Systems and methods for hit and run detection based on intelligent micro devices

• US 8,957,759 B1
• Filed: 06/18/2012
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Medina, III, Reynaldo, Bueche, Jr., Michael P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labbees, Edny
• Application Number:
  US13/526,086
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5729, 427/96.1, 118/663, 235375-385, 235/5.6, 235/5.64, 235/5.81, 235/10.1, 235/10.42
• US Class Current: 340/5.65
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence

Abstract

A system, method, and computer-usable medium are disclosed for providing information relating to damage incurred by a vehicle in an accident. A first plurality of markers with a first set of identifiers is embedded in a coating applied to a component of a first vehicle and a second plurality of markers with a second set of identifiers is embedded in a coating applied to a component of a second vehicle. Markers from the first vehicle are transferred to the second vehicle upon impact during an accident. The transferred markers are read by a marker reader and then processed to determine the identity of the first vehicle.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by a computer to:

obtain marker identification data corresponding to an individual vehicle, wherein the marker identification data includes vehicle identity data stored in a plurality of markers embedded in a coating, wherein each of the plurality of markers is applied directly to the individual vehicle, wherein at least one of the plurality of markers is a visual identifier, and the coating is applied after the plurality of markers are applied and the plurality of markers embedded in the coating do not protrude from the coating; and

correlate marker identification data corresponding to the individual vehicle with marker identification data in a database including marker identification data indexed to a plurality of individual vehicles to provide identity information and vehicle damage information corresponding to the individual vehicle.

2. The medium of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of markers is readable by a marker reader and the marker reader is operable to map a location of the at least one readable marker on the individual vehicle.

3. The medium of claim 1, wherein a number of the plurality of the markers are readable by a marker reader and at least one of the markers read by the marker reader is associated with a first vehicle and at least one of the markers read by the marker reader is associated with a second vehicle.

4. The medium of claim 3, wherein reading the at least one of the markers associated with the first vehicle maps a location of the at least one marker.

5. The medium of claim 4, wherein reading the at least one of the markers associated with the second vehicle maps a location of the at least one marker.

6. The medium of claim 5 wherein the mapping of the at least one marker associated with the first vehicle and mapping of the at least one marker associated with the second vehicle provides information relating to damage incurred by the first vehicle.

7. The medium of claim 5 wherein the mapping of the at least one marker associated with the first vehicle and mapping of the at least one marker associated with the second vehicle provides information relating to damage incurred by the second vehicle.

8. A system for providing information relating to damage incurred by a vehicle, comprising:

a database including marker identification data associated with a plurality of individual vehicles; and

an analysis module to correlate marker identification data corresponding to an individual vehicle with the marker identification data to provide identity information and vehicle damage information corresponding to the individual vehicle;

wherein the marker identification data corresponding to the individual vehicle includes data stored in a plurality of markers embedded in a coating, wherein each of the plurality of markers is applied directly to the individual vehicle, wherein at least one of the plurality of markers is a visual identifier, and the coating is applied after the plurality of markers are applied and the plurality of markers embedded in the coating do not protrude from the coating.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the visual identifier is a two dimensional barcode.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of markers is an electromagnetic identifier.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of markers is an electro luminescent identifier.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of markers is a carbon nanotube signature.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of markers is a radio frequency identification tag.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by a computer to:

associate identification data with a plurality of individual vehicles; and

associate identification data corresponding to an individual vehicle with the identification data associated with the plurality of vehicles to provide identity information and vehicle damage information corresponding to the individual vehicle;

wherein the identification data associated with the individual vehicle includes identity data stored in a plurality of markers embedded in a coating, wherein each of the plurality of markers is applied directly to the individual vehicle, wherein at least one of the plurality of markers is a visual identifier, and the coating is applied after the plurality of markers are applied and the coating is a finish applied to the individual vehicle such that the plurality of embedded markers do not protrude from the finish.

15. The medium of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of markers applied to particular component of the individual vehicle has a like identifier.

16. The medium of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of markers are applied to a different component of the individual vehicle and have a different identifier.

17. The medium of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of markers applied to a different component of the individual vehicle has a unique identifier.

18. The medium of claim 14, wherein the marker identification data corresponding to the individual vehicle includes a vehicle identification number (VIN).

19. The medium of claim 14, wherein the identification data corresponding to the individual vehicle includes registration information.