Researchers Submit Patent Application, “Autonomous Vehicle Operating Status Assessment”, for Approval (USPTO 20230070573): State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company

2023 MAR 23 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- From Washington, D.C., NewsRx journalists report that a patent application by the inventors Bennett, Shawn C. (Le Roy, IL, US); Binion, Todd (Bloomington, IL, US); Bryant, Ronny S. (Bloomington, IL, US); Chan, Aaron Scott (Lisle, IL, US); Cielocha, Steven C. (Bloomington, IL, US); Csanda, Carol Marie (Normal, IL, US); Fields, Brian Mark (Normal, IL, US); Gorsuch, Stacey (Bloomington, IL, US); Huang, Chien Che (Normal, IL, US); Kohaus, Stephen (Normal, IL, US); Main, Craig M. (Hagerstown, MD, US); Novak, Richard A. (Bloomington, IL, US); Quakenbush, Terry (Bloomington, IL, US); Wazeer, Mohamed A. (Normal, IL, US); Wollenschlager, Torri (Bloomington, IL, US); Wu, Weixin (Aurora, IL, US), filed on November 14, 2022, was made available online on March 9, 2023.

The patent’s assignee is State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (Bloomington, Illinois, United States).

News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Vehicles are typically operated by a human vehicle operator who controls both steering and motive controls. Operator error, inattention, inexperience, misuse, or distraction leads to many vehicle accidents each year, resulting in injury and damage. Autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles augment vehicle operators’ information or replace vehicle operators’ control commands to operate the vehicle in whole or part with computer systems based upon information from sensors within the vehicle.

“Vehicle or automobile insurance exists to provide financial protection against physical damage and/or bodily injury resulting from traffic accidents and against liability that could arise therefrom. Typically, a customer purchases a vehicle insurance policy for a policy rate having a specified term. In exchange for payments from the insured customer, the insurer pays for damages to the insured which are caused by covered perils, acts, or events as specified by the language of the insurance policy. The payments from the insured are generally referred to as “premiums,” and typically are paid on behalf of the insured over time at periodic intervals. An insurance policy may remain “in-force” while premium payments are made during the term or length of coverage of the policy as indicated in the policy. An insurance policy may “lapse” (or have a status or state of “lapsed”), for example, when premium payments are not being paid or if the insured or the insurer cancels the policy.

“Premiums may be typically determined based upon a selected level of insurance coverage, location of vehicle operation, vehicle model, and characteristics or demographics of the vehicle operator. The characteristics of a vehicle operator that affect premiums may include age, years operating vehicles of the same class, prior incidents involving vehicle operation, and losses reported by the vehicle operator to the insurer or a previous insurer. Past and current premium determination methods do not, however, account for use of autonomous vehicle operating features. The present embodiments may, inter alia, alleviate this and/or other drawbacks associated with conventional techniques.”

As a supplement to the background information on this patent application, NewsRx correspondents also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent application: “The present embodiments may be related to autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle functionality, including driverless operation, accident avoidance, or collision warning systems, These autonomous vehicle operation features may either assist the vehicle operator to more safely or efficiently operate a vehicle or may take full control of vehicle operation under some or all circumstances. The present embodiments may also facilitate risk assessment and premium determination for vehicle insurance policies covering vehicles with autonomous operation features. For instance, a consumer may opt-in to a rewards program that rewards them, such as in the form of insurance discounts, for sharing data related to their vehicles and/or autonomous features with an insurance provider.

“In accordance with the described embodiments, the disclosure herein generally addresses systems and methods for determining the status of autonomous operation features of an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, which may include one or more sensors. A computer associated with the vehicle (such as an on-board computer, mobile device, or server communicatively connected to the vehicle) may (1) receive a signal indicating a request to determine an operating status of one or more autonomous operation features of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle; (2) determine a configuration of the one or more autonomous operation features; (3) present or send a test signal to the one or more autonomous operation features; (4) receive one or more response signals from the one or more autonomous operation features (or associated processors); (5) determine the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features based upon the received one or more response signals; (6) generate an operating status report or electronic message indicating the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features, which may include a certification of the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features; (7) store the operating status report in memory for subsequent use; and/or (8) present the operating status report to an insured or vehicle operator/owner. In some embodiments, the computer may further (9) transmit the generated operating status report to a server, such as via wireless communication or data transmission, whereupon the server may further receive one or more indications of maintenance performed on the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, determine an adjustment to one or more risk levels associated with operation of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, determine an adjustment to a cost associated with an insurance policy associated with the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle based upon the determined adjustment to the one or more risk levels and/or based upon the received one or more indications of maintenance, and/or cause the adjustment to the cost associated with the insurance policy to be implemented. The cost associated with the insurance policy may include one or more of the following: a premium, a discount, a surcharge, a rate level, a cost based upon a distance traveled, a cost based upon a vehicle trip, and/or a cost based upon a duration of vehicle operation.

