Fault determination with autonomous feature use monitoring

• US 10,685,403 B1
• Filed: 08/29/2017
• Issued: 06/16/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Konrardy, Blake, Christensen, Scott T., Hayward, Gregory, Farris, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Norman, Samica L
• Application Number:
  US15/689,374
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 705 4, 705 735, 705325, 701 315, 701 334, 340540, 3404255, 340905, 340935, 340436, 348148, 180167, 702183
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 11/005 for lighting devices, e.g. indicating if lamps are burning or not
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0027 Post collision measures, e.g. notifying emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/00 Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles B60R22/00; devices, apparatus or methods for life-saving in general A62B; safety devices for propulsion unit control specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles B60K28/00; seats constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats, B60N2/42; energy-absorbing arrangements for hand wheels for steering vehicles B62D1/11; energy-absorbing arrangements for vehicle steering columns B62D1/19; harnessing in aircraft B64D25/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0095 Automatic control mode change
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0096 Control during transition between modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 Controlling the steering
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 : Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 : Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 : Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 : Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 : communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 : Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 : Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 : Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 : using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 : indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 : using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 : including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 : where the received information generates 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 1/096758 : where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 : where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 : where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 : where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 : inside the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/147 : where the parking area is within an open public zone, e.g. city centre
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 : Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 : for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 : Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 : Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 : for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 : for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 : Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

Methods and systems for determining fault for an accident involving a vehicle having one or more autonomous (and/or semi-autonomous) operation features and paying claims associated with such accidents are provided. According to certain aspects, operating data from sensors within or near the vehicle may be used to determine the occurrence of a vehicle accident, such as a collision. The operating data may further be used to determine an allocation of fault for the accident between a vehicle operator, the autonomous operation features, or a third party. The allocation of fault may be used to further determine and make claims payments related to the accident. In some embodiments, claims may be rejected based upon the operating data and determined allocation of fault.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for automatically evaluating vehicle operation to detect occurrence of and determine fault relating to a collision, comprising:

monitoring, by one or more processors during a vehicle trip including the collision, operation of a vehicle having one or more autonomous operation features for controlling the vehicle, wherein the operation of the vehicle is monitored using sensor data from one or more sensors disposed within the vehicle and use data regarding control of the vehicle by the one or more autonomous operation features;

recording, in a memory, operating data regarding the monitored operation of the vehicle during the vehicle trip, wherein the operating data includes (i) the sensor data and (ii) the use data, including information regarding use levels of each of the one or more autonomous operation features during the vehicle trip including the accident and information regarding control decisions generated by the one or more autonomous operation features and implemented by the one or more autonomous operation features to control the vehicle during the vehicle trip;

determining, automatically by the one or more processors, the occurrence of the collision based upon the operating data stored in the memory;

determining, automatically by the one or more processors, a cause of the collision based upon the operating data, indicating one or more points of impact and one or more movements of the vehicle relative to another vehicle or other object within a vehicle environment associated with the collision;

determining, automatically by the one or more processors, an allocation of fault for the collision based upon the determined cause, wherein the allocation of fault includes a measure of fault allocated to at least one of the following;

a vehicle operator of the vehicle, at least one of the one or more autonomous operation features of the vehicle, or a third party not associated with the vehicle; and

generating, automatically by the one or more processors, a report including information regarding the determined allocation of fault and information regarding the cause of the collision derived from the operating data.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the report includes generating the following information regarding the cause of the collision:

a summary of at least a portion of the sensor data, images associated with the collision, or video associated with the collision.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

presenting, via a display, the report to a reviewer for verification; and

receiving, at the one or more processors, an indication of verification of the allocation of fault from the reviewer.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining, automatically by the one or more processors, a payment amount associated with the collision based at least in part upon the determined allocation of fault; and

causing, automatically by the one or more processors, a currency transfer equivalent to the payment amount to be automatically made to one or more accounts when the payment amount is greater than zero.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the measure of fault allocated to a third party includes fault attributable to an animal or force of nature.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the cause of the collision includes determining one or more of the following:

a point of impact on one or more additional vehicles, one or more movements of the one or more additional vehicles, a location of one or more obstructions within the vehicle environment, one or more movements of the one or more obstructions within the vehicle environment, a measure of road surface integrity or friction, a location of one or more traffic signs or signals, or an indication of the state of the one or more traffic signs or signals.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

determining the cause of the collision includes determining whether the one or more autonomous operation features attempted to return control of the vehicle to the vehicle operator due to conditions within the vehicle environment; and

determining the allocation of fault for the collision includes determining whether adequate time existed for the vehicle operator to assume control of the vehicle between the attempt to return control and the collision.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the cause of the collision includes determining whether the vehicle operator overrode control decisions of the one or more autonomous operation features.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the cause of the collision includes determining whether the control decisions generated by the one or more autonomous operation features were successfully implemented by one or more electromechanical control components of the vehicle.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the use data further includes information regarding unimplemented control decisions generated by the one or more autonomous operation features but not implemented to control the vehicle.

