants 3B to 3D select (e.g., touch with their fingers) a surrounding vehicle (another vehicle traveling around their own vehicle 1) displayed on the screen of a mobile terminal 4B to 4C using the camera function of the mobile terminal, thereby performing an operation (catch) to recognize the surrounding vehicle (target recognition and vehicle name recognition) and transmit the information to the surrounding vehicle recognition system.

[0026] An in-vehicle display 6A is provided on the instrument panel 5 in front of the driver's seat 2A. The in-vehicle display 6A is a touch panel display that is located approximately in the center in front of the driver's seat 2A and the passenger seat 2B, and can be viewed and operated by both the passenger 3A (driver) in the driver's seat 2A and the passenger 3B in the passenger seat 2B (assigned to both passengers 3A and 3B).

[0027] The backs of seats 2A and 2B are provided with in-vehicle displays 6C and 6D, respectively. Similar to in-vehicle display 6A, in-vehicle displays 6C and 6D are both touch panel displays, and are located in front of occupants 3C and 3D in seats 2C and 2D, respectively, and are available for use (viewable and operable) by occupants 3C and 3D (they are assigned to occupants 3C and 3D, respectively).

[0028] When a passenger sits in the center seat 2E, the passenger can operate either of the in-vehicle displays 6C and 6D as appropriate (the in-vehicle displays 6C and 6D are assigned to the passenger).

[0029] The host vehicle 1 is provided with detection means (for example, an exterior camera or a radar device) at various locations to detect the situation around the vehicle (in the context of the present invention, surrounding vehicles traveling around the host vehicle 1). FIG. 1 shows a radar device 8 disposed at the upper end of the windshield 7 as an example of the detection means. These detection means constitute a part of surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means 11 of the ADAS 10, which will be described later.

[0030] An example of a control system including the surrounding vehicle recognition system of the present invention is shown in Figure 2. As shown in the figure, in the control system, a host vehicle 1 is equipped with an ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) 10, a CDC (Cockpit Domain Controller) 20, and a DCM (Data Communication Module) 30.

[0031] In general, a CDC is a single electronic control unit that controls all the equipment in the cockpit, such as an infotainment system that also has a function for connecting to passengers' mobile devices, multiple displays installed in various locations within the vehicle, an LCD meter for the driver, a HUD, an electronic mirror, a 360° view, an occupant monitoring system, etc. In this embodiment, the CDC also performs the calculation process to confirm the identity of surrounding vehicles, as described below.

[0032] In general, a DCM is a communication device that has the function of transmitting driving data such as vehicle speed, steering, and braking operations, location information, the operating status of each unit, car navigation, voice, and other data collected through an in-vehicle network to an external server, and receiving map and traffic information, navigation route search results, voice recognition results, software update data for each unit of the vehicle, etc. from the server and transmitting this information to various locations within the vehicle. In this embodiment, as described below, the DCM also transmits and receives data to confirm the identity of surrounding vehicles.

[0033] The ADAS 10 is a system for providing various advanced driving assistance functions (for example, cruise control) when driving a vehicle, and in relation to the present invention, includes a surrounding vehicle detection / recognition means 11 and a display control means 12.

[0034] The surrounding vehicle detection / recognition means 11 is a means for detecting surrounding vehicles using a detection means (for example, an exterior camera or a radar device 8) and recognizing the surrounding vehicles based on this detection. The display control means 12 is a means for controlling the display on the in-vehicle display 6 (in-vehicle displays 6A, 6C, and 6D in the example of FIG. 1).

[0035] In addition, since an ADAS generally has, as standard functions, means for detecting and recognizing the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 and means for controlling the display on the in-vehicle display 6, in this embodiment, these functions are used as the surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means 11 and the display control means 12 of the surrounding vehicle recognition system. Therefore, the surrounding vehicle recognition system can be configured efficiently at low cost by using existing ADAS and mobile terminals as they are.

[0036] In recognizing surrounding vehicles, the surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means 11 recognizes the presence (position) of surrounding vehicles (detection and recognition of targets) as well as the names of the surrounding vehicles (individual names of the vehicles). The detection and recognition results by the surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means 11 (recognition results of targets and vehicle names, and other information acquired during detection such as images of surrounding vehicles) are transmitted to the CDC 20 via in-vehicle communication and processed.

