JP2019079330A - Stolen vehicle tracking system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a stolen vehicle tracking system capable of tracking such a stolen vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication using communication data acquired by an inter-vehicle communication, and tracking such a stolen vehicle that an inter-vehicle communication is not possible using information acquired from vehicles incapable of inter-vehicle communication.SOLUTION: License plate information of the other vehicle is acquired by inter-vehicle communication; a captured image including the other vehicle is acquired; a determination is made whether or not an inter-vehicle communication is possible for each other vehicle in the captured image by comparing a distance between the own vehicle and the other vehicle based on the captured image and another distance between the own vehicle and the other vehicle based on the inter-vehicle communication; first other vehicle information including the license plate information of the other vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication and the corresponding positional information, and second other vehicle information including the captured image of the other vehicle incapable of inter-vehicle communication and the corresponding positional information are transmitted to a server; and a stolen car is tracked based on the first other-vehicle information and the positional information and the second other-vehicle information and the positional information which are received by the server.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a stolen car tracking system.

  For example, the vehicle ID acquired from the other vehicle by inter-vehicle communication is compared with the vehicle ID generated from the number information of the image of the other vehicle captured by the on-vehicle camera to determine the authenticity of the communication data by inter-vehicle communication Technology is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1 etc.).

JP, 2013-58140, A

  However, in Patent Document 1, although the authenticity of the communication data can be determined, the authenticity of the vehicle that is the transmission source of the communication data using the communication data, that is, the vehicle is an illegal vehicle such as a stolen vehicle It is not taken into consideration to determine whether there is any. Therefore, even if the communication data of the stolen car can be received by a plurality of vehicles, the stolen car can not be tracked.

  Moreover, in patent document 1, acquiring the information regarding the vehicle which does not respond | correspond to inter-vehicle communication or the function is stopped, ie, the vehicle regarding which inter-vehicle communication is impossible, is not considered. As a result, it is not possible to track stolen vehicles for which inter-vehicle communication is impossible.

  Therefore, in view of the above problems, tracking of a stolen car capable of inter-vehicle communication is performed using communication data acquired by inter-vehicle communication, and information acquired from vehicles incapable of inter-vehicle communication is used. It is an object of the present invention to provide a stolen vehicle tracking system capable of tracking a stolen vehicle incapable of inter-vehicle communication.

In order to achieve the above object, in one embodiment of the present invention:
A stolen vehicle tracking system comprising: a plurality of vehicles; and a server capable of communicating with each of the plurality of vehicles,
A camera provided in each of the plurality of vehicles and capturing an image of the surroundings of the own vehicle;
A position information acquisition unit provided in each of the plurality of vehicles and acquiring position information of the host vehicle;
A first acquisition unit provided in each of the plurality of vehicles and acquiring license plate information of the other vehicle from the other vehicles around the own vehicle by inter-vehicle communication;
A second acquisition unit provided in each of the plurality of vehicles and acquiring a captured image including another vehicle captured by the camera;
The distance between the host vehicle and the other vehicle, which is provided for each of the plurality of vehicles and acquired based on the captured image of the camera, is compared with the distance between the host vehicle and the other vehicle acquired based on the inter-vehicle communication A determination unit that determines whether communication between the own vehicle and the inter-vehicle is possible for each of the other vehicles included in the captured image of the camera;
The first other-vehicle information including the license plate information of the other vehicle which is provided in each of the plurality of vehicles and whose inter-vehicle communication is determined to be possible by the determination unit is acquired and the corresponding license plate information The captured image including the other vehicle determined to be incapable of inter-vehicle communication with the own vehicle by the determination unit while being associated with the position information at the time of being linked and transmitted to the server A transmitting unit that associates second other vehicle information including license plate information of the other vehicle recognized from the captured image with the position information when the captured image is acquired, and transmits the information to the server;
The first other vehicle information and the position information associated with the first other vehicle information provided in the server and received from each of the plurality of vehicles, and the second other vehicle A stolen vehicle tracking unit for tracking the stolen vehicle based on the information and the position information linked to the second other vehicle information;
A stolen car tracking system is provided.

  According to the present embodiment, the stolen vehicle tracking system corresponds to, for example, first other vehicle information including the license plate information of the stolen vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication, which is acquired at different positions by a plurality of vehicles, and the like The position information can be received by the server. Therefore, the stolen vehicle tracking system can track the stolen vehicle using the position information corresponding to the first other vehicle information including the same license plate information as the stolen vehicle.

  In addition, the stolen vehicle tracking system includes, for example, a captured image including a stolen vehicle incapable of inter-vehicle communication acquired by a plurality of vehicles at different positions, or license plate information of other vehicles recognized from the captured image. The second other vehicle information and the corresponding position information can be received by the server. Therefore, the stolen car tracking system can track the stolen car using position information corresponding to the captured image having the same license plate as the stolen car or the same license plate information as the stolen car.

  According to the above-described embodiment, tracking of a stolen car capable of inter-vehicle communication is performed using communication data acquired by inter-vehicle communication, and information acquired from vehicles incapable of inter-vehicle communication is used. Thus, it is possible to provide a stolen vehicle tracking system capable of tracking a stolen vehicle incapable of inter-vehicle communication.

It is a figure showing an example of composition of a stolen car tracking system concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the inter-vehicle communication other vehicle information which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication impossible vehicle information which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of DB for search. It is a specific example of the screen of a search application. It is a flowchart which shows roughly an example of the information gathering process by the other vehicle information gathering apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows roughly an example of the information registration process by the center server which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows roughly an example of the stolen vehicle search process by the center server which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the stolen vehicle tracking system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the other vehicle information (vehicle-to-vehicle communication other vehicle information, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication impossible vehicle information) which concern on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the information gathering process by the other-vehicles information gathering apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment
First, the first embodiment will be described.

