Traffic based driving analysis

• US 9,104,535 B1
• Filed: 02/19/2013
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Brinkmann, Margaret A., Kraft, Daniel, Bryer, Nathan M., Huls, Eric, Warden, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, John Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Whalen, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/770,592
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0231 Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• 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

Abstract

A driving analysis server may be configured to receive vehicle operation data from vehicle sensors and telematics devices of a first vehicle, and may use the data to identify a potentially high-risk or unsafe driving behavior by the first vehicle. The driving analysis server also may retrieve corresponding vehicle operation data from one or more other vehicles, and may compare the potentially high-risk or unsafe driving behavior of the first vehicle to corresponding driving behaviors in the other vehicles. A driver score for the first vehicle may be calculated or adjusted based on the comparison of the driving behavior in the first vehicle to the corresponding driving behaviors in the other vehicles.

Claims

1. A driving analysis server comprising:

a processing unit comprising a processor; and

a memory unit storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processing unit, cause the driving analysis server to;

receive first vehicle driving data collected by vehicle operation sensors within a first vehicle at a first vehicle location and a first vehicle time;

analyze the received first vehicle driving data to determine a first driving behavior of a first driver of the first vehicle;

calculate a driver score for the first driver of the first vehicle based on data received from the vehicle operation sensors within the first vehicle;

receive other vehicle driving data from one or more driving data sources, the other vehicle driving data corresponding to one or more other vehicles driven at or near the first vehicle location at or near the first vehicle time;

compare the first vehicle driving data to the other vehicle driving data corresponding to the one or more other vehicles driven at or near the first vehicle location at or near the first vehicle time to determine whether the first driving behavior is present in the other vehicle driving data, wherein comparing includes;

identifying one or more occurrences of the first driving behavior within the other vehicle driving data;

comparing a measurement of the occurrences of the first driving behavior within the other vehicle driving data to a threshold value;

responsive to determining that the measurement of the occurrences of the first driving behavior within the other vehicle driving data is greater than the threshold value, maintaining the driver score of the first driver of the first vehicle;

responsive to determining that the measurement of the occurrences of the first driving behavior within the other vehicle driving data is below the threshold value, adjusting the driver score of the first driver of the first vehicle;

responsive to determining that the first driving behavior is not present in the other vehicle driving data, adjusting a driver score of the first driver of the first vehicle; and

responsive to determining that the first driving behavior is present in the other vehicle driving data, maintaining the driver score of the first driver of the first vehicle; and

output the driver score.

2. The driving analysis server of claim 1, wherein the first driving behavior comprises at least one of:

an occurrence of sudden acceleration, an occurrence of sudden braking, an occurrence of speeding, an occurrence of swerving, an occurrence of an impact to the vehicle, an occurrence of tailgating, an occurrence of a lane departure, or an occurrence of a moving violation.

3. The driving analysis server of claim 1, wherein the received first vehicle driving data comprises at least one of speed, acceleration, braking, steering, use of turn signals, use of seat belts, use of a radio, or use of a phone.

4. The driving analysis server of claim 1, wherein the received first vehicle driving data comprises at least one of image data, video data, or object proximity data collected by at least one camera or proximity sensor in the first vehicle.

5. The driving analysis server of claim 1, wherein receiving the other vehicle driving data comprises:

determining the first vehicle location of the first vehicle;

identifying the one or more other vehicles based on a determination that each of the one or more other vehicles are at or near the first vehicle location at or near the first vehicle time; and

retrieving vehicle driving data collected by vehicle operation sensors within the one or more other vehicles.

6. The driving analysis server of claim 1, wherein receiving the other vehicle driving data comprises:

determining the first vehicle location of the first vehicle;

retrieving vehicle driving data from a traffic database for vehicles that were driven at or near the first vehicle location at or near the first vehicle time.

7. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, first vehicle driving data collected by vehicle operation sensors within a first vehicle at a first vehicle location at a first vehicle time;

analyzing, by the computing device, the received first vehicle driving data to determine a first driving behavior of a first driver of the first vehicle;

calculating, by the computing device, a driver score for the first driver of the first vehicle based on data received from the vehicle operation sensors within the vehicle;

receiving, by the computing device, other vehicle driving data from one or more driving data sources, the other vehicle driving data corresponding to one or more other vehicles driven at or near the first vehicle location at or near the first vehicle time;

comparing, by the computing device, the first vehicle driving data to the other vehicle driving data corresponding to the one or more other vehicles driven at or near the first vehicle location at or near the first vehicle time to determine whether the first driving behavior is present in the other vehicle driving data, wherein comparing includes;

