Device for automatic crash notification

• US 9,672,719 B1
• Filed: 09/03/2015
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Hollenstain, Thomas, Bennett, Shawn C.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US14/844,979
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/187 Machine fault alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/183 Single detectors using dual technologies G08B13/1672, G08B13/2448, G08B13/2494 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/188 Data fusion; cooperative systems, e.g. voting among different detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72421 with automatic activation of emergency service functions, e.g. upon sensing an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

A method for detecting an event occurring during operation of a vehicle includes receiving indications of a plurality of variables from an installed device communicatively coupled to the mobile device via an internal communication link. The method further includes analyzing the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect the event occurring during the operation of the vehicle. Still further, the method includes, upon detecting the event, initiating: (i) a first communication session between the mobile device and an entity outside of the vehicle, and (ii) a second communication session between the mobile device and the installed device, wherein the mobile device forwards content communicated via the first communication session to the installed device via the second communication session such that the installed device presents the content to the vehicle operator. In one aspect, air pressure wave sensor and accelerometer data may trigger automatic crash notifications to emergency responders.

Claims

1. A method for detecting an event occurring during operation of a vehicle, the method comprising:

during the operation of the vehicle by a vehicle operator, receiving, at a mobile device, indications of a plurality of variables from an installed device communicatively coupled to the mobile device via an internal communication link, wherein;

the plurality of variables are monitored by the installed device during the operation of the vehicle,

the mobile device is one of a smartphone, tablet computer, or wearable computing device, and

the installed device is fixedly installed in the vehicle;

analyzing, by an event detection module specifically configuring the mobile device, the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect the event occurring during the operation of the vehicle; and

upon detecting the event, initiating, by a communication initiation module further configuring the mobile device;

(i) a first communication session between the mobile device and an entity outside of the vehicle via an external communication link between the mobile device and the entity, and

(ii) a second communication session between the mobile device and the installed device via the internal communication link between the mobile device and the installed device, wherein the mobile device forwards content communicated via the first communication session to the installed device via the second communication session such that the installed device presents the content to the vehicle operator.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forwarding, from the mobile device via the external communication link, the received indications of the plurality of variables to a remote computing device, wherein the remote computing device is located outside of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indications of the plurality of variables includes receiving at least two of indications of accelerations of the vehicle, indications of locations of the vehicle, indications of speeds of the vehicle, indications of directions of travel of the vehicle, indications of sounds within the vehicle, images of the vehicle operator, images of the environment surrounding the vehicle, and indications of distances between the vehicle and objects outside of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving the indications of the plurality of variables includes receiving at least three of indications of accelerations of the vehicle, indications of locations of the vehicle, indications of speeds of the vehicle, indications of directions of travel of the vehicle, indications of sounds within the vehicle, images of the vehicle operator, images of the environment surrounding the vehicle, and indications of distances between the vehicle and objects outside of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the second communication session via the internal communication link includes initiating the second communication session via a Bluetooth link between the mobile device and the installed device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the first communication session via the external communication link includes initiating the first communication session via a radio frequency link between the mobile device and a cellular network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the first communication session via the external communication link includes initiating the first communication session via a WiFi link between the mobile device and a local area network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect the event includes analyzing the received indications to detect a collision of the vehicle with an object outside of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, upon detecting the collision, initiating the first communication session includes initiating a call between the mobile device and one of a first responder, an insurance agency, or a dispatch center.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect the event includes analyzing the received indications to detect an emergency situation associated with the vehicle operator or associated with the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, upon detecting the collision, initiating the first communication session includes initiating a call between the mobile device and one of a first responder or a dispatch center.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the first communication session includes initiating a call between the mobile device and the entity, and wherein initiating the second communication session includes initiating the second communication link such that audio from the initiated call is forwarded as part of the second communication session to the installed device and played for vehicle operator through one of more speakers installed in the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the first communication session includes initiating a call between the mobile device and the entity, and wherein initiating the second communication session includes initiating the second communication link such that speech from the vehicle operator is detected by the installed device and forwarded to the mobile device from the installed device as part of the second communication session.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the first communication session includes initiating a transfer of at least some of the received indications of the plurality of variables from the mobile device to the entity.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect the event includes executing a specifically configured sensor fusion algorithm, wherein the specifically configured sensor fusion algorithm combines the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect the event.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect the event includes executing a decision tree algorithm based upon multiple of the indications of the plurality of variables.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect the event includes:

determining that an airbag of the vehicle has been deployed based upon an indication of sounds within the vehicle; and

determining that the vehicle has stopped based upon an indication of a speed of the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect the event includes:

determining that the vehicle has experience an acceleration above a threshold based upon an indication of an acceleration of the vehicle; and

determining that the vehicle has stopped based upon an indication of a speed of the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein analyzing the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect the event further includes determining that an airbag of the vehicle has been deployed based upon an indication of sounds within the vehicle.

20. A method of monitoring an operation of a vehicle and communicating information indicative of the operation, the method comprising:

during a time period in which the vehicle is operated by a vehicle operator, monitoring, by a data gathering module specifically configuring an installed device;

(i) a location of the vehicle with geopositioning sensors,

(ii) sounds within the vehicle with microphones, and

(iii) an acceleration of the vehicle with accelerometers,

wherein the installed device is fixedly installed within the vehicle, and wherein the geopositioning sensors, the microphones, and the accelerometers are built into the installed device; and

at each of a plurality of times during the time period;

generating, by a data aggregation module specifically configuring the installed device, a burst of data including indications of the location of the vehicle, the sounds within the vehicle, and the acceleration of the vehicle monitored during a part of the time period preceding the time, and

transferring, by a data communication module specifically configuring the installed device, the burst of data to a mobile device via a wireless communicative coupling, wherein the mobile device is one of a smartphone, a tablet computer, or a wearable computing device temporarily disposed within the vehicle.

21. A system for detecting events occurring during an operation of a vehicle, the system comprising:

an internal communicative coupling between a mobile device and an installed device, wherein the mobile device is one of a smartphone, tablet computer, or wearable computer temporarily disposed in the vehicle, and wherein the installed device is fixedly installed in the vehicle;

an external communication link between the mobile device and an external entity, wherein the external entity is outside of the vehicle; and

the mobile device, wherein the mobile device is specifically configured by computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory memory of the mobile device such that, when executed by one or more processors of the mobile device, the computer-executable instructions cause the mobile device to;

during the operation of the vehicle by a vehicle operator, receive, at a mobile device via the internal communicative coupling, indications of a plurality of variables from the installed device, wherein the plurality of variables are monitored by the installed device during the operation of the vehicle,

analyze the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect an event occurring during the operation of the vehicle, and

upon detecting the event, at least one of;

(i) initiate an external communication session between the mobile device and the external entity via the external communication link, or

(ii) transmit at least some of the received indications of the plurality of variables to the external entity via the external communication link.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the event includes a collision of the vehicle with an object outside of the vehicle.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein, the external entity includes a first responder, an insurance agency, or a dispatch center.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the event includes an emergency situation associated with the vehicle operator or associated with the vehicle.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the external entity includes a first responder or a dispatch center.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the event includes:

deployment of an airbag of the vehicle based upon an indication of sounds within the vehicle; and

stoppage of the vehicle based upon an indication of a speed of the vehicle.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein analyzing the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect the event includes:

vehicle acceleration above a threshold based upon an indication of an acceleration of the vehicle; and

stoppage of the vehicle based upon an indication of a speed of the vehicle.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the event includes deployment of an airbag of the vehicle based upon an indication of sounds within the vehicle.