[Theft car tracking system configuration]
The configuration of the stolen vehicle tracking system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a stolen vehicle tracking system 1 according to the present embodiment.

  The stolen vehicle tracking system 1 communicates with a plurality of vehicles 5 capable of communicating with other vehicles and a center server 100 communicably connected to the respective vehicles 5 through a predetermined communication network NW and with the center server 100. The portable terminal 200 connected possible is included.

  Note that one vehicle 5 has the same configuration as the other vehicle 5 and the stolen vehicle tracking system 1. Therefore, only the detailed configuration mounted on one vehicle 5 is representatively shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the same applies to the vehicle 5A of FIG. 9 in the second embodiment.

  The other vehicle information collection device 10 is mounted on the vehicle 5.

  The other vehicle information collection device 10 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 20, a DCM (Data Communication Module) 30, an inter-vehicle communication device 40, a GPS (Global Positioning System) module 50, and a front camera 60. Hereinafter, “vehicle 5” in the description of the other-vehicle information collection device 10 means the vehicle 5 on which the other-vehicle information collection device 10 is mounted, unless otherwise specified.

  The ECU 20 is an electronic control unit that performs control processing regarding a predetermined function of the vehicle 5. For example, the ECU 20 performs control processing of collecting information (other vehicle information) related to other vehicles located in the vicinity of the vehicle 5 and transmitting (uploading) the information to the center server 100 via the DCM 30.

  ECU 20 may have its function implemented by any hardware, software, or a combination of these. For example, the ECU 20 mainly includes a microcomputer including a central processing unit (CPU), a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), an auxiliary storage device, a real time clock (RTC), and an interface for communication. Configured The ECU 20 is an inter-vehicle communication control unit 201, a position / date information acquisition unit 202, and a vehicle detection unit 203 as functional units realized by executing one or more programs stored in the ROM and the auxiliary storage device. , A determination unit 204, and a DCM communication control unit 206. Further, the ECU 20 includes other-vehicle information 205 stored in a storage area defined in an internal memory such as an auxiliary storage device.

  The functions of the ECU 20 may be realized by being shared by a plurality of ECUs.

  The inter-vehicle communication control unit 201 (an example of the first acquisition unit) controls the inter-vehicle communication device 40, and other vehicles (including the other vehicle 5) capable of inter-vehicle communication passing near the vehicle 5 Communicate between cars.

  For example, the inter-vehicle communication control unit 201 requests predetermined information on the other vehicle with respect to the other vehicle in which the inter-vehicle communication is established, and receives the information from the other vehicle. The information received from the other vehicle by the inter-vehicle communication includes the information on the vehicle type of the other vehicle and the information on the license plate. The inter-vehicle communication control unit 201 is information on the other vehicle including the information received from the other vehicle and the position information of the vehicle 5 when the information is acquired (received) (hereinafter, “inter-vehicle communication other vehicle information 1) other vehicle information (referred to as “one example of other vehicle information)” is stored in an internal memory or the like as other vehicle information 205.

  Further, for example, the inter-vehicle communication control unit 201 is requested by the other vehicle (the other vehicle 5) for which the inter-vehicle communication has been established, information including information on the vehicle type of the vehicle 5 (own vehicle) and information on the license plate. If it does, it sends the information to other vehicles.

  For example, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information. More specifically, FIG. 2 shows inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information included in the other-vehicle information 205 in a table format, and each row represents inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information for each other vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information, information about the vehicle type and license plate of the other vehicle received from the other vehicle by the inter-vehicle communication, and the information is obtained (received) from the other vehicle Date and time information, position information of the vehicle 5, and a captured image of the front camera 60 are included. At this time, the date and time information when the information is acquired from the other vehicle and the position information of the vehicle 5 are acquired by the position / date and time information acquisition unit 202 described later.

  The information on the captured image of FIG. 2 may be, for example, identification information of the captured image stored separately, or meta information such as a link on the cloud uploaded separately. The same applies to FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the inter-vehicle communication control unit 201 determines the distance between the vehicle 5 and the other vehicle by a known method based on exchange of communication data with the other vehicle for which inter-vehicle communication has been established. Measure (estimate).

  The position and date information acquisition unit 202 (an example of a position information acquisition unit) acquires position information of the vehicle 5 input from the GPS module 50 and date and time information including a date and time by an RTC or the like.

  The vehicle detection unit 203 (an example of a second acquisition unit) acquires a captured image input from the front camera 60, and uses a classifier (for example, SVM or the like) based on machine learning based on the captured image. And recognizes (detects) a vehicle (another vehicle) in the captured image.

  The determination unit 204 determines whether inter-vehicle communication is possible for each of one or more other vehicles included in the captured image detected by the vehicle detection unit 203. Specifically, for each of the other vehicles detected in the captured image, the determination unit 204 measures the distance between the vehicle 5 acquired from the captured image and the other vehicle, and the vehicle 5 measured by the inter-vehicle communication control unit 201. It is determined whether the difference in distance between the vehicle and the other vehicle for which the inter-vehicle communication has been completed is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. If the distance based on the captured image between the other vehicle and the vehicle 5 included in the captured image is different from the distance between the vehicle 5 and the other vehicle for which inter-vehicle communication is completed beyond the predetermined threshold, This is because it can be determined that the other vehicle to be executed is another vehicle other than the other vehicle for which the inter-vehicle communication has been completed.

