Patent Issued for Driving Event Data Analysis (USPTO 10,332,390)
2019 JUL 10 (NewsRx) -- By a
The patent’s assignee for patent number 10,332,390 is
News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Telematics includes the use of technology to communicate information from one location to another. Telematics has been used for various applications, including for the exchange of information with electronic sensors. As telematics technology has progressed, various communication methodologies have been incorporated into automobiles and other types of vehicles.
“Telematics systems such as on-board diagnostics (OBD) systems may be used in automobiles and other vehicles. OBD systems may provide information from the vehicle’s on-board computers and sensors, allowing users to monitor a wide variety of information relating to the vehicle systems, such as engine RPM, emissions control, coolant temperature, vehicle speed, timing advance, throttle position, and oxygen sensing, and many other types of data. Telematics devices installed within vehicles may be configured to access the vehicle computers and sensor data, and transmit the data to a display within the vehicle, a personal computer or mobile device, or to a centralized data processing system. Data obtained from OBD systems has been used for a variety of purposes, including maintenance, diagnosis, and analysis.”
As a supplement to the background information on this patent, NewsRx correspondents also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. The summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure. It is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of the disclosure. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the description below.
“Aspects of the disclosure relate to methods, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for analyzing vehicle operation data, or driving data, and calculating or adjusting a driver score based on the analyzed driving data. One or more computing devices within a vehicle, for example, a telematics device, may be configured to collect vehicle operational data and transmit the data to a vehicle operation computer system or a driving analysis server. Vehicle operational data may include various data collected by the vehicle’s internal sensors, computers, and cameras, such as the vehicle’s speed, rates of acceleration, braking, or steering, impacts to the vehicle, usage of vehicle controls, and other vehicle operational data. Based on the vehicle operational data, the driving analysis server may be configured to identify one or more potentially high-risk or unsafe driving events at a vehicle, for example, an occurrence of sudden braking or swerving, an impact to the vehicle, speeding, or a moving violation, etc. Additional image data, video data, and/or object proximity data may be received from one or more data sources in order to analyze the potentially high-risk or unsafe driving event. A driver score may be calculated or adjusted for one or more vehicles or drivers based on the driving event and the analysis of the image, video, or proximity data.
“In accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure, the image, video, or proximity data from the vehicle’s internal cameras and sensors, internal cameras and sensors of other nearby vehicles, or image and video data from traffic cameras or other data sources may be used to determine one or more causes of the driving event. Data metrics may be calculated based on the image, video, and proximity data, and may be compared to one or more thresholds to determine causes of driving events. For example, a sudden occurrence of swerving or braking, an impact to the vehicle, or a moving violation may be caused by an obstruction in the path of the vehicle, adverse road conditions or weather conditions, poor visibility, an obstructed traffic sign or signal, or an electrical or mechanical malfunction within the vehicle, etc. Additional potential causes of driving events include high-risk or unsafe driving behavior, such as speeding, tailgating, and distracted drivers.
“Other features and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the additional description provided herein.”
The claims supplied by the inventors are:
“The invention claimed is:
“1. A driving analysis system comprising a first vehicle on-board data recording system and a driving analysis server: wherein the first vehicle on-board data recording system comprises: one or more vehicle operation sensors configured to record vehicle operation data at a first vehicle; one or more cameras or object proximity sensors configured to record data at the first vehicle; and one or more telematics devices configured to transmit the vehicle operation data and the recorded data from the one or more cameras or object proximity sensors from the first vehicle to the driving analysis server, wherein the driving analysis server comprises a processor and a memory unit storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the driving analysis server to: receive a driver score specific to the first vehicle; receive first vehicle operation data from the first vehicle on-board data recording system; identify a first driving event of the first vehicle based on the first vehicle operation data; receive data from the one or more cameras or object proximity sensors corresponding to the first driving event; identify at least a first cause of the first driving event and a second cause of the first driving event, wherein identifying the at least a first cause and a second cause comprises: attempting to identify at least two external causes of the first driving event by analyzing the first vehicle operation data received from the first vehicle on-board data recording system corresponding to the first driving event and the data received from the one or more cameras or object proximity sensors corresponding to the first driving event; identifying a first external cause and a second external cause; based on the analysis of the first vehicle operation data received from the first vehicle on-board data recording system corresponding to the first driving event and the data received from the one or more cameras or object proximity sensors corresponding to the first driving event, determining a percentage of cause associated with each of the first external cause and the second external cause; evaluating the determined percentage of cause of the first external cause and the second external cause to identify one of the first external cause and the second external cause as a primary cause, the primary cause being the cause having a percentage greater than a predetermined event cause threshold; determining whether the primary cause was unsafe or high-risk driving; responsive to determining that the primary cause was unsafe or high-risk driving, adjusting the driver score specific to the first vehicle; responsive to determining that the primary cause was not unsafe or high-risk driving, maintaining the driver score specific to the first vehicle based on the first driving event; and output at least the first cause of the first driving event.
