Patent Issued for Traffic Based Driving Analysis (USPTO 10,777,024)

2020 SEP 30 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- From Alexandria, Virginia, NewsRx journalists report that a patent by the inventors Brinkmann, Margaret A. (Palo Alto, CA); Kraft, Daniel (Libertyville, IL); Bryer, Nathan M. (Arlington Heights, IL); Huls, Eric D. (Chicago, IL); Warden, Thomas Michael (Belmont, CA), filed on April 7, 2017, was published online on September 28, 2020.

The patent’s assignee for patent number 10,777,024 is Allstate Insurance Company (Northbrook, Illinois, United States).

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 on-board data recording systems 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 or braking, instances of swerving, impacts to the vehicle, data indicating driver distractions within the vehicle, and usage of seat belts, turn signals, and other vehicle controls. Based on the vehicle operational data, the driving analysis server may be configured to identify one or more potentially high-risk or unsafe driving behaviors at a first vehicle, for example, speeding, sudden acceleration or braking, swerving, lane departures, tailgating, etc. According to certain aspects, additional data may be retrieved from one or more external data sources in order to identify the potentially high-risk or unsafe driving behaviors. For example, speeding by the first vehicle may be determined using speed sensor data and location data from the first vehicle, along with speed limit data from a separate data source. As another example, occurrences of aggressive driving in bad weather may be identified using operation data from the vehicle, along with weather data from a separate weather database.

“In accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure, corresponding vehicle operation data may be retrieved for one or more additional vehicles at a similar time, location, and/or circumstances to the potentially high-risk or unsafe driving behavior of the first vehicle. For example, if the potentially high-risk or unsafe driving behavior of the first vehicle is speeding along an isolated road, then corresponding speed data may be retrieved from other vehicles along the same isolated road to identify one or more other vehicles that also may have been speeding along the same road. The driving analysis server may identify and measure the number of occurrences of the same driving behavior to determine whether or not to adjust a driver score for the first vehicle based on the driving behavior. For instance, if a high percentage of other vehicles have the same driving behavior as the first vehicle, the behavior may be deemed less risky or unsafe and the driver score associated with the first vehicle might not be lowered, whereas if a low percentage of other vehicles have the same driving behavior, the behavior may be deemed more risky or unsafe and the driver score associated with the first vehicle may be lowered.

“Other features and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the additional description provided herein.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“What is claimed is:

“1. A driving analysis system, comprising: a first vehicle on-board data recording system including: at least one sensor configured to record, in real-time, vehicle operation data at a first vehicle; and a telematics device configured to access the at least one sensor and transmit, in real-time, the vehicle operation data to a driving analysis server; and the driving analysis server, including: a processing unit comprising a processor; a memory unit storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the processing unit, cause the driving analysis server to: initiate a communication session with the first vehicle on-board data recording system; establish the communication session with the first vehicle on-board data recording system; receive, in real-time, via the communication session and from the first vehicle on-board data recording system, first vehicle driving data, the first vehicle driving data associated with a first vehicle location; identify, in real-time, an occurrence of a driving behavior in the first vehicle driving data based on the first vehicle driving data and a driving behavior threshold; receive, in real-time, other vehicle driving data from one or more driving data sources, the other vehicle driving data corresponding to one or more other vehicles driven at or near the first vehicle location; analyze, in real-time, the received other vehicle driving data to identify occurrences of the driving behavior in the other vehicle driving data; responsive to identifying occurrences of the driving behavior in the other vehicle driving data, maintaining a driver score of the first vehicle; responsive to not identifying occurrences of the driving behavior in the other vehicle driving data, adjusting the driver score of the first vehicle; and cause display of one of the maintained driver score and the adjusted driver score via a display of a mobile device.

“2. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the driving behavior threshold is based on both driving behavior and situational factors.

“3. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle driving data and the other vehicle driving data are from a same time period.

“4. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle on-board data recording system comprises sensors or cameras configured to record at least one of: vehicle acceleration rates, vehicle braking rates, vehicle speed, vehicle steering, an impact to the vehicle, vehicle following distance, or vehicle lane position.