  In addition, when the other vehicle included in the captured image can not perform inter-vehicle communication, the determination unit 204 includes the captured image including the other vehicle and the position information of the vehicle 5 when the captured image is acquired. Information on another vehicle (hereinafter referred to as “other-vehicle communication impossible other-vehicle information (an example of second other-vehicle information)”) is stored as other-vehicle information 205 in an internal memory or the like.

  For example, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of inter-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information. Specifically, FIG. 3 shows the inter-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information included in the other-vehicle information 205 in a table format, and each row indicates the inter-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information for each other vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the inter-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information, a captured image including the other vehicle determined to be incapable of inter-vehicle communication by the determination unit 204 and date information when the captured image is acquired And location information is included. At this time, the date and time information when the captured image is acquired and the position information of the vehicle 5 are acquired by the position and date and time information acquisition unit 202.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the DCM communication control unit 206 controls the DCM 30, and exchanges various signals such as information signals and control signals with the center server 100.

  For example, the DCM communication control unit 206 (an example of the transmission unit) may perform a predetermined timing, for example, the timing of turning off the accessory power of the vehicle 5 (ACC-OFF), between the current ACC-ON and the ACC-OFF. The stored other vehicle information 205 is transmitted to the center server 100.

  The DCM 30 is a communication device that bidirectionally communicates with the center server 100 through a predetermined communication network NW including, for example, a mobile phone network having many base stations at its end, the Internet network, and the like. The DCMs 30 are communicably connected to various ECUs including the ECU 20 through a vehicle-mounted network such as a CAN (Controller Area Network).

  The inter-vehicle communication device 40 is a known communication device that performs radio communication among a plurality of vehicles 5 using radio waves in an RF (Radio Frequency) band, for example, a 760 MHz band or 5.9 GHz band. The inter-vehicle communication device 40 is communicably connected to various ECUs including the ECU 20 through an on-vehicle network such as CAN.

  The GPS module 50 receives GPS signals transmitted from three or more, preferably four or more satellites above the vehicle 5, and determines the position of the vehicle 5. The GPS module 50 is communicably connected to the ECU 20 and the like through a one-to-one communication line and an in-vehicle network such as CAN, and the position information of the measured vehicle 5 is input to the ECU 20 and the like.

  The front camera 60 (an example of a camera) is a predetermined imaging range in front of the vehicle 5, specifically, a predetermined imaging range which may include another vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle 5 and the other vehicle passing the opposite lane. Take an image. As a result, the known image recognition process is applied based on the captured image of the front camera 60, whereby the vehicle type, the license plate, and the like of another vehicle included in the captured image can be recognized. The front camera 60 is attached to, for example, a central upper end portion of the front window of the vehicle 5 on the indoor side, that is, a left and right central portion of a front header on the indoor side of the vehicle 5. The front camera 60 is activated, for example, by the ACC-ON of the vehicle 5 and after the activation until the ACC-OFF of the vehicle 5, the above imaging of the front of the vehicle 5 every predetermined period, for example, 1/30 seconds Capture the range. The front camera 60 is communicably connected to the ECU 20 and the like through a one-to-one communication line and an in-vehicle network such as CAN, and a captured image of the front camera 60 is input to the ECU 20 and the like.

  In addition to the front camera 60, a camera capable of capturing an image of the side or the rear of the vehicle 5 may be added. As a result, not only the other vehicles ahead of the vehicle 5 but also captured images including the side of the vehicle 5 and other vehicles behind the vehicle 5 can be acquired.

  The center server 100 collects other-vehicle information from each of the vehicles 5 and tracks the stolen vehicle based on the collected other-vehicle information. The center server 100 includes a communication device 110 and a processing device 120.

  The functions of the center server 100 may be realized by being shared by a plurality of servers.

  The communication device 110 bidirectionally communicates with the respective vehicles 5 and the portable terminals 200 through the communication network NW.

  The processing device 120 performs various control processes in the center server 100. The processing device 120 may have its function realized by any hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more servers including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an auxiliary storage device, an RTC, a communication interface, etc. It is built around a computer. The processing device 120 is, for example, a communication processing unit 1201, a vehicle type recognition unit 1202, and a license plate recognition as functional units realized by executing on a CPU one or more programs stored in a ROM or an auxiliary storage device. It includes a unit 1203, a search data creation unit 1205, a search API (Application Programmable Interface) 1207, and a search unit 1208. The processing device 120 also includes, for example, a vehicle type information DB 1204 built in a storage area defined in an auxiliary storage device of a server computer, an external storage device connected to the server computer, etc., and a search DB 1206.

  The communication processing unit 1201 controls the communication device 110 to exchange various signals such as control signals and information signals with the respective vehicles 5.

  For example, the communication processing unit 1201 receives, from each of the vehicles 5, other-vehicle information including inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information and inter-vehicle communication impossible other-vehicle information.

  The vehicle type recognition unit 1202 applies known image recognition processing to recognize the vehicle type of the other vehicle in the captured image included in the inter-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information received from the vehicle 5 by the communication processing unit 1201. At this time, the vehicle type recognition unit 1202 performs vehicle type recognition processing based on the vehicle type information DB 1204 as learning data for image recognition processing of the vehicle type.

  The license plate recognition unit 1203 applies known image recognition processing to recognize the license plates of other vehicles in the captured image included in the other vehicle information that can not be communicated between vehicles received from the vehicle 5 by the communication processing unit 1201. .

  The vehicle type information DB 1204 is learning data for recognizing the vehicle type of another vehicle included in the captured image. The car type information DB 1204 is appropriately updated each time a new car type is announced or sold.

  The search data creation unit 1205 processes the other vehicle information received from each vehicle 5 by the communication processing unit 1201 into a data format that facilitates searching for the other vehicle information related to the stolen vehicle.

