Three-Dimensional Risk Maps

• US 20170089710A1
• Filed: 09/24/2015
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Slusar, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 11,307,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/108 using 'non-standard' camera systems, e.g. camera sensor used for additional purposes i.a. rain sensor, camera sensor split in multiple image areas
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/207 using multi-purpose displays, e.g. camera image and navigation or video on same display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/308 by overlaying the real scene, e.g. through a head-up display on the windscreen
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• 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 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3807 characterised by the type of data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3833 characterised by the source of data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/205 Image-based rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/61 Scene description
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2012 Colour editing, changing, or manipulating; Use of colour codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road

Abstract

Systems including one or more sensors, coupled to a vehicle, may detect sensor information and provide the sensor information to another computing device for processing. The processing may include analyzing the sensor information to identify one or more risk objects, such as animals, pedestrians, potholes, etc. The processing may further include generating a three-dimensional (3D) risk map, which may be displayed to a passenger in the vehicle. The 3D risk map may illustrate the one or more risk objects as one or more point clouds, respectively, within a virtual world representation of the vehicle'"'"'s surroundings. Such a display may be used to alert drivers to possible risks while driving. In case of an accident, the 3D risk map may also be leveraged by insurance providers to process insurance claims and to notify customers that an insurance claim has been established.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more sensors, coupled to a vehicle, configured to detect sensor information;

a first computing device configured to;

communicate with the one or more sensors to receive the sensor information;

analyze the sensor information to identify one or more risk objects;

generate a three-dimensional (3D) risk map illustrating the one or more risk objects as one or more point clouds, respectively, within a virtual world representation of the vehicle'"'"'s surroundings; and

display the 3D risk map to a person in the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein, for analyzing the sensor information, the first computing device is further configured to:

determine a plurality of objects based on the sensor information;

determine a risk score for each of the plurality of objects; and

filter the plurality of objects based on the risk score for each object to identify the one or more risk objects.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to:

determine, based on the 3D risk map, a route of travel of the vehicle;

calculate a route risk score of the route;

transmit the route risk score; and

alert the person based on the route risk score.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to:

determine, based on the 3D risk map, one or more road segments the vehicle has traveled;

calculate one or more road segment risk scores for the one or more road segments;

transmit the one or more road segment risk scores; and

alert the person based on the one or more road segment risk scores.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to:

determine a risk score for at least one of the one or more risk objects;

output a first alert if the risk score is above a predetermined threshold; and

output a second alert if the risk score is below the predetermined threshold.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to:

determine a risk score for at least one of the one or more risk objects; and

output an audio alert based on the risk score exceeding a threshold.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to:

determine a risk score for each of the one or more risk objects; and

assign a color to each of the one or more risk objects, wherein the color is based on the risk score and represents a level of risk for each of the one or more risk objects.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first computing device is further configured to:

update the 3D risk map to change the color of a particular risk object among the one or more risk objects to red if the level of risk associated with the particular risk object is greater than a predetermined threshold.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to:

receive environmental information and geographic location information; and

generate the 3D risk map further based on the environmental information and the geographic location information.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second computing device configured to transmit, to the first computing device, weather information,

wherein the first computing device is further configured to;

receive weather information; and

modify the 3D risk map based on the weather information; and

display the modified 3D risk map.

11. A system comprising:

one or more sensors coupled to a vehicle and configured to detect sensor information;

a first computing device comprising a hardware processor and memory, the first computing device configured to;

communicate with the one or more sensors to receive the sensor information;

analyze the sensor information to identify one or more risk objects;

generate, a three-dimensional (3D) risk map illustrating the one or more risk objects as one or more point clouds, respectively, within a virtual world representation of the vehicle'"'"'s surroundings;

store the 3D risk map;

determine that the vehicle was in an accident;

analyze the 3D risk map to determine a cause of the accident; and

construct, based on the cause of the accident, an insurance claim.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first computing device is further configured to:

determine if the accident is on a pre-determined list of accidents that indicate which accidents are eligible for insurance claim processing by the system.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first computing device is further configured to:

compare information regarding damage to the vehicle with a location of the one or more risk objects within the 3D risk map.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the first computing device is further configured to:

transmit a notification to a driver or owner of the vehicle in response to constructing the insurance claim.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising a second computing device configured to:

adjust an insurance premium of an insurance policy associated with the vehicle based on the cause of the accident.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device from one or more sensors coupled to a vehicle, sensor information;

analyzing, by the computing device, the sensor information to identify one or more risk objects;

generating, by the computing device, a three-dimensional (3D) risk map illustrating the one or more risk objects as one or more point clouds, respectively, within a virtual world representation of the vehicle'"'"'s surroundings; and

outputting, by the computing device, the 3D risk map for display to a person in the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more risk object comprise one or more point clouds.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining, based on the 3D risk map, a route of travel of the vehicle;

calculating a route risk score of the route; and

transmitting the route risk score; and

alerting the person based on the route risk score.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining, based on the 3D risk map, one or more road segments the vehicle has traveled;

calculating one or more road segment risk scores for the one or more road segments; and

transmitting the one or more road segment risk scores; and

alerting the person based on the one or more road segment risk scores.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a risk score for at least one of the one or more risk objects;

outputting a first alert if the risk score is above a predetermined threshold; and

outputting a second alert if the risk score is below the predetermined threshold.