Method and Apparatus for Crowdsourced Vehicle Identification

• US 20160358031A1
• Filed: 06/03/2015
• Published: 12/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Miller, Kenneth James, Martin, Douglas Raymond
• Granted Patent: US 9,798,945 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/625 License plates
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/63 Scene text, e.g. street names
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A system includes a processor configured to obtain an image of a vehicle plate. The processor is also configured to determine identification characters present in the image. The processor is further configured to compare the identification characters to a list of sought-vehicle plates and report a match between the identification characters and a plate on the list of sought-vehicle plates.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a vehicle-based processor configured to;

obtain an image of a vehicle plate through a connected camera;

determine identification characters present in the image;

compare the identification characters to a list of vehicle plates received from a remote server; and

report a match between the identification characters and a plate on the list.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to report a partial match between the identification characters and the plate if only some of the identification characters present in the image can be determined.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to report a current vehicle heading of a vehicle containing the processor when reporting the match.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to report a current vehicle location of a vehicle containing the processor when reporting the match.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to report a current vehicle speed of a vehicle containing the processor when reporting the match.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to obtain the image of the vehicle plate through communication with a vehicle camera.

7. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a locate request to find a vehicle plate;

verify that the vehicle plate is eligible as a search subject;

send a search request to a plurality of reporting vehicles for a search for the vehicle plate;

receive a match from a first reporting vehicle, responsive to the search request; and

notify a requesting user of the match corresponding to the vehicle plate.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to verify that the vehicle plate is eligible as a search subject by determining if the vehicle plate is listed in a registered-plate database.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to verify that a search-requesting user is eligible to perform a search for the vehicle plate specified in the locate request.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to verify that the search-requesting user is eligible to perform the search by determining a correspondence between the user and the vehicle plate in a registered-plate database containing a list of vehicle plates and corresponding registered searchers.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to add the vehicle plate to a list of requested vehicle plates to be sent in the search request.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to add vehicle last known location data to the search request.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to add a time at which a vehicle was last at a known location to the search request.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a vehicle last-known location; and

send the search request to reporting vehicles within a predetermined proximity to the last known location.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a time at which a vehicle was at the last known location; and

determine the predetermined proximity based on the received time.

16. A system comprising:

a processor of a reporting vehicle configured to;

receive a request to locate a missing vehicle;

utilize a vehicle system to confirm an identity of the missing vehicle in proximity to the reporting vehicle; and

report identification of the missing vehicle, as well as a GPS location of the reporting vehicle, upon confirmation of the identity of the missing vehicle.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the vehicle system includes a vehicle camera, and wherein the processor is configured to confirm the identity of the missing vehicle based on an image, captured by the vehicle camera, of a license plate affixed to the missing vehicle.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the image as part of the report of identification of the missing vehicle.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the vehicle system includes a wireless communication system and wherein the processor is configured to confirm the identity of the missing vehicle based on a vehicle identifier, received through the wireless communication system, corresponding to the missing vehicle.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to report a speed and heading of the reporting vehicle upon confirmation of the identity of the missing vehicle.