Reward system related to a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system

• US 10,096,067 B1
• Filed: 01/24/2014
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Slusar, Mark V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US14/163,719
• Time in Patent Office: 1,719 Days
• Field of Search: 705 3- 44
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

System and methods are disclosed for determining, through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, whether vehicles are involved in autonomous droning. Vehicle driving data and other information may be used to calculate a autonomous droning reward amount. In addition, vehicle involved in a drafting relationship in addition to, or apart from, an autonomous droning relationship may be financially rewarded. Moreover, aspects of the disclosure related to determining ruminative rewards and/or aspects of vehicle insurance procurement/underwriting.

Claims

1. A driving analysis system comprising:

a vehicle operational data collector, wherein the vehicle operational data collector is configured to collect a first vehicle operational data from at least one of vehicle sensors, vehicle on board diagnostic (OBD) systems, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems; and

a driving analysis computing device comprising;

a processing unit comprising a processor; and

a memory unit; and

an electronic receiver,

wherein the driving analysis computing device is configured to;

receive, via the electronic receiver, the first vehicle operational data;

determine, by the processor and using the first vehicle operational data, whether a first vehicle is engaged in a drafting relationship with at least a second vehicle, wherein the drafting relationship indicates that the first vehicle and the second vehicle move in alignment to reduce an effect of drag by using a slipstream of the first vehicle;

determine, by the processor, a drafting characteristic of the drafting relationship using the first vehicle operational data;

determine, by the processor, a drafting property associated with the first vehicle using the drafting characteristic; and

allocate, by the processor, to the second vehicle a drafting reward based on the drafting property associated with the first vehicle.

2. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the drafting reward comprises at least one of a cash payment, a carbon credit, a fuel credit, a tax credit, a rebate, and at least a portion of a drafting fuel savings amount associated with the first vehicle.

3. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the drafting characteristic comprises a vehicle spacing between the first vehicle and the second vehicle and a first vehicle speed, and the drafting property comprises a drafting fuel savings rate.

4. The driving analysis system of claim 1, further comprising:

a display wherein the driving analysis computing device is further configured to present at least one of the drafting property and the drafting reward on the display.

5. The driving analysis system of claim 4, wherein the driving analysis computing device is further configured to display, in real-time, the drafting property, and

wherein the drafting property comprises a percentage increase in miles-per-gallon of the first vehicle.

6. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the drafting property is a drafting fuel savings amount, and

wherein the drafting fuel savings amount is determined by subtracting from a first drafting miles-per-gallon reading a first non-drafting miles-per-gallon reading to determine a first drafting miles-per-gallon savings rate and dividing a first distance traveled by the first vehicle by the first drafting miles-per-gallon savings rate.

7. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the drafting characteristic is a vehicle spacing between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and the drafting property is a percent increase in miles-per-gallon of the first vehicle.

8. The driving analysis system of claim 7, wherein the drafting property is determined from a correlation of vehicle spacing versus an increase in miles-per-gallon for the first vehicle.

9. The driving analysis system of claim 8, wherein the correlation is based at least in part on a first vehicle type, a second vehicle type, a first vehicle speed, and a first vehicle miles-per-gallon at the first vehicle speed.

10. The driving analysis system of claim 8, further comprising:

a driving data database, wherein the correlation is stored on the driving data database and the driving analysis computing device is further configured to access the driving data database.

11. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle operational data is received from the second vehicle, and

wherein the first vehicle operational data is transmitted from the first vehicle to the second vehicle using vehicle-to-vehicle communications.

12. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle operational data is collected by at least one of a first vehicle data acquiring component of the first vehicle and a second vehicle data acquiring component of the second vehicle.

13. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the first vehicle operational data includes data collected via vehicle-to-vehicle communications between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

14. A driving analysis computing device comprising:

a processing unit comprising a processor;

a memory unit; and

a wireless receiver,

wherein the driving analysis computing device is configured to;

receive, via the wireless receiver, first vehicle driving data collected by a first vehicle data acquiring component, wherein the first vehicle data acquiring component is configured to collect the first vehicle driving data from at least one of vehicle sensors, vehicle on board diagnostic (OBD) systems, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems;

receive, via the wireless receiver, second vehicle driving data collected by a second vehicle data acquiring component, wherein the second vehicle data acquiring component is configured to collect the second vehicle driving data from at least one of vehicle sensors, vehicle OBD systems, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems;

determine, by the processor, a drafting property associated with a first vehicle engaged in a drafting relationship with a second vehicle, wherein the drafting relationship indicates that the first vehicle and the second vehicle move in alignment to reduce an effect of drag by using a slipstream of the first vehicle; and

allocate, by the processor, a drafting reward to the second vehicle based on the drafting property associated with the first vehicle.

15. The driving analysis computing device of claim 14, wherein the drafting property comprises a drafting fuel savings amount and the drafting reward comprises a payment equal to at least a portion of the drafting fuel savings amount associated with the first vehicle.

16. The driving analysis computing device of claim 14, wherein the driving analysis computing device is further configured to assess, to an account associated with the first vehicle, a first payment.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, by a wireless receiver of a driving analysis computing device, vehicle operational data pertaining to a first vehicle and a second vehicle and collected by a vehicle operational data collector, wherein the vehicle operational data collector is configured to collect the vehicle operational data from at least one of vehicle sensors, vehicle on board diagnostic (OBD) systems, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems;

determining, by a processing unit of the driving analysis computing device, whether the first vehicle and the second vehicle are engaged in a drafting relationship, wherein the drafting relationship indicates that the first vehicle and the second vehicle move in alignment to reduce an effect of drag by using a slipstream of the first vehicle;

determining, by the processing unit of the driving analysis computing device, a drafting characteristic of the drafting relationship using the vehicle operational data;

determining, by the processing unit of the driving analysis computing device, a drafting property associated with the first vehicle using the drafting characteristic; and

allocating, by the processing unit of the driving analysis computing device, a drafting reward to the second vehicle based on the drafting property associated with the first vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first vehicle is following the second vehicle.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the drafting reward comprises at least one of a cash payment, carbon credit, a fuel credit, a tax credit, a rebate, and at least a portion of a drafting fuel savings amount associated with the first vehicle.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the drafting characteristic comprises a vehicle spacing between the first vehicle and the second vehicle and a first vehicle speed, and the drafting property comprises a drafting fuel savings rate.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

displaying, on a computing device associated with the first vehicle, at least one of the drafting property and the drafting reward.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the drafting property comprises a percentage increase in miles-per-gallon of the first vehicle.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the drafting property is determined at least in part from a correlation of vehicle spacing versus an increase in miles-per-gallon for the first vehicle.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the correlation is based at least in part on a first vehicle type, a second vehicle type, a first vehicle speed, and a first vehicle miles-per-gallon at the first vehicle speed.