“In some embodiments, the signal indicating the request to determine the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features may be automatically generated upon the occurrence of an event, including one or more of the following: receipt of a command to start the vehicle, receipt of a command to shut off the vehicle, receipt of an indication of a collision involving the vehicle, or receipt of an indication of damage to the vehicle. The signal may be received from a mobile device or from a special-purpose computing device communicatively connected to the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle.

“In further embodiments, the computer may attempt to diagnose and/or correct problems with autonomous operation features. When the operation of one or more sensors disposed within the vehicle are determined to be impaired by environmental factors (including snow, ice, rain, dirt, mud, or condensation), a remediation module may generate a remediation signal, which may be presented to one or more remediation components disposed within the vehicle. The remediation components may be configured to remediate impairments of the one or more sensors by environmental factors, A system status module may likewise diagnose one or more errors with at least one autonomous operation feature based upon the received one or more response signals from the one or more autonomous operation features, in order to correct the diagnosed one or more errors with the at least one autonomous operation feature. Correcting the diagnosed one or more errors with the at least one autonomous operation feature may include calibrating at least one sensor disposed within the vehicle based upon the received one or more response signals from the one or more autonomous operation features.

“In accordance with the described embodiments, the disclosure herein further generally addresses systems and methods for real-time (or near real-time) determination of the status of autonomous operation features of an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, which may include one or more sensors. A computer (such as an on-board computer, mobile device, or server communicatively connected to the vehicle) associated with the vehicle may (1) monitor the operation of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle to obtain operating data from one or more autonomous operation features; (2) determine an operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle based upon the operating data; (3) determine a change in the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features based upon the determined operating status; (4) generate a report containing information regarding the change in the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features; (5) store the operating status report in memory for subsequent use, such as the uses discussed herein, as well as directly below, and/or (6) present the operating status report or information based upon the operating status report to an insured or vehicle operator/owner.

“In some embodiments, the computer may further determine an adjustment to a cost associated with an insurance policy associated with the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle based upon the determined change in the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features, and/or cause the adjustment to the cost associated with the insurance policy to be implemented. Determining the adjustment to the cost associated with the insurance policy may include determining an adjustment to a risk associated with operation of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle based upon the determined change in the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features. The cost associated with the insurance policy may include one or more of the following: a premium, a discount, a surcharge, a rate level, a cost based upon a distance traveled, a cost based upon a vehicle trip, and/or a cost based upon a duration of vehicle operation.

“In further embodiments, the computer may determine that the change in operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features may cause the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features to pass an alert threshold, in which case an alert indicating an impairment of the operation of the one or more autonomous operation features may be generated and presented to a person associated with the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle. Additionally, or alternatively, the computer may determine that the change in operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features may cause the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features to pass a critical threshold, in which case control of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle may be transferred to a vehicle operator. If the computer further determines that control of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle cannot safely be transferred to a vehicle operator, however, the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle may stop and discontinue operation.

“In each of the embodiments or aspects described above, the methods may be provided in corresponding computer systems including at least one or more processors and a non-transitory program memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing executable instructions. The computer systems may further include or be communicatively connected to one or more sensors, communication components or devices, or other equipment as described herein. In yet another aspect, a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions corresponding to each of the embodiments or aspects described above may be provided. Each of the methods or executable instructions of the computer systems or computer-readable media may include additional, fewer, or alternate actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.”

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The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A computer-implemented method for determining the status of autonomous operation features of an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, comprising: receiving, at one or more processors, a signal indicating a request to determine an operating status of one or more autonomous operation features of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle; determining, by one or more processors, a configuration of the one or more autonomous operation features; presenting, by one or more processors, a test signal to the one or more autonomous operation features; receiving, at one or more processors, one or more response signals from the one or more autonomous operation features; determining, by one or more processors, the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features based upon the received one or more response signals; generating, by one or more processors, an operating status report indicating the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features; and storing, in a computer-readable non-transitory memory, the operating status report for subsequent use.

“2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting, via a network, the generated operating status report to a server; determining, by one or more processors of the server, an adjustment to one or more risk levels associated with operation of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle; determining, by one or more processors of the server, an adjustment to a cost associated with an insurance policy associated with the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle based upon the determined adjustment to the one or more risk levels; causing, by one or more processors of the server, the adjustment to the cost associated with the insurance policy to be implemented.

