Enhanced communication system

• US 10,149,137 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2015
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Shuang, Song, Hai Lei, Wang, Yun Ting, Zhang, Guang Ming, Zhong, Zhao Hui, Zhu, Pu
• Primary Examiner(s): Mered, Habte
• Application Number:
  US14/862,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20170086234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/62 Text, e.g. of license plates, overlay texts or captions on TV images
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

As disclosed herein a method, executed by a computer, includes monitoring proximate automobiles using a camera, receiving a request to transmit a communication connection request to a selected automobile, and determining observed attributes corresponding to the selected automobile based on images from the camera. The method further includes broadcasting, over a network, the observed attributes to the proximate automobiles, and requesting disclosed attributes and a connection identifier from the proximate automobiles that match the observed attributes, receiving at least one response from the proximate automobiles that match the observed attributes, and determining which response is a best match to the selected automobile. The method further includes transmitting the communication connection request to the selected automobile over the network using the connection identifier corresponding to the best match. A computer program product corresponding to the above method is also disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring proximate vehicles to a first vehicle using a camera, wherein images from the camera are displayed within the first vehicle on a touchscreen display;

receiving selection of a second vehicle on the touchscreen display, the selection indicating a request to establish a communication connection between the first and the second vehicle;

determining one or more observed attributes corresponding to the second vehicle by analyzing the images from the camera using image processing, wherein the one or more observed attributes include vehicle identifying information;

broadcasting, over a network, from the first vehicle, the one or more observed attributes to the proximate vehicles and requesting the proximate vehicles with at least one matching attribute to the one or more observed attributes respond to the first vehicle with a list of identifying attributes and a connection identifier;

determining, based on at least one response received from the proximate vehicles, a most probable match to the second vehicle by comparing the list of identifying attributes received to the one or more observed attributes; and

initiating the communication connection with the most probable match over the network using the connection identifier received from the most probable match.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if the second vehicle is still visible on the touchscreen display.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, if the second vehicle is still visible on the touchscreen display, determining one or more additional observed attributes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is one or more of wifi, cellular telephone, Bluetooth, dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of identifying attributes uniquely identifies each vehicle to which the list corresponds.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection of the second vehicle is received via voice commands from a driver of the first vehicle.

7. A computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising instructions to;

monitor proximate vehicles to a first vehicle using a camera, wherein images from the camera are displayed within the first vehicle on a touchscreen display;

receive selection of a second vehicle on the touchscreen display, the selection indicating a request to establish a communication connection between the first and the second vehicle;

determine one or more observed attributes corresponding to the second vehicle by analyzing the images from the camera using image processing, wherein the one or more observed attributes include vehicle identifying information;

broadcast, over a network, from the first vehicle, the one or more observed attributes to the proximate vehicles and requesting the proximate vehicles with at least one matching attribute to the one or more observed attributes respond to the first vehicle with a list of identifying attributes and a connection identifier;

determine, based on at least one response received from the proximate vehicles, a most probable match to the second vehicle by comparing the list of identifying attributes received to the one or more observed attributes; and

initiate the communication connection with the most probable match over the network using the connection identifier received from the most probable match.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the program instructions comprise instructions to determine if the second vehicle is still visible on the touchscreen display.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the program instructions comprise instructions, if the second vehicle is still visible on the touchscreen display, to determine one or more additional observed attributes.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the list of identifying attributes uniquely identifies each vehicle to which the list corresponds.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein wherein the selection of the second vehicle is received via voice commands from a driver of the first vehicle.

12. A computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer readable storage media;

program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more computer processors, the program instructions comprising instructions to;

monitor proximate vehicles to a first vehicle using a camera, wherein images from the camera are displayed within the first vehicle on a touchscreen display;

receive selection of a second vehicle on the touchscreen display, the selection indicating a request to establish a communication connection between the first and the second vehicle;

determine one or more observed attributes corresponding to the second vehicle by analyzing the images from the camera using image processing, wherein the one or more observed attributes include vehicle identifying information;

broadcast, over a network, from the first vehicle, the one or more observed attributes to the proximate vehicles and requesting the proximate vehicles with at least one matching attribute to the one or more observed attributes respond to the first vehicle with a list of identifying attributes and a connection identifier;

determine, based on at least one response received from the proximate vehicles, a most probable match to the second vehicle by comparing the list of identifying attributes received to the one or more observed attributes; and

initiate the communication connection with the most probable match over the network using the connection identifier received from the most probable match.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the program instructions comprise instructions to determine if the second vehicle is still visible on the touchscreen display.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the program instructions comprise instructions, if the second vehicle is still visible on the touchscreen display, to determine one or more additional observed attributes.

15. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the list of identifying attributes uniquely identifies each vehicle to which the list corresponds.

16. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the selection of the second vehicle is received via voice commands from a driver of the first vehicle.