11. A computer system for automatically evaluating vehicle operation to detect occurrence of and determine fault relating to a collision, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory program memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computer system to;

monitor, during a vehicle trip including the collision, operation of a vehicle having one or more autonomous operation features for controlling the vehicle, wherein the operation of the vehicle is monitored using sensor data from one or more sensors disposed within the vehicle and use data regarding control of the vehicle by the one or more autonomous operation features;

record operating data regarding the monitored operation of the vehicle during the vehicle trip, wherein the operating data includes (i) the sensor data and (ii) the use data, including information regarding use levels of each of the one or more autonomous operation features during the vehicle trip including the accident and information regarding control decisions generated by the one or more autonomous operation features and implemented by the one or more autonomous operation features to control the vehicle during the vehicle trip;

determine the occurrence of the collision based upon the operating data stored in the memory;

determine a cause of the collision based upon the operating data, indicating one or more points of impact and one or more movements of the vehicle relative to another vehicle or other object within a vehicle environment associated with the collision;

determine an allocation of fault for the collision based upon the determined cause, wherein the allocation of fault includes a measure of fault allocated to at least one of the following;

a vehicle operator of the vehicle, at least one of the one or more autonomous operation features of the vehicle, or a third party not associated with the vehicle; and

generate a report including information regarding the determined allocation of fault and information regarding the cause of the collision derived from the operating data.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the executable instructions that cause the computer system to generate the report further cause the computer system to:

generating the following information regarding the cause of the collision;

a summary of at least a portion of the sensor data, images associated with the collision, or video associated with the collision;

present the report to a reviewer for verification; and

receive an indication of verification of the allocation of fault from the reviewer.

13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the executable instructions that cause the computer system to determine the cause of the collision further cause the computer system to determine whether the vehicle operator overrode control decisions of the one or more autonomous operation features.

14. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the executable instructions that cause the computer system to determine the cause of the collision further cause the computer system to determine whether the control decisions generated by the one or more autonomous operation features were successfully implemented by one or more electromechanical control components of the vehicle.

15. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the executable instructions further cause the computer system to:

determine a payment amount associated with the collision based at least in part upon the determined allocation of fault; and

cause a currency transfer equivalent to the payment amount to be automatically made to one or more accounts when the payment amount is greater than zero.

16. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions for automatically evaluating vehicle operation to detect occurrence of and determine fault relating to a collision that, when executed by at least one processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to:

monitor, during a vehicle trip including the collision, operation of a vehicle having one or more autonomous operation features for controlling the vehicle, wherein the operation of the vehicle is monitored using sensor data from one or more sensors disposed within the vehicle and use data regarding control of the vehicle by the one or more autonomous operation features;

record operating data regarding the monitored operation of the vehicle during the vehicle trip, wherein the operating data includes (i) the sensor data and (ii) the use data, including information regarding use levels of each of the one or more autonomous operation features during the vehicle trip including the accident and information regarding control decisions generated by the one or more autonomous operation features and implemented by the one or more autonomous operation features to control the vehicle during the vehicle trip;

determine the occurrence of the collision based upon the operating data stored in the memory;

determine a cause of the collision based upon the operating data, indicating one or more points of impact and one or more movements of the vehicle relative to another vehicle or other object within a vehicle environment associated with the collision;

determine an allocation of fault for the collision based upon the determined cause, wherein the allocation of fault includes a measure of fault allocated to at least one of the following;

a vehicle operator of the vehicle, at least one of the one or more autonomous operation features of the vehicle, or a third party not associated with the vehicle; and

generate a report including information regarding the determined allocation of fault and information regarding the cause of the collision derived from the operating data.

17. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the executable instructions that cause the computer system to generate the report further cause the computer system to:

generating the following information regarding the cause of the collision;

a summary of at least a portion of the sensor data, images associated with the collision, or video associated with the collision;

present the report to a reviewer for verification; and

receive an indication of verification of the allocation of fault from the reviewer.

18. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the executable instructions that cause the computer system to determine the cause of the collision further cause the computer system to determine whether the vehicle operator overrode control decisions of the one or more autonomous operation features.

19. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the executable instructions that cause the computer system to determine the cause of the collision further cause the computer system to determine whether the control decisions generated by the one or more autonomous operation features were successfully implemented by one or more electromechanical control components of the vehicle.

20. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the executable instructions further cause the computer system to:

determine a payment amount associated with the collision based at least in part upon the determined allocation of fault; and

cause a currency transfer equivalent to the payment amount to be automatically made to one or more accounts when the payment amount is greater than zero.