Subjective route risk mapping and mitigation

• US 10,269,075 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2016
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Hsu-Hoffman, Chienlan, Madigan, Regina, McKenna, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaikh, Mohammad Z
• Application Number:
  US15/013,523
• Publication Number:
  US 20170221149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A system for determining a subjective risk score may include a vehicle and/or a computing device associated with a user travelling within the vehicle. The computing device may receive input from the user when the user feels a sense of unease regarding a particular road segment upon which the vehicle is traveling. The system may further include a subjective risk analysis computing system that may be communicatively coupled to the computing device. The subjective risk analysis computing system may receive subjective risk information corresponding to the user'"'"'s sense of unease regarding particular road segments and may process the subjective risk information to determine a subjective risk score for each of a plurality of road segments along a route. An insurance company may use this information to determine whether to adjust a quote or premium of an insurance policy.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a vehicle;

a computing device associated with a user travelling within the vehicle, the computing device receiving input from the user when the user feels a sense of unease or alertness regarding a particular road segment; and

a subjective risk analysis computing system communicatively coupled to the computing device, the subjective risk analysis computing system receiving subjective risk information corresponding to the user'"'"'s sense of unease or alertness regarding particular road segments and processing the subjective risk information to determine a subjective risk score for each of a plurality of road segments along a route,

wherein the vehicle further comprises an input device that receives the input from the user representative of a sense of unease or alertness regarding the particular road segment,

wherein the input device further comprises a biometric sensor that produces a biometric signal representative of a level of unease or alertness being experienced by the user during a subjective risk event on a road segment,

wherein the computing device communicates, in near real-time, to the subjective risk analysis computing system, the biometric signal representative of the level of unease or alertness being experienced by the user during the subjective risk event, and

wherein the subjective risk analysis computing system analyzes the biometric signal representative of the level of unease or alertness being experienced by the user during the subjective risk event when determining the subjective risk score for each of the plurality of road segments along the route.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises at least one of a smart phone, a personal navigation device, a vehicle computing system, a laptop computer, or a tablet computer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the input device further comprises a button located within a cabin of the vehicle and accessible to the user.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the input device further comprises a pressure transducer, wherein the pressure transducer produces a pressure signal corresponding to a level of unease being experienced by the user during a subjective risk event, wherein the subjective risk analysis computing system analyzes the pressure signal when determining the subjective risk score for each of the plurality of road segments along the route.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the input device further comprises an imaging device, wherein the imaging device monitors a level of driver alertness and wherein the subjective risk analysis computing system analyzes an image produced by the imaging device when determining the subjective risk score for each of the plurality of road segments along the route.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a global positioning system, wherein the global positioning system is located in the vehicle, wherein the global positioning system associates a current location of the vehicle along the route with the input received from the user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the biometric sensor comprises a heartrate sensor, and wherein the subjective risk analysis computing system determines that the level of unease or alertness being experienced by the user during the subjective risk event is increased when the biometric signal representative of the level of unease or alertness being experienced by the user during the subjective risk event indicates an increase in a heart rate of the user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the biometric sensor comprises a blood pressure sensor.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the subjective risk analysis computing system is configured to alert the user travelling within the vehicle when the subjective risk score determined for a particular road segment along the route is determined to have a high subjective risk score.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computing device associated with a user travelling within a vehicle, input from the user when the user feels a sense of unease or alertness regarding a particular road segment; and

communicating, by the computing device associated with the user travelling within the vehicle, to a subjective risk analysis computing system communicatively coupled to the computing device, subjective risk information corresponding to the user'"'"'s sense of unease or alertness regarding particular road segments, wherein the subjective risk analysis computing system processes the subjective risk information to determine a subjective risk score for each of a plurality of road segments along a route,

wherein the vehicle further comprises an input device that receives the input from the user representative of a sense of unease or alertness regarding the particular road segment,

wherein the input device further comprises a biometric sensor that produces a biometric signal representative of a level of unease or alertness being experienced by the user during a subjective risk event on a road segment,

wherein the computing device communicates, in near real-time, to the subjective risk analysis computing system, the biometric signal representative of the level of unease or alertness being experienced by the user during the subjective risk event, and

wherein the subjective risk analysis computing system analyzes the biometric signal representative of the level of unease or alertness being experienced by the user during the subjective risk event when determining the subjective risk score for each of the plurality of road segments along the route.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the computing device comprises at least one of a smart phone, a personal navigation device, a vehicle computing system, a laptop computer, or a tablet computer.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the input device further comprises a button located within a cabin of the vehicle and accessible to the user.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the input device further comprises a pressure transducer, wherein the pressure transducer produces a pressure signal corresponding to a level of unease being experienced by the user during a subjective risk event, wherein the subjective risk analysis computing system analyzes the pressure signal when determining the subjective risk score for each of the plurality of road segments along the route.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the input device further comprises an imaging device, wherein the imaging device monitors a level of driver alertness and wherein the subjective risk analysis computing system analyzes an image produced by the imaging device when determining the subjective risk score for each of the plurality of road segments along the route.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein a global positioning system located in the vehicle associates a current location of the vehicle along the route with the input received from the user.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the biometric sensor comprises a heartrate sensor, and wherein the subjective risk analysis computing system determines that the level of unease or alertness being experienced by the user during the subjective risk event is increased when the biometric signal representative of the level of unease or alertness being experienced by the user during the subjective risk event indicates an increase in a heart rate of the user.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the biometric sensor comprises a blood pressure sensor.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the subjective risk analysis computing system is configured to alert the user travelling within the vehicle when the subjective risk score determined for a particular road segment along the route is determined to have a high subjective risk score.

19. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

receive input from a user of the computing device when the user feels a sense of unease or alertness regarding a particular road segment while the user is travelling within a vehicle; and

communicate, to a subjective risk analysis computing system communicatively coupled to the computing device, subjective risk information corresponding to the user'"'"'s sense of unease or alertness regarding particular road segments, wherein the subjective risk analysis computing system processes the subjective risk information to determine a subjective risk score for each of a plurality of road segments along a route,

wherein the vehicle further comprises an input device that receives the input from the user representative of a sense of unease or alertness regarding the particular road segment,

wherein the input device further comprises a biometric sensor that produces a biometric signal representative of a level of unease or alertness being experienced by the user during a subjective risk event on a road segment,

wherein the computing device communicates, in near real-time, to the subjective risk analysis computing system, the biometric signal representative of the level of unease or alertness being experienced by the user during the subjective risk event, and

wherein the subjective risk analysis computing system analyzes the biometric signal representative of the level of unease or alertness being experienced by the user during the subjective risk event when determining the subjective risk score for each of the plurality of road segments along the route.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein the subjective risk analysis computing system is configured to alert the user travelling within the vehicle when the subjective risk score determined for a particular road segment along the route is determined to have a high subjective risk score.