System and method for detecting potential property insurance fraud

• US 9,940,677 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2015
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, Patrick D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Jingge
• Application Number:
  US14/589,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20150193884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/58 relating to hyperspectral data
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/194 using hyperspectral data, i.e. more or other wavelengths than RGB

Abstract

A system and method for assessing a condition of property for insurance purposes includes a sensor for acquiring a spectral image. In a preferred embodiment, the spectral image is post-processed to generate at least one spectral radiance plot, the plot used as input to a radiative transfer computer model. The output of the model establishes a spectral signature for the property. Over a period of time, spectral signatures can be compared to generate a spectral difference, the spectral difference can be used to determine whether a change in the condition of the property was potentially fraudulently caused.

Claims

1. A method for assessing a condition of an insured property for insurance purposes, the method comprising the steps of:

determining, by a computer server, a first spectral signature from a first spectral image of the insured property at a first timestamp;

determining, by the computer server, a second spectral signature from a second spectral image of the insured property at a second timestamp later than the first timestamp;

determining, by the computer server, a spectral difference between the first spectral signature and the second spectral signature, the spectral difference corresponding to a difference in the concentration of a molecular constituent indicative of a change in the condition of the insured property;

determining, by the computer server, whether the spectral difference exceeds a first predetermined threshold value associated with the molecular constituent; and

transmitting a message indicating potential insurance fraud if the first spectral difference exceeds the first predetermined threshold value.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first spectral image and the second spectral image are received from a remote sensor operating in the infrared, visible and ultraviolet bands of the electromagnetic spectrum.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by the computer server, a surface albedo measurement of the insured property;

determining, by the computer server, whether the surface albedo measurement exceeds a second predetermined threshold value; and

transmitting, by the computer server, a message indicating potential insurance fraud if the spectral difference exceeds the first predetermined threshold value or the surface albedo measurement exceeds the second predetermined threshold value.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the molecular constituent is selected from the group consisting of alcohols, phenols, nitro compounds, NOH oxime, N-O amine oxide, N═

O, and N₂-based compounds.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the computer server executes a radiative transfer computer model, the model processing an input comprising the second spectral image and generating an output comprising the second spectral signature, wherein the processing includes a plurality of forward models and at least one inverse model.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the input of the radiative transfer computer model further comprises the first spectral image and the output of the radiative transfer computer model further comprises the first spectral signature.

7. The method according to claim 6 further comprising a step of converting the first spectral image to a first spectral radiance plot, the input to the radiative transfer computer model comprising the first spectral radiance plot.

8. The method according to claim 5 further comprising a step of converting the second spectral image to a second spectral radiance plot, the input to the radiative transfer computer model comprising the second spectral radiance plot.

9. A method for assessing a condition of a property for insurance purposes, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by a computer server, a concentration of a molecular constituent at the insured property, which is determined based on a spectral image of the insured property;

determining, by the computer server, whether the concentration of the molecular constituent exceeds a first predetermined threshold value; and

transmitting, by the computer server, a message indicating potential insurance fraud if the concentration of the molecular constituent exceeds the first predetermined threshold value.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the spectral image is based on at least the infrared, visible and ultraviolet bands of the electromagnetic spectrum.

11. The method according to claim 9 further comprising:

receiving, by the computer server, a surface albedo measurement of the insured property;

determining, by the computer server, whether the surface albedo measurement exceeds a second predetermined threshold value; and

transmitting, by the computer server, a message indicating potential insurance fraud if the spectral difference exceeds the first predetermined threshold value or the surface albedo measurement exceeds the second predetermined threshold value.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the molecular constituent is a byproduct or residual product of anthropogenic fire accelerants or anthropogenic sources of ignition or explosion.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the molecular constituent is selected from the group consisting of alcohols, phenols, nitro compounds, NOH oxime, N-O amine oxide, N═

O, and N₂-based compounds.

14. The method according to claim 9 wherein the computer server executes a radiative transfer computer model, the radiative transfer computer model processing a spectral image and generating a spectral signature comprising the concentration of the molecular constituent, wherein the radiative transfer computer model includes a plurality of forward models and at least one inverse model.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein the radiative transfer computer model processing the spectral image comprises converting the spectral image to a first spectral radiance plot.

16. A system for assessing a condition of an insured property comprising:

a data storage device configured to store a first spectral image of the insured property, a second spectral image of the insured property, and one or more threshold values corresponding to one ore more molecular constituents and one or more types of insured loss; and

a server adapted to;

determine a first spectral signature from the first spectral image, the first spectral signature corresponding to a first concentration of the molecular constituent;

determine a second spectral signature from the second spectral image, the second spectral signature corresponding to a second concentration of the molecular constituent;

determine a spectral difference between the first spectral signature and the second spectral signature, the spectral difference corresponding to a difference in the concentration of the molecular constituent;

determine if the spectral difference exceeds a first predetermined threshold value for the molecular constituent; and

transmit a message indicating potential insurance fraud if the first spectral difference exceeds the first predetermined threshold value.

17. The system according to claim 16, further comprising a remote sensor in communication with the server, the remote sensor configured to acquire the first and second spectral images, the remote sensor operating in at least the infrared, visible and ultraviolet bands of the electromagnetic spectrum.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the remote sensor is further configured to measure a surface albedo of the insured property.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the server is further adapted to:

determine whether the surface albedo measurement exceeds a second predetermined threshold value; and

transmit a message indicating potential insurance fraud if the spectral difference exceeds the first predetermined threshold value or the surface albedo measurement exceeds the second predetermined threshold value.

20. The system according to claim 16, further comprising:

a data storage medium disposed between the remote sensor and the server, the data storage medium for storing the first and second spectral images; and

an image processor disposed between the remote sensor and the data storage medium for receiving the first and second spectral images and storing the first and second spectral images on the data storage medium.

21. The system according to claim 16, wherein the server is further adapted to convert the first and second spectral images to a first and second spectral radiance plot, the server further adapted to receive the first and second spectral radiance plots and determine the first and second spectral signatures.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the server is further adapted to store the first and second spectral radiance plots on the data storage device.

23. The system according to claim 16, wherein the molecular constituent is selected from the group consisting of alcohols, phenols, nitro compounds, NOH oxime, N-O amine oxide, N═

O, and N₂-based compounds.