[0037] On the other hand, as described above, the mobile terminal 4 (mobile terminals 4B to 4D in the example of FIG. 1) operated by the occupant also recognizes the surrounding vehicles (target recognition and vehicle name recognition) by a predetermined operation by the occupant (for example, an operation of touching with a finger a surrounding vehicle displayed on the screen by the camera function of the mobile terminal 4 to select it) (hereinafter, such recognition of the surrounding vehicles will be referred to as "catching"). While the occupant of the vehicle 1 is traveling, if the occupant of the vehicle 1 finds a surrounding vehicle that catches their interest (for example, a car with the same style), the occupant will catch the surrounding vehicle as appropriate.

[0038] The recognition results captured by the mobile terminal 4 (recognition results of targets and vehicle names, images of surrounding vehicles captured by a camera, and other acquired information) are transmitted to the CDC 20 via in-vehicle communication means (for example, in-vehicle wireless communication) and processed. In this manner, in this embodiment, only target recognition and vehicle name recognition of surrounding vehicles are performed by the ADAS 10 and the mobile terminal 4, and subsequent processing (such as confirmation of identity, which will be described later) is performed by the CDC 20.

[0039] Note that the vehicle name recognition in the ADAS 10 and the mobile terminal 4 is performed by machine learning the shape of the vehicle, etc. In this case, particularly, the images taken by the mobile terminal 4 capture the surrounding vehicles from various angles, so that a variety of learning data can be collected and the vehicle name recognition rate can be effectively improved.

[0040] When the surrounding vehicle detection / recognition means 11 and the mobile terminal 4 recognize surrounding vehicles, other elements such as the color of the vehicle may be recognized in addition to (or instead of) the vehicle name.

[0041] The recognition results (e.g., a list of catch results) from the ADAS 10 and the mobile terminal 4 are displayed on all in-vehicle displays 6 in the vehicle 1 so that the occupants of the vehicle 1 can check them. Details of the display on the in-vehicle displays 6 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0042] In relation to the present invention, the CDC 20 includes an identity confirmation means 21 and an information acquisition means 22. The identity confirmation means 21 is a means for confirming the identity of the surrounding vehicle recognized by the surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means 11 and the surrounding vehicle recognized by the mobile terminal 4 (that the recognized vehicles are the same vehicle) based on the recognition results of the surrounding vehicles (results of target recognition and vehicle name recognition) transmitted from the surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means 11 and the mobile terminal 4.

[0043] To explain in more detail, the same surrounding vehicle is recognized in different ways (for example, different camera angles) because the image capturing positions are different between the detection means (for example, an exterior camera) of the surrounding vehicle detection / recognition means 11 and the camera of the mobile terminal 4. In particular, in the case of the mobile terminal 4, the seating positions of the occupants operating the mobile terminal (in the example of FIG. 1, the positions of seats 2B-2D where occupants 3B-3D are seated) vary, and the shooting postures of each occupant and the direction in which the camera is pointed also vary, so even the same surrounding vehicle is recognized (captured) in significantly different ways.

[0044] Therefore, in the surrounding vehicle recognition system of this embodiment, the identity confirmation means 21 confirms the identity of the surrounding vehicle recognized by the surrounding vehicle detection / recognition means 11 and the surrounding vehicle recognized by the mobile terminal 4. This allows the surrounding vehicle recognized by the mobile terminal 4 to be appropriately identified. Therefore, the recognition (identification) of the surrounding vehicle can be appropriately shared among all occupants.

[0045] The identification of surrounding vehicles is performed by identifying and linking the surrounding vehicles recognized by the surrounding vehicle detection / recognition means 11 and the surrounding vehicles recognized by the mobile terminal 4 using the vehicle names as a judgment criterion. In other words, from the group of surrounding vehicles recognized by the surrounding vehicle detection / recognition means 11, a vehicle with the same name as the name of the surrounding vehicle recognized (caught) by the mobile terminal 4 is selected. This allows the identification (specification) of the caught surrounding vehicles to be performed efficiently and accurately.

[0046] In addition, identity confirmation may be performed using other elements, such as the color of the vehicle, acquired as recognition results by the surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means 11 and the mobile terminal 4 as judgment criteria instead of (or in addition to) the vehicle name.

