Patent Issued for System and method for indicating whether a vehicle crash has occurred (USPTO 11861715): State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company

2024 JAN 23 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (Bloomington, Illinois, United States) has been issued patent number 11861715, according to news reporting originating out of Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx editors.

The patent’s inventors are Bellas, Eric (Bloomington, IL, US), Call, Shawn M. (Bloomington, IL, US), Carter, Gregory Dwayne (Bloomington, IL, US), Collins, Sara Elizabeth (Pontiac, IL, US), Duehr, Ronald R. (Normal, IL, US), Hevrin, Jeffrey David (Bloomington, IL, US).

This patent was filed on June 30, 2016 and was published online on January 2, 2024.

From the background information supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: “A vehicle may include one or more sensors that may be a part of a computing device or operate in conjunction with a computing device to facilitate crash detection when the vehicle is traveling. In some cases, the computing device may be a smart phone and the one or more sensors may operate in conjunction with an app installed and executing on the smart phone to facilitate crash detection. However, current uses of sensors and apps to detect vehicle crashes have several drawbacks.”

Supplementing the background information on this patent, NewsRx reporters also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

“In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method for generating an indication of whether a vehicle crash has occurred may be provided. The method may include determining, using one or more processors, whether base sensor data output by at least one base sensor of a mobile computing device indicates that a condition corresponding to a crash of a vehicle has occurred. The mobile computing device may be within the vehicle. The method may also include causing, using the one or more processors, at least one additional sensor of the mobile computing device to begin outputting additional sensor data when it is determined that the base sensor data output by the at least one base sensor indicates that the condition corresponding to the crash of the vehicle has occurred. The method may additionally include causing, using the one or more processors, the at least one additional sensor of the mobile computing device to output the additional sensor data for an amount of time after the at least one additional sensor begins outputting the additional sensor data. The method may further include generating, using the one or more processors, based on the additional sensor data output by the at least one additional sensor for the amount of time after the at least one additional sensor begins outputting the additional sensor data, an indication of whether the crash of the vehicle has occurred.

“In another embodiment, a computing system for generating an indication of whether a vehicle crash has occurred may be provided. The computing system may include a first mobile computing device within a vehicle. The first mobile computing device may be configured to determine whether base sensor data output by at least one base sensor of the first mobile computing device indicates that a condition corresponding to a crash of the vehicle has occurred. The first mobile computing device may also be configured to cause at least one additional sensor of the first mobile computing device to begin outputting additional sensor data when it is determined that the base sensor data output by the at least one base sensor indicates that the condition corresponding to the crash of the vehicle has occurred. The first mobile computing device may additionally be configured to cause the at least one additional sensor to output the additional sensor data for an amount of time after the at least one additional sensor begins outputting the additional sensor data. The first mobile computing device may further be configured to generate, based on the additional sensor data output by the at least one additional sensor for the amount of time after the at least one additional sensor begins outputting the additional sensor data, an indication of whether the crash of the vehicle has occurred.

“In yet another embodiment, a computer readable storage medium may be provided that includes non-transitory computer readable instructions stored thereon for generating an indication of whether a vehicle crash has occurred. The instructions, when executed on one or more processors, may cause the one or more processors to determine whether base sensor data output by at least one base sensor of a mobile computing device indicates that a condition corresponding to a crash of a vehicle has occurred, where the mobile computing device may be within the vehicle. The instructions, when executed on the one or more processors, may also cause the one or more processors to cause at least one additional sensor of the mobile computing device to begin outputting additional sensor data when it is determined that the base sensor data output by the at least one base sensor indicates that the condition corresponding to the crash of the vehicle has occurred. The instructions, when executed on the one or more processors, may additionally cause the one or more processors to cause the at least one additional sensor of the mobile computing device to output the additional sensor data for an amount of time after the at least one additional sensor begins outputting the additional sensor data. The instructions, when executed on the one or more processors, may further cause the one or more processors to generate, based on the additional sensor data output by the at least one additional sensor for the amount of time after the at least one additional sensor begins outputting the additional sensor data, an indication of whether the crash of the vehicle has occurred.

“The figures depict various aspects of the present invention for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A computer-implemented method for generating an indication of whether a vehicle crash has occurred, the method comprising: outputting base sensor data by an accelerometer of a mobile computing device; determining, using one or more processors, that the base sensor data output by the accelerometer indicates that a condition corresponding to a crash of a vehicle has occurred, wherein the crash has an expected duration, the mobile computing device being within the vehicle; after determining that the base sensor data indicates that the condition corresponding to the crash of the vehicle has occurred, determining, using the one or more processors, an amount of time corresponding to the expected duration of the crash; and after determining the amount of time corresponding to the expected duration of the crash: determining, using the one or more processors, an end time for the one or more processors to stop receiving additional sensor data, wherein the end time is a current time plus the amount of time corresponding to the expected duration of the crash, in response to determining that the base sensor data output by the accelerometer indicates that the condition corresponding to the crash of the vehicle has occurred, causing, using the one or more processors, a gyroscope of the mobile computing device to operate and begin outputting the additional sensor data, wherein the gyroscope outputs the additional sensor data until the end time, and wherein the gyroscope of the mobile computing device is separate from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device, and generating, using the one or more processors based on the additional sensor data output by the gyroscope, an indication of whether the crash of the vehicle has occurred.