  For example, the search data creation unit 1205 uses the vehicle type recognition unit 1202 and the license plate recognition unit 1203 to extract the license plate and vehicle type of another vehicle from the captured image included in the other vehicle information that can not be communicated between vehicles.

  Further, for example, when the search data creation unit 1205 divides the position information included in the other vehicle information on the map of the target area (for example, all over Japan, within a predetermined prefecture, etc.) by a predetermined mesh Convert to each mesh's identification information (mesh ID).

  In addition, the search data creation unit 1205 is included in the inter-vehicle communication other vehicle information, or the combination of the vehicle type and the license plate recognized by the vehicle type recognition unit 1202 and the license plate recognition unit 1203 is registered information Generates information indicating whether or not it is consistent. Hereinafter, the information is referred to as “mismatch information”. At this time, the search data creation unit 1205 may generate inconsistency information, for example, by accessing a database of the corresponding authority of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism that manages license plate information. Further, the search data creation unit 1205 generates, for example, inconsistency information of the vehicle 5 as another vehicle based on registration information regarding the combination of the license plate of each vehicle 5 and the vehicle type registered in advance in the center server 100. You may

  The search data creation unit 1205 constructs (updates) the search DB 1206 based on the created search data.

  For example, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of search data stored in the search DB 1206. Specifically, FIG. 4 shows the search data stored in the search DB 1206 in a table format, and each row corresponds to one other vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the search data is configured to include a mesh ID, date and time, vehicle type, license plate, misalignment information, position information, and a captured image. As a result, a search DB 1206 is constructed, which can search for data corresponding to the stolen car as a search target, using the license plate of the stolen car, the vehicle type, the date and time of the stolen car, the stolen position, etc. as search keys.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the search API 1207 uses a function of an application program (hereinafter referred to as a “search application”) installed on the mobile terminal 200 to search for stolen cars accessible from the Web via the communication network NW. Interface for

  The search unit 1208 (an example of a stolen car tracking unit) responds to a stolen car as a target among search data stored in the search DB 1206 in response to a search request for a stolen car from a user who uses the search API. Search and extract the data you want.

  For example, the search unit 1208 extracts search data of the same license plate as the stolen car from search data based on the inter-vehicle communication other vehicle information. As a result, a user who searches for a stolen car (hereinafter, simply referred to as a “user”) can track the stolen car by confirming the position information of the extracted search data in time series. Also, even if the stolen car's license plate is disguised, the license plate information obtained from other vehicles by inter-vehicle communication is very likely to be legitimate information, so It can be tracked reliably.

  Further, for example, the search unit 1208 extracts search data of the same license plate as the stolen car from search data based on the inter-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information. As a result, even if search data based on inter-vehicle communication other vehicle information can not be used, the user can be a stolen car by confirming position information of the extracted search data in time series. It can track vehicles with high sex (hereinafter referred to as "theft suspect cars"). It is possible to change the license plate of the stolen car to another vehicle and disguise it.

  Further, for example, the search unit 1208 extracts search data of the same license plate as the stolen license plate from among search data based on the inter-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information. Thus, the user can track the vehicles replaced with the stolen license plate by confirming the position information of the extracted search data in chronological order. In addition, since the vehicle whose license plate has been replaced is highly likely to be a stolen vehicle, by checking the vehicle type information, it is possible to simultaneously track stolen vehicles of the same vehicle type for which the theft notification has been issued. .

  Further, for example, the search unit 1208 is of the same vehicle type as the target vehicle of the vehicle theft and the car type and the license plate do not match the regular registration information from the search data based on the inter-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information. Extract search data. At this time, the search unit 1208 may extract the search data in consideration of the location where the vehicle theft occurred, the date and time, the movable range after that, and the like.

  Specifically, the search unit 1208 predicts the average vehicle speed according to the situation of the location where the vehicle theft occurred (for example, whether it is an urban area or a suburb, a congestion occurrence area or not, etc.). Then, the search unit 1208 searches the date range information corresponding to the predetermined time within the position range movable in the predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) from the date when the vehicle theft occurs at the predicted average vehicle speed. Data for business use. If the corresponding search data can be extracted, the search unit 1208 repeats the same search data extraction based on the mesh ID (or position information) and the date and time information of the corresponding search data. If the corresponding search data can not be extracted, the search unit 1208 tries to extract the search data again by expanding the target range, expanding the target time zone, or the like.

  Thus, the user can track vehicles of the same vehicle type as the stolen vehicle (theft suspect vehicle) whose license plate has been disguised by confirming the position information of the extracted retrieval data in chronological order. In addition, even when the license plate is disguised, the search unit 1208 identifies and tracks the vehicle whose combination of the license plate and vehicle type does not match the regular registration information by referring to the misalignment information. can do.

  The mobile terminal 200 is a general-purpose mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet terminal or the like possessed by a user who tracks a stolen car. The mobile terminal 200 may be a dedicated terminal for tracking a stolen car. The portable terminal 200 includes a communication device 210, a processing device 220, and a touch panel display (hereinafter simply referred to as "display") 230.

  In addition, in a mode in which the function of the search application is secured, instead of or in addition to the mobile terminal 200, a terminal directly connected to the stationary terminal or the center server 100 without passing through the network (direct connection The terminal may be used to search for the stolen car. That is, the search application may be installed on a stationary terminal or a direct connection terminal.

  The communication device 210 is a device that bidirectionally communicates with the center server 100 through the communication network NW. The communication device 210 is, for example, a mobile communication module that supports communication standards such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), 4G (4th Generation), 5G (5th Generation), and the like.