identifying one or more occurrences of the first driving behavior within the other vehicle driving data;

comparing a measurement of the occurrences of the first driving behavior within the other vehicle driving data to a threshold value;

responsive to determining that the measurement of the occurrences of the first driving behavior within the other vehicle driving data is greater than the threshold value, maintaining the driver score of the first driver of the first vehicle;

responsive to determining that the measurement of the occurrences of the first driving behavior within the other vehicle driving data is below the threshold value, adjusting the driver score of the first driver of the first vehicle;

responsive to determining that the first driving behavior is not present in the other vehicle driving data, adjusting a driver score of the first driver of the first vehicle;

responsive to determining that the first driving behavior is present in the other vehicle driving data, maintaining the driver score of the first; and

displaying the driver score.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first driving behavior comprises at least one of:

an occurrence of sudden acceleration, an occurrence of sudden braking, an occurrence of speeding, an occurrence of swerving, an occurrence of an impact to the vehicle, an occurrence of tailgating, an occurrence of a lane departure, or an occurrence of a moving violation.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the received first vehicle driving data comprises at least one of speed, acceleration, braking, steering, use of turn signals, use of seat belts, use of radio, or use of a phone.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the received first vehicle driving data comprises at least one of image data, video data, or object proximity data collected by at least one camera or proximity sensor in the first vehicle.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the other vehicle driving data comprises:

determining the first vehicle location of the first vehicle;

identifying the one or more other vehicles based on a determination that each of the one or more other vehicles are at or near the first vehicle location at or near the first vehicle time; and

retrieving vehicle driving data collected by vehicle operation sensors within the one or more other vehicles.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the other vehicle driving data comprises:

determining the first vehicle location of the first vehicle;

retrieving vehicle driving data from a traffic database for vehicles that were driven at or near the first vehicle location at or near the first vehicle time.

13. A driving analysis system comprising:

a vehicle operation computer system comprising a processor and a memory unit storing computer-executable instructions, the vehicle operation computer system configured to receive and store vehicle operation data from a plurality of vehicle on-board data recording systems in a plurality of vehicles; and

a driving analysis server comprising a processor and a memory unit storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the driving analysis server to;

receive first vehicle driving data from the vehicle operation computer system, the first vehicle driving data corresponding to a first vehicle at a first vehicle location at a first vehicle time;

analyze the received first vehicle driving data to determine a first driving behavior of a first driver of the first vehicle;

calculate driver score for the first driver of the first vehicle based on data received from the vehicle operation sensors within the vehicle

using the first vehicle location and the first vehicle time, retrieve other vehicle driving data corresponding to one or more other vehicles driven at or near the first vehicle location at or near the first vehicle time;

compare the first vehicle driving data to the other vehicle driving data corresponding to the one or more other vehicles driven at or near the first vehicle location at or near the first vehicle time to determine whether the first driving behavior is present in the other vehicle driving data, wherein comparing includes;

identifying one or more occurrences of the first driving behavior within the other vehicle driving data;

comparing a measurement of the occurrences of the first driving behavior within the other vehicle driving data to a threshold value;

responsive to determining that the measurement of the occurrences of the first driving behavior within the other vehicle driving data is greater than the threshold value, maintain the driver score of the first driver of the first vehicle;

responsive to determining that the measurement of the occurrences of the first driving behavior within the other vehicle driving data is below the threshold value, adjust the driver score of the first driver of the first vehicle;

responsive to determining that the first driving behavior is not present in the other vehicle driving data, adjust a driver score of the first driver of the first vehicle;

responsive to determining that the first driving behavior is present in the other vehicle driving data, maintain the driver score of the first driver of the first; and

display the driver score.

14. The driving analysis system of claim 13, wherein identifying one or more occurrences of the first driving behavior within the other vehicle driving data comprises:

accessing the vehicle operation computer system to identify the other vehicles at or near the first vehicle location at or near the first vehicle time; and

determining occurrences of the first driving behavior in the other vehicles at or near the first vehicle location at or near the first vehicle time.

15. The driving analysis system of claim 13, wherein identifying one or more occurrences of the first driving behavior within the other vehicle driving data comprises:

accessing a traffic data storage system configured to receive and store traffic data regarding a plurality of driving behaviors, a plurality of geographic locations associated with said driving behaviors, and a plurality of time periods associated with said driving behaviors; and

querying the traffic data storage system to determine occurrences of the first driving behavior at or near the first vehicle location at or near the first vehicle time.