“2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising generating, using the one or more processors, based on at least one of the base sensor data or the additional sensor data, at least one of an indication of a severity of the crash of the vehicle, an indication of a location of the vehicle at a time of the crash of the vehicle, an indication of the time of the crash of the vehicle, an indication of a speed of the vehicle at the time of the crash of the vehicle, or an indication of a Delta-V associated with the crash of the vehicle.

“3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the indication of whether the crash of the vehicle has occurred is further based on the base sensor data output by the accelerometer of the mobile computing device.

“4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device is a first mobile computing device, the method further comprising receiving, using the one or more processors, an indication from at least a second mobile computing device within the vehicle of whether the crash of the vehicle has occurred, wherein generating the indication of whether the crash of the vehicle has occurred is further based on the indication from the at least the second mobile computing device of whether the crash of the vehicle has occurred.

“5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein receiving the indication from the at least the second mobile computing device of whether the crash of the vehicle has occurred includes receiving, using the one or more processors, further sensor data from at least one sensor of the at least the second mobile computing device, and wherein generating the indication of whether the crash of the vehicle has occurred includes generating, using the one or more processors, the indication of whether the crash of the vehicle has occurred further based on the further sensor data and geographic locations of each of the first mobile computing device and the at least the second mobile computing device.

“6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, using the one or more processors, whether the vehicle is stopped; and causing, using the one or more processors, when it is determined that the vehicle is stopped and when the indication of whether the crash of the vehicle has occurred indicates that the crash of the vehicle has occurred, at least one of a notification of the crash of the vehicle or a prompt associated with the crash of the vehicle to be provided to a user of the mobile computing device via a user interface of the mobile computing device.

“7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, using the one or more processors, an indication of whether a user of the mobile computing device wishes to send data regarding the crash of the vehicle from the mobile computing device to an insurance provider, the insurance provider providing insurance coverage associated with the vehicle to the user of the mobile computing device; and initiating, using the one or more processors, a telephone call from the mobile computing device to the insurance provider, including making available to the insurance provider identifying data associated with the mobile computing device, the identifying data associated with the mobile computing device correlating the mobile computing device with the data regarding the crash of the vehicle.

“8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of receiving a confirmation from a user of the mobile computing device that the crash of the vehicle has occurred, receiving an indication from the user that the crash of the vehicle has not occurred, receiving an indication from the user of a severity of the crash of the vehicle, receiving an indication of at least one of at least one individual or at least one entity for the user to contact regarding the crash of the vehicle, providing an indication to the user of the at least one of the at least one individual or the at least one entity for the user to contact regarding the crash of the vehicle, receiving an indication from the user of whether any occupant of the vehicle has been injured in the crash of the vehicle, receiving a request from the user for information regarding post-crash guidelines for the user to follow after the crash of the vehicle, providing the information regarding the post-crash guidelines for the user to follow after the crash of the vehicle to the user, receiving an input from the user to adjust data regarding the crash of the vehicle that is to be sent to an insurance provider that provides insurance coverage associated with the vehicle to the user, receiving a request from the user to view via a user interface of the mobile computing device one or more images of an insurance card corresponding to the insurance coverage associated with the vehicle, providing the one or more images of the insurance card via the user interface of the mobile computing device for viewing by the user, receiving a request from the user for a tow truck to be deployed to a location of the crash of the vehicle, receiving a request from the user for transportation of the user from the location of the crash of the vehicle, receiving a request from the user to arrange use of a rental vehicle, receiving an input from the user to initiate an electronic claim process to file a claim associated with the crash of the vehicle with the insurance provider, or receiving an input from the user to initiate contact via the mobile computing device with an agent of the insurance provider.

“9. A computing system for generating an indication of whether a vehicle crash has occurred, the computing system comprising: a first mobile computing device within a vehicle, the first mobile computing device configured to: output base sensor data by an accelerometer of the first mobile computing device; determine that the base sensor data output by the accelerometer indicates that a condition corresponding to a crash of the vehicle has occurred, wherein the crash has an expected duration; after determining that the base sensor data indicates that the condition corresponding to the crash of the vehicle has occurred, determine an amount of time corresponding to the expected duration of the crash; and after determining the amount of time corresponding to the expected duration of the crash: determine an end time for the first mobile computing device to stop receiving additional sensor data, wherein the end time is current time plus the amount of time corresponding to the expected duration of the crash, in response to determining that the base sensor data output by the accelerometer indicates that the condition corresponding to the crash of the vehicle has occurred, cause a gyroscope of the first mobile computing device to operate and begin outputting the additional sensor data, wherein the gyroscope outputs the additional sensor data until the end time, and wherein the gyroscope of the first mobile computing device is separate from the accelerometer of the first mobile computing device, and generate, based on the additional sensor data output by the gyroscope, an indication of whether the crash of the vehicle has occurred.

“10. The computing system of claim 9, wherein the first mobile computing device is further configured to generate, based on at least one of the base sensor data or the additional sensor data, at least one of an indication of a severity of the crash of the vehicle, an indication of a location of the vehicle at a time of the crash of the vehicle, an indication of the time of the crash of the vehicle, an indication of a speed of the vehicle at the time of the crash of the vehicle, or an indication of a Delta-V associated with the crash of the vehicle.”

There are additional claims. Please visit full patent to read further.

For the URL and additional information on this patent, see: Bellas, Eric. System and method for indicating whether a vehicle crash has occurred. U.S. Patent Number 11861715, filed June 30, 2016, and published online on January 2, 2024. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(11861715)&db=USPAT&type=ids

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