State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Assigned Patent for Using Train Telematics Data

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 26 -- State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance, Bloomington, Illinois, has been assigned a patent (No. 10,451,427, initially filed Dec. 6, 2018) developed by Gregory Hayward, Bloomington, Illinois, for "using train telematics data to reduce accident risk."

The full-text of the patent can be found at 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=10,451,427.PN.&OS=PN/10,451,427&RS=PN/10,451,427

The abstract states: "A computer system configured to use train telematics data may be mounted on or within an autonomous vehicle, and which may be configured to (1) receive train telematics data associated with a train that includes GPS location, speed, route, heading, acceleration, and/or track data, (2) determine, based upon the train telematics data, when, or a time period of when, the train will pass through, be passing through, and/or be within a predetermined distance of a railroad crossing, (3) determine an alternate route for the autonomous vehicle to take to avoid waiting at the railroad crossing, and (4) direct the autonomous vehicle to automatically travel along the alternate route or automatically stop at the railroad crossing to allow the train to pass unimpeded and to facilitate avoidance of train-vehicle collisions. Insurance discounts may be generated based upon the risk mitigation or prevention functionality."

Written by Ranjan Behera; edited by Sudarshan Harpal.