Crash detection and severity classification system implementing emergency assistance

• US 9,949,104 B1
• Filed: 08/19/2016
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Call, Shawn M., Jacob, Michael Shawn, Christensen, Scott T., Jordan, II, Jackie O., Carter, Gregory Dwayne, Bennett, Shawn C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Jack K
• Application Number:
  US15/241,367
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 340436, 340989, 4554041, 4554042
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A crash detection system is disclosed that utilizes a mobile computing device to detect a vehicular accident via one or more sensors integrated into the mobile computing device. The system monitors the sensor metrics measured by one or more sensors and generates an event sensor profile that may include the plurality of sensor metrics and additional status data, such as an indication of whether the mobile computing device was located within a vehicle when the event occurred. By comparing the plurality of sensor metrics to other crash sensor metrics, a determination may be made whether the event requires emergency assistance, which may be confirmed by determining whether the data included in the event sensor profile meets one or more exception conditions. If the event requires emergency assistance and an exception condition is not met, the mobile computing device may place a call to the appropriate emergency response personnel.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for placing an emergency call from a portable computing device upon detecting an event requiring emergency assistance, comprising:

detecting, by one or more processors of the portable computing device, that an event has occurred based upon a plurality of sensor metrics;

detecting, by one or more processors of the portable computing device, whether the portable computing device was located within a vehicle when the event occurred based upon status data;

selectively determining, by one or more processors of the portable computing device, that the event is one requiring emergency assistance when (i) the plurality of sensor metrics indicate that the event potentially corresponds to a vehicle crash, and (ii) the status data indicates that the portable computing device was located within the vehicle when the event occurred to thereby confirm that the event corresponds to a vehicle crash; and

initiating, by one or more processors of the portable computing device, a call from the portable computing device to an emergency response service when it is determined that the event corresponds to a vehicle crash.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensor metrics are measured by the portable computing device and indicate that the event potentially corresponds to a vehicle crash when each of the plurality of sensor metrics exceeds each of a plurality of respective crash sensor metrics.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

classifying, by one or more processors, the event into one of a plurality of severity levels based upon an amount by which each of the plurality of sensor metrics exceeds each of the plurality of respective crash sensor metrics, and

wherein the act of selectively determining that the event is one requiring emergency assistance is further conditioned upon (iii) the severity level of the event exceeding a threshold severity level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of selectively determining that the event is one requiring emergency assistance is further conditioned upon:

(iii) each of the plurality of sensor metrics matching each of a plurality of respective exception sensor metrics within a threshold tolerance such that,

when matched, it is determined that the event does not correspond to a vehicle crash.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of initiating the call comprises:

initiating the call from the portable computing device when the occurrence of the event is one requiring emergency assistance unless an input is received at the portable computing device within a period of time to cancel the call.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the status data is generated by the portable computing device and indicates one or more of the following:

whether the portable computing device was communicating with the vehicle when the event occurred;

whether the portable computing device was moving in excess of a threshold speed that was maintained for a threshold time period; and

whether the location of the portable computing device was within a geofence corresponding to an exception location when the event occurred.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating, by one or more processors of the portable computing device, a portable computing device speed during the occurrence of the event based upon changes in the location of the portable computing device over a time period that encompasses the occurrence of the event, the changes in the location of the portable computing device being included as part of the status data,

wherein the status data indicates that the portable computing device is located within the vehicle when the event occurred based upon whether the portable computing device speed, during the occurrence of the event, exceeded a threshold speed that was maintained for a threshold time period.

8. A portable computing device configured to initiate a call to an emergency response service upon detecting an event requiring emergency assistance, comprising:

a processor configured to;

detect that an event has occurred based upon a plurality of sensor metrics;

detect whether the portable computing device was located within a vehicle when the event occurred based upon status data;

selectively determine that the event is one requiring emergency assistance when (i) the plurality of sensor metrics indicate that the event potentially corresponds to a vehicle crash, and (ii) the status data indicates that the portable computing device was located within the vehicle when the event occurred to thereby confirm that the event corresponds to a vehicle crash; and

a communication unit configured to a call an emergency response service when it is determined that the event corresponds to a vehicle crash.

