system

Abstract

We will improve the technology that utilizes information obtained from other vehicles. [Solution] The server stores a first database and a second database that stores a representative image of a vehicle for each vehicle information, including the vehicle type. The vehicle acquires images of other vehicles taken by the vehicle's onboard camera, communication information received from other vehicles via vehicle-to-vehicle communication, or the vehicle's latitude and longitude information. The server stores the vehicle information of other vehicles identified based on the images, communication information, or latitude and longitude information acquired by the vehicle in the first database. By referring to the second database, the server identifies a representative image corresponding to one or more vehicle information of other vehicles stored in the first database. The server transmits history information, including one or more vehicle information stored in the first database and the identified representative image, to the communication device via the network. The communication device displays the received history information on the display unit of the communication device so that it is visible to the user.

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , , ,

[0001] This disclosure relates to a system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, technologies that utilize information obtained from other vehicles are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for acquiring a peripheral image of a host vehicle and determining an abnormality such as the attachment of another vehicle present in the peripheral image.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There has been room for improvement in technologies that utilize information obtained from other vehicles.

[0005] In view of such circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve technologies that utilize information obtained from other vehicles.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the technology for utilizing information obtained from other vehicles is improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This block diagram shows a schematic configuration of a system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below.

[0010] (Summary of the embodiment) Referring to Figure 1, an overview of System 1 according to an embodiment of this disclosure will be described. System 1 comprises a vehicle 10, a server 20, and a communication device 30. The vehicle 10, the server 20, and the communication device 30 are connected to a network 40, including, for example, the Internet and a mobile communication network.

[0011] Vehicle 10 is, for example, an automobile, but is not limited to that and may be any vehicle. The automobile may be a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle), but is not limited to these. The number of vehicles 10 provided in System 1 may be determined arbitrarily.

[0012] Server 20 is, for example, a computer. Server 20 can communicate with vehicle 10 and communication device 30 via network 40. Communication device 30 is any computer used by the user, such as a smartphone, tablet, or PC (Personal Computer).

[0013] First, an overview of this embodiment will be described, and details will be described later. System 1 comprises a vehicle 10, a communication device 30, and a server 20 capable of communicating with both the vehicle 10 and the communication device 30. Server 20 stores a first database and a second database that stores representative images of vehicles for each vehicle information, including vehicle type. Vehicle 10 acquires images of other vehicles captured by its onboard camera, communication information received from other vehicles via vehicle-to-vehicle communication, or latitude and longitude information of the vehicle. Server 20 stores vehicle information of other vehicles identified based on the images acquired by vehicle 10, communication information, or latitude and longitude information of vehicle 10 in the first database, refers to the second database to identify representative images corresponding to one or more vehicle information of other vehicles stored in the first database, and transmits history information, including one or more vehicle information stored in the first database and the identified representative images, to the communication device 30 via the network 40. The communication device 30 displays the received history information on its display unit so that it can be seen by the user.

[0014] Thus, according to this embodiment, vehicle information of other vehicles that have traveled around vehicle 10 can be collected, and the collected information can be checked at any time. For this reason, for example, it is possible to easily investigate popular car models in each region. In addition, users can check vehicles that they were interested in while driving after they have finished driving. Therefore, the technology for utilizing information obtained from other vehicles is improved in that it is possible to easily collect vehicle information of other vehicles and check the results of the collection at any time.

[0015] Next, we will describe each component of System 1 in detail.

[0016] (Vehicle configuration 10) As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle 10 includes a communication unit 11, an imaging unit 12, a positioning unit 13, a control unit 14, and a storage unit 15.

[0017] The communication unit 11 includes one or more communication interfaces for connecting to the network 40. The communication interface corresponds to, for example, mobile communication standards such as 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation), but is not limited thereto.

[0018] The imaging unit 12 includes an in-vehicle camera that generates a camera image capturing the surroundings of the vehicle 10. The imaging unit 12 may be a drive recorder that generates a continuous image of the surroundings of the vehicle 10 and records the generated image in the storage unit 15.

[0019] The positioning unit 13 includes one or more devices for acquiring the position information of the vehicle 10. Specifically, the positioning unit 13 includes, for example, a receiver corresponding to GPS, but is not limited thereto, and may include a receiver corresponding to any satellite positioning system.