“2. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein identifying the first driving event comprises: analyzing the first vehicle operation data to identify an occurrence of sudden braking by the first vehicle or an occurrence of swerving by the first vehicle.
“3. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein identifying the first driving event of the first vehicle by the driving analysis server comprises: determining an occurrence of a moving violation by the first vehicle, based on the first vehicle operation data.
“4. The driving analysis system of claim 3, wherein determining the occurrence of the moving violation comprises: receiving moving vehicle regulation data from one or more external data sources, corresponding to a location and time of the first driving event; and comparing the first vehicle operation data received from the first vehicle on-board data recording system to the moving vehicle regulation data received from the one or more external data sources.
“5. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein attempting to identify at least two external causes of the first driving event by the driving analysis server comprises: using a location and time of the first driving event, retrieving at least one of traffic data, weather data, or road condition data corresponding to the location and time of the first driving event, from one or more external data sources; and analyzing the traffic data, weather data, or road condition data retrieved from the one or more external data sources, along with the data received from the first vehicle on-board data recording system, to attempt to determine at least two external causes of the first driving event.
“6. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein identifying the first cause of the first driving event comprises: using the data received from the first vehicle on-board data recording system to calculate a driver reaction time associated with the first driving event; and determining the at least a first cause of the first driving event based on the driver reaction time associated with the first driving event.
“7. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein identifying the at least a first cause of the first driving event comprises: using the data received from the first vehicle on-board data recording system to calculate a driver visibility level associated with the first driving event; and determining the at least the first cause of the first driving event based on the driver visibility level associated with the first driving event.
“8. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein identifying the at least a first cause of the first driving event comprises: using the data received from the first vehicle on-board data recording system to calculate a traffic amount associated with the first driving event; and determining the at least a first cause of the first driving event based on the traffic amount associated with the first driving event.
“9. The driving analysis system of claim 1, the driving analysis server comprising further computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the driving analysis server to: transmit a record of the first driving event to an external insurance system associated with the first vehicle only if the identified at least two causes correspond to high-risk or unsafe driving by a driver of the first vehicle, wherein if the at least two identified causes of the first driving event correspond to something other than high-risk or unsafe driving, the driving analysis server is configured not to transmit a record of the first driving event to the external insurance system associated with the first vehicle.
“10. A driving analysis system comprising a first vehicle on-board data recording system, an external data source, and a driving analysis server: wherein the first vehicle on-board data recording system comprises: one or more vehicle operation sensors configured to record vehicle operation data at a first vehicle; and one or more telematics devices configured to transmit the vehicle operation data to the driving analysis server, wherein the external data source comprises: one or more cameras or object proximity sensors configured to record data, wherein the cameras or object proximity sensors are separate from the first vehicle; and one or more transmitters or network interfaces configured to transmit the data by the one or more cameras or object proximity sensors to the driving analysis server, wherein the driving analysis server comprises a processor and a memory unit storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the driving analysis server to: receive a driver score specific to the first vehicle; receive first vehicle operation data from the first vehicle on-board data recording system; identify a first driving event of the first vehicle based on the first vehicle operation data; identify a first location and time associated with the first driving event; retrieve data from the external data source, corresponding to the first location and time associated with the first driving event; identify at least a first cause of the first driving event and a second cause of the first driving event, wherein identifying the first cause and the second cause comprises: attempting to identify at least two external causes of the first driving event by analyzing data retrieved from the external data source corresponding to the first location and time associated with the first driving event; identifying a first external cause and a second external cause; based on the analysis of the data retrieved from the external data source corresponding to the first location and time associated with the first driving event, determining a percentage of cause associated with each of the first external cause and the second external cause; evaluating the determined percentage of cause of the first external cause and the second external cause to identify one of the first external cause and the second external cause as a primary cause, the primary cause being the cause having a percentage greater than a predetermined event cause threshold; determining whether the primary cause was unsafe or high-risk driving; responsive to determining that the primary cause was unsafe or high-risk driving, adjusting the driver score specific to the first vehicle; responsive to determining that the primary cause was not unsafe or high-risk driving, maintaining the driver score specific to the first vehicle based on the first cause of the first driving event; and output at least the first cause of the first driving event.
“11. The driving analysis system of claim 10, wherein retrieving data from the external data source comprises: identifying one or more additional vehicles at locations and times corresponding to the first location and time of the first driving event; and retrieving data collected by at least one or more vehicle on-board data recording systems of the one or more additional vehicles at locations and times corresponding to the first location and time of the first driving event.
“12. The driving analysis system of claim 10, wherein retrieving data from the external data source corresponding to the first location and time associated with the first driving event comprises: using the first location and time associated with the first driving event, identifying a first external traffic camera in a vicinity of the first vehicle at the time of the first driving event; and retrieving data from the first external traffic camera.
