Traffic based driving analysis

• US 9,676,392 B1
• Filed: 07/07/2015
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Kraft, Daniel, Bryer, Nathan M., Huls, Eric, Brinkmann, Margaret A., Warden, Thomas Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Whalen, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/792,645
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• 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 system, comprising:

a first vehicle on-board data recording system including;

at least one sensor configured to record vehicle operation data at a first vehicle; and

a telematics device configured to transmit the vehicle operation data to a driving analysis server; and

the driving analysis server, including;

a processing unit comprising a processor;

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 from the first vehicle on-board data recording system, the first vehicle driving data associated with a first vehicle location;

compare the received first vehicle driving data from the first vehicle to a driving behavior threshold to determine whether the received first vehicle driving data includes data above the driving behavior threshold;

responsive to determining that the first vehicle driving data includes data above the driving behavior threshold, identify an occurrence of a driving behavior associated with the driving behavior threshold in the first vehicle driving data;

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;

analyze the received other vehicle driving data to identify occurrences of the driving behavior in the other vehicle driving data;

responsive to identifying occurrences of the driving behavior in the other vehicle driving data, maintaining a driver score of a driver of the first vehicle; and

responsive to not identifying occurrences of the driving behavior in the other vehicle driving data, adjusting the driver score of the driver of the first vehicle; and

determining, based on one of the maintained driver score and the adjusted driver score, at least one of;

an insurance coverage, an insurance premium, and an insurance deductible.

2. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the driving behavior threshold is based on both driving behavior and situational factors.

3. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle driving data and the other vehicle driving data are from a same time period.

4. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle on-board data recording system comprises sensors or cameras configured to record at least one of:

vehicle acceleration rates, vehicle braking rates, vehicle speed, vehicle steering, an impact to the vehicle, vehicle following distance, or vehicle lane position.

5. The driving analysis system of claim 4, wherein the identified occurrence of the driving behavior includes 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.

6. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle on-board data recording system is configured to record and transmit at least one of:

vehicle speed data, vehicle acceleration data, vehicle braking data, vehicle steering data, use of vehicle turn signals, use of vehicle seat belts, use of a radio in the vehicle, or use of a phone in the vehicle.

7. The driving analysis system of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle on-board data recording system is configured to record and transmit 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 on-board data recording system.

8. The driving analysis system 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; and

retrieving the other vehicle driving data collected by vehicle on-board data recording systems within the one or more other vehicles.

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

determining the first vehicle location of the first vehicle;

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

10. A driving analysis system, comprising:

a first vehicle on-board data recording system including;

at least a first sensor configured to record vehicle operation data at a first vehicle; and

a first telematics device configured to transmit the vehicle operation data to a driving analysis server;

a second vehicle on-board data recording system including;

at least a second sensor configured to record vehicle operation data at a second vehicle; and

a second telematics device configured to transmit the vehicle operation data to the driving analysis server; and

the driving analysis server, including;

a processing unit including 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 first vehicle on-board data recording system, the first vehicle driving data associated with a first vehicle location;

compare the received first vehicle driving data from the first vehicle to a driving behavior threshold to determine whether the received first vehicle driving data includes data above the driving behavior threshold;

responsive to determining that the first vehicle driving data includes data above the driving behavior threshold, identifying an occurrence of a driving behavior associated with the driving behavior threshold in the first vehicle driving data;

receive second vehicle driving data from the second vehicle on-board data recording system, the second vehicle driving data associated with a second vehicle location at or near the first vehicle location;

analyze the received second vehicle driving data to identify an occurrence of the driving behavior in the second vehicle driving data;

responsive to identifying an occurrence of the driving behavior in the second vehicle driving data, maintaining a driver score of a driver of the first vehicle;

responsive to not identifying an occurrence of the driving behavior in the second vehicle driving data, adjusting the driver score of the driver of the first vehicle; and

determining, based on at least one of the maintained driver score and the adjusted driver score, at least one of;

an insurance coverage, an insurance premium, and an insurance deductible.

11. The driving analysis system of claim 10, wherein the driving behavior threshold is based on both driving behavior and situational factors.

12. The driving analysis system of claim 10, wherein the first vehicle driving data and the second vehicle driving data are from a same time period.

13. The driving analysis system of claim 10, wherein the first vehicle on-board data recording system and the second vehicle on-board data recording system each comprise sensors or cameras configured to record at least one of:

vehicle acceleration rates, vehicle braking rates, vehicle speed, vehicle steering, an impact to the vehicle, vehicle following distance, or vehicle lane position.

14. The driving analysis system of claim 13, wherein the identified occurrence of the driving behavior includes 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.

15. The driving analysis system of claim 10, wherein the first vehicle on-board data recording system and the second vehicle on-board data recording system are each configured to record and transmit at least one of:

vehicle speed data, vehicle acceleration data, vehicle braking data, vehicle steering data, use of vehicle turn signals, use of vehicle seat belts, use of a radio in the vehicle, or use of a phone in the vehicle.

16. The driving analysis system of claim 10, wherein the first vehicle on-board data recording system and the second vehicle on-board data recording system are each configured to record and transmit 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 on-board data recording system.

17. The driving analysis system of claim 10, the driving analysis server storing additional computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processing unit, cause the driving analysis server to:

determine the first vehicle location of the first vehicle; and

identify the second vehicle based on a determination that the second vehicle is at or near the first vehicle location.

18. The driving analysis system of claim 17, the driving analysis server storing additional computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processing unit, cause the driving analysis server to:

request vehicle driving data from the second vehicle on-board data recording system based on the determination that the second vehicle is at or near the first vehicle location, wherein the vehicle driving data requested from the second vehicle on-board data recording system corresponds to the first vehicle driving data received from the first vehicle on-board data recording system.

19. A driving analysis system comprising:

an on-board vehicle data recording system of a first vehicle including a plurality of sensors configured to record operational data of the first vehicle; and

a telematics device configured to transmit the vehicle operational data to a driving analysis server; and

the driving analysis server, including;

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 from the on-board vehicle data recording system of a first vehicle, the first vehicle driving data associated with 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;

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;

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 driver of the first vehicle; and

determine, based on at least one of;

the maintained driver score and the adjusted driving score, at least one of;

an insurance coverage, an insurance premium, and an insurance deductible.

20. The driving analysis system of claim 19, 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 time; and

retrieving vehicle driving data collected by on-board vehicle data recording systems within the one or more other vehicles.

21. The driving analysis system of claim 19, wherein receiving the other vehicle driving data further includes:

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.