Driving analysis based on movement data

• US 10,429,203 B1
• Filed: 01/17/2014
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Brandmaier, Jennifer A., Fitzgerald, Jeffrey, Huls, Eric, Kleinhenz, Joseph, Loo, William, Manzella, Matthew James, Ramirez, Philip Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Toatley, Jr., Gregory J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Becker, Brandon J
• Application Number:
  US14/158,388
• Time in Patent Office: 2,083 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/00 Measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, persons, animals or other moving solid bodies, e.g. using odometers, using pedometers

Abstract

One or more devices in a data analysis computing system may be configured to receive and analyze movement data, and determine driving trips associated driving data based on the received movement data. Movement data may be collected by one or more mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablet computers, and the like. One or more driving trips may be identified based on the movement data collected by the mobile devices, including acceleration data, speed data, and rotation rate data. After identifying a driving trip, the previously collected movement data and/or additional driving data may be analyzed to determine additional driving trip data, such as the driver, vehicle, and/or additional driving factors.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

one or more hardware memory units; and

one or more processors;

wherein the computing device is configured to access and employ the memory units and processors to;

automatically initiate a movement data analysis software application to operate as a background application on the computing device, the movement data analysis software application being configured to continuously receive movement data collected by one or more movement sensors of the computing device, the one or more movement sensors of the computing device being configured to detect and collect movement data of the computing device when the computing device is moved;

analyze the received movement data for a window of time sampled at a predetermined sampling rate to determine a binary output, the binary output including one of;

the received movement data for the window of time corresponds to movement of the computing device in an automobile during a first driving trip or the received movement data for the window of time corresponds to movement of the computing device not in an automobile and during a non-driving trip;

responsive to determining that said received movement data for the window of time corresponds to movement of the computing device in an automobile during the first driving trip;

store and output data corresponding to the first driving trip;

activate at least one additional movement sensor, the at least one additional movement sensor being a vehicle-based sensor different from the one or more movement sensors of the computing device; and

initiate a communication session with a vehicle-based computer system in communication with the vehicle-based sensor and different from the computing device to obtain additional data from the at least one additional movement sensor; and

responsive to determining that said received movement data for the window of time does not correspond to movement of the computing device in an automobile during the first driving trip receive additional movement data collected by one or more movement sensors of the computing device.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a mobile computing device, the mobile computing device further comprising:

one or more movement sensors configured to collect said movement data, the one or more movement sensors comprising at least one of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a speedometer, or a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

3. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the mobile computing device is further configured to access and employ the memory units and processors to:

collect a first portion of said movement data using a first movement sensor of the mobile device while the at least one additional movement sensor is in an inactive state, wherein the determination that said movement data corresponds to movement during the first driving trip is based on the first portion of said movement data;

in response to determining that said movement data corresponds to movement during the first driving trip, activate the at least one additional movement sensor; and

after the at least one additional movement sensor is activated, collect a second portion of said movement data using the at least one additional movement sensor, wherein the second portion of said movement data is used to determine driving data associated with the first driving trip.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein determining that said movement data corresponds to movement of the computing device in an automobile during the first driving trip comprises:

calculating an acceleration variable based at least on first acceleration data corresponding to acceleration in a first axis direction, and second acceleration data corresponding to acceleration in a second axis direction; and

calculating a rotation rate variable based at least on first rotation rate data corresponding to rotation around a first axis, and second rotation rate data corresponding to rotation around a second axis.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein determining that said movement data corresponds to movement of the computing device in an automobile during the first driving trip comprises:

analyzing acceleration data and rotation data collected during the window of time; and

determining the binary output based on the analysis of the acceleration data and rotation data collected during the window of time.

6. The computing device of claim 5, wherein determining the binary output further comprises:

calculating a probability that the acceleration data and rotation data collected during the window of time correspond to driving; and

comparing the probability to a driving prediction threshold.

15. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the movement of the computing device not in an automobile and during the non-driving trip includes movement during at least one of:

a walking event, an air travel event, and a train travel event.

7. A method, comprising:

automatically initiating a movement data analysis software application to operate as a background application on a movement data analysis computing device, the movement data analysis software application being configured to continuously receive movement data of the movement data analysis computing device from one or more movement sensors of the movement data analysis computing device;

analyzing the received movement data for a window of time sampled at a predetermined sampling rate to determine a binary output, the binary output including one of;

the received movement data for the window of time corresponds to a movement of the movement data analysis computing device in an automobile during a first driving trip or the received movement data for the window of time corresponds to movement of the movement data analysis computing device not in an automobile and during a non-driving trip;

and

if it is determined that said movement data for the window of time corresponds to movement of the movement data analysis computing device in an automobile during the first driving trip;

outputting, by the movement data analysis computing device, data corresponding to the first driving trip;