“5. The driving analysis system of claim 4, wherein the identified occurrence of the driving behavior includes at least one of: an occurrence of sudden acceleration, an occurrence of sudden braking, an occurrence of speeding, an occurrence of swerving, an occurrence of an impact to the vehicle, an occurrence of tailgating, an occurrence of a lane departure, or an occurrence of a moving violation.

“6. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle on-board data recording system is configured to record and transmit at least one of: vehicle speed data, vehicle acceleration data, vehicle braking data, vehicle steering data, use of vehicle turn signals, use of vehicle seat belts, use of a radio in the first vehicle, or use of a phone in the first vehicle.

“7. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle on-board data recording system is configured to record and transmit at least one of: image data, video data, or object proximity data collected by at least one camera or proximity sensor in the first vehicle on-board data recording system.

“8. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein receiving the other vehicle driving data comprises: determining the first vehicle location of the first vehicle; identifying the one or more other vehicles based on a determination that each of the one or more other vehicles are at or near the first vehicle location; and retrieving the other vehicle driving data collected by vehicle on-board data recording systems within the one or more other vehicles.

“9. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein receiving the other vehicle driving data comprises: determining the first vehicle location of the first vehicle; and retrieving other vehicle driving data from a traffic database for vehicles that were driven at or near the first vehicle location.

“10. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the one or more other vehicles driven at or near the first vehicle location are determined based on at least one of: global positioning system data and proximity sensor data from the first vehicle and the one or more other vehicles.

“11. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the driving behavior threshold is based on a time of day associated with the first vehicle driving data.

“12. The driving analysis system of claim 1, the driving analysis server further including instructions that, when executed, cause the driving analysis server to: determine, based on one of the maintained driver score and the adjusted driver score, at least one of: an insurance coverage, an insurance premium, and an insurance deductible.

“13. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein causing display of one of the maintained driver score and the adjusted driver score via a display of a mobile device includes transmitting the one of the maintained driver score and the adjusted driver score via email to the mobile device.

“14. A driving analysis system, comprising: a first vehicle on-board data recording system including: at least a first sensor configured to record, in real-time, vehicle operation data at a first vehicle; and a first telematics device configured to access the at least a first sensor and transmit, in real-time, the vehicle operation data to a driving analysis server; a second vehicle on-board data recording system including: at least a second sensor configured to record, in real-time, vehicle operation data at a second vehicle; and a second telematics device configured to access the at least a second sensor and transmit, in real-time, the vehicle operation data to the driving analysis server; and the driving analysis server, including: a processing unit including a processor; and a memory unit storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the driving analysis server to: initiate a communication session with the first vehicle on-board data recording system; establish the communication session with the first vehicle on-board data recording system; receive, in real-time, via the communication session with the first vehicle on-board data recording system and from the first vehicle on-board data recording system, first vehicle driving data, the first vehicle driving data associated with a first vehicle location; identify, in real-time, an occurrence of a driving behavior in the first vehicle driving data based on the first vehicle driving data and a driving behavior threshold; initiate a communication session with the second vehicle on-board data recording system; establish the communication session with the second vehicle on-board data recording system; receive, in real-time, via the communication session with the second vehicle on-board data recording system and from the second vehicle on-board data recording system, second vehicle driving data, the second vehicle driving data associated with a second vehicle location at or near the first vehicle location; analyze, in real-time, the received second vehicle driving data to identify an occurrence of the driving behavior in the second vehicle driving data; responsive to identifying an occurrence of the driving behavior in the second vehicle driving data, maintaining a driver score of the first vehicle; responsive to not identifying an occurrence of the driving behavior in the second vehicle driving data, adjusting the driver score of the first vehicle; and cause display of one of the maintained driver score and the adjusted driver score via a display of a mobile device.

“15. The driving analysis system of claim 14, wherein the driving behavior threshold is based on both driving behavior and situational factors.

