Abstract: A vehicle location recognition apparatus includes a link determination unit which accurately determines a link traveled by a vehicle from among a plurality of links meeting at a narrow-angle branch point, on the basis of vehicle location information and road information, travel history information representing a route traveled by the vehicle at the branch point. The vehicle location recognition apparatus includes a history information generation unit for generating travel history information for the determined link. The travel history information is stored in a learning database. On the basis of the travel history information, a learning unit generates learned priority information representing the priorities of the respective links meeting at a branch point and used in the determination by the link determination unit.

Abstract: Feature information collecting apparatuses, methods, and programs acquire vehicle position information that represents the current position of a vehicle, acquire image information for a vicinity of the vehicle, and carry out image recognition processing on recognition target objects that are included in the image information. The apparatuses, methods, and programs store recognition information in a memory that represents a result of the image recognition of the recognition target objects in association with information for the recognition position of the recognition target objects, the recognition position determined based on the vehicle position information.

Abstract: Apparatuses, methods and programs store a plurality of target types, each target type having recognition attribute information indicating the likelihood that the target type will be recognized based on a type of road or a type of area. The apparatuses, methods and programs acquire vehicle position information indicating a current position of a vehicle, acquire image information in the vicinity of the vehicle, and acquire road attribute information about a road on which the vehicle is traveling, the road attribute information acquired based on the vehicle position information. The apparatuses, methods and programs determine a target type defining a target for image recognition within the image information, the target type being determined based on the acquired road attribute information and the stored recognition attribute information, and perform image recognition of a target feature included in the image information, the target feature being of the determined target type.

Abstract: Vehicle behavior learning apparatuses, methods, and programs store pieces of feature information including position information and attribute information of a plurality of target features. The apparatuses, methods, and programs obtain vehicle position information that shows a current position of a vehicle, obtaining image information of surroundings of the vehicle, and obtain one of the stored pieces of feature information corresponding to the surroundings of the vehicle based on the vehicle position information. The apparatuses, methods, and programs perform an image recognition for recognizing a target feature contained in the image information that corresponds to the obtained piece of feature information, detect a behavior of the vehicle that is performed within a predetermined range from a position of the recognized target feature, and store, based on the vehicle position information, the detected behavior in correspondence with information of a position in which the detected behavior was detected.

Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, and programs acquire vehicle position information that represents a current position of a vehicle, acquire image information of a vicinity of the vehicle, and carry out image recognition processing of a target feature that is included in the image information to determine a position of the target feature. The apparatuses, methods, and programs store recognition position information that is based on the acquired vehicle position information and that represents the determined recognition position of the target feature. The apparatuses, methods, and programs determine an estimated position of the target feature based on a set of a plurality of stored recognition position information for the target feature, the plurality of stored recognition position information for the target feature being stored due to the target feature being subject to image recognition processing a plurality of times.