activating at least one additional movement sensor, the at least one additional movement sensor being a vehicle-based sensor different from the one or more movement sensors of the movement data analysis computing device; and

initiating a communication session with a vehicle-based computer system in communication with the vehicle-based sensor and different from the movement data analysis computing device to obtain additional data from the at least one additional movement sensor; and

if it is determined that said received movement data for the window of time does not correspond to movement of the movement data analysis computing device in an automobile during the first driving trip receive additional movement data collected by one or more movement sensors of the movement data analysis computing device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the movement data comprises receiving data from one or more movement sensors of a mobile computing device, the one or more movement sensors comprising at least one of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a speedometer, or a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

collecting a first portion of said movement data using a first movement sensor of the movement data analysis computing device while the at least one additional movement sensor is in an inactive state, wherein the determination that said movement data corresponds to movement during the first driving trip is based on the first portion of said movement data;

in response to determining that said movement data corresponds to movement during the first driving trip, activating the at least one additional movement sensor; and

after the at least one additional movement sensor is activated, collecting a second portion of said movement data using the at least one additional movement sensor, wherein the second portion of said movement data is used to determine driving data associated with the first driving trip.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein determining that said movement data corresponds to movement of the movement data analysis computing in an automobile during the first driving trip comprises:

calculating an acceleration variable based at least on first acceleration data corresponding to acceleration in a first axis direction, and second acceleration data corresponding to acceleration in a second axis direction; and

calculating a rotation rate variable based at least on first rotation rate data corresponding to rotation around a first axis, and second rotation rate data corresponding to rotation around a second axis.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein determining that said movement data corresponds to movement of the movement data analysis computing in an automobile during the first driving trip comprises:

analyzing acceleration data and rotation data collected during the window of time; and

determining the binary output based on the analysis of the acceleration data and rotation data collected during the window of time.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the binary output further comprises:

calculating a probability that the acceleration data and rotation data collected during the window of time correspond to driving; and

comparing the probability to a driving prediction threshold.

13. A system, comprising:

a driving data analysis server; and

one or more mobile computing devices,

wherein the driving data analysis server comprises;

one or more processors;

one or more nonvolatile hardware memory units; and

one or more networking components,

wherein the driving data analysis server is configured to access and employ the memory units and processors to;

transmit a movement data analysis software application, via the one or more networking components, to the one or more mobile computing devices; and

receive driving trip data generated by the movement data analysis software application from the one or more mobile computing devices,

wherein each of the one or more mobile computing devices comprises;

one or more volatile hardware memory units, the memory units configured to receive and store movement data; and

one or more, said processors configured to analyze movement data;

wherein each of the mobile computing devices is configured to receive, store, and execute the movement data analysis software application, and said movement data analysis software application is programmed to access and employ the memory units and processors of the mobile computing device to;

automatically initiate the movement data analysis software application to operate as a background application on each of the mobile computing devices, the movement data analysis software application being configured to continuously receive movement data collected by one or more movement sensors of the mobile computing device, the one or more movement sensors of the mobile computing device being configured to detect and collect movement data of the mobile computing device when the mobile computing device is moved;

analyze the received movement data for a window of time sampled at a predetermined sampling rate to determine a binary output, the binary output including one of;

the received movement data for the window of time corresponds to movement of at least one mobile computing device in an automobile during a first driving trip or the received movement data for the window of time corresponds to movement of the at least one mobile computing device not in an automobile and during a non-driving trip;

and

responsive to determining that said received movement data for the window of time corresponds to movement of the at least one mobile computing device in an automobile during the first driving trip;

transmit output data corresponding to the first driving trip to the driving data analysis server;

activate at least one additional movement sensor, the at least one additional movement sensor being a vehicle-based sensor different from the one or more movement sensors of the mobile computing device; and

initiate a communication session with a vehicle-based computer system in communication with the vehicle-based sensor and different from the mobile computing device to obtain additional data from the at least one additional movement sensor; and

responsive to determining that said received movement data for the window of time does not correspond to movement of the at least one mobile computing device in an automobile during the first driving trip receive additional movement data collected by one or more movement sensors of the computing device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the movement data analysis software application is further programmed to access and employ the memory units and processors of the mobile computing device to:

collect a first portion of said movement data using a first movement sensor of the mobile computing device while the at least one additional movement sensor is in an inactive state, wherein the determination that said movement data corresponds to movement during the first driving trip is based on the first portion of said movement data;

in response to determining that said movement data corresponds to movement during the first driving trip, activate the at least one additional movement sensor; and

after the at least one additional movement sensor is activated, collect a second portion of said movement data using the at least one additional movement sensor, wherein the second portion of said movement data is used to determine driving data associated with the first driving trip.