[0020] The control unit 14 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing, but is not limited thereto. The programmable circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), but is not limited thereto. The control unit 14 controls the operation of the entire communication device 30.

[0021] The storage unit 15 includes one or more memories. The memory is, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, or an optical memory, etc., but is not limited thereto. Each memory included in the storage unit 15 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 15 stores any information used for the operation of the vehicle 10. For example, the storage unit 15 may store a system program, an application program, and embedded software, etc. The information stored in the storage unit 15 may be updated, for example, with information obtained from the network 40 via the communication unit 11.

[0022] (Configuration of Server 20) As shown in FIG. 1, the server 20 includes a communication unit 21, a control unit 22, and a storage unit 23.

[0023] The communication unit 21 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to the network 40. The communication interface corresponds to, for example, a mobile communication standard, a wired LAN (Local Area Network) standard, or a wireless LAN standard, but is not limited thereto. In the present embodiment, the server 20 communicates with the vehicle 10 and the communication device 30 via the communication unit 21 and the network 40.

[0024] The control unit 22 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing, but is not limited thereto. The programmable circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), but is not limited thereto. The control unit 22 controls the operation of the entire server 20.

[0025] The storage unit 23 includes one or more memories. The memory is, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, or an optical memory, but is not limited thereto. Each memory included in the storage unit 23 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 23 stores any information used for the operation of the server 20. For example, the storage unit 23 may store a system program, an application program, and embedded software. The information stored in the storage unit 23 may be updated, for example, with information obtained from the network 40 via the communication unit 21.

[0026] (Configuration of Communication Device 30) As shown in Figure 1, the communication device 30 comprises a communication unit 31, an output unit 32, a control unit 33, and a storage unit 34.

[0027] The communication unit 31 includes one or more communication interfaces that connect to the network 40. These communication interfaces may, for example, correspond to mobile communication standards, but are not limited to those.

[0028] The output unit 32 includes one or more output devices for outputting information. These output devices are, for example, a display or a speaker, but are not limited to these. Alternatively, the output unit 32 may include an interface for connecting an external output device.

[0029] The control unit 33 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process, but is not limited to these. The programmable circuit is an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), but is not limited to this. The control unit 33 controls the operation of the entire communication device 30.

[0030] The storage unit 34 includes one or more memories. The memories are, for example, semiconductor memories, magnetic memories, or optical memories, but are not limited to these. Each memory included in the storage unit 34 may function as, for example, a main memory, an auxiliary memory, or a cache memory. The storage unit 34 stores any information used for the operation of the communication device 30. For example, the storage unit 34 may store system programs, application programs, and embedded software. The information stored in the storage unit 34 may be updateable with information obtained from the network 40 via, for example, the communication unit 31.

[0031] (Operation flow of System 1) The operation of System 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 2.

[0032] S100: The control unit 14 of the vehicle 10 acquires images of other vehicles captured by the on-board camera of the imaging unit 12, communication information received from other vehicles via vehicle-to-vehicle communication, or the latitude and longitude information of the vehicle.

[0033] Specifically, the control unit 14 acquires images of other vehicles included in the surrounding image of vehicle 10 taken using the on-board camera included in the imaging unit 12. Alternatively, the control unit 14 acquires information about other vehicles via the network 40 from other vehicles with which vehicle-to-vehicle communication has been established with vehicle 10. Alternatively, the control unit 14 and the positioning unit 13 acquire latitude and longitude information and time of travel of vehicle 10.

[0034] S101: The control unit 14 transmits the information acquired in S100 to the server 20 via the network 40.

[0035] S200: The control unit 22 of the server 20 stores vehicle information of other vehicles identified based on captured images, communication information, or latitude and longitude information of vehicle 10 acquired by vehicle 10 in the first database.

