IDENTIFICATION APPARATUS AND IDENTIFICATION METHOD

• US 20160140393A1
• Filed: 04/29/2014
• Published: 05/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Schneider, Klaus, Wagner, Mirko
• Granted Patent: US 9,805,263 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 in augmented reality scenes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/06 Recognition of objects for industrial automation
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool

Abstract

An identification apparatus for identifying vehicles and/or vehicle components includes: an image signal receiving unit receiving from an image signal source an image signal containing image data of a vehicle and/or of at least one vehicle component; a memory unit storing data of vehicles and/or at least one vehicle component; a comparison unit comparing the image data received with image data of the data sets stored in the memory unit, and to identify those data sets which contain image data that match the received image data; and an image signal data generating unit which generate output image signal data for at least one output image, the output image signal data containing at least a portion of the received image data and data from the data sets stored in the memory unit which have been identified by the comparison unit.

Claims

1-12. -12. (canceled)

13. An identification apparatus for identifying at least one of a vehicle and a vehicle component, comprising:

an image signal receiving unit configured to receive an image signal from at least one image signal source, the image signal containing image data of at least one of a vehicle and a vehicle component;

a memory unit storing data of the at least one of the vehicle and the vehicle component;

a comparison unit configured to (i) compare the image data received by the image signal receiving unit with data stored in the memory unit, and (ii) identify data sets which contain image data matching the image data received by the image signal receiving unit;

an image signal data generating unit configured to generate output image signal data for at least one output image, the output image signal data containing at least a portion of the image data received by the image signal receiving unit and data from the data sets stored in the memory unit which have been identified by the comparison unit as matching the image data received by the image signal receiving unit;

a data set combination memory unit in which combinations of data sets are stored, one specific vehicle model being associated with each specific combination of data sets; and

a combination identification unit configured to compare the data sets identified by the comparison unit with combinations of data sets stored in the data set combination memory unit and to output combinations of data sets in which at least a predefined number of the data sets identified by the comparison unit are contained.

14. The identification apparatus as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

an image signal output unit configured to generate and output at least one image signal from the output image signal data generated by the image signal data generating unit.

15. The identification apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the image signal data generating unit is configured to insert data from the identified data sets into the output image in association with the respective position of a vehicle component.

16. The identification apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the comparison unit is additionally configured to output instructions to modify at least one of a position of the image signal source, an orientation of the image signal source, and an illumination, if the comparison unit has not identified any of the data sets stored in the memory unit as matching the received image data.

17. The identification apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the comparison unit is additionally configured to output instructions to modify at least one of a position of the image signal source, an orientation of the image signal source, and an illumination, if the comparison unit has identified at least two of the data sets stored in the memory unit as containing matching data of at least two different vehicle components such that the image data received by the image signal receiving unit are not unambiguously associable with only one vehicle component.

18. The identification apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the image signal receiving unit is configured to receive image data wirelessly from an image source.

19. The identification apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein the image signal receiving unit is configured to receive image data of at least one of a smartphone, a computer, and a set of data glasses.

20. The identification apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein the image signal output unit is a transmitting unit configured to transfer the output image data to an external display unit which is a component of at least one of a smartphone, a computer, and a set of data glasses.

21. A method for identifying at least one of a vehicle and a vehicle component, the method comprising:

acquiring, by at least one image signal source, image data of at least one of the vehicle and the vehicle component, and transferring to an image signal receiving unit an image signal containing the image data;

comparing, by a comparison unit, the image data of the image signal received by the image signal receiving unit with data stored in a memory unit, and identifying data sets stored in the memory unit which contain vehicle image data matching the image data received by the image signal receiving unit;

generating, by an image signal data generating unit, output image signal data for at least one output image, the output image signal data containing at least a portion of the image data received by the image signal receiving unit and data from the identified data sets stored in memory unit as matching the image data received by the image signal receiving unit; and

comparing, by a combination identification unit, the identified data sets with combinations of data sets stored in a data set combination memory unit, one specific vehicle model being associated with each specific combination of data sets, and outputting combinations of data sets in which at least a predefined number of the identified data sets are contained.

22. The method as recited in claim 21, further comprising:

inserting data from the identified data sets into the output image in association with the respective position of a vehicle component.