  The processing device 220 performs various control processes in the mobile terminal 200. The processing device 220 mainly includes a computer including, for example, a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an auxiliary storage device, and a communication interface. The processing device 220 includes, for example, a search application unit 2201 as a functional unit realized by executing one or more programs stored in a ROM, an auxiliary storage device, or the like on a CPU.

  The search application unit 2201 functions by activating a search application installed on the processing device 220.

  Specifically, in response to a user request (operation), the search application unit 2201 accesses the search API 1207 of the center server 100 through the communication network NW by the communication device 210, and the search unit 1208 based on a predetermined search condition Request a search for stolen cars. Then, the search application unit 2201 displays the search result on the display 230 based on the list returned as the return value from the search API 1207.

  For example, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of screens (an operation input screen and a search result output screen) displayed on the display 230 by the search application unit 2201. Specifically, FIG. 5A is a view showing an example of an input screen for operation input of the search condition. FIG. 5B is a diagram showing an example of an input screen in the case where information on the location where the vehicle is stolen is input from the map among the search conditions. FIG.5 (c) is an example of the output screen which outputs the search result based on the search condition input by FIG. 5 (a), (b).

  As shown in FIG. 5A, in this example, according to the operation by the user, information on the date and time when the vehicle was stolen, the location, the vehicle type, and the license plate are input as a search condition through the input screen. Also, in this example, two methods are adopted as a method of inputting a place, a method of specifying on a map screen ("search from map") and a method of directly inputting an address ("search from address") Ru.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), in this example, when "search from map" is selected, a map screen is displayed, and the theft occurrence point 501 (black circle in the figure) is displayed on the display 230 by the touch panel. It can be identified.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5C, in this example, on the map screen where the theft occurrence point 501 is specified by the user, the position information included in the search data (search result) extracted by the search unit 1208 In the corresponding position, a stolen vehicle point 502 (white circle in the figure) indicating the location of a stolen vehicle, a stolen license plate replaced vehicle, or a suspected stolen vehicle etc. is displayed. Thereby, the user can confirm the position of the stolen car or the like. Further, in the present example, the plurality of stolen car points 502 displayed on the map screen are linked by arrows in time series. As a result, the user can see at a glance how the stolen car etc. moved by following the plurality of stolen car spots 502 in the order of the arrows, so the stolen car etc. can be easily It can be tracked.

[Details of operation of the stolen car tracking system]
Next, the details of the operation of the stolen vehicle tracking system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, FIG. 6 is a flowchart schematically showing an example of the information collection process by the other-vehicle information collection apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. The processing according to this flowchart is repeatedly performed, for example, every predetermined control cycle between ACC-ON and ACC-OFF of the vehicle 5. The same applies to FIG. 11 of the second embodiment.

  In step S602, the inter-vehicle communication control unit 201 determines whether another vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication exists around the vehicle 5. The inter-vehicle communication control unit 201 proceeds to step S604 if there is another vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication around the vehicle 5, otherwise proceeds to step S608.

  Hereinafter, the process of step S604 is executed for each of the other vehicles capable of inter-vehicle communication when there are a plurality of other vehicles capable of performing inter-vehicle communication with the vehicle 5.

  In step S604, the inter-vehicle communication control unit 201 controls the inter-vehicle communication device 40, performs inter-vehicle communication with another vehicle, and acquires vehicle type information, license plate information, and the like from the other vehicle.

  In step S606, the inter-vehicle communication control unit 201 stores inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information including the information acquired from the other vehicle by inter-vehicle communication as other-vehicle information 205 in an internal memory or the like.

  In step S608, the vehicle detection unit 203 performs processing for recognizing (detecting) another vehicle ahead of the vehicle 5 from the captured image input from the front camera 60.

  In step S610, the vehicle detection unit 203 determines whether or not another vehicle ahead of the vehicle 5 is detected from the captured image of the front camera 60. When the other vehicle ahead of the vehicle 5 is detected, the vehicle detection unit 203 proceeds to step S612, and otherwise proceeds to step S618.

  The processes of steps S612 and S614 are executed for each of the detected other vehicles when a plurality of other vehicles are detected from the image captured by the front camera 60.

  In step S612, the determination unit 204 measures (calculates) the distance between the vehicle 5 and the other vehicle detected based on the image captured by the front camera 60.

  In step S614, the determination unit 204 determines whether the detected other vehicle is the other vehicle whose information acquisition has been completed by inter-vehicle communication. That is, the determination unit 204 is detected based on the distance between the vehicle 5 and another vehicle acquired (calculated) based on the captured image, and the distance between the vehicle 5 acquired by inter-vehicle communication and the other vehicle. It is determined whether the other vehicle is a vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication. If the detected other vehicle is not the other vehicle whose information acquisition has been completed by inter-vehicle communication, the determination unit 204 proceeds to step S616, and otherwise proceeds to step S618.

  In step S 616, determination unit 204 saves inter-vehicle communication disabled other vehicle information including the captured image of front camera 60 including the detected other vehicle as other vehicle information 205 in an internal memory or the like.

  In step S618, the DCM communication control unit 206 determines whether the vehicle 5 is ACC-OFF. If the vehicle 5 is ACC-OFF, the DCM communication control unit 206 proceeds to step S620, and otherwise ends the current processing.

  In step S620, the DCM communication control unit 206 stores the other vehicle information 205 stored in the period from ACC-ON to ACC-OFF of the vehicle 5 this time (inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information and inter-vehicle communication unavailable other-vehicle information ) Is transmitted to the center server 100, and the present processing is ended.

