Vehicle search system and vehicle search method

• US 7,920,716 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Sato, Hiroshi, Ueyama, Yutaka, Ando, Atsuyoshi, Takahashi, Kunikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu; Tom Y
• Application Number:
  US11/019,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20050196016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,294 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 382/104
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/255 Detecting or recognising potential candidate objects based on visual cues, e.g. shapes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/08 Detecting or categorising vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle search system is provided, which is capable of easily and efficiently searching for a particular vehicle image based on vague and uncertain information. The vehicle search system includes an image database for accumulating vehicle images photographed by a stationary camera placed on the road under a condition that the vehicle images are associated with at least photographing date and time information and photographing place information of the vehicle image; an image recognizing part for extracting feature information (vehicle color, vehicle shape, etc.) from the vehicle image; an image data managing part for selecting vehicle images from the image database, based on at least one of the photographing date and time information, the photographing place information, and the feature information; and a display processing part for displaying the selected vehicle images in a two-dimensional space or a simulated three-dimensional space on a display, in an arrangement in accordance with similarity of at least one of the photographing date and time information, the photographing place information, and the feature information.

Claims

1. A vehicle search system including a server and a client, comprising:

an image database accumulating vehicle images photographed by a stationary camera placed on the road under a condition that the vehicle images are associated with at least photographing date and time information and photographing place information of the vehicle image;

an image recognizing part for extracting feature information representing a feature of a vehicle from the vehicle image;

an image search part for selecting vehicle images from the image database, based on at least one of the photographing date and time information, the photographing place information, and the feature information, and;

a display processing part for determining similarity of the vehicle images selected by the image search part based on at least one of the photographing date and time information, the photographing place information, and the feature information, and displaying a standard image selected from the vehicle images at the most forward portion in a simulated three-dimensional space on a display and other vehicle images so that those which have higher similarity to the standard image are placed in a more forward portion by using perspective.

5. The vehicle search system according to claim 1, wherein the feature information includes at least one selected from a vehicle color and a vehicle shape.

2. A vehicle search system, comprising:

an image database for accumulating vehicle images photographed by a stationary camera placed on the road under a condition that the vehicle images are associated with at least photographing date and time information and photographing place information of the vehicle image;

an image recognizing part for extracting feature information representing a feature of a vehicle from the vehicle image;

a display processing part for displaying the vehicle images received by the image search part in a two-dimensional space or a simulated three-dimensional space on a display, in an arrangement in accordance with similarity of at least one of the photographing date and time information, the photographing place information, and the feature information, wherein

the display processing part determines similarity of the vehicle images based on all the photographing date and time information, the photographic place information, and the feature information, and displays a standard image selected from the vehicle images in a simulated three-dimensional space so that other vehicle images which have higher similarity to the standard image are placed in a more forward portion by using perspective.

3. The vehicle search system according to claim 2, further comprising a condition specifying part for allowing a narrowing condition to be input based on at least one of the photographing date and time information, the photographing place information, and the feature information,

wherein the display processing part displays only vehicle images matched with the narrowing condition input by the condition specifying part, among the vehicle images displayed in the simulated three-dimensional space.

4. The vehicle search system according to claim 2, wherein, when either one of the vehicle images displayed in the simulated three-dimensional space is selected, the display processing part rearranges the vehicle images in decreasing order of similarity or in order of time with respect to a standard image and displays them, using the selected vehicle image as the standard image.

6. A computer program product in which a computer program is stored in a storage medium, the computer program being executed by a client and allowing a client computer to execute the following processing of:

with respect to an image database accumulating a vehicle image photographed by a stationary camera placed on the road under a condition that the vehicle image is associated with at least photographing date and time information and photographing place information of the vehicle image, making a search request from the client to the server based on at least either one of the photographing date and time information and the photographing place information;

receiving vehicle images extracted from the image database in accordance with the search request and storing the vehicle images in a memory; and

determining similarity of the vehicle images stored in the memory based on at least one of the photographing date and time information, the photographing place information, and feature information representing a feature of a vehicle image, and displaying a standard image selected from the vehicle images in a simulated three-dimensional space so that other vehicle images similar to each other are arranged close to each other and those which have higher similarity to the standard image are placed in a more forward portion by using perspective.

10. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein the feature information includes at least one selected from a vehicle color and a vehicle shape.

