Apparatus and method for searching for wanted vehicle

• US 9,443,151 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2014
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Yoo, Jang-Hee, Ko, Jong-Gook, Choi, Jin-Woo, Moon, Ki-Young
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US14/446,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20150193662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 340/989, 340/988, 340/990, 340/937, 340901-905, 340/932.2, 340/5.53, 340/5.7, 340/5.83, 340/425.5, 455/404.1, 455/431, 382/103, 382/105
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/302 using recording means, e.g. black box
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/625 License plates
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an apparatus and method of searching for a wanted vehicle, capable of interoperating with black boxes mounted in vehicles of unspecified individuals, recognizing and searching for registration numbers of vehicles in proximity of each black box in real time, and identifying a location of the wanted vehicle in real time using information about locations of the searched vehicles. The method includes requesting, by an apparatus for searching for a wanted vehicle, a black box installed in at least one vehicle to search for a registration number of the wanted vehicle, and receiving a response corresponding to the request, and acquiring information about the wanted vehicle and a location of the wanted vehicle corresponding to the response using the black box for recognizing a vehicle registration number or the black box for detecting a vehicle registration number region.

Claims

1. A method of searching for a wanted vehicle, comprising:

requesting, by an apparatus for searching for a wanted vehicle, a black box installed in at least one vehicle belonging to an unspecified individual to search for a registration number of the wanted vehicle, and receiving a response corresponding to the request; and

acquiring information about the wanted vehicle and a location of the wanted vehicle corresponding to the response using a vehicle registration number recognized by the black box or a vehicle registration number region detected by the black box.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the receiving of the response comprises determining whether the response is a response transmitted by the vehicle registration number recognizing black box that has a function of recognizing the vehicle registration number or a response transmitted by the vehicle registration number region detecting black box that has a function of detecting the vehicle registration number region.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein, if a result of the determination corresponds to the response transmitted by the vehicle registration number recognizing black box, the acquiring of the information about the wanted vehicle and the location of the wanted vehicle comprises:

transmitting the registration number of the wanted vehicle to the vehicle registration number recognizing black box;

receiving information about a location of the wanted vehicle from the vehicle registration number recognizing black box; and

displaying the registration number and location information of the wanted vehicle.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3, comprising, after the registration number of the wanted vehicle is transmitted to the vehicle registration number recognizing black box,

recognizing, by the vehicle registration number recognizing black box, the vehicle registration number in the vehicle registration number region detected from an image of another vehicle captured in front or back of the vehicle in real time, and

comparing the registration number of the wanted vehicle with the recognized vehicle registration number, and determining that the vehicle having the recognized vehicle registration number is the wanted vehicle if the recognized vehicle registration number corresponds to the registration number of the wanted vehicle.

5. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein, if a result of the determination corresponds to the response transmitted by the vehicle registration number region detecting black box, the acquiring of the information about the wanted vehicle and the location of the wanted vehicle comprises:

requesting the vehicle registration number region detecting black box to detect the vehicle registration number region;

receiving the vehicle registration number region corresponding to the request, and recognizing the vehicle registration number in the received vehicle registration number region;

checking whether or not the recognized vehicle registration number is identical to the registration number of the wanted vehicle; and

if the recognized vehicle registration number is identical to the registration number of the wanted vehicle, displaying information about a location of the vehicle having the recognized vehicle registration number.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the wanted vehicle searching apparatus and at least one black box perform bidirectional communication.

7. An apparatus for searching for a wanted vehicle, comprising:

a black box interoperated controller configured to request a black box installed in at least one vehicle belonging to an unspecified individual to search for a registration number of the wanted vehicle, to receive a response corresponding to the request, and to control a vehicle registration number recognized by the black box or a vehicle registration number region detected by the black box to cooperate with the black box; and

a receiver configured to receive information about a location of the vehicle turned out to be the wanted vehicle from a vehicle registration number recognizing black box or a vehicle registration number region detecting black box as a result of the control of the black box interoperated controller.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, further comprising a transmitter configured to transmit the registration number of the wanted vehicle to the vehicle registration number recognizing black box if the response received by the black box interoperated controller corresponds to a response transmitted by the vehicle registration number recognizing black box that has a function of recognizing the vehicle registration number.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the vehicle registration number recognizing black box receiving the registration number of the wanted vehicle is configured to recognize the vehicle registration number in the vehicle registration number region detected from an image of another vehicle captured in front or back of the vehicle in real time, to compare the registration number of the wanted vehicle with the recognized vehicle registration number, and to determine that the vehicle having the recognized vehicle registration number is the wanted vehicle if the recognized vehicle registration number corresponds to the registration number of the wanted vehicle.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, further comprising, if the response received by the black box interoperated controller corresponds to a response transmitted by the vehicle registration number region detecting black box that has a function of detecting the vehicle registration number region inclusive of the vehicle registration number,

a number image receiver configured to receive the vehicle registration number region from the vehicle registration number region detecting black box,

a number recognizing part configured to recognize the vehicle registration number in the vehicle registration number region received by the number image receiver,

a number storage part configured to include the registration numbers of the wanted vehicles, and

a number searching part configured to search whether or not the identical vehicle registration number as the recognized vehicle registration number is present in the registration numbers of the wanted vehicles stored in the number storage part.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein the number searching part determines that the vehicle having the identical vehicle registration number is the wanted vehicle if the identical vehicle registration number as the recognized vehicle registration number is present in the registration numbers of the wanted vehicles stored in the number storage part.