[0047] When confirming the identity of a nearby vehicle, reference is made to the seating position of the occupant who made the catch on the mobile terminal 4. In this way, by referring to the seating position of the occupant who made the catch operation, it is possible to appropriately process the recognition of nearby vehicles made by different occupants from different seating positions, and it is possible to accurately confirm the identity of nearby vehicles.

[0048] Furthermore, the surrounding vehicle is identified based on the orientation of the surrounding vehicle recognized by the mobile terminal 4. That is, the orientation of the surrounding vehicle recognized by the mobile terminal 4 is confirmed, and the position of the surrounding vehicle is identified based on the relationship between the confirmed orientation of the surrounding vehicle and the seating position of the occupant who performed the catch operation, and based on the position thus identified, the identity of the surrounding vehicle recognized by the mobile terminal 4 and the surrounding vehicle recognized by the surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means 11 is confirmed. For example, if the left side of the surrounding vehicle is captured in a photo taken by the camera of the mobile terminal 4, it can be determined that the surrounding vehicle is located in a lane to the right of the host vehicle 1.

[0049] The seating position (seat) of each mobile terminal 4 belonging to the occupant is detected by the CDC 20 when the occupant performs initial registration (e.g., registration of selecting an avatar (character representing the occupant) representing each occupant) when the occupant first gets into and sits in the vehicle 1. This makes it possible to grasp the seating position of each occupant without bothering the occupant while the occupant is enjoying registering their avatar.

[0050] Once the identity of the surrounding vehicle is confirmed, a message indicating that the surrounding vehicle has been caught is displayed on the screen of the in-vehicle display 6 (see FIG. 3). This allows all passengers in the vehicle 1, including passengers other than the passenger who performed the catch operation, to share the experience of catching the surrounding vehicle.

[0051] In this embodiment, each occupant's mobile terminal 4 is configured to display only the catches made by that occupant. This allows each occupant to easily distinguish, on the list, the nearby vehicles caught by that occupant and the nearby vehicles caught by other occupants.

[0052] The information acquisition means 22 is a means for communicating with the server S on the cloud via the DCM 30, which is an external vehicle communication means, and acquiring information about the surrounding vehicle whose identity has been confirmed by the identity confirmation means 21. Specifically, the information acquisition means 22 acquires the number of the surrounding vehicle (information written on the license plate) from a photographed image of the surrounding vehicle acquired by the surrounding vehicle detection / recognition means 11 or the mobile terminal 4, and queries the server S using this number of the surrounding vehicle to acquire available information from the information stored in the database D on the cloud.

[0053] When a nearby vehicle satisfies the conditions for being able to provide information to the vehicle 1 or the conditions for being able to communicate with the vehicle 1 (for example, when the nearby vehicle employs a nearby vehicle recognition system similar to that of the vehicle 1), the information acquisition means 22 can acquire individual information about the nearby vehicle and information about the occupants of the nearby vehicle. In this case, specifically, information about the driver and owner of the vehicle is acquired as the individual information about the vehicle. In addition, avatar displays (character displays representing each occupant) of each occupant and ID information of each occupant's SNS account are acquired as information about the occupants of the vehicle.

[0054] In addition, a surrounding vehicle may meet the conditions for being able to provide information to vehicle 1 or for being able to communicate with vehicle 1, for example, if the surrounding vehicle is a vehicle of the same manufacturer as vehicle 1, and both vehicle 1 and the surrounding vehicle are registered in a group consisting of members who own vehicles of that manufacturer.

[0055] In this way, when information about the surrounding vehicles is acquired, the acquired information about the surrounding vehicles is displayed on the in-vehicle display 6. Specifically, individual information (ID information) about the surrounding vehicles, avatars of each occupant of the surrounding vehicles, and the SNS IDs of each occupant of the surrounding vehicles are displayed (see FIG. 4).

[0056] This allows each occupant of the vehicle 1 to contact the SNS ID of (any) occupant of a nearby vehicle on the screen of the in-vehicle display 6 (or mobile terminal 4), and to exchange messages via the SNS. In this way, the surrounding vehicle recognition system provides an opportunity to build personal connections with the occupants of nearby vehicles. Note that an existing SNS may be used as the SNS, but a unique one may also be used.

