Method and system for assessing damage to insured properties in a neighborhood

• US 10,134,092 B1
• Filed: 10/09/2014
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Harvey, Brian N., Tofte, Nathan L., Schmidgall, Roger D., Aviles, Michael Jeffrey, Pott, Kyle, Grant, Rosemarie Geier, Jacob, Michael Shawn
• Primary Examiner(s): Ojiaku, Chikaodinaka
• Application Number:
  US14/510,492
• Time in Patent Office: 1,503 Days
• Field of Search: 705 4, 705 35
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/75 Organisation of the matching processes, e.g. simultaneous or sequential comparisons of image or video features; Coarse-fine approaches, e.g. multi-scale approaches; using context analysis; Selection of dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/176 Urban or other man-made structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 Three-dimensional objects

Abstract

A method and system may assess the damage to insured properties in a neighborhood using aerial images captured from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or from a satellite device. The neighborhood may be selected by identifying a neighborhood affected by a catastrophe and having a large concentration of properties which are insured by a particular insurance provider. Aerial images of the entire neighborhood may then be captured and received from the UAV or the satellite device. For each insured property in the neighborhood, a condition and the extent and/or severity of the damage may be automatically determined based on the received aerial images. The aerial images along with indications of the extent of the damage may be displayed.

Claims

1. A method for assessing damage to insured properties in a neighborhood, the method executed by one or more processors programmed to perform the method, the method comprising:

identifying, by the one or more processors, a neighborhood including a concentration of insured properties which is above a predetermined threshold concentration level, wherein the neighborhood has been affected by a natural or a man-made disaster;

capturing, by an aerial image capturing device having one or more stabilization sensors which control aerial movement of the aerial image capturing device, an image sensor, and a physical storage space for transporting resources, a plurality of aerial images which display the neighborhood including the insured properties;

receiving, at the one or more processors, the plurality of aerial images from the aerial image capturing device; and

for each of the insured properties in the identified neighborhood;

determining, by the one or more processors, one or more aerial images of the plurality of aerial images which display at least a portion of a same insured property of the insured properties;

for each of one or more components of the insured property;

determining, by the one or more processors, a condition of the component of the insured property based on the respective one or more aerial images corresponding to the insured property;

assessing, by the one or more processors, a damage severity level of the component of the insured property for determining a claim assessment based on the determined condition of the component of the insured property;

assigning, by the one or more processors, a damage severity level indicator to the component of the insured property based on the damage severity level; and

deploying, by the one or more processors via the aerial image capturing device, one or more resources to the insured property based on the damage severity level; and

causing, by the one or more processors, the insured property to be displayed on a user interface and the one or more damage severity level indicators to be displayed overlaying the one or more corresponding components of the insured property on the user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a condition of the component of the insured property is a present condition and wherein assessing a damage severity level of the component of the insured property comprises:

determining, by the one or more processors, a past condition of the component of the insured property, wherein the past condition is based on one or more respective aerial images corresponding to the insured property which were captured before the neighborhood was affected by the natural or man-made disaster;

comparing, by the one or more processors, the present condition to the past condition of the respective component of the insured property; and

determining, by the one or more processors, the damage severity level for the component of the insured property based on the comparison between the present and the past conditions of the respective component of the insured property.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

directing, by the one or more processors, the aerial image capturing device to one or more locations for capturing the plurality of aerial images.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of aerial images are received via a satellite.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising

determining, by the one or more processors, a claim amount for at least one of the insured properties based on the respective damage severity level before an owner of the at least one insured property files an insurance claim.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining a claim amount comprises pre-filling at least one form associated with the insurance claim for the at least one insured property.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more components of the insured property comprises at least one of:

a window, a door, a roof, siding, an exterior wall, a garage, a backyard, a swimming pool, a lawn, a foundation, a driveway, a fence, a tree, a deck, or a patio.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein assessing a damage severity level of the insured property comprises:

determining, by the one or more processors, a plurality of damage severity level categories;

assigning, by the one or more processors, a damage severity level indicator to each of the plurality of damage severity level categories;

adding, by the one or more processors, the damage severity level indicator to each of the one or more components of the insured property based on a damage severity level of each component; and

displaying, by the one or more processors, the damage severity level indicator for each component on the displayed one or more aerial images on the user interface.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more resources includes at least one of:

water, food, storage boxes, containers, a healing substance, rescue assistance, a survival kit, or tools.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

directing, by the one or more processors, the aerial image capturing device to retrieve an item from at least one of the insured properties in the neighborhood.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a natural or man-made disaster includes at least one of:

a tornado, a hurricane, an avalanche, an earthquake, a flood, a tsunami, a volcanic eruption, a hail storm, a wildfire, a thunderstorm, a nuclear incident, a war or an act of terrorism.

