Identification apparatus and identification method

A method for providing a user-interactive interface display regarding at least one vehicle component of a vehicle, wherein a memory stores a respective data set for each of a plurality of vehicle components and storing a plurality of identifications of respective combinations of multiple ones of the data sets, wherein each of at least a subset of the data sets includes an image of the respective vehicle component with which the data set is associated, the method comprising:

• acquiring, by processing circuitry, image signals obtained from a camera;
• beginning, by the processing circuitry, a comparison, by the processing circuitry, of image data of the image signals with images of data sets stored in a memory that stores a respective data set for each of a plurality of vehicle components and stores a plurality of identifications of respective combinations of multiple ones of the data sets, wherein each of at least a subset of the data sets includes an image of the respective vehicle component with which the data set is associated
• identifying, by the processing circuitry, a subset of the data sets stored in the memory that is each determined in the begun comparison to include an image of the received image signals;
• determining, by the processing circuitry, which of the combinations includes at least a predefined threshold number of data sets of the identified subset of data sets;
• using, by the processing circuitry, the determined combinations to determine information regarding identification of a model of the vehicle;
• based on a result of the determination of the information regarding the identification of the model of the vehicle, continuing, by the processing circuitry, the comparison of the image data of the image signals, limiting the continuation of the comparison to images of fewer of the data sets;
• the processing circuitry generating and outputting the user-interactive interface display including an image included in the received image signals with data from the stored data sets that are identified in the continued comparison overlaid on the image, the overlaid data being graphically associated with respective portions of the displayed image identified as corresponding to a respective one of the at least one vehicle component, wherein each of at least one of the associated portions is a selectable region in response to selection of which additional information of the respective data set whose overlaid data is graphically associated with the respective region.