Device for automatic crash notification

• US 10,043,372 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2017
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Hollenstain, Thomas, Bennett, Shawn C.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US15/475,699
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/187 Machine fault alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• 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 29/183 Single detectors using dual technologies G08B13/1672, G08B13/2448, G08B13/2494 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/188 Data fusion; cooperative systems, e.g. voting among different detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72421 with automatic activation of emergency service functions, e.g. upon sensing an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

A method for detecting an event occurring during operation of a vehicle includes receiving indications of a plurality of variables from an installed device communicatively coupled to the mobile device via an internal communication link. The method further includes analyzing the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect the event occurring during the operation of the vehicle. Still further, the method includes, upon detecting the event, initiating: (i) a first communication session between the mobile device and an entity outside of the vehicle, and (ii) a second communication session between the mobile device and the installed device, wherein the mobile device forwards content communicated via the first communication session to the installed device via the second communication session such that the installed device presents the content to the vehicle operator. In one aspect, air pressure wave sensor and accelerometer data may trigger automatic crash notifications to emergency responders.

Claims

1. A system for detecting events occurring during operation of a vehicle, the system comprising:

an installed device fixedly attached to the vehicle and monitoring a plurality of variables during operation of the vehicle;

a mobile device receiving indications of the plurality of variables from the installed device via an internal communication link;

an event detection module analyzing the received indications of the plurality of variables and detecting an event occurring during operation of the vehicle; and

a communication initiation module configured to initiate;

a first communication session between the mobile device and an entity outside of the vehicle via an external communication link between the mobile device and the entity, and

a second communication session between the mobile device and the installed device via the internal communication link, wherein the mobile device forwards content communicated via the first communication session to the installed device via the second communication session such that the installed device presents the content to a vehicle operator.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a remote computing device coupled to the mobile device via the external communication link, and receiving the indications of the plurality of variables.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the indications of the plurality of variables includes at least two of any combination of the following:

an indication of acceleration, an indication of location of the vehicle, an indication of speed of the vehicle;

an indication of direction of travel of the vehicle, an indication of sound within the vehicle;

an image of the vehicle operator, an image of environment surrounding the vehicle, and an indication of distance between the vehicle and objects outside the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication session via the internal communication link includes a Bluetooth link.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication session via the external communication link includes a radio frequency link between the mobile device and a cellular network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication session via the external communication link includes a WiFi link between the mobile device and a local area network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication session includes a communication between the mobile device and a first responder, an insurance agency, or a dispatch center.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the event includes a collision of the vehicle with an object outside of the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the event includes an emergency situation associated with the vehicle or the vehicle operator.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first communication session includes a communication between the mobile device and a first responder or a dispatch center.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication session includes a communication between the mobile device and the entity, and wherein the second communication session includes audio of the communication is forwarded as part of the second communication session to installed device and played for the vehicle operator through one or more speakers installed in the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication session includes a communication between the mobile device and the entity, and wherein the second communication session includes speech from the vehicle operator detected by the installed device and forwarded to the mobile device from the installed device as part of the second communication.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication session includes a transfer of at least some of the received indications of the plurality of variables from the mobile device to the entity.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor fusion algorithm, when executed by a processor, combines the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect the event.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein analyzing the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect the event includes executing a decision tree algorithm based upon multiple of the indications of the plurality of variables.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein analyzing the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect the event includes:

determining that an airbag of the vehicle has been deployed based upon an indication of sounds within the vehicle; and

determining that the vehicle has stopped based upon an indication of a speed of the vehicle.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein analyzing the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect the event further includes determining that an airbag of the vehicle has been deployed based upon an indication of sounds within the vehicle.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein analyzing the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect the event includes:

determining that the vehicle has experienced an acceleration above a threshold based upon an indication of an acceleration of the vehicle; and

determining that the vehicle has stopped based upon an indication of a speed of the vehicle.

19. A system for monitoring an operation of a vehicle and communicating information indicative of the operation, the system comprising:

an installed device fixedly installed within the vehicle and including;

a geopositioning sensor for monitoring a location of the vehicle;

a microphone for monitoring sounds within the vehicle;

an accelerometer for monitoring acceleration of the vehicle;

a data aggregation module generating a burst of data including indications of the monitored location of the vehicle, the monitored sounds within the vehicle, and the monitored acceleration of the vehicle; and

a data communication module transferring the burst of data to a mobile device via a wireless communicative coupling, wherein the mobile device is one of a smartphone, a tablet computer, or a wearable computing device temporarily disposed within the vehicle.

20. A system for detecting events occurring during operation of a vehicle, the system comprising:

an installed device fixedly installed within the vehicle and monitoring a plurality of variables;

a mobile device communicatively coupled to the installed device via an internal communication link;

an entity outside of the vehicle and coupled to the mobile device via an external communication link; and

a tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the mobile device and including instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the mobile device, cause the mobile device to;

receive at the mobile device, via the internal communication link, indications of the plurality of variables from the installed device, and

analyze the received indications of the plurality of variables to detect an event occurring during operation of the vehicle, and whereupon detection of the event,

initiate a first communication session between the mobile device and the entity via the external communication link, and/or

initiate a second communication session between the mobile device and the installed device via the internal communication link, wherein the mobile device forwards content communicated via the first communication session to the installed device via the second communication session such that the installed device presents the content to a vehicle operator.