[0036] The first database is a database for storing vehicle information of other vehicles and is stored in the storage unit 25 of the server 20. The vehicle information includes, for example, the vehicle model name and body color, but is not limited to these and may include any information such as VIN information or license plate information. If VIN information or license plate information is included, for example, the vehicle information of a stolen vehicle can be stored in the server 20, and the control unit 22 can determine whether the identified vehicle information matches the vehicle information of the stolen vehicle, thereby making it possible to find the stolen vehicle. The identification of vehicle information of other vehicles can be performed by the vehicle 10 (control unit 14) or the server 20 (control unit 22). Specifically, the vehicle 10 or the server 20 may identify the vehicle model name and body color from the captured image by any object recognition process. Alternatively, the vehicle 10 or the server 20 may use vehicle-to-vehicle communication to obtain the vehicle model name and body color information of the other vehicle that the vehicle 10 has received from the other vehicle. Alternatively, vehicle 10 or server 20 may use vehicle-to-vehicle communication to identify the vehicle make and body color based on the VIN information of the other vehicle received by vehicle 10 from that other vehicle. Alternatively, vehicle 10 or server 20 may identify other vehicles that were in the vicinity of its own vehicle based on the latitude and longitude information obtained from vehicle 10 and the other vehicle, and the time the latitude and longitude information was obtained.

[0037] S201: Server 20 refers to the second database to identify a representative image corresponding to the vehicle information of one or more other vehicles stored in the first database.

[0038] The second database is a database that stores representative images of vehicles for each vehicle information, including the vehicle type, and is stored in the storage unit 25 of the server 20. The representative image is, for example, an image of the vehicle's exterior, but any image such as the interior may be stored. The representative image may also be an image corresponding to the vehicle type name of another vehicle, or an image corresponding to the vehicle type name and body color.

[0039] S202: Server 20 transmits historical information, including one or more vehicle information stored in the first database and a representative image identified, to the communication device 30 via the network 40.

[0040] The historical information includes, but is not limited to, one or more vehicle information and identified representative images stored in the first database, and may include any information.

[0041] S300: The communication device 30 displays the received history information on the output unit 32, which includes a display unit of the communication device 30, so that it can be seen by the user.

[0042] While this disclosure has been described based on the drawings and embodiments, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on this disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the functions, etc., included in each component or step can be rearranged in a logically consistent manner, and multiple components or steps can be combined into one or divided into two.

[0043] For example, in the above-described embodiment, it is also possible to distribute the configuration and operation of the server 20 across multiple computers that can communicate with each other. Furthermore, for example, it is also possible to provide some or all of the components of the server 20 in the vehicle 10 or the communication device 30. For instance, a navigation system mounted in the vehicle 10 may comprise some or all of the components of the server 20.

[0044] Furthermore, it is also possible to use a general-purpose computer as the server 20 according to the above-described embodiment. Specifically, a program describing the processing content that realizes each function of the server 20 according to the above-described embodiment is stored in the memory of the general-purpose computer, and the processor reads and executes the program. Therefore, this disclosure can also be realized as a program that can be executed by a processor, or as a non-temporary computer-readable medium that stores said program. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0045] 1 System, 10 Vehicle, 11 Communication Unit, 12 Imaging Unit, 13 Positioning Unit, 14 Control Unit, 15 Storage Unit, 20 Server, 21 Communication Unit, 22 Control Unit, 23 Storage Unit, 30 Communication Device, 31 Communication Unit, 32 Output Unit, 33 Control Unit, 34 Storage Unit, 40 Network

Claims

[Claim 1] A system comprising a vehicle, a communication device, and a server capable of communicating with the vehicle and the communication device, The server stores a first database and a second database that stores representative images of vehicles for each vehicle information, including vehicle type. The aforementioned vehicle is The vehicle acquires images of other vehicles captured by its onboard camera, communication information received from the other vehicle via vehicle-to-vehicle communication, or the latitude and longitude information of the vehicle. The aforementioned server, The vehicle information of the other vehicle identified based on the captured image, the communication information, or the latitude and longitude information of the vehicle acquired by the vehicle is stored in the first database. By referring to the second database, a representative image corresponding to the vehicle information of one or more other vehicles stored in the first database is identified. The history information, including one or more vehicle information items and the identified representative image stored in the first database, is transmitted to the communication device via the network. The aforementioned communication device is A system that displays the received history information on the display unit of the communication device in a way that is visible to the user.

Images