Automated accident detection, fault attribution, and claims processing

• US 10,121,204 B1
• Filed: 06/24/2014
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Brandmaier, Jennifer A., Gillespie, James, Hughes, Stephen, Koza, Daniel, Loo, William, Lowry, Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Tinkler, Muriel S
• Application Number:
  US14/313,052
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A communication module may receive communications from a vehicle. A collision detection module may determine that a collision has occurred at a vehicle based on one or more of the communications received from a vehicle. A participant identification module may identify one or more participants involved in the collision based on one or more communications received from the vehicle. A fault determination module may identify one of the participants as the at-fault participant based on a comparison of a fault determination ruleset to vehicle telematics data included in one or more of the communications received from the vehicle. A claims processing module may determine whether to file an insurance claim associated with one of the participants based on the estimated repair cost.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for automatically responding to a collision event comprising:

storing, at a data store of a computing device, one or more fault determination rules;

receiving, at the computing device from a first vehicle, one or more first communications comprising first vehicle telematics data generated by the first vehicle during operation of the first vehicle, wherein the first vehicle telematics data is generated, in part, by a multiple-axis accelerometer within the first vehicle;

receiving, at the computing device from a second vehicle, one or more second communications comprising second vehicle telematics data generated by the second vehicle during operation of the second vehicle, wherein the second vehicle telematics data is generated, in part, by a multiple-axis accelerometer within the second vehicle;

repeatedly analyzing, automatically by the computing device, the first vehicle telematics data until determining that a collision involving the first vehicle has occurred determining that a collision involving the first vehicle has occurred including detecting a change in velocity of the first vehicle within a predefined time period;

in response to determining that the collision involving the first vehicle has occurred,

creating a new collision record in a data store;

activating one or more recording devices to record an area surrounding the first vehicle;

identifying, automatically by the computing device, a first participant involved in the collision based, at least in part, on the first vehicle telematics data, and

determining, automatically by the computing device, whether the second vehicle was involved in the collision based on the second vehicle telematics data; and

in response to determining that the second vehicle was involved in the collision,

identifying, automatically by the computing device, a second participant involved in the collision based, at least in part, on the second vehicle telematics data,

analyzing, automatically by the computing device, the first and second vehicle telematics data according to at least one of the one or more fault determination rules;

selecting, automatically by the computing device, one of the first or second participants as an at-fault participant based, at least in part, on the at least one fault determination rule; and

transmitting, to one of first or second participants, a message comprising an identification of the at-fault participant.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more first communications are received from communication equipment installed at the first vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more first communications are received from a communication equipment attached to a diagnostics port of the first vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the first communications received identifies a current geographic location of the first vehicle and further comprising:

identifying one or more repair service centers that are located within a predetermined radius of the current geographic location; and

transmitting, to a communication device associated with an operator of the first vehicle, a communication that includes information that identifies the one or more repair service centers.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

receiving, from the communication device, a communication that identifies one of the repair service centers selected by the operator.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the first vehicle telematics data received includes vehicle diagnostic data associated with the first vehicle and further comprising:

transmitting the vehicle diagnostic data to a communication device associated with the repair service center selected by the operator.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

indicating, in the communication transmitted to the communication device, that one or more of the repair service centers are preferred repair service centers.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

providing a reward to the operator in response to receipt of a communication from the communication device that identifies one of the preferred repair service centers selected by the operator.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the reward is a discount associated with an insurance policy purchased by the operator.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting a request to the first vehicle for additional information regarding the collision; and

receiving, at the computing device from the first vehicle, one or more additional communications that include the additional information regarding the collision.

11. A system for automatically responding to a collision event comprising:

a data store that stores one or more fault determination rules;

one or more processors; and

memory storing computer-readable instructions that are executed by at least one of the processors and cause the system to

receive, from a first vehicle, one or more first communications comprising first vehicle telematics data generated by the first vehicle during operation of the first vehicle, wherein the first vehicle telematics data is generated, in part, by a multiple-axis accelerometer within the first vehicle,

receive, from a second vehicle, one or more second communications comprising second vehicle telematics data generated by the second vehicle during operation of the first vehicle, wherein the second vehicle telematics data is generated, in part, by a multiple-axis accelerometer within the second vehicle,

repeatedly analyze the first vehicle telematics data until determining that a collision involving the first vehicle has occurred, determining that a collision involving the first vehicle has occurred including detecting a change in velocity of the first vehicle within a predefined time period;

in response to determining that the collision involving the first vehicle has occurred,

create a new collision record in the data store;

activate one or more recording devices to record an area surrounding the first vehicle;

automatically identify a first participant involved in the collision based, at least in part, on the first vehicle telematics data, and

automatically determine whether the second vehicle was involved in the collision based on the second vehicle telematics data; and

in response to determining that the second vehicle was involved in the collision,

automatically identify a second participant involved in the collision based, at least in part, on the second vehicle telematics data,

automatically analyze the first and second vehicle telematics data according to at least one of the one or more fault determination rules,

automatically select one of the first or second participants as an at-fault participant based, at least in part, on one or more of the fault determination rules and the first and second vehicle telematics data received, and

transmit, to one of the first or second participants, a message comprising an identification of the at-fault participant.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the one or more first communications are received from a communications module installed at the first vehicle.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the one or more first communications are received from a communications module attached to a diagnostics port of the first vehicle.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein:

one of the first communications received identifies a current geographic location of the first vehicle; and

the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the system to;

identify one or more repair service centers that are located within a predetermined radius of the current geographic location, and

transmit, to a communication device associated with an operator of the first vehicle, a communication that includes information that identifies the one or more repair service centers.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein:

the instructions are executed by at least one of the processors and further cause the system to receive, from the communication device, a communication that identifies one of the repair service centers selected by the operator.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein:

the first vehicle telematics data received includes vehicle diagnostic data associated with the first vehicle; and

the instructions are executed by at least one of the processors and further cause the system to transmit the vehicle diagnostic data to a communication device associated with the repair service center selected by the operator.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein:

the instructions are executed by at least one of the processors and further cause the system to indicate that one or more of the repair services centers are preferred repair service centers.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein a reward is provided to the operator in response to receipt at the system of a communication from the communication device that identifies one of the preferred repair service centers selected by the operator.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the reward is a discount associated with an insurance policy purchased by the operator.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the instructions are executed by at least one of the processors and further cause the system to

transmit a request to the first vehicle for additional information regarding the collision, and

receive, at the computing device from the first vehicle, one or more additional communications that include the additional information regarding the collision.