[0057] As described above, in the surrounding vehicle recognition system of this embodiment, recognition of surrounding vehicles (target recognition and vehicle name recognition) is performed independently by the ADAS 10 and the mobile terminal 4, and confirmation of the identity of the recognized surrounding vehicles is performed by the CDC 20. Therefore, roles are appropriately shared among the ADAS 10, the mobile terminal 4, and the CDC 20, and efficient and accurate recognition and identification (specification) of surrounding vehicles can be performed. Furthermore, personal information such as the license plate number of the surrounding vehicles is not used until the identity of the surrounding vehicles is confirmed, and therefore personal information is handled appropriately.

[0058] 3 shows an example of a screen (catch screen) that is displayed on the in-car display when catching a nearby vehicle. As shown in the figure, the catch screen 40 displays a real-time display 41 on the right side of the screen and a catch list display 42 on the left side of the screen.

[0059] Images (e.g., silhouettes) of multiple surrounding vehicles detected by the ADAS 10 (surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means 11) are displayed on the real-time display 41. In this example, surrounding vehicles 44 to 47 traveling on a road 43 are displayed within the real-time display 41. The display on the real-time display 41 represents in real time the actual traveling conditions of the surrounding vehicles 44 to 47 at that time.

[0060] In the surrounding vehicle recognition system, a passenger of the vehicle 1 can also catch the surrounding vehicles 44 to 47 displayed on the real-time display 41 in real time. In this case, the caught surrounding vehicles are recognized by the mobile terminal 4 and are treated equally to surrounding vehicles whose identities have been confirmed.

[0061] As a result, even occupants who have difficulty operating the portable terminal 4 or occupants who do not have the portable terminal 4 can easily catch nearby vehicles by touching the screen of the in-vehicle display 6, and can participate in the catch experience. For example, even the driver of the vehicle 1 can easily catch nearby vehicles without interfering with driving operations.

[0062] When a nearby vehicle is detected on the mobile terminal 4 (or the in-car display 6) and its identity is confirmed, a catch display 48 is displayed near the detected nearby vehicle 44. The catch display 48 includes a character display 49 indicating "catch" and a vehicle name display 50 indicating the name of the detected nearby vehicle 44 ("CAR2" in this example).

[0063] In this example, the caught nearby vehicle 44 is a vehicle that can communicate with the vehicle 1, so the catch display 48 also includes avatar displays 51 of the occupants of the nearby vehicle 44. These avatar displays 51 allow the occupants of the vehicle 1 to know that they can contact the occupants of the nearby vehicle 44 via SNS.

[0064] The catch display 48 may be displayed in a different manner so that it is possible to distinguish between when a message is caught on the mobile terminal 4 and when it is caught from the display in the real-time display 41. Also, a function may be added to the real-time display 41 that allows the occupants of the vehicle 1 to freely type comments on the screen.

[0065] In the real-time display 41, surrounding vehicles 44 that have already been caught are given a shadow display 52 to indicate that they have been recognized, and it is shown that they have been caught. Also, an avatar display 53 in the upper left of the real-time display 41 displays the avatars selected (registered) by each occupant of the vehicle 1.

[0066] In this way, because the catch screen 40 provides a real-time display 41, all occupants of the vehicle 1 can experience catching nearby vehicles together without being aware of the fact that they cannot see in real time the catches of nearby vehicles on the mobile terminals 4 of other occupants. Also, nearby vehicles that have already been caught are clearly indicated by a shadow display 52, so new nearby vehicles can be caught without making duplicate catches.

[0067] The catch list display 42 displays the catch history of nearby vehicles in list format. In this example, history displays 55A to 55C (for three vehicles) are displayed, with the details of the catches arranged vertically in chronological order. The history displays 55A to 55C each include photo displays 56A to 56C of the caught vehicles and vehicle name displays 57A to 57C of the caught vehicles.

[0068] If the name of the captured vehicle can be recognized, the vehicle name displays 57A to 57C will display the name, but if the name cannot be recognized, the general type of the vehicle (for example, the model name such as "sedan," "SUV," or "truck") will be displayed. In the example of Fig. 3, the vehicle name displays 57A and 57C display the specific vehicle names (individual names) of "CAR1" and "CAR2," respectively, but the vehicle name display 57B displays the model name "TRUCK" in place of the unrecognized vehicle name.

