Driver performance determination based on geolocation

• US 9,604,648 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2015
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lytx, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lytx, Inc.
• Inventors: Tamari, Roni, Botnen, Joshua Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Tyler J
• Application Number:
  US14/627,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20150307107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 701/123, 701/31.4, 701/1, 701/301, 701/29.3, 701445-451, 701/469, 701/470, 705/4, 340/439, 340/989
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/04 Vehicle stop
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/26 Wheel slip
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A system for determining driver performance based on vehicle geolocation comprises one or more onboard vehicle sensors, one or more processors, and a memory. The one or more onboard vehicle sensors are configured to detect driving data of a moving vehicle. The one or more processors are configured to determine driver performance based at least in part on the driving data. The driver performance is normalized for a vehicle geolocation. The memory is coupled to the one or more processors and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

Claims

1. A system for determining driver performance based on vehicle geolocation, comprising:

one or more onboard vehicle sensors configured to detect driving data of a moving vehicle;

a GPS receiver for receiving a GPS geolocation of the moving vehicle and receiving an image captured by an image sensor of the one or more onboard vehicle sensors;

one or more processors configured to;

if the GPS geolocation matches the received image, confirm the GPS geolocation;

if the GPS geolocation does not match the received image, adjust the GPS geolocation based at least in part on the driving data from the one or more onboard vehicle sensors and the image; and

update a zone of a digital safety map corresponding to the GPS geolocation based on the received image, wherein the digital safety map associates various driving conditions to locations on the digital safety map;

determine driver performance based at least in part on the driving data, wherein the driver performance is normalized for the vehicle geolocation; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver performance measures driver safety performance.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver performance measures driver fuel efficiency performance.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein normalizing the driver performance for geolocation comprises applying a drive performance evaluation criteria associated with the vehicle geolocation.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the drive performance evaluation criteria normalizes an effect of a driving level of difficulty.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the normalizing an effect of a driving level of difficult uses a performance weight.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the vehicle geolocation is defined by a geo-fenced area on the digital safety map.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the image sensor captures visual images of an exterior view from the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the GPS geolocation of the vehicle is determined using a cellular location tracking data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the image sensor captures images to identify a stop sign and confirm a stop sign zone.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the driving data used to refine the vehicle geolocation comprises one or more of the following:

a vehicle speed, a vehicle direction, a road gradient, a detected number of lanes, a vehicle trajectory, a presence of a traffic signal, a presence of intersection, and a detected road name.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors is further configured to:

determine a geo-fenced area associated with the vehicle geolocation and a drive performance evaluation criteria associated with the geo-fenced area.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the geo-fenced area is defined by a geo-boundary.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the geo-fenced area is defined based on a driving condition.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the driving condition comprises one or more of the following:

a road condition, a weather condition, and a traffic condition.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the driving condition is a dynamic driving condition.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the driving condition is a static driving condition.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the updating a zone of the digital safety map further includes using one of the confirmed GPS geolocation and the adjusted GPS geolocation to update a zone of the digital safety map.

19. A method for determining driver performance based on vehicle geolocation, comprising:

detecting driving data using one or more onboard vehicle sensors of a moving vehicle;

receiving a GPS geolocation of the moving vehicle using a GPS receiver;

receiving an image captured by an image sensor of the one or more onboard vehicle sensors;

if the GPS geolocation matches the received image, confirming the GPS geolocation;

if the GPS geolocation does not match the received image, adjusting the GPS geolocation based at least in part on the driving data from the one or more onboard vehicle sensors and the image; and

updating a zone of a digital safety map corresponding to the GPS geolocation based on the received image, wherein the digital safety map associates various driving conditions to locations on the digital safety map; and

determining driver performance based at least in part on the driving data, wherein the driver performance is normalized for the vehicle geolocation.

20. A computer program product for determining driver performance based on vehicle geolocation, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

detecting driving data using one or more onboard vehicle sensors of a moving vehicle;

receiving a GPS geolocation of the moving vehicle using a GPS receiver;

receiving an image captured by an image sensor of the one or more onboard vehicle sensors;

if the GPS geolocation matches the received image, confirming the GPS geolocation;

if the GPS geolocation does not match the received image, adjusting the GPS geolocation based at least in part on the driving data from the one or more onboard vehicle sensors and the image; and

updating a zone of a digital safety map corresponding to the GPS geolocation based on the received image, wherein the digital safety map associates various driving conditions to locations on the digital safety map; and

determining driver performance based at least in part on the driving data, wherein the driver performance is normalized for the vehicle geolocation.