Crash detection and severity classification system implementing emergency assistance

• US 10,231,110 B1
• Filed: 02/13/2018
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Call, Shawn M., Jacob, Michael Shawn, Christensen, Scott T., Jordan, II, Jackie O., Carter, Gregory D., Bennett, Shawn C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Jack K
• Application Number:
  US15/895,777
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: 340436, 340989, 4554041, 4554042
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A crash detection system is disclosed that utilizes a mobile computing device to detect a vehicular accident via one or more sensors integrated into the mobile computing device. The system monitors the sensor metrics measured by one or more sensors and generates an event sensor profile that may include the plurality of sensor metrics and additional status data, such as an indication of whether the mobile computing device was located within a vehicle when the event occurred. By comparing the plurality of sensor metrics to other crash sensor metrics, a determination may be made whether the event requires emergency assistance, which may be confirmed by determining whether the data included in the event sensor profile meets one or more exception conditions. If the event requires emergency assistance and an exception condition is not met, the mobile computing device may place a call to the appropriate emergency response personnel.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for placing an emergency call from a portable computing device upon detecting an event requiring emergency assistance, comprising:

detecting, by one or more processors of the portable computing device, that an event has occurred based upon an analysis of data stored in an event sensor profile;

determining, by one or more processors of the portable computing device, whether the event is one requiring emergency assistance when sensor metrics included in the stored event sensor profile match those associated with a vehicle crash and the stored event sensor profile further indicates that the portable computing device was located within a vehicle when the event occurred; and

when it is determined that the event corresponds to one requiring emergency assistance, initiating, by one or more processors of the portable computing device, a call to an emergency response service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the event sensor profile further includes status data that is generated by the portable computing device and indicates one or more of:

a status of communications between the vehicle and the portable computing device;

a velocity of the portable computing device; and

a location of the portable computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor metrics indicate pressure measurements, and

wherein the determination of whether the event is one requiring emergency assistance is made based upon the pressure measurements matching a pressure pulse shape associated with airbag deployment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor metrics indicate pressure measurements and acceleration measurements, and

wherein the determination of whether the event is one requiring emergency assistance is made based upon a combination of the pressure measurements and the acceleration measurements.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a determination is made that the event is one requiring emergency assistance only when the sensor metrics indicate that an exception condition has not been satisfied.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored event sensor profile further includes status data that is generated by the portable computing device, and

wherein a determination is made that the event is one requiring emergency assistance only when the status data indicates that an exception condition has not been satisfied.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the status metrics indicate a location of the portable computing device over time, and

wherein the exception condition is satisfied when the location of the portable computing device at the time the event occurred is within a geofence.

8. A portable computing device configured to initiate a call to an emergency response service upon detecting an event requiring emergency assistance, comprising:

a processor configured to;

detect that an event has occurred based upon analysis of data stored in an event sensor profile;

determine whether the event is one requiring emergency assistance when sensor metrics included in the stored event sensor profile match those associated with a vehicle crash and the stored event sensor profile further indicates that the portable computing device was located within a vehicle when the event occurred; and

a communication unit configured to call an emergency response service when it is determined that the event corresponds to one requiring emergency assistance.

9. The portable computing device of claim 8, wherein the event sensor profile further includes status data that is generated by the portable computing device and indicates one or more of:

a status of communications between the vehicle and the portable computing device;

a velocity of the portable computing device; and

a location of the portable computing device.

10. The portable computing device of claim 8, wherein the sensor metrics indicate pressure measurements, and

wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the event is one requiring emergency assistance based upon the pressure measurements matching a pressure pulse shape associated with airbag deployment.

11. The portable computing device of claim 8, wherein the sensor metrics indicate pressure measurements and acceleration measurements, and

wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the event is one requiring emergency assistance based upon a combination of the pressure measurements and the acceleration measurements.

12. The portable computing device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the event is one requiring emergency assistance only when the sensor metrics indicate that an exception condition has not been satisfied.

13. The portable computing device of claim 8, wherein the stored event sensor profile further includes status data that is generated by the portable computing device, and

wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the event is one requiring emergency assistance only when the status data indicates that an exception condition has not been satisfied.

14. The portable computing device of claim 13, wherein the status metrics indicate a location of the portable computing device over time, and

wherein the exception condition is satisfied when the location of the portable computing device at the time the event occurred is within a geofence.

15. A non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium storing machine readable instructions in portable computing device, that when executed by a processor of the portable computing device, causes the processor to:

detect that an event has occurred based upon an analysis of data stored in an event sensor profile;

determine whether the event is one requiring emergency assistance when sensor metrics included in the stored event sensor profile match those associated with a vehicle crash and the stored event sensor profile further indicates that the portable computing device was located within a vehicle when the event occurred; and

when it is determined that the event corresponds to one requiring emergency assistance, initiate a call to an emergency response service.

16. The non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the event sensor profile further includes status data that is generated by the portable computing device and indicates one or more of:

a status of communications between the vehicle and the portable computing device;

a velocity of the portable computing device; and

a location of the portable computing device.

17. The non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the sensor metrics indicate pressure measurements, and

wherein the instructions to determine whether the event requires emergency assistance further include instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine whether the event is one requiring emergency assistance based upon the pressure measurements matching a pressure pulse shape associated with airbag deployment.

18. The non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the sensor metrics indicate pressure measurements and acceleration measurements, and

wherein the instructions to determine whether the event requires emergency assistance further include instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine whether the event is one requiring emergency assistance based upon a combination of the pressure measurements and the acceleration measurements.

19. The non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions to determine whether the event requires emergency assistance further include instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine that the event is one requiring emergency assistance only when the sensor metrics indicate that an exception condition has not been satisfied.

20. The non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the stored event sensor profile further includes status data that is generated by the portable computing device that indicate a location of the portable computing device over time, and

wherein the instructions to determine whether the event requires emergency assistance further include instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine that the event is one requiring emergency assistance only when the location of the portable computing device at the time the event occurred is not within a geofence.