[0069] To the left of each history display 55A-55C, an avatar display 58A-58C is displayed to show the avatar of the occupant who performed the catching operation. In the avatar displays 58A-58C, the avatar of the occupant who performed the catching operation is displayed differently from the avatars of the other occupants (for example, by being displayed brighter or in a different color). This makes it possible to clearly identify the occupant who performed the catching operation.

[0070] Furthermore, if the captured nearby vehicle is a communicable vehicle (a vehicle from which information can be obtained), an avatar display is added to the history display to clearly indicate that communication is possible. In this example, among history displays 55A to 55C, only history display 55C is the capture history of a communicable nearby vehicle 44, and therefore avatar displays 59 of the occupants of nearby vehicle 44 are displayed only in history display 55C. If an occupant of host vehicle 1 wishes to communicate with an occupant of nearby vehicle 44 via SNS, for example, by touching the "Details" button next to history display 55C, the occupant can proceed to a details screen that displays details of the capture, and can further proceed to a communication screen (see FIG. 4) for SNS communication.

[0071] In this embodiment, a list of nearby vehicles that have been caught can also be displayed on the screen of each occupant's mobile device 4 by operating the app. In this case, the list display on each mobile device 4 displays only a list of nearby vehicles that have been caught on that mobile device 4 (only a list for that occupant is displayed, not a list for all occupants).

[0072] 4 shows an example of a screen (communication screen) displayed on an in-vehicle display for communicating with nearby vehicles. On the left side of the communication screen 60, a communication destination display screen 61 is displayed, which indicates the nearby vehicle with which communication is to be performed. The communication destination display screen 61 displays a large photograph of the nearby vehicle 62 with which communication is to be performed, as well as an ID display (individual information display) 63 of the nearby vehicle 62 with which communication is to be performed, and avatar displays 64 and 65 of the occupants of the nearby vehicle 62.

[0073] Meanwhile, on the right side of the communication screen 60, a chat display 71 is displayed for exchanging messages with the occupants of the surrounding vehicles 62. The occupants of the vehicle 1 can exchange messages with the occupants of the surrounding vehicles 62 via SNS, for example, by posting messages in a posting field 72 in the chat display 1. The exchanged messages 73A to 73C are displayed one above the other in chronological order, together with avatar displays 74A to 74C that clearly indicate the senders of the messages.

[0074] In this way, by using the communication screen 60, it is possible to easily exchange messages with occupants of nearby vehicles who meet the communication conditions. Therefore, by exchanging messages triggered by the recognition of nearby vehicles, it is possible to build close personal connections between vehicle occupants (for example, car enthusiasts with the same tastes).

[0075] For example, the example in Figure 4 shows a case where the vehicle 1 and the surrounding vehicle 62 both have the same model name "CARX." Even if they feel a sense of affinity because they are both driving vehicles with the same model name (e.g., sports cars), in the past they could only send a signal by waving, whereas with the present invention, they can ultimately easily make contact using SNS and engage in deeper interactions.

[0076] Next, a control example of the surrounding vehicle recognition system of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 5. In the control, first, in step S1, the mobile terminal 4 is registered. As a result, an avatar representing each occupant is selected, and the seating position of the occupant operating each mobile terminal 4 is detected.

[0077] In step S2, surrounding vehicles are detected and recognized by the surrounding vehicle detection / recognition means 11. The recognized surrounding vehicles are displayed in real time on the screen (real-time display 41) of the in-vehicle display 6, for example, as silhouettes.

[0078] In step S3, it is determined whether or not a nearby vehicle has been detected on the mobile terminal 4 or the in-car display 6. If a nearby vehicle has not been detected, the process returns to step S2, and the nearby vehicle detection and recognition means 11 continues to detect and recognize nearby vehicles.

[0079] If it is determined in step S3 that a catch has been made, the process proceeds to step S4, where the identity confirmation means 21 confirms the identity of the vehicle caught (recognized) by the mobile terminal 4 and the vehicle recognized by the surrounding vehicle detection / recognition means 11 (the caught surrounding vehicle is identified).

[0080] In the next step S5, the information acquisition means 22 queries the server S on the cloud for the nearby vehicle whose identity has been confirmed, and acquires information from the server S. In the next step S6, the details of the catch are displayed on the catch screen 40 of the in-vehicle display 6. At this time, if the caught nearby vehicle is a vehicle that can communicate with the vehicle (can provide information), avatars of the occupants of the nearby vehicle are also displayed.