7. A computer program product in which a computer program is stored in a storage medium, the computer program being executed by a client and allowing a client computer to execute the following processing of:

with respect to an image database accumulating a vehicle image photographed by a stationary camera placed on the road under a condition that the vehicle image is associated with at least photographing date and time information and photographing place information of the vehicle image, making a search request from the client to the server based on at least either one of the photographing date and time information and the photographing place information;

receiving vehicle images extracted from the image database in accordance with the search request and storing the vehicle images in a memory; and

displaying the vehicle images stored in the memory in a simulated three-dimensional space on a display, in an arrangement in accordance with similarity of at least one of the photographing date and time information, the photographing place information, and feature information representing a feature of a vehicle image, wherein

the computer program allows the computer to execute processing of, in a case where the vehicle images are displayed in the simulated three-dimensional space, determining similarity of the vehicle images based on all the photographing date and time information, the photographing place information, and the feature information, and arranging similar vehicle images close to each other and displaying a standard image selected from the vehicle images in the simulated three-dimensional space so that other vehicle images similar to each other are arranged close to each other and those which have higher similarity to the standard image are placed in a more forward portion by using perspective.

8. The computer program product according to claim 7, wherein the computer program further allows the computer to execute the following processing of:

inputting a narrowing condition regarding at least one of the photographing date and time information, the photographing place information, and the feature information; and

re-displaying only a vehicle image matched with the narrowing condition input by the condition specifying part among vehicle images displayed in the simulated three-dimensional space.

9. The computer program product according to claim 7, wherein the computer program further allows the computer to execute the following processing of:

receiving selection with respect to either one of the vehicle images displayed in the simulated three-dimensional space; and

rearranging the vehicle images in decreasing order of similarity or in order of time with respect to a standard image, using the selected vehicle image as the standard image.

11. A vehicle search method for searching for vehicle images using an image database for accumulating vehicle images photographed by a stationary camera placed on the road under a condition that the vehicle images are associated with at least photographing date and time information and photographing place information of the vehicle image, the method comprising:

photographing a vehicle to be searched for with the stationary camera;

extracting feature information representing a feature of the vehicle to be searched for from a photographed image;

selecting, by a server, vehicle images from the image database, based on at least either one of the photographing date and time information, the photographing place information, and the feature information of the vehicle to be searched for; and

determining, in a client, similarity of the selected vehicle images based on at least one of the photographing date and time information, the photographing place information, and the feature information, and displaying the vehicle images in a simulated three-dimensional space on a display so that vehicle images similar to each other are arranged close to each other and displaying a standard image selected from the vehicle images in the simulated three-dimensional space so that other vehicle images similar to each other are arranged close to each other and those which have higher similarity to the standard image are placed in a more forward portion by using perspective.

15. The vehicle search method according to claim 11, wherein the feature information includes at least one selected from a vehicle color and a vehicle shape.

12. A vehicle search method for searching for vehicle images using an image database for accumulating vehicle images photographed by a stationary camera placed on the road under a condition that the vehicle images are associated with at least photographing date and time information and photographing place information of the vehicle image, the method comprising:

photographing a vehicle to be searched for with the stationary camera;

extracting feature information representing a feature of the vehicle to be searched for from a photographed image;

selecting, by a server, vehicle images from the image database, based on at least either one of the photographing date and time information, the photographing place information, and the feature information of the vehicle to be searched for; and

displaying, by a client, the selected vehicle images in a simulated three-dimensional space on a display, in an arrangement in accordance with similarity of at least one of the photographing date and time information, the photographing place information, and the feature information, wherein, in a case where the vehicle images are displayed in the simulated three-dimensional space, similarity of the vehicle images is determined based on all the photographing date and time information, the photographing place information, and the feature information, and similar vehicle images are arranged close to each other and displaying a standard image selected from the vehicle images in the simulated three-dimensional space so that other vehicle images similar to each other are arranged close to each other and those which have higher similarity to the standard image are placed in a more forward portion by using perspective.

13. The vehicle search method according to claim 12, further comprising:

inputting a narrowing condition regarding at least one of the photographing date and time information, the photographing place information, and the feature information; and

re-displaying only vehicle images matched with the narrowing condition input by the condition specifying part among the vehicle images displayed in the simulated three-dimensional space.

14. The vehicle search method according to claim 12, further comprising:

receiving selection with respect to either one of the vehicle images displayed in the simulated three-dimensional space; and

rearranging the vehicle images in decreasing order of similarity or in order of time with respect to a standard image, using the selected vehicle image as the standard image.

16. A vehicle search system, comprising:

accumulating, in a server, vehicle images photographed by a camera together with at least date and time information and location information of the photographed vehicle images;

extracting, in the server, characteristic information about a vehicle from the photographed vehicle images; and

determining, in a client, similarity of vehicle images based on at least one of the date and time information of the photographed vehicle images, the location information of the photographed vehicle images, and the characteristic information about the vehicle, and displaying, by the client, the vehicle images in a simulated three-dimensional space on a display so that vehicle images similar to each other are arranged close to each other and displaying a standard image selected from the vehicle images in the simulated three-dimensional space so that other vehicle images similar to each other are arranged close to each other and those which have higher similarity to the standard image are placed in a more forward portion by using perspective.

17. The vehicle search system according to claim 16, wherein the vehicle images are photographed by a plurality of cameras in addition to the camera.