Vehicle anomaly detection and reporting

• US 9,509,960 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2014
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Mirza, Momin, Muzaffar, Farooq, Gupta, Nisheeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US14/273,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20150321605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8053 for bad weather conditions or night vision
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A server device may receive images of a vehicle from one or more camera devices implemented as part of a home monitoring or home control system and identify, based on the images, an anomaly associated with the vehicle. In some implementations, conditions under which the anomaly occurred may also be determined.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server device, a plurality of images of a vehicle from a plurality of camera devices positioned in a vicinity of a parking space of the vehicle;

identifying, by the server device, an anomaly associated with the vehicle, the identifying including;

analyzing the plurality of images relative to a previous plurality of images that were taken of the vehicle by the plurality of camera devices; and

outputting, by the server device, an alert for a user of the vehicle, the alert identifying the anomaly.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining conditions associated with the anomaly, wherein determining the conditions associated with the anomaly includes:

receiving directory information as information relating to at least one of;

weather information,

traffic information,

road hazard reports, or

crime reports; and

correlating the directory information with the anomaly.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining conditions associated with the anomaly, wherein determining the conditions associated with the anomaly includes at least one of:

determining a type of the anomaly,

determining a location on the vehicle associated with the anomaly, or

determining a route associated with the anomaly.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a hazardous route based on identifying that a plurality of anomalies of a plurality of vehicles are associated with the hazardous route; and

storing or outputting information regarding the hazardous route.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the anomaly includes:

identifying the anomaly based on pixel-based comparison techniques between the plurality of images and the previous plurality of images.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the images from the plurality of camera devices is based on instructing the plurality of camera devices to output the images to the server device when the plurality of camera devices detect a presence of the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein images received, from at least one of the cameras of the plurality of cameras, are of an underside of the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert, identifying the anomaly, includes an image of the anomaly.

7. A system comprising:

a server device, comprising;

a non-transitory memory device storing;

a plurality of processor-executable instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the processor-executable instructions, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions causes the processor to;

receive a plurality of images of a vehicle from a plurality of camera devices positioned in a vicinity of a parking space of the vehicle;

identify an anomaly associated with the vehicle, the identifying including;

analyzing the plurality of images relative to a previous plurality of images that were taken of the vehicle by the plurality of camera devices; and

output an alert for a user of the vehicle, the alert identifying the anomaly.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions causes the processor to:

determine conditions associated with the anomaly, wherein determining the conditions includes

receiving directory information as information relating to at least one of;

weather information,

traffic information,

road hazard reports, or

crime reports; and

correlate the directory information with the anomaly.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions causes the processor to:

determine conditions associated with the anomaly, wherein determining the conditions associated with the anomaly includes at least one of;

a type of the anomaly,

a location on the vehicle associated with the anomaly, or

a route associated with the anomaly.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions further causes the processor to:

determine a hazardous route based on identifying that a plurality of anomalies of a plurality of vehicles are associated with the hazardous route; and

store or output information regarding the hazardous route.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to determine the conditions associated with the anomaly, causes the processor to identify the anomaly based on pixel-based comparison techniques between the plurality of images relative to a previous plurality of images.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to receive the images from the plurality of camera devices, causes the processor to receive the images from the plurality of camera devices based on instructing the plurality of camera devices to output the plurality of images to the server device when the plurality of camera devices detect a presence of the vehicle.

19. The system of claim 7, wherein images received, from at least one of the cameras of the plurality of cameras, are of an underside of the vehicle.

20. The system of claim 7, wherein the alert, identifying the anomaly, includes an image of the anomaly.

13. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server device, activity information relating to habits of an owner of a vehicle;

determining, by the server device, a time period in which the vehicle is expected to be stationary based on the activity information;

outputting, by the server device, an instruction to one or more camera devices to capture images of the vehicle during the time period;

receiving, by the server device and from one or more camera devices implemented as part of a home monitoring or home control system, the images of the vehicle during the time period;

analyzing, by the server device, the images with respect to previous images of the vehicle to detect anomalies associated with the vehicle; and

outputting, by the server device, an indication of the detected anomalies.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the activity information includes at least one of:

network usage information of the owner, or

content viewing activity information of the owner.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining conditions associated with the anomalies; and

storing or outputting information identifying the anomalies.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a hazardous route based on identifying that a plurality of anomalies of a plurality of vehicles are associated with the hazardous route; and

storing or outputting information regarding the hazardous route.