Crowd-sourced driver grading

• US 10,032,318 B1
• Filed: 04/15/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Ferguson, Dana
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US15/130,587
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 701 323
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/50 characterised by the display information being shared, e.g. external display, data transfer to other traffic participants or centralised traffic controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/70 characterised by an event-triggered choice to display a specific image among a selection of captured images
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0891 Video recorder in combination with video camera

Abstract

An video analysis computing system driving analysis may include a camera associated with a first vehicle and having a viewing angle capable of capturing a video of one or more other vehicles in proximity to the first vehicle, a first memory location communicatively coupled to the camera, wherein the first memory location stores video data captured by the camera, and an evaluation module including a processor executing instructions that cause the processor to: evaluate the captured video stored in the first memory location to determine whether a driving event performed by a second vehicle has occurred, assign, in response to an identified driving event performed by the second vehicle, a driving event rating to a video showing the identified driving event, wherein the driving event rating may be calculated, at least in part, using a crowd-sourced driving event rating obtained after posting the video to a social network.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a camera associated with a first vehicle and having a viewing angle capable of capturing a video of one or more other vehicles;

a first memory location communicatively coupled to the camera, wherein the first memory location stores video data captured by the camera;

an evaluation module including a processor executing instructions that cause the processor to;

evaluate the captured video stored in the first memory location to determine whether a driving event performed by a second vehicle has occurred; and

assign, in response to an identified driving event performed by the second vehicle, a driving event rating to a video showing the identified driving event; and

an educational video generator communicatively coupled to the evaluation module, the educational video generator configured to;

evaluate the driving event shown in the video to determine a first trajectory of the second vehicle during the driving event;

generate a computer visualization of at least one second trajectory for the second vehicle, including modelling one or more actions of a driver of the second vehicle, wherein the second trajectory comprises a path for the second vehicle to travel to avoid causing the driving event; and

generating an educational video by visually overlaying the computer visualization of the at least one second trajectory to avoid performing the driving event on the captured video showing the second vehicle performing the driving event.

2. The system of claim 1 comprising:

the first vehicle, wherein the camera is physically attached to the first vehicle, and

wherein generating the educational video includes generating a computer rendering of a driving event corresponding to the video.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the camera is physically incorporated into a mobile device and the evaluation module comprises a software application installed and running on the mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a person within the first vehicle triggers the camera to capture the video of the second vehicle performing the driving event;

and wherein in response to the trigger of the camera, the evaluation module captures a predetermined time period of video in relation to a time the capture was triggered.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the evaluation module captures the video for the predetermined time period before the trigger.

6. A vehicle comprising:

a camera associated with the vehicle and having a viewing angle capable of capturing a video of one or more other vehicles in proximity to the vehicle;

a telemetry device in communication with at least one sensor configured to capture data associated with operation of the vehicle;

a first memory device communicatively coupled to the camera, wherein the first memory device stores raw video data captured by the camera;

a second memory device communicatively coupled to the first memory device, the second memory device storing a driving event video comprising a video recording of a second vehicle performing a driving event; and

an evaluation module including a processor executing instructions that cause the processor to;

evaluate the raw video stored in the first memory device to determine whether a driving event performed by a second vehicle has occurred, wherein evaluating the raw video includes;

obtaining sensor data captured by the telemetry device;

identifying the second vehicle in the raw video relative to at least one of a fixed reference point in the video and a relative reference point in the video;

determining a trajectory of the vehicle during the driving event based on the raw video and the sensor data captured by the telemetry device; and

classifying the driving event by comparing the determined trajectory with one or more stored trajectories;

store at least a portion of the raw video in the second memory device as the driving event video; and

assign a rating to the driving event video showing the identified driving event.

7. The vehicle of claim 6 wherein the camera is physically incorporated into the vehicle and having a viewing angle capturing at least a portion of a roadway upon which the vehicle is travelling.

8. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the camera is physically incorporated into a mobile device within the vehicle and the evaluation module comprises a software application installed and running on the mobile device.

9. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein a person within the vehicle triggers the camera to capture the video of the second vehicle performing the driving event;

and wherein in response to the trigger of the camera, the evaluation module captures a predetermined time period of video in relation to a time the capture was triggered.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, comprising an input device used by the person within the vehicle to trigger capture a time period of the raw video that includes the driving event performed by the second vehicle.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the input device comprises a microphone for capturing an audio trigger spoken by the person within the vehicle.

12. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the evaluation module captures the video for the predetermined time period before the trigger.

13. A method comprising:

capturing, by a camera associated with a first vehicle, a video showing a driving event performed by a second vehicle, wherein the driving event causes a situation dangerous to other vehicles in proximity to the second vehicle;

assigning a driving event rating to the video by a person who captured the video, wherein the rating quantifies a perceived danger to the other vehicles in proximity to the second vehicle;

posting, via a communication network, the video to a social network to obtain a crowd-sourced driving event rating for the video; and

generating, by an event analyzer, a composite driving event rating to the video based on the rating assigned by the person who captured the video and the crowd-sourced driving event rating;

determining whether the video is to be used for educational purposes based on the composite driving event rating; and

in response to determining that the video is to be used for educational purposes;

generate a computer visualization of at least one corrective trajectory for the second vehicle, including modelling one or more actions of a driver of the second vehicle, wherein the second trajectory comprises a path for the second vehicle to travel to avoid causing the driving event; and

generating an educational video by visually overlaying the computer visualization of the at least one second trajectory to avoid performing the driving event on the captured video showing the second vehicle performing the driving event.

14. The method of claim 13 comprising:

associating, by the event analyzer, telemetry information, sensor information, and location information with the video;

evaluating, by a ratings analysis module, the video in relation to the telemetry information, sensor information and location information to determine whether the rating assigned to the video is to be adjusted based, at least in part, on the telemetry information, sensor information and location information.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising:

computing, by an incentives module, a difference between the driving event rating provided by the person who captured the video and the composite driving event rating;

comparing the difference to a threshold; and

determining, by the incentives module, an incentive to be awarded to the person for capturing the video based, at least in part, on the comparing.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the incentives comprise at least one of a discount to an insurance policy premium, a rebate to a previously paid insurance premium, and a cash award based on a number of videos provided by the person within a defined time period.