9. The portable computing device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to selectively determine that the event potentially corresponds to a vehicle crash when each of the plurality of sensor metrics exceeds each of a plurality of respective crash sensor metrics.

10. The portable computing device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

classify the event into one of a plurality of severity levels based upon an amount by which each of the plurality of sensor metrics exceeds each of the plurality of respective crash sensor metrics; and

further condition the selective determination that the event is one requiring emergency assistance based upon (iii) the severity level of the event exceeding a threshold severity level.

11. The portable computing device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

further condition the selective determination that the event is one requiring emergency assistance based upon (iii) the plurality of sensor metrics matching each of a plurality of respective exception sensor metrics within a threshold tolerance such that,

when matched, it is determined that the event does not correspond to a vehicle crash.

12. The portable computing device of claim 8, wherein the communication unit is further configured to:

call the emergency response service when the event is one requiring emergency assistance unless an input is received at the portable computing device within a period of time to cancel the call.

13. The portable computing device of claim 8, wherein the status data is generated by the portable computing device and indicates one or more of the following:

whether the portable computing device was communicating with the vehicle when the event occurred;

whether the portable computing device was moving in excess of a threshold speed that was maintained for a threshold time period; and

whether the location of the portable computing device was within a geofence corresponding to an exception location when the event occurred.

14. The portable computing device of claim 8,

wherein the processor is further configured to (i) calculate a portable computing device speed during the occurrence of the event based upon changes in the location of the portable computing device over a time period that encompasses the occurrence of the event, the changes in the location of the portable computing device being included as part of the status data, and (ii) determine that the portable computing device was located within the vehicle when the event occurred based upon whether the portable computing device speed, during the occurrence of the event, exceeded a threshold speed that was maintained for a threshold time period.

15. A crash detection system, comprising:

a vehicle configured to communicate with one or more portable computing devices; and

a portable computing device configured to;

detect that an event has occurred based upon a plurality of sensor metrics;

detect whether the portable computing device is located within the vehicle when the event occurred based upon status data;

selectively determine that the event is one requiring emergency assistance when (i) the plurality of sensor metrics indicate that the event potentially corresponds to a vehicle crash, and (ii) the status data indicates that the portable computing device was located within the vehicle when the event occurred to thereby confirm that the event corresponds to a vehicle crash; and

selectively communicate with the vehicle and initiate a call to an emergency response service when it is determined that the event corresponds to a vehicle crash.

16. The crash detection system of claim 15, wherein the portable computing device is further configured to:

selectively determine that the event potentially corresponds to a vehicle crash when each of the plurality of sensor metrics exceeds each of a plurality of respective crash sensor metrics;

classify the event into one of a plurality of severity levels based upon an amount by which each of the plurality of sensor metrics exceeds each of the plurality of respective crash sensor metrics; and

further condition the selective determination that the event is one requiring emergency assistance based upon (iii) the severity level of the event exceeding a threshold severity level.

17. The crash detection system of claim 15, wherein the portable computing device is further configured to:

further condition the selective determination that the occurrence of the event requires emergency assistance based upon the plurality of sensor metrics matching each of a plurality of respective exception sensor metrics within a threshold tolerance such that, when matched, it is determined that the event does not correspond to a vehicle crash.

18. The crash detection system of claim 15, wherein the portable computing device is further configured to initiate the call when the occurrence of the event is one requiring emergency assistance unless an input is received at the portable computing device within a period of time to cancel the call.

19. The crash detection system of claim 15, wherein the status data is generated by the portable computing device and indicates one or more of the following:

whether the portable computing device was communicating with the vehicle when the event occurred;

whether the portable computing device was moving in excess of a threshold speed that was maintained for a threshold time period; and

whether the location of the portable computing device was within a geofence corresponding to an exception location when the event occurred.

20. The crash detection system of claim 15, wherein the portable computing device is further configured to (i) calculate a portable computing device speed during the occurrence of the event based upon changes in the location of the portable computing device over a time period that encompasses the occurrence of the event, the changes in the location of the portable computing device being included as part of the status data, and (ii) determine that the portable computing device was located within the vehicle when the event occurred based upon whether the portable computing device speed, during the occurrence of the event, exceeded a threshold speed that was maintained for a threshold time period.