  Next, FIG. 7 is a flowchart schematically showing an example of the information registration process by the center server 100 according to the present embodiment. The processing according to this flowchart includes, for example, other vehicle information (inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information or inter-vehicle communication impossible other-vehicle information received from each vehicle 5 by the communication processing unit 1201 after the end of the previous processing by batch processing. The target is executed.

  In step S702, the search data creation unit 1205 determines whether the target other-vehicle information includes the vehicle type information and the license plate information. That is, the search data creation unit 1205 determines whether the target other-vehicle information is inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information or inter-vehicle communication impossible other-vehicle information. If the target other-vehicle information does not include the vehicle type information and the license plate information, the search data creation unit 1205 proceeds to step S704, and if it is included, the process proceeds to step S710.

  In step S704, the vehicle type recognition unit 1202 recognizes the vehicle type from the captured image included in the target other vehicle information (inter-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information), and generates vehicle type information.

  In step S706, the license plate recognition unit 1203 recognizes the license plate from the captured image included in the target other vehicle information (inter-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information), and generates the license plate information.

  In step S 708, search data creation unit 1205 acquires the regular vehicle type information corresponding to the license plate information recognized by license plate recognition unit 1203. Thus, the search data creation unit 1205 can create the inconsistency information as described above.

  In step S710, the search data creation unit 1205 processes the target other vehicle information and the information created in steps S704 to S708, and creates data for registration in the search DB 1206.

  In step S 712, the search data creation unit 1205 registers the created registration data in the search DB 1206.

  In step S714, the search data creation unit 1205 determines whether the process for all the other target vehicle information has been completed. If the processing for all other target vehicle information has not been completed, the search data creation unit 1205 returns to step S702, selects unprocessed other vehicle information, repeats the processing in steps S702 to S714, and selects all targets. When the processing for the other vehicle information is completed, the present processing is ended.

  Next, FIG. 8 is a flowchart schematically showing an example of a stolen vehicle search process by the center server 100 according to the present embodiment. The process according to this flowchart is executed, for example, when the search API 207 is used.

  In step S802, the search unit 1208 determines whether or not there is search data that matches the search condition among the search data in the search DB 1206. The search unit 1208 proceeds to step S804 if there is search data that meets the search condition among the search data in the search DB 1206, and proceeds to step S806 otherwise.

  In step S804, the search unit 1208 acquires search data meeting search conditions from the search DB 1206 in ascending order of date and time information, and proceeds to step S812.

  On the other hand, in step S806, the search unit 1208 includes the vehicle type information of the same vehicle type as the stolen car included in the search condition in the search data in the search DB 1206 and near the point where the vehicle theft occurred. It is determined whether or not there is search data including position information and including date and time information near the date and time when the vehicle theft occurred and in which there is an inconsistency in the combination of the vehicle type information and the license plate information. The search unit 1208 proceeds to step S808 if there is search data that satisfies the determination condition, and proceeds to step S810 if there is no search data that satisfies the determination condition.

  In step S 808, the search unit 1208 acquires search data that satisfies the determination condition of step S 806 from the search data in the search DB 1206. The search unit 1208 includes vehicle type information of the same vehicle type as the stolen vehicle, includes position information within a predetermined range from a point at which the vehicle theft occurs, and includes date and time information after the date and time when the vehicle theft occurs. And, search data having a mismatch between the combination of the car type information and the license plate information is acquired from the search DB 1206 in chronological order in chronological order, and the process proceeds to step S 808.

  On the other hand, in step S810, the search unit 1208 determines that there is no search data that meets the search condition, and proceeds to step S812.

  In step S812, the search unit 1208 returns the list corresponding to the search data acquired as the return value to the search API 207. Thus, for example, as shown in FIG. 5C, the user of the portable terminal 200 can check the search result on the display 230 and track the stolen car or the like.

[Effect]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the determination unit 204 determines the distance between the vehicle 5 acquired based on the captured image of the front camera 60 and the other vehicle, and the vehicle 5 acquired based on the inter-vehicle communication and the other vehicle It is determined whether inter-vehicle communication with the vehicle 5 is possible for each of the other vehicles included in the captured image of the front camera 60 by comparing the distance with the vehicle. Further, the DCM communication control unit 206 acquires inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information including the license plate information of the other vehicle determined to be capable of inter-vehicle communication with the vehicle 5 by the determination unit 204 and the corresponding license plate information. The position information of the vehicle 5 at the same time is linked and transmitted to the center server 100. Further, the DCM communication control unit 206 also performs inter-vehicle communication impossible other-vehicle information including a captured image of the front camera 60 including the other vehicle determined by the determination unit 204 to be not capable of inter-vehicle communication with the vehicle 5. The position information at the time when the captured image is acquired is linked and transmitted to the center server 100. Then, the search unit 1208 receives inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information received from each vehicle 5, position information associated with the inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information, inter-vehicle communication impossible other-vehicle information, and And tracking the stolen car based on the other-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information and the position information linked.

  Thus, the stolen vehicle tracking system 1 may, for example, perform inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information including the number plate information of the stolen vehicle that can be communicated between vehicles acquired by the plurality of vehicles 5 at different positions, and the corresponding location. Information can be received by the center server 100. Therefore, the stolen vehicle tracking system can track the stolen vehicle using the position information corresponding to the inter-vehicle communication other vehicle information including the same license plate information as the stolen vehicle.

  Further, the stolen vehicle tracking system 1 corresponds to, for example, inter-vehicle communication disabled other vehicle information including a captured image including a stolen vehicle which can not be communicated between vehicles acquired by the plurality of vehicles 5 at different positions. The center server 100 can receive the position information to be transmitted. Therefore, the stolen vehicle tracking system 1 can track the stolen vehicle by using the position information corresponding to the captured image in which the same license plate as the stolen vehicle is shown.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment will be described.

