Road segment rating based on roadway communication

• US 10,593,199 B1
• Filed: 07/11/2019
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Slusar, Mark V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ingram, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US16/508,387
• Time in Patent Office: 250 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0116 from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0145 for active traffic flow control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/048 with provision for compensation of environmental or other condition, e.g. snow, vehicle stopped at detector
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096816 where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality

Abstract

Methods, computer-readable media, systems and apparatuses for rating a road segment based on data received from one or more sensors distributed along the road segment. In some arrangements, a number of sensors along a road segment may be determined based on characteristics or features of the road segment. In at least some arrangements, the data received and/or processed from road segment sensors may be controlled based on current road segment conditions. For instance, in fair weather data from fewer than all sensors along a road segment may be received and/or processed because the likelihood of a dangerous condition is reduced. However, when current conditions indicate the potential for hazardous conditions (e.g., temperature near or below freezing, presence of moisture, untreated road segment, etc.) data from all sensors may be received and/or processed to ensure the most accurate information for an entire length of the road segment is obtained.

Claims

1. A road segment evaluation system, comprising:

at least one vehicle-based sensor configured to detect conditions in or around a vehicle;

a plurality of sensors arranged in a road segment, the plurality of sensors configured to detect conditions of the road segment;

a road segment evaluation server, including;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the road segment evaluation server to;

receive first electronic signals from the plurality of sensors arranged in the road segment; and

process the first electronic signals to determine a risk rating of the road segment, wherein processing the first electronic signals to determine a risk rating of the road segment includes;

receiving data associated with conditions around the vehicle from the at least one vehicle-based sensor;

determining, based on the received data from the at least one vehicle-based sensor, whether road segment condition criteria are met;

responsive to determining that road segment condition criteria are met, receiving and processing data from fewer sensors than all sensors in the plurality of sensors; and

responsive to determining that road segment condition criteria are not met, receiving and processing data from all sensors in the plurality of sensors.

2. The road segment evaluation system of claim 1, wherein the at least one vehicle-based sensor is further configured to detect vehicle operational data.

3. The road segment evaluation system of claim 2, the road segment evaluation server further including instructions that, when executed, cause the road segment evaluation server to:

receive second electronic signals from the at least one vehicle-based sensor;

process the second electronic signals; and

determine a risk rating of the road segment based on the processed first electronic signals and second electronic signals.

4. The road segment evaluation system of claim 1, the road segment evaluation server further including instructions that, when executed, cause the road segment evaluation server to:

determine a number of sensors arranged in the road segment based on features of the road segment by;

receiving data associated with the road segment;

identifying one or more features of the road segment from the received data;

evaluating each identified feature of the road segment to determine a feature score for each feature of the road segment;

summing the determined feature scores for each feature of the road segment to determine an overall road segment feature score for the road segment;

determining whether the overall road segment feature score is within a first threshold;

responsive to determining that the overall road segment feature score is within the first threshold, determining a first number of sensors to arrange in the road segment;

responsive to determining that the overall road segment feature score is not within the first threshold, determine whether the overall road segment feature score is within a second threshold;

responsive to determining that the overall road segment feature score is within the second threshold, determining a second number of sensors to arrange in the road segment, the second number of sensors being different from the first number of sensors; and

responsive to determining that the overall road segment feature score is not within the second threshold, determining a third number of sensors to arrange in the road segment, the third number of sensors being different from the first number of sensors and the second number of sensors.

5. The road segment evaluation system of claim 1, wherein the first electronic signals are processed in real-time.

6. The road segment evaluation system of claim 1, the road segment evaluation server further including instructions that, when executed, cause the road segment evaluation server to:

determine whether pre-stored criteria are met; and

responsive to determining that pre-stored criteria are met, filtering data received from the plurality of sensors.

7. The road segment evaluation system of claim 1, wherein the road segment condition criteria include at least one of:

minimum temperature and no presence of moisture.

