Insurance system for analysis of autonomous driving

• US 9,940,676 B1
• Filed: 02/19/2014
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Biemer, Edward A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Apple, Kirsten
• Application Number:
  US14/184,272
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35, 705 38
• 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

Abstract

System and methods are disclosed for determining properties of vehicle insurance policies for vehicles that engage in autonomous driving. Vehicle driving data, an autonomous driving system quality rating, and/or other information may be used to determine, for example, a premium, a deductible, a coverage term, and/or a coverage amount of an automobile insurance policy of an automobile that engages in autonomous driving. In addition, vehicle driving data and/or other information may be used to determine a distance-based autonomous driving insurance factor based at least in part on a distance traveled by the vehicle while the vehicle was engaged in autonomous driving.

Claims

1. A driving analysis computing device comprising:

a processing unit comprising a processor;

a memory unit; and

an electronic receiver connected to at least one vehicle data acquiring component, wherein the driving analysis computing device is configured to;

receive, via the electronic receiver, vehicle operational data collected by the at least one vehicle data acquiring component, wherein the vehicle operational data comprises driving data collected from a vehicle that has engaged in autonomous driving;

determine, via the processing unit and based on the vehicle operational data, a first mileage unit comprising a first distance traveled by the vehicle over a first period of time, wherein the vehicle was engaged in autonomous driving;

determine, by the processing unit and based on the vehicle operational data, a second mileage unit comprising a total distance traveled by the vehicle over the first period of time;

compare, by the processing unit, the first mileage unit and the second mileage unit;

determine, via the processing unit, a distance-based autonomous driving insurance factor based on the comparing; and

cause adjusting of a property of an insurance policy associated with the vehicle using the distance-based autonomous driving insurance factor.

2. The driving analysis computing device of claim 1, wherein the comparing is further based on a ratio between the first mileage unit and the second mileage unit.

3. The driving analysis computing device of claim 2, wherein the ratio between the first mileage unit and the second mileage unit comprises a percentage of the total distance traveled by the vehicle over the first period of time where the vehicle was engaged in autonomous driving.

4. The driving analysis computing device of claim 2, wherein the property of the insurance policy comprises a premium, and the driving analysis computing device is further configured to apply a first premium rate when the ratio is above a threshold value and a second premium rate when the ratio is below the threshold value.

5. The driving analysis computing device of claim 4, wherein the first premium rate and the second premium rate are applied on a per-mile basis.

6. The driving analysis computing device of claim 1, wherein the driving analysis computing device is further configured to determine, via the processing unit, a first location of the vehicle, wherein the first location comprises a location of the vehicle during travel of the first mileage unit, and wherein the comparing is further based on the first location.

7. The driving analysis computing device of claim 1, wherein the driving analysis computing device is further configured to determine, via the processing unit, a first road-type traveled by the vehicle over at least a portion of the first mileage unit, and wherein the comparing is further based on the first road-type.

8. The driving analysis computing device of claim 7, wherein the driving analysis computing device is further configured to:

determine, via the processing unit, a first location of the vehicle, wherein the first location comprises a location of the vehicle during travel over at least a portion of the first mileage unit; and

access a road-type database to determine the first road-type using the first location.

9. The driving analysis computing device of claim 1, wherein the first mileage unit comprises a total distance traveled by the vehicle over a first road-type when the vehicle was engaged in autonomous driving.

10. The driving analysis computing device of claim 9, wherein the second mileage unit comprises a total distance traveled by the vehicle over the first road-type over the first period of time.

11. The driving analysis computing device of claim 10, wherein the comparing comprises a ratio between the first mileage unit and the second mileage unit, and wherein the property of the insurance policy comprises a premium, and wherein the driving analysis computing device is further configured to apply a first premium rate when the ratio is above a threshold value and a second premium rate when the ratio is below the threshold value.

12. The driving analysis computing device of claim 11, wherein the first premium rate and the second premium rate are applied on a per-mile basis.

13. The driving analysis computing device of claim 9, wherein the second mileage unit comprises a total distance traveled by the vehicle over the first period of time when the vehicle was engaged in autonomous driving.

14. The driving analysis computing device of claim 13, wherein the property of the insurance policy comprises a premium and the driving analysis computing device is configured to apply a first premium rate for the first mileage unit and at least one second premium rate for a remaining distance in the second mileage unit, wherein the remaining distance comprises distance traveled by the vehicle which does not include the first mileage unit, and wherein the first premium rate is different than the second premium rate.

15. The driving analysis computing device of claim 14, wherein the first premium rate and the second premium rate are applied on a per-mile basis.

16. The driving analysis computing device of claim 13, wherein the comparing comprises a ratio between the first mileage unit and the second mileage unit, wherein the property of the insurance policy comprises a premium, and wherein the driving analysis computing device is further configured to apply a first premium rate when the ratio is above a threshold value and a second premium rate when the ratio is below the threshold value, wherein the first premium rate is different than the second premium rate.

17. The driving analysis computing device of claim 4, wherein the driving analysis computing device is configured to determine a second premium using the premium, wherein the second premium is associated with a second insurance policy associated with the vehicle.