  In the stolen vehicle tracking system 1A according to the present embodiment, the functions of the vehicle type recognition unit 1202 and the license plate recognition unit 1203 and the partial functions of the search data creation unit 1205 are each vehicle 5A (other vehicle information collection device 10A) The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it is transferred to the second embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in the first embodiment, and parts different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[Theft car tracking system configuration]
The configuration of the stolen vehicle tracking system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 9 is a view showing an example of the configuration of a stolen vehicle tracking system 1A according to the present embodiment.

  The stolen vehicle tracking system 1A communicates with a plurality of vehicles 5A capable of inter-vehicle communication with other vehicles, a center server 100A communicably connected to the respective vehicles 5A through a predetermined communication network NW, and a center server 100A. The portable terminal 200 connected possible is included.

  The other vehicle information collecting apparatus 10A is mounted on the vehicle 5A as in the first embodiment.

  The other-vehicle information collection device 10A includes an ECU 20A, a DCM 30, an inter-vehicle communication device 40, a GPS module 50, and a front camera 60.

  The ECU 20A includes, as functional units, an inter-vehicle communication control unit 201, a position / date information acquisition unit 202, a vehicle detection unit 203, a determination unit 204A, a DCM communication control unit 206A, a vehicle type recognition unit 207A, and a number plate. A recognition unit 208 is included. The ECU 20A also includes, for example, other-vehicle information 205A stored in a storage area defined in an internal memory or the like, and a vehicle type information DB 209A.

  As in the first embodiment, the inter-vehicle communication control unit 201 requests, from the other vehicle for which the inter-vehicle communication has been established, predetermined information on the other vehicle, and receives the information from the other vehicle. Then, the inter-vehicle communication control unit 201 performs inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information including the information on the vehicle type and the license plate received from the other vehicle and the position information of the vehicle 5 when the information is obtained (received). The other vehicle information 205A is stored in an internal memory or the like.

  Similarly to the first embodiment, the determination unit 204A determines whether inter-vehicle communication is possible for each of one or more other vehicles detected by the vehicle detection unit 203 and included in the captured image.

  In addition, when the other vehicle included in the captured image is not capable of inter-vehicle communication, the determination unit 204A uses the vehicle type recognition unit 207A and the license plate recognition unit 208A to generate the captured image of the other vehicle from the captured image of the front camera 60. Extract the model and license plate. Then, the determination unit 204A uses the other-vehicle communication impossible vehicle information including the information on the extracted vehicle type and license plate and the position information of the vehicle 5 when the captured image is acquired as the other-vehicle information 205A. Save to memory etc. Thus, as will be described later, since the inter-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information in which the information on the vehicle type and the license plate has already been extracted is uploaded to the center server 100A, the processing load on the center server 100A can be reduced.

  For example, FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of other-vehicle information 205A including inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information and inter-vehicle communication impossible other-vehicle information. More specifically, FIG. 10 shows inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information and inter-vehicle communication impossible other-vehicle information included in the other-vehicle information 205 in the form of a table, and each row indicates inter-vehicle communication and the like for each other vehicle. It represents vehicle information or inter-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information or the inter-vehicle communication impossible other-vehicle information, as in the first embodiment, from a captured image which is received from other vehicles by inter-vehicle communication or includes other vehicles Included is information about the vehicle type and license plate of the other vehicle that is to be recognized. Further, as in the first embodiment, the inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information or the inter-vehicle communication impossible other-vehicle information may be obtained when the information is acquired (received) from another vehicle by inter-vehicle communication or an imaged image is acquired. The date and time information of the time, the position information of the vehicle 5, and the captured image of the front camera 60 are included.

  Furthermore, in this example, the inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information or the inter-vehicle communication impossible other-vehicle information includes the vehicle ID of the vehicle 5 (the own vehicle). Thus, when the other vehicle information 205A is uploaded to the center server 100A, the center server 100A can grasp how much each vehicle 5A contributes to the collection of the other vehicle information. Therefore, the center server 100A is an incentive for each vehicle 5A according to the presence or absence of collection of other vehicle information of each vehicle 5A (for example, the number of other vehicles corresponding to the uploaded other vehicle information, etc.) And other measures can be taken. In this case, as the incentive, there is, for example, the provision of coupons, discount benefits, etc. at an actual store or a store on the web.

  Returning to FIG. 9, the DCM communication control unit 206A, as in the first embodiment, for example, other vehicle information stored between the current ACC-ON and the ACC-OFF at the ACC-OFF timing of the vehicle 5. Send 205A to the center server 100A.

  Further, the DCM communication control unit 206A receives the latest vehicle type information appropriately distributed from the center server 100A, and updates the vehicle type information DB 209A.

  The vehicle type recognition unit 207A applies known image recognition processing to recognize the vehicle types of other vehicles in the captured image. At this time, the vehicle type recognition unit 207A performs vehicle type recognition processing based on the vehicle type information DB 209A as learning data for image recognition processing of the vehicle type.

  The license plate recognition unit 208A applies known image recognition processing to recognize the license plates of other vehicles in the captured image.

  The center server 100A includes the communication device 110 and the processing device 120A, as in the first embodiment.

  The processing device 120A includes, as functional units, a communication processing unit 1201, a search data creation unit 1205A, a search API 1207, and a search unit 1208. The processing device 120 also includes, for example, a search DB 1206 built in a storage area defined in an auxiliary storage device of a server computer, an external storage device connected to the server computer, or the like.

  Similar to the first embodiment, the search data creation unit 1205A processes the other vehicle information received from each vehicle 5 by the communication processing unit 1201 into a data format that facilitates searching for the other vehicle information related to the stolen vehicle. Do.

