Vehicle-based abnormal travel event detecting and reporting

• US 9,472,098 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2015
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AirBNB Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gao, Longxiang, Liang, Xi, Sun, Xing Zhi, Tang, Jianbin, Wang, Yini, Wang, Ziyuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Jaime
• Application Number:
  US14/597,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20160210857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/117
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0881 Seat occupation; Driver or passenger presence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• 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: G08G 1/0137 for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09 Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions railroad crossing signals B61L; reflectors E01F, G08B; indicating arrangements for variable information by selection or combination of individual elements G09F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/093 Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A travel reporter system is used to report abnormal travel events. In use, a sensor mounted on a vehicle obtains real-time data about an object near the vehicle. The object has an object type which is identified by processing the real-time data with an object recognition subsystem of the travel reporter system. An event evaluation subsystem of the travel reporter system processes the real-time data and the object type in order to determine that the object is associated with an abnormal travel event. The abnormal travel event has an event type which is processed by an event notification subsystem of the travel reporter system in order to select a first information consumer type. The event notification subsystem reports the abnormal travel event to information consumers having the first information consumer type.

Claims

1. A vehicle-implemented method for using a travel reporter system to report abnormal travel events, the method comprising:

obtaining, using at least one electronic data sensor mounted on a vehicle, real-time data about an object located within a predetermined distance of the vehicle, the object having an object type, wherein the at least one electronic data sensor includes a camera, and wherein the obtaining the real-time data about the object includes capturing at least one image of the object with the camera;

identifying the object type by processing at least the real-time data with an object recognition subsystem of the travel reporter system, wherein the identifying the object type by processing the at least the real-time data with the object recognition subsystem comprises;

identifying a plurality of object features of the object by processing the at least one image with an object extraction module of the object recognition subsystem;

generating an object feature group by combining the plurality of object features of the object using an object representation module of the object recognition subsystem; and

identifying the object type by matching the object feature group to an object model associated with the object type using an object matching module of the object recognition subsystem;

determining, by processing the at least the real-time data and the object type with an event evaluation subsystem of the travel reporter system, that the object is associated with an abnormal travel event, the abnormal travel event having an event type;

selecting, by processing the event type with an event notification subsystem of the travel reporter system, a first information consumer type of a plurality of information consumer types; and

reporting, with the event notification subsystem of the travel reporter system, the abnormal travel event to information consumers having the first information consumer type.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the event notification subsystem does not report the abnormal travel event to information consumers having a second consumer information type of the plurality of information consumer types and not having the first information consumer type.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least the real-time data includes the real-time data, historical data, and concurrent data.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

obtaining the historical data and the concurrent data from at least one third party information source located outside of the predetermined distance from the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining, by processing the at least the real-time data and the object type with the event evaluation subsystem, that the object is associated with the abnormal travel event comprises:

identifying a plurality of event features associated with the object by processing the at least the real-time data with an event monitoring module of the event evaluation subsystem;

determining that the object is associated with a travel event having an event type by processing the plurality of event features and the object type with event feature calculation module of the event evaluation subsystem; and

determining that the travel event is abnormal by comparing the at least the real-time data to a set of event criteria associated with the event type using an abnormal event recognition module of the event evaluation subsystem.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the travel reporter system is configured to report both driving-behavior related travel events and road-condition related travel events.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, by the event evaluation subsystem of the travel reporter system, that the object is responsible for the abnormal travel event.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a child positioned on a passenger seat of the vehicle, wherein the abnormal travel event is a temperature within the vehicle being outside of a predetermined temperature range, and wherein the information consumers include an absent driver of the vehicle not located within the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing the real time data about the object in a travelling data recorder located on the vehicle.