“13. The driving analysis system of claim 10, the driving analysis server comprising further computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the driving analysis server to: transmit a record of the first driving event to an external insurance system associated with the first vehicle only if the identified at least two causes correspond to high-risk or unsafe driving, wherein if the at least two identified causes of the first driving event corresponds to something other than high-risk or unsafe driving, the driving analysis server is configured not to transmit a record of the first driving event to the external insurance system associated with the first vehicle.
“14. A driving analysis system comprising an on-board vehicle driving analysis device and a driving analysis server: the on-board vehicle driving analysis device comprising a processing unit and a memory unit storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processing unit, cause the on-board vehicle driving analysis device to: receive driving data collected by vehicle operation sensors of a first vehicle, wherein the on-board vehicle driving analysis device is located on the first vehicle; receive potential moving violation data identifying one or more potential moving violations in a proximity of the first vehicle; determine, at the first vehicle, that a moving violation has been committed by the first vehicle, based on the received driving data and the potential moving violation data; in response to the determination that a moving violation has been committed by the first vehicle, retrieve and analyze additional data relating to the moving violation; and based on the analysis of the additional data relating to the moving violation committed by the first vehicle, determine whether high-risk or unsafe driving was a cause of the moving violation; responsive to determining that high-risk or unsafe driving was the cause of the moving violation, adjust a driving score specific to the first vehicle; and responsive to determining that high-risk or unsafe driving was not the cause of the moving violation, maintain the driving score specific to the first vehicle.
“15. The driving analysis system of claim 14, wherein the potential moving violation data comprises a speed limit at a current location of the first vehicle, and wherein determining that the moving violation has been committed comprises: comparing, at the first vehicle, the speed limit at the current location of the first vehicle to a current speed of the first vehicle detected by vehicle operation sensors of the first vehicle; and determining, at the first vehicle, that the first vehicle is exceeding the speed limit.
“16. The driving analysis system of claim 14, wherein receiving the potential moving violation data comprises: determining a first location of the first vehicle; and receiving, at the first vehicle, moving vehicle regulation data from one or more external data sources, corresponding to the first location of the first vehicle.
“17. The driving analysis system of claim 14, wherein receiving the potential moving violation data comprises: using one or more external cameras of the first vehicle, capturing an image of a posted traffic sign in the proximity of the first vehicle; and analyzing the captured image of the posted traffic sign to determine the potential moving violation data.
“18. The driving analysis system of claim 14, wherein determining whether high-risk or unsafe driving was the cause of the moving violation further includes: identifying a cause of the moving violation committed by the first vehicle, wherein identifying the cause comprises; attempting to identify an external cause of the moving violation committed by the first vehicle by analyzing at least one of image data, video data, or object proximity data collected by one or more cameras or object proximity sensors of the first vehicle; and if an external cause cannot be identified, determining that high-risk or unsafe driving of the first vehicle was the cause of the moving violation committed by the first vehicle; and transmitting a record of the moving violation committed by the first vehicle to the driving analysis server only if the identified cause corresponds to high-risk or unsafe driving by a driver of the first vehicle, wherein if the identified cause of the moving violation committed by the first vehicle corresponds to something other than high-risk or unsafe driving, the on-board vehicle driving analysis device is configured not to transmit a record of the moving violation to the driving analysis server.
“19. The driving analysis system of claim 18, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the on-board vehicle driving analysis device to determine whether a report of the moving violation should be transmitted to the driving analysis server, determining whether a report of the moving violation should be transmitted to the driving analysis server further comprises: determining a level of severity of the moving violation committed by the first vehicle; and transmitting a record of the moving violation committed by the first vehicle to the driving analysis server only if the identified cause corresponds to high-risk or unsafe driving of the first vehicle, and if the determined level severity is greater than a predetermined threshold, wherein if the identified cause of the moving violation corresponds to something other than high-risk or unsafe driving, or if the determined level of severity is not greater than the predetermined threshold, the on-board vehicle driving analysis device is configured not to transmit a record of the moving violation to the driving analysis server.
“20. The driving analysis system of claim 14, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the on-board vehicle driving analysis device to determine whether a report of the moving violation should be transmitted to the driving analysis server, determining whether a report of the moving violation should be transmitted to the driving analysis server comprises: identifying at least one cause of the moving violation committed by the first vehicle; determining a level of severity of the moving violation committed by the first vehicle; and calculating a total number of moving violations committed by the first vehicle during a period, wherein the determination of whether a report of the moving violation should be transmitted to the driving analysis server is based on each of (i) the at least one cause of the moving violation, (ii) the level of severity of the moving violation, and (iii) the total number of moving violations committed by the first vehicle during the period.”
For additional information on this patent, see: Brinkmann, Margaret A.; Kraft, Daniel; Bryer, Nathan M.; Huls, Eric; Warden,
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