“16. The driving analysis system of claim 14, wherein the first vehicle on-board data recording system and the second vehicle on-board data recording system each comprise sensors or cameras configured to record at least one of: vehicle acceleration rates, vehicle braking rates, vehicle speed, vehicle steering, an impact to the vehicle, vehicle following distance, or vehicle lane position.

“17. The driving analysis system of claim 16, wherein the identified occurrence of the driving behavior includes at least one of: an occurrence of sudden acceleration, an occurrence of sudden braking, an occurrence of speeding, an occurrence of swerving, an occurrence of an impact to the vehicle, an occurrence of tailgating, an occurrence of a lane departure, or an occurrence of a moving violation.

“18. The driving analysis system of claim 14, wherein the first vehicle on-board data recording system and the second vehicle on-board data recording system are each configured to record and transmit at least one of: vehicle speed data, vehicle acceleration data, vehicle braking data, vehicle steering data, use of vehicle turn signals, use of vehicle seat belts, use of a radio in the first vehicle, or use of a phone in the first vehicle.

“19. The driving analysis system of claim 14, wherein the first vehicle on-board data recording system and the second vehicle on-board data recording system are each configured to record and transmit at least one of: image data, video data, or object proximity data collected by at least one camera or proximity sensor in the first vehicle on-board data recording system.

“20. The driving analysis system of claim 14, the driving analysis server storing additional computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processing unit, cause the driving analysis server to: determine the first vehicle location of the first vehicle; and identify the second vehicle based on a determination that the second vehicle is at or near the first vehicle location.

“21. The driving analysis system of claim 20, the driving analysis server storing additional computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processing unit, cause the driving analysis server to: request vehicle driving data from the second vehicle on-board data recording system based on the determination that the second vehicle is at or near the first vehicle location, wherein the vehicle driving data requested from the second vehicle on-board data recording system corresponds to the first vehicle driving data received from the first vehicle on-board data recording system.

“22. A driving analysis system comprising: an on-board vehicle data recording system of a first vehicle including a plurality of sensors configured to record, in real-time, operational data of the first vehicle; and a telematics device configured to access the plurality of sensors and transmit, in real-time, the operational data of the vehicle to a driving analysis server; and the driving analysis server, including: a processing unit comprising a processor; and a memory unit storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processing unit, cause the driving analysis server to: initiate a communication session with the on-board vehicle data recording system of the first vehicle; establish the communication session with the on-board vehicle data recording system of the first vehicle; receive, in real-time, via the communication session and from the on-board vehicle data recording system of the first vehicle, first vehicle driving data, the first vehicle driving data associated with a first vehicle location and a first vehicle time; analyze, in real-time, the received first vehicle driving data to determine a first driving behavior of the first vehicle; receive, in real-time, other vehicle driving data from one or more driving data sources, the other vehicle driving data corresponding to one or more other vehicles driven at or near the first vehicle location at or near the first vehicle time; compare, in real-time, the first vehicle driving data to the other vehicle driving data corresponding to the one or more other vehicles driven at or near the first vehicle location at or near the first vehicle time to determine whether the first driving behavior is present in the other vehicle driving data; responsive to determining that the first driving behavior is not present in the other vehicle driving data, adjusting a driver score of the first vehicle; responsive to determining that the first driving behavior is present in the other vehicle driving data, maintaining the driver score of the first vehicle; and cause display of one of the maintained driver score and the adjusted driver score via a display of a mobile device.

“23. The driving analysis system of claim 22, wherein receiving the other vehicle driving data comprises: determining the first vehicle location of the first vehicle; identifying the one or more other vehicles based on a determination that each of the one or more other vehicles are at or near the first vehicle location at or near the first vehicle time; and retrieving vehicle driving data collected by on-board vehicle data recording systems within the one or more other vehicles.”

For additional information on this patent, see: Brinkmann, Margaret A.; Kraft, Daniel; Bryer, Nathan M.; Huls, Eric D.; Warden, Thomas Michael. Traffic Based Driving Analysis. U.S. Patent Number 10,777,024, filed April 7, 2017, and published online on September 28, 2020. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=10,777,024.PN.&OS=PN/10,777,024RS=PN/10,777,024

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