Systems and methods for reconstruction of a vehicular crash

• US 9,886,841 B1
• Filed: 01/25/2017
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Nave, Cole, Tofte, Nathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T
• Application Number:
  US15/415,460
• Time in Patent Office: 377 Days
• Field of Search: 34053913, 34053922, 34053932, 34042615, 340436
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/00 Input parameters relating to overall vehicle dynamics
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/26 Incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/20 Static objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4023 large-size vehicles, e.g. trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4029 Pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/00 Input parameters relating to data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/212 with details for data modelling support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 : Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 : Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 : Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 : Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/95 : structured as a network, e.g. client-server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 : exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 : communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 : Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 : using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 : Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• 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 25/10 : using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 : Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 : for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 : using location based information parameters

Abstract

A system for notifying emergency services of a vehicular crash may (i) receive sensor data of a vehicular crash from at least one mobile device associated with a user; (ii) generate a scenario model of the vehicular crash based upon the received sensor data; (iii) store the scenario model; and/or (iv) transmit a message to one or more emergency services based upon the scenario model. As a result, the speed and accuracy of deploying emergency services to the vehicular crash location is increased. The system may also utilize vehicle occupant positional data, and internal and external sensor data to detect potential imminent vehicle collisions, take corrective actions, automatically engage autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle features, and/or generate virtual reconstructions of the vehicle collision.

Claims

1. A computer system for notifying emergency services of a vehicular crash, the computer system including at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device, the at least one processor is programmed to:

store a database of vehicular crash scenarios based upon past vehicular crashes and sensor data associated with the vehicular crash scenarios;

receive sensor data of a vehicular crash from at least one mobile device associated with a user;

compare the database of vehicular crash scenarios to the received sensor data;

generate a scenario model of the vehicular crash based upon the comparison;

store the scenario model;

determine at least one potential injury to an occupant of the vehicle based upon the scenario model;

transmit the at least one potential injury to the at least one mobile device;

receive confirmation of the at least one potential injury from the at least one mobile device; and

transmit a message to one or more emergency services based upon the scenario model.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit a message to the user to await emergency personnel.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more emergency services include at least one of a towing service, an emergency medical service provider, a police department, a fire department, and an emergency responder.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to select the one or more emergency services based upon the scenario model and a location of the vehicular crash.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the determined at least one potential injury to at least one of the one or more emergency services.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the at least one mobile device includes at least one of the vehicle involved in the vehicular crash, a cellular connected computer device, and an Internet connected computer device, wherein the at least one mobile device includes one or more sensors.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the sensor data is based upon a period of time prior to the vehicular crash and continuing through to a period of time after the vehicular crash.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the sensor data includes at least one of a measurement of at least one of speed, direction rate of acceleration, rate of deceleration, location, position, orientation, and rotation of the vehicle, and wherein the sensor data further includes a measurement of one or more changes to at least one of speed, direction rate of acceleration, rate of deceleration, location, position, orientation, and rotation of the vehicle.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the sensor data includes a number of occupants in the vehicle, seatbelt sensor data, a location of each of the occupants, a position of each of the occupants, and seat occupant weight sensor data.

10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

generate a plurality of scenario models of the vehicular crash based upon the sensor data and the database of vehicular crash scenarios;

determine a certainty of each of the plurality of scenario models; and

generate the scenario model from the plurality of scenario models based upon the certainty associated with the scenario model.

11. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to update the database of vehicular crash scenarios based upon the stored scenario model.

12. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a severity of the vehicular crash based upon the scenario model; and

transmit the determined severity to at least one of the one or more emergency services.

13. A computer-based method for notifying emergency services of a vehicular crash, the method implemented on an accident monitoring (“

AM”

) server including at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device, the method comprising;

storing a database of vehicular crash scenarios based upon past vehicular crashes and sensor data associated with the vehicular crash scenarios;

receiving, at the AM server, sensor data of a vehicular crash from at least one mobile device associated with a user;

comparing the database of vehicular crash scenarios to the received sensor data;

generating, by the AM server, a scenario model of the vehicular crash based upon the comparison;

storing, in the memory, the scenario model;

determining at least one potential injury to an occupant of the vehicle based upon the scenario model;

transmitting the at least one potential injury to the at least one mobile device;

receiving confirmation of the at least one potential injury from the at least one mobile device; and

transmitting, by the AM server, a message to one or more emergency services based upon the scenario model.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising transmitting a message to the user to await emergency personnel.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more emergency services include at least one of a towing service, an emergency medical service provider, a police department, a fire department, and an emergency responder.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising selecting the one or more emergency services based upon the scenario model and a location of the vehicular crash.