18. The driving analysis computing device of claim 1, wherein the comparing is further based on an autonomous driving system quality rating associated with the vehicle, wherein the autonomous driving system quality rating comprises a rating of a likelihood of an autonomous driving system of the vehicle to avoid accidents involving the vehicle.

19. The driving analysis computing system of claim 1, wherein the property of the insurance policy comprises at least one of a premium, a deductible, a coverage term, and a coverage amount, and wherein the driving analysis computing device is further configured to cause the insurance policy to be adjusted based on the property of the insurance policy.

20. A method comprising:

receiving, by an electronic receiver of a computing device, vehicle operational data collected by a first vehicle data acquiring component, wherein the vehicle operational data comprises driving data collected from a vehicle that has engaged in autonomous driving;

determining, by a processor of the computing device and based on the vehicle operational data, a first mileage unit comprising a first distance traveled by the vehicle over a first period of time, wherein the vehicle was engaged in autonomous driving over at least a portion of the first distance;

determining, by the processor and based on the vehicle operational data, a second mileage unit comprising a total distance traveled by the vehicle over the first period of time;

comparing, by the processor, the first mileage unit and the second mileage unit;

determining, by the processor of the computing device, a property of an insurance policy associated with the vehicle based on the comparing; and

causing adjusting of the property of the insurance policy associated with the vehicle based on the comparing.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the property of the insurance policy comprises at least one of a premium, a deductible, a coverage term, and a coverage amount.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

generating, by the processor of the computing device, a distance-based autonomous driving insurance factor based on the first mileage unit and the second mileage unit.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the comparing comprises a ratio between the first mileage unit and the second mileage unit.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the property of the insurance policy comprises a premium and the computing device is further configured to apply a first premium rate when the ratio is above a threshold value and a second premium rate when the ratio is below the threshold value.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first premium rate and the second premium rate are applied on a per-mile basis.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining, by the processor of the computing device, a first road-type traveled by the vehicle over at least a portion of the first mileage unit, and wherein the determining of the property of the insurance policy further comprises using the first road-type.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

determining, by the processor of the computing device, a first location of the vehicle, wherein the first location comprises a location of the vehicle during travel over at least a portion of the first mileage unit; and

accessing, by the computing device, a road-type database to determine the first road-type using the first location.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein the first mileage unit comprises a total distance traveled by the vehicle over a first road-type when the vehicle was engaged in autonomous driving.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the second mileage unit comprises a total distance traveled by the vehicle over the first road-type over the first period of time, and wherein the determining of the property of the insurance policy further comprises using a ratio between the first mileage unit and the second mileage unit.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the second mileage unit comprises a total distance traveled by the vehicle when the vehicle was engaged in autonomous driving over the first period of time;

and wherein the determining of the property of the insurance policy further comprises using a ratio between the first mileage unit and the second mileage unit.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the property of the insurance policy comprises a premium, and further comprising applying, by the computing device, a first premium rate when the ratio is above a threshold value and a second premium rate when the ratio is below the threshold value, wherein the first premium rate is different than the second premium rate.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the first premium rate and the second premium rate are applied on a per-mile basis.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the property of the insurance policy comprises a premium, and further comprising applying, by the processor of the computing device, a first premium rate for the first mileage unit;

and applying, by the processor of the computing device, at least one second premium rate for a remaining distance in the second mileage unit, wherein the remaining distance comprises distance traveled by the vehicle which does not include the first mileage unit, and wherein the first premium rate is different than the second premium rate.

34. The method of claim 20, wherein the determining of the property of the insurance policy further comprises using an autonomous driving system quality rating associated with the vehicle, wherein the autonomous driving system quality rating comprises a rating of a likelihood of an autonomous driving system of the vehicle to avoid accidents involving the vehicle.

35. A method comprising:

receiving, by an electronic receiver of a computing device, vehicle operational data collected by a vehicle data acquiring component, wherein the vehicle operational data comprises driving data collected from a vehicle that has engaged in autonomous driving;

determining, by the computing device and based on the vehicle operational data, a first mileage unit comprising a first distance traveled by the vehicle over a first period of time, wherein the vehicle was engaged in autonomous driving;

determining, by the computing device and based on the vehicle operational data, a second mileage unit comprising a total distance traveled by the vehicle over the first period of time;

determining, by the computing device, an autonomous driving insurance factor based on comparing the first mileage unit and the second mileage unit and further based on an autonomous driving system quality rating associated with the vehicle, wherein the autonomous driving system quality rating comprises a rating of a likelihood of an autonomous driving system of the vehicle to avoid accidents involving the vehicle;

determining, by the computing device, a property of an insurance policy associated with the vehicle using the autonomous driving insurance factor and the vehicle operational data; and

causing adjusting of the property of the insurance policy associated with the vehicle based on the autonomous driving insurance factor and the vehicle operational data.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the determining the property of the insurance policy further comprises using the first mileage unit.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the autonomous driving system quality rating accounts for a greater likelihood of accidents if the vehicle has an autonomous driving system which allows for manual driving over the first or second mileage unit than if the vehicle has an autonomous driving system which allows for only autonomous driving over the first or second mileage unit.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the property of the insurance policy comprises at least one of a premium, a deductible, a coverage term, and a coverage amount.