Vehicle damage assessment using 3D scanning

• US 9,721,304 B1
• Filed: 07/15/2014
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liberty Mutual Insurance Company (Liberty Mutual Holding Company)
• Original Assignee: Liberty Mutual Insurance Company (Liberty Mutual Holding Company)
• Inventors: Parchment, David Antony, Saenglongma, Khamla, Hall, Gary Ellis, Olean, Jr., Normand Francis, Heveran, John
• Primary Examiner(s): TSAI, TSUNG YIN
• Application Number:
  US14/332,173
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

Automated claims adjustment is engineered to receive submission of two-dimensional data or three-dimensional data from a structured-light scan and other pieces of information directly via a mobile device. Upon receiving sufficient information to open a claim, automated claims adjustment and settlement processes are executed aiding and guiding a claimant. This reduces the time involved by the claimant in waiting for a claims adjuster to manually review a specific case file.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

projecting light pattern on a damaged vehicle to reveal deformation of the pattern;

offsetting from the light pattern, obtaining a shape of the pattern by a camera;

calculating, from the shape, distance of every point in the field of view;

determining using structured-light calculation contours of the damaged vehicle; and

creating differential heat maps to detect degrees of intrusion, extrusion, or deviation from the undamaged vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a topographic model of the damaged vehicle so as to compare the damaged vehicle to a three-dimensional model of an undamaged vehicle to determine extent of the damage to surface and sub-structures.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising immediate electronic payment of a claim estimate to a claimant based on the extent of the damage.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining occurs without using photographic images to determine the extent of the damage.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating two-dimensional horizontal or vertical slices of the damaged vehicle so as to compare the two-dimensional horizontal or vertical slices of the damaged vehicle to two-dimensional horizontal or vertical slices of an undamaged vehicle to gauge deformity to underlying components.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein further comprising detecting damage of the damaged vehicle in cases in which the damaged vehicle has a light color.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting damage of the damaged vehicle in cases in which the damaged vehicle has low degrees of surface deviation.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising negating a need to position reference points to be placed on the surface of the damaged vehicle.

9. A method comprising:

projecting light pattern on a damaged vehicle to reveal deformation of the pattern;

offsetting from the light pattern, obtaining a shape of the pattern by a camera;

calculating, from the shape, distance of every point in the field of view;

determining using structured-light calculation contours of the damaged vehicle; and

generating two-dimensional horizontal or vertical slices of the damaged vehicle so as to compare the two-dimensional horizontal or vertical slices of the damaged vehicle to two-dimensional horizontal or vertical slices of an undamaged vehicle to gauge deformity to underlying components.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising creating a topographic model of the damaged vehicle so as to compare the damaged vehicle to a three-dimensional model of an undamaged vehicle to determine extent of the damage to surface and sub-structures.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising immediate electronic payment of a claim estimate to a claimant based on the extent of the damage.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein determining occurs without using photographic images to determine the extent of the damage.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising creating differential heat maps to detect degrees of intrusion, extrusion, or deviation from an undamaged vehicle.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein further comprising detecting damage of the damaged vehicle in cases in which the damaged vehicle has a light color.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising detecting damage of the damaged vehicle in cases in which the damaged vehicle has low degrees of surface deviation.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising negating a need to position reference points to be placed on the surface of the damaged vehicle.