8. A road segment evaluation system, comprising:

at least one vehicle-based sensor configured to detect conditions in or around the vehicle;

a plurality of sensors arranged in a road segment, the plurality of sensors configured to detect conditions of the road segment;

a road segment evaluation server, including;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the road segment evaluation server to;

receive first electronic signals from the plurality of sensors arranged on the road segment; and

process the first electronic signals to determine a risk rating of the road segment, wherein processing the first electronic signals to determine a risk rating of the road segment includes;

receiving data associated with conditions around the vehicle from the at least one vehicle-based sensor;

determining, based on the received data from the at least one vehicle-based sensor, whether road segment condition criteria are met;

responsive to determining that road segment condition criteria are met, receiving and processing data from fewer sensors than all sensors in the plurality of sensors; and

responsive to determining that road segment condition criteria are not met, receiving and processing data from all sensors in the plurality of sensors; and

an on-board vehicle computing device including;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the on-board vehicle computing device to;

receive, from the road segment evaluation server, the risk rating of the road segment; and

provide, via a display of the on-board vehicle computing device, a notification of the risk rating of the road segment.

9. The road segment evaluation system of claim 8, wherein the at least one vehicle-based sensor is further configured to detect vehicle operational data.

10. The road segment evaluation system of claim 9, the road segment evaluation server further including instructions that, when executed, cause the road segment evaluation server to:

receive second electronic signals from the at least one vehicle-based sensor;

process the second electronic signals; and

determine a risk rating of the road segment based on the processed first electronic signals and second electronic signals.

11. The road segment evaluation system of claim 8, the road segment evaluation server further including instructions that, when executed, cause the road segment evaluation server to:

determine a number of sensors arranged in the road segment based on characteristics of the road segment by;

receiving data associated with the road segment;

identifying one or more features of the road segment from the received data;

evaluating each identified feature of the road segment to determine a feature score for each feature of the road segment;

summing the determined feature scores for each feature of the road segment to determine an overall road segment feature score for the road segment;

determining whether the overall road segment feature score is within a first threshold;

responsive to determining that the overall road segment feature score is within the first threshold, determining a first number of sensors to arrange in the road segment;

responsive to determining that the overall road segment feature score is not within the first threshold, determine whether the overall road segment feature score is within a second threshold;

responsive to determining that the overall road segment feature score is within the second threshold, determining a second number of sensors to arrange in the road segment, the second number of sensors being different from the first number of sensors; and

responsive to determining that the overall road segment feature score is not within the second threshold, determining a third number of sensors to arrange in the road segment, the third number of sensors being different from the first number of sensors and the second number of sensors.

12. The road segment evaluation system of claim 8, wherein the first electronic signals are processed in real-time.

13. The road segment evaluation system of claim 8, the road segment evaluation server further including instructions that, when executed, cause the road segment evaluation server to:

determine whether pre-stored criteria are met; and

responsive to determining that pre-stored criteria are met, filtering data received from the plurality of sensors.

14. The road segment evaluation system of claim 8, wherein the road segment condition criteria include at least one of:

minimum temperature and no presence of moisture.

15. A method of determining a road segment rating, comprising:

receiving, by a road segment evaluation server, first electronic signals from a plurality of sensors; and

processing, by the road segment evaluation server, the first electronic signals to determine a risk rating of a road segment, wherein processing the first electronic signals to determine a risk rating of the road segment includes;

receiving data associated with conditions around a vehicle from at least one vehicle-based sensor;

determining, based on the received data from the at least one vehicle-based sensor, whether road segment condition criteria are met;

responsive to determining that road segment condition criteria are met, receiving and processing data from fewer sensors than all sensors in the plurality of sensors; and

responsive to determining that road segment condition criteria are not met, receiving and processing data from all sensors in the plurality of sensors.

16. The method of claim 15, further including:

receiving, by the road segment evaluation server and from the at least one vehicle-based sensor, vehicle operational data.

17. The method of claim 16, further including:

processing, by the road segment evaluation server, the received vehicle operational data; and

determining the risk rating of the road segment based on the processed first electronic signals and the processed vehicle operational data.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first electronic signals are processed in real-time.

19. The method of claim 15, further including:

determining, by the road segment evaluation server, whether pre-stored criteria are met; and

responsive to determining that pre-stored criteria are met, filtering, by the road segment evaluation server, data received from the plurality of sensors.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the road segment condition criteria include at least one of:

minimum temperature and no presence of moisture.