  The search data creation unit 1205A performs the same process as the first embodiment except that the process of extracting the license plate and vehicle type of another vehicle from the captured image included in the inter-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information is omitted. Detailed explanation is omitted.

[Details of operation of the stolen car tracking system]
Next, the operation of the stolen vehicle tracking system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart schematically showing an example of information collection processing by the other-vehicle information collection device 10 according to the present embodiment.

  The processes in steps S1102 to S1114 are the same as those in S602 to S614 in FIG.

  If it is determined in step S1114 that the detected other vehicle is not the other vehicle whose information acquisition has been completed by inter-vehicle communication, the vehicle type recognition unit 207A is included in the captured image of the front camera 60 in step S1116. Recognize the vehicle type of the other vehicle.

  In step S1118, the license plate recognition unit 208A recognizes the license plate of the other vehicle included in the captured image of the front camera 60 by the vehicle type recognition unit 207A.

  In step S1120, determination unit 204A determines whether or not the other vehicle has been detected by vehicle detection unit 203 within a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes). If the other vehicle is not detected within the predetermined time, the determination unit 204A proceeds to step S1122, and if it is detected, the procedure proceeds to step S1124. Thereby, for example, when another vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle 5 is continuously detected, a situation where information on the same other vehicle is redundantly stored as inter-vehicle communication disabled vehicle information Can be suppressed.

  In step S1122, determination unit 204A determines that the inter-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information including the information on the vehicle type and license plate of the other vehicle recognized by vehicle type recognition unit 207A and license plate recognition unit 208A is internal memory as other vehicle information 205A. Save to etc.

  The processes in steps S1124 and S1126 are the same as steps S618 and S620 in FIG.

[Effect]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the DCM communication control unit 206 is recognized from the captured image of the front camera 60 including another vehicle determined by the determination unit 204A as being unable to perform inter-vehicle communication with the vehicle 5. The inter-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information including the license plate information of the other vehicle is linked to the position information when the captured image is acquired, and transmitted to the center server 100A. Then, the search unit 1208 receives inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information received from each vehicle 5A, position information associated with the inter-vehicle communication other-vehicle information, inter-vehicle communication impossible other-vehicle information, and And tracking the stolen car based on the other-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information and the position information linked.

  Thereby, the stolen vehicle tracking system 1A includes, for example, a vehicle including license plate information of another vehicle that is recognized from a captured image including a stolen vehicle incapable of inter-vehicle communication acquired at different positions by the plurality of vehicles 5A. The inter-vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information and the position information corresponding thereto can be received by the center server 100A. Therefore, the stolen vehicle tracking system 1A can track the stolen vehicle using the position information corresponding to the other vehicle communication impossible other vehicle information including the same license plate information as the stolen vehicle.

  As mentioned above, although the form for carrying out the present invention was explained in full detail, the present invention is not limited to such a specific embodiment, and within the range of the gist of the present invention described in the claim, It is possible to change and change

1,1A stolen car tracking system 5,5A vehicle 10,10A other vehicle information collection device 20,20A ECU
30 DCM
40 Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication Device 50 GPS Module 60 Front Camera 100, 100A Center Server 110 Communication Device 120, 120A Processing Device 200 Portable Terminal 201 Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication Control Unit (First Acquisition Unit)
202 Position and Date Information Acquisition Unit (Position Information Acquisition Unit)
203 Vehicle Detection Unit (Second Acquisition Unit)
204, 204A Judgment unit 205, 205A Other vehicle information 206, 206A DCM communication control unit (transmission unit)
207A vehicle type recognition unit 208A number plate recognition unit 209A vehicle type information DB
210 communication device 220 processing device 230 touch panel display 1201 communication processing unit 1202 vehicle type recognition unit 1203 number plate recognition unit 1204 vehicle type information database
1205, 1205 A Search data creation unit 1206 Search DB
1207 Search API
1208 Search department (theft car tracking department)
2201 Search application part

Claims (1)

A stolen vehicle tracking system comprising: a plurality of vehicles; and a server capable of communicating with each of the plurality of vehicles,
A camera provided in each of the plurality of vehicles and capturing an image of the surroundings of the own vehicle;
A position information acquisition unit provided in each of the plurality of vehicles and acquiring position information of the host vehicle;
A first acquisition unit provided in each of the plurality of vehicles and acquiring license plate information of the other vehicle from the other vehicles around the own vehicle by inter-vehicle communication;
A second acquisition unit provided in each of the plurality of vehicles and acquiring a captured image including another vehicle captured by the camera;
The distance between the host vehicle and the other vehicle, which is provided for each of the plurality of vehicles and acquired based on the captured image of the camera, is compared with the distance between the host vehicle and the other vehicle acquired based on the inter-vehicle communication A determination unit that determines whether communication between the own vehicle and the inter-vehicle is possible for each of the other vehicles included in the captured image of the camera;
The first other-vehicle information including the license plate information of the other vehicle which is provided in each of the plurality of vehicles and whose inter-vehicle communication is determined to be possible by the determination unit is acquired and the corresponding license plate information The captured image including the other vehicle determined to be incapable of inter-vehicle communication with the own vehicle by the determination unit while being associated with the position information at the time of being linked and transmitted to the server A transmitting unit that associates second other vehicle information including license plate information of the other vehicle recognized from the captured image with the position information when the captured image is acquired, and transmits the information to the server;
The first other vehicle information and the position information associated with the first other vehicle information provided in the server and received from each of the plurality of vehicles, and the second other vehicle A stolen vehicle tracking unit for tracking the stolen vehicle based on the information and the position information linked to the second other vehicle information;
Theft car tracking system.

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