[0081] In the next step S7, it is determined whether or not the occupant of the vehicle has selected to start communication with the surrounding vehicle, and if the occupant has not selected to start communication, the process proceeds to step S9. On the other hand, if the occupant has selected to start communication, the process proceeds to step S8, where the communication screen 60 is displayed on the in-vehicle display 6, and the process proceeds to step S9.

[0082] In step S9, it is determined whether or not to continue catching (recognizing) surrounding vehicles, and if catching is to be continued, the process returns to step S2 and repeats the processing of steps S2 to S8. On the other hand, if catching is to be ended, the series of processing is ended as is.

[0083] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0084] The present invention can be used to appropriately recognize surrounding vehicles traveling around a host vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1. Your vehicle 2A~2E seats 3A~3D Crew 4, 4B~4D Mobile devices 5. Instrument panel 6, 6A, 6C, 6D In-car display 7. Front window 8. Radar equipment 10 ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) 11 Surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means 12 Display control means 20 CDC (Cockpit Domain Controller) 21 Identity Verification Methods 22 Information acquisition means 30 DCM (Data Communication Module) S Server D Database 40 Catch Screen 41 Nearby vehicle display 42 Catch list display 43 Road 44~47 Surrounding vehicles 48 Catch display 49 character display 50 Vehicle name display 51 Avatar display 52 Shadow display 53 Avatar display 55A~55C History display 56A~56C Photo display 57A~57C Vehicle name display 58A~58C Avatar display 60 Communication screen 61 Contact Destination Screen 62 Nearby vehicles of the communication destination 63 Avatar display 64 Avatar display 71 Chat display 72 Comments section 73A~73C Message 74A~74C Avatar display

Claims

1. A surrounding vehicle recognition system for recognizing surrounding vehicles traveling around a host vehicle, a surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means for detecting and recognizing surrounding vehicles; an identity confirmation means for identifying a surrounding vehicle recognized by the mobile terminal operated by an occupant of the vehicle by confirming the identity of the surrounding vehicle recognized by the surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means; and A surrounding vehicle recognition system equipped with

2. The surrounding vehicle recognition system according to claim 1, A surrounding vehicle recognition system in which the identity confirmation means confirms identity by identifying surrounding vehicles recognized by the mobile terminal and surrounding vehicles recognized by the surrounding vehicle detection / recognition means using the vehicle name and / or vehicle color as judgment criteria.

3. The surrounding vehicle recognition system according to claim 1, A surrounding vehicle recognition system in which recognition by the mobile terminal is performed by taking pictures using a camera equipped on the mobile terminal.

4. The surrounding vehicle recognition system according to claim 1, A surrounding vehicle recognition system including an information acquisition means for inquiring about a server on a cloud and acquiring information about the surrounding vehicle whose identity has been confirmed by the identity confirmation means from the server.

5. The surrounding vehicle recognition system according to claim 4, The information acquisition means acquires information about the surrounding vehicle by providing the license plate number of the surrounding vehicle to the server and making an inquiry.

6. The surrounding vehicle recognition system according to claim 4, A surrounding vehicle recognition system, wherein the information acquired by the information acquisition means includes individual information of surrounding vehicles.

7. The surrounding vehicle recognition system according to claim 4, A surrounding vehicle recognition system, wherein the information regarding the occupants of the surrounding vehicles includes ID information of the SNS accounts of the occupants of the surrounding vehicles.

8. The surrounding vehicle recognition system according to claim 4, a display control means for displaying the recognition result of the surrounding vehicles on an in-vehicle display; The display control means is a surrounding vehicle recognition system that displays information about the surrounding vehicle on the in-vehicle display when the information acquisition means is able to acquire information about the surrounding vehicle.

9. The surrounding vehicle recognition system according to claim 8, A surrounding vehicle recognition system, wherein the information about the occupants of the surrounding vehicles includes information about avatar representations of the occupants of the surrounding vehicles.

10. The surrounding vehicle recognition system according to claim 1, The surrounding vehicle detection and recognition means is a surrounding vehicle recognition system provided in a driving assistance system.

11. The surrounding vehicle recognition system according to claim 4, The identification means and the information acquisition means are provided in a cockpit domain controller in a surrounding vehicle recognition system.

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