12. A system for assessing damage to insured properties in a neighborhood, the system comprising:

an aerial image capturing device which captures a plurality of aerial images that display insured properties, wherein the aerial image capturing device includes one or more stabilization sensors which control aerial movement of the aerial image capturing device, an image sensor, and a physical storage space for transporting resources;

a user interface;

a communication network; and

one or more computing devices communicatively coupled to the communication network and the user interface, each of the one or more computing devices having a memory and one or more processors and at least one of the computing devices configured to;

identify a neighborhood including a concentration of insured properties which is above a predetermined threshold concentration level, wherein the neighborhood has been affected by a natural or a man-made disaster;

receive a plurality of aerial images from the aerial image capturing device, wherein the plurality of aerial images display the neighborhood including the insured properties; and

for each of the insured properties in the identified neighborhood;

determine one or more aerial images of the plurality of aerial images which display on the user interface at least a portion of an insured property of the insured properties;

for each of one or more components of the insured property;

determine a condition of the component of the insured property based on the respective one or more aerial images corresponding to the insured property;

assess a damage severity level of the component of the insured property for determining a claim assessment based on the determined condition of the component of the insured property;

assign a damage severity level indicator to the component of the insured property based on the damage severity level; and

deploy, via the aerial image capturing device, one or more resources to the insured property based on the damage severity level; and

cause the insured property to be displayed on the user interface and the one or more damage severity level indicators to be displayed overlaying the one or more corresponding components of the insured property on the user interface.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein a condition of the component of the insured property is a present condition and wherein to assess a damage severity level for the component of the insured property the at least one computing device is configured to:

determine a past condition of the component of the insured property, wherein the past condition is based on one or more respective aerial images corresponding to the insured property which were captured before the neighborhood was affected by the natural or man-made disaster;

compare the present condition to the past condition of the respective component of the insured property; and

determine the damage severity level for the component of the insured property based on the comparison between the present and the past conditions of the respective component of the insured property.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to at least one of:

display one or more user controls on the user interface configured to receive directions for navigating the aerial image capturing device;

or

direct the aerial image capturing device to one or more locations for capturing the plurality of aerial images.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of aerial images are received via a satellite over the communication network.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein to assess a damage severity level of the insured property the at least one computing device is configured to:

determine a plurality of damage severity level categories;

assign a damage severity level indicator to each of the plurality of damage severity level categories;

add the damage severity level indicator to each of the one or more components of the insured property based on a damage severity level of each component; and

display the damage severity level indicator for each component on the displayed one or more aerial images on the user interface.

17. A method for deploying resources to damaged properties, the method executed by one or more processors programmed to perform the method, the method comprising:

identifying, by the one or more processors, a neighborhood including properties wherein the neighborhood has been affected by a natural or a man-made disaster;

receiving, at the one or more processors, a plurality of aerial images from an aerial image capturing device having one or more stabilization sensors which control aerial movement of the aerial image capturing device, an image sensor, and a physical storage space for transporting resources, wherein the plurality of aerial images display the neighborhood including the properties; and

for each of the properties in the identified neighborhood;

determining, by the one or more processors, one or more aerial images of the plurality of aerial images which display at least a portion of a property of the properties;

assessing, by the one or more processors, a damage severity level of the property based on a condition of the property; and

directing, by the one or more processors via the aerial image capturing device, one or more resources to be deployed to the property based on at least one of;

the damage severity level or the one or more aerial images of the property.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

directing, by the one or more processors, the aerial image capturing device to retrieve an item from at least one of the properties in the neighborhood.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein a natural or man-made disaster includes at least one of:

a tornado, a hurricane, an avalanche, an earthquake, a flood, a tsunami, a volcanic eruption, a hail storm, a wildfire, a thunderstorm, a nuclear incident, a war or an act of terrorism.