“3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the cost associated with the insurance policy includes at least one of the following: a premium, a discount, a surcharge, a rate level, a cost based upon a distance traveled, a cost based upon a vehicle trip, or a cost based upon a. duration of vehicle operation.

“4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising: receiving, at the one or more processors of the server, one or more indications of maintenance performed on the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, wherein determining the adjustment to the cost associated with the insurance policy is further based upon the received one or more indications of maintenance.

“5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more autonomous operation features comprise one or more sensors disposed within the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle.

“6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the signal indicating the request to determine the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features is automatically generated by a processor upon the occurrence of an event.

“7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the event includes one or more of the following: receipt of a command to start the vehicle, receipt of a command to shut off the vehicle, receipt of an indication of a collision involving the vehicle, or receipt of an indication of damage to the vehicle.

“8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein: the signal indicating the request to determine the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features is received from a mobile device communicatively connected to the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle: and the system status module is executed by one or more processors of an on-board computer disposed within the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle.

“9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the signal indicating the request to determine the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features is received from a special-purpose computing device communicatively connected to the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle.

“10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: when operation of one or more sensors disposed within the vehicle are determined to be impaired by environmental factors, generating, by one or more processors, a remediation signal; and presenting the remediation signal to one or more remediation components disposed within the vehicle, wherein the one or more remediation components are configured to remediate impairments of the one or more sensors by environmental factors.

“11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the one or more sensors are impaired by blockage by one or more of the following: snow, ice, rain, dirt, mud, or condensation.

“12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: diagnosing, by one or more processors, one or more errors with at least one autonomous operation feature based upon the received one or more response signals from the one or more autonomous operation features; and correcting, by one or more processors, the diagnosed one or more errors with the at least one autonomous operation feature.

“13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, Wherein correcting the diagnosed one or more errors with the at least one autonomous operation feature includes calibrating at least one sensor disposed within the vehicle based upon the received one or more response signals from the one or more autonomous operation features.

“14. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the one or more errors include at least one of the following: a software error, an out-of-date software version, or a software incompatibility.

“15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the operating status report includes generating a certification of the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features.

“16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more autonomous operation features of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle are related to at least one of the following: steering; accelerating; braking; monitoring blind spots; presenting a collision warning; adaptive cruise control; parking; driver alertness monitoring; driver responsiveness monitoring; pedestrian detection; artificial intelligence; a back-up system; a navigation system; a positioning system; a security system; an anti-hacking measure; a theft prevention system; or remote vehicle location determination.

“17. A computer system for determining the status of autonomous operation features of an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, comprising: one or more processors; one or more sensors communicatively connected to the one or more processors; and a program memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing executable instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the computer system to: receive a signal indicating a request to determine an operating status of one or more autonomous operation features of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle; determine a configuration of the one or more autonomous operation features; present a test signal to the one or more autonomous operation features; receive one or more response signals from the one or more autonomous operation features; determine the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features based upon the received one or more response signals; generate an operating status report indicating the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features; and store the operating status report for subsequent use.

“18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the program memory further stores executable instructions that cause the computer system to: generate a remediation signal when operation of one or more sensors disposed within the vehicle are determined to be impaired by environmental factors; and present the remediation signal to one or more remediation components disposed within the vehicle, wherein the one or more remediation components are configured to remediate impairments of the one or more sensors by environmental factors.

“19. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for determining the status of autonomous operation features of an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle that, when executed by at least one processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to: receive a signal indicating a request to determine an operating status of one or more autonomous operation features of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle; determine a configuration of the one or more autonomous operation features; present a test signal to the one or more autonomous operation features; receive one or more response signals from the one or more autonomous operation features; determine the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features based upon the received one or more response signals; generate an operating status report indicating the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features; and store the operating status report for subsequent use.

“20. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the computer-system to: diagnose one or more errors with at least one autonomous operation feature based upon the received one or more response signals from the one or more autonomous operation features; and correct the diagnosed one or more errors with the at least one autonomous operation feature.”

For additional information on this patent application, see: Bennett, Shawn C.; Binion, Todd; Bryant, Ronny S.; Chan, Aaron Scott; Cielocha, Steven C.; Csanda, Carol Marie; Fields, Brian Mark; Gorsuch, Stacey; Huang, Chien Che; Kohaus, Stephen; Main, Craig M.; Novak, Richard A.; Quakenbush, Terry; Wazeer, Mohamed A.; Wollenschlager, Torri; Wu, Weixin. Autonomous Vehicle Operating Status Assessment. U.S. Patent Application Number 20230070573, filed November 14, 2022 and posted March 9, 2023. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(20230070573)&db=US-PGPUB&type=ids

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