Detection and classification of events

• US 10,604,097 B1
• Filed: 04/16/2019
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Jacob, Michael Shawn, Tofte, Nathan L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adnan, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US16/385,619
• Time in Patent Office: 350 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0027 Post collision measures, e.g. notifying emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

Systems and approaches for detecting an event, such as a crash involving a motorized and/or non-motorized vehicle, are described. In one approach, a listening component of a mobile computing device is first activated. This listening component may then monitor the sound proximate thereto (e.g., within the vehicle in which the mobile computing device is disposed). Using one or more processors, an audio source may be detected which was generated by an event (such as, for example, a crash involving the vehicle and/or an alerting triggering phrase) and was sensed by the listening component. Using an audio recognition technique, the detected audio source is processed to determine a severity of the event which generated the audio signal. This detection step may include identifying a type and magnitude of the detected audio signal using audio signal identification data. An information signal based on the severity of the event is then transmitted.

Claims

1. A method of detecting a crash involving a vehicle, the method comprising:

activating a listening component of a mobile computing device;

monitoring, at the listening component, sound proximate the vehicle;

detecting, by one or more processors, an audio signal that was generated by a crash involving the vehicle and sensed by the listening component while monitoring sound proximate the vehicle, the audio signal being in the form of an alerting triggering phrase having a decibel level associated therewith;

processing, by one or more processors and using an audio recognition technique, the detected audio signal to determine a severity of the crash that was the source of the audio signal, wherein processing the detected audio signal to determine the severity of the crash that was the source of the audio signal includes identifying a type and magnitude of the decibel level of the alerting triggering phrase using audio signal identification data; and

transmitting, by one or more processors, an event information signal based on the determined severity of the crash.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring operation of the vehicle via a sensor; and

detecting an operating characteristic of the vehicle, wherein the audio signal identification data is associated with the detected operating characteristic of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein monitoring operating of the vehicle via a sensor includes using an accelerometer or a positioning device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting confirmation to transmit the crash/information signal prior to transmitting the crash/information signal.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the event information signal to at least one of a central service or an emergency service.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically transmitting contact information associated with an owner of the damaged vehicle to a repair center.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-readable instructions to be executed on one or more processors of a system for detecting a crash involving a vehicle, the instructions when executed causing the one or more processors to:

activate a listening component of a mobile computing device;

monitor sound proximate the vehicle;

detect an audio signal that was generated by a crash involving the vehicle and sensed by the listening component while monitoring sound proximate the vehicle, the audio signal being in the form of an alerting triggering phrase having a decibel level associated therewith;

process the detected audio signal using an audio recognition technique to determine a severity of the crash that was the source of the audio signal, wherein the decibel level of the alerting triggering phrase is used to determine the severity of the crash; and

cause an event information signal based on the determined severity of the crash to be transmitted.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions when executed cause the one or more processors to cause the event information signal based on the determined severity of the crash to be transmitted at least by causing an identification of a type and magnitude of the detected audio signal using audio signal identification data.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions when executed cause the one or more processors to monitor operation of the vehicle via a sensor;

and detect an operating characteristic of the vehicle, wherein the audio signal identification data is associated with the detected operating characteristic of the vehicle.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein monitoring operating of the vehicle via a sensor includes using at least one of an accelerometer or a positioning device.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7 further comprising requesting confirmation to transmit the event information signal prior to transmitting the event information signal.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting the event information signal to at least one of a central service or an emergency service.

13. A computer-implemented method for detecting an event, the method comprising:

activating, by one or more processors, a listening module of a mobile computing device, the listening component including an operating mode;

monitoring, by one or more processors, sound proximate the mobile computing device;

detecting, by one or more processors, an audio signal that was generated by an event and sensed by the listening module while monitoring sound proximate the mobile computing device, wherein the audio signal is in the form of an alerting triggering phrase having a decibel level associated therewith;

processing, by one or more processors and using an audio recognition technique, the detected audio signal, wherein processing the detected audio signal includes identifying a type and magnitude of the event that was the source of the audio signal using audio signal identification data based on the operating mode of the listening module; and

transmitting, by one or more processors, an event information signal based on the identified type and magnitude of the detected audio signal.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the operating mode of the listening component includes at least one of the following:

a vehicle context, an environmental context, or a lodging context.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting, by the one or more processors, an operating environment of the listening component; and

automatically configuring the operating mode of the listening component based on the detected operating environment.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein detecting the operating environment of the listening component includes utilizing a positioning device to detect movement of the mobile computing device.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein detecting the operating environment of the listening component includes utilizing a positioning device to detect a location of the mobile computing device.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein detecting the operating environment of the listening component includes utilizing a WIFI network.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein detecting the operating environment of the listening component includes utilizing a radio frequency identification device.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein transmitting the event information signal includes at least one of:

emitting an audible sound from the mobile computing device based on the detected operating environment of the listening component or transmitting the crash/information signal to a central service and/or an emergency service based on the detected operating environment of the listening component.