Vehicle to vehicle telematics

• US 10,449,967 B1
• Filed: 03/01/2016
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Ferguson, Dana
• Primary Examiner(s): Butler, Rodney A
• Application Number:
  US15/057,386
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Systems and methods of analyzing a target vehicle based on other vehicles are disclosed. One or more computing devices may receive monitoring vehicle driving data collected from vehicle operation sensors within at least one monitoring vehicle by a telematics device. The one or more computing devices may further receive target vehicle driving data from the telematics device of the at least one monitoring vehicle. The one or more computing devices may determine a driving behavior associated with the target vehicle based on an analysis of the monitoring vehicle driving data and the target vehicle driving data. The one or more computing devices may calculate one or more driver scores based on the driving behavior.

Claims

1. A driving analysis computing device comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the driving analysis computing device to;

receive monitoring vehicle driving data from vehicle operation sensors within a monitoring vehicle;

receive target vehicle driving data associated with a target vehicle, wherein the target vehicle driving data is received via a vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the monitoring vehicle and the target vehicle, wherein the vehicle-to-vehicle communication comprises;

establishing, by a first communication system of the monitoring vehicle, a communication link with a second communication system of the target vehicle; and

receiving, by the first communication system and via the communication link, the target vehicle driving data from the second communication system;

perform an analysis of the monitoring vehicle driving data and the target vehicle driving data;

determine a driving behavior associated with the target vehicle, based on the analysis of the monitoring vehicle driving data and the target vehicle driving data;

determine a severity of the driving behavior by comparing data associated with the driving behavior to a plurality of thresholds;

calculate a driver grade for the target vehicle or a driver of the target vehicle based on the severity of the driving behavior; and

output the driving behavior associated with the target vehicle.

2. The driving analysis computing device of claim 1, wherein calculating the driver grade comprises assigning a weight to the driving behavior based on the severity of the driving behavior.

3. The driving analysis computing device of claim 1, the memory storing additional computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the driving analysis computing device to:

upload the driving behavior to a server.

4. The driving analysis computing device of claim 3, wherein the target vehicle driving data comprises one or more of a speed of the target vehicle, a position of the target vehicle, and a direction of travel of the target vehicle.

5. The driving analysis computing device of claim 1, wherein the target vehicle driving data comprises a driver score associated with the target vehicle or a driver of the target vehicle.

6. The driving analysis computing device of claim 1, wherein determining the driving behavior comprises:

determining a first relative position of the target vehicle with respect to the monitoring vehicle at a first time; and

determining a second relative position of the target vehicle with respect to the monitoring vehicle at a second time after the first time.

7. The driving analysis computing device of claim 6, wherein determining the driving behavior comprises:

determining that the target vehicle tailgated the monitoring vehicle, based on the first and second relative positions and the first and second times.

8. The driving analysis computing device of claim 6, wherein determining the driving behavior comprises:

determining that the target vehicle cut off the monitoring vehicle, based on the first and second relative positions and the first and second times.

9. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a driving analysis computing device, monitoring vehicle driving data corresponding to monitoring vehicle operation data of the monitoring vehicle, the monitoring vehicle operation data being received from a first plurality of sensors arranged within the monitoring vehicle, the monitoring vehicle being a customer of an entity;

receiving, via vehicle-to-vehicle communication, target vehicle driving data corresponding to target vehicle operation data of a target vehicle, the target vehicle operation data being received from a second plurality of sensors arranged within the target vehicle, the target vehicle being a non-customer of the entity, wherein the vehicle-to-vehicle communication comprises;

establishing, by a first communication system of the monitoring vehicle, a communication link with a second communication system of the target vehicle; and

receiving, by the first communication system and via the communication link, the target vehicle driving data from the second communication system;

performing, by the driving analysis computing device, an analysis of the monitoring vehicle driving data and the target vehicle driving data;

determining, by the driving analysis computing device, a driving behavior associated with the target vehicle, based on the analysis of the monitoring vehicle driving data and the target vehicle driving data;

determining a severity of the driving behavior by comparing data associated with the driving behavior to a plurality of thresholds;

calculating a driver grade for the target vehicle or a driver of the target vehicle based on the severity of the driving behavior; and

outputting, by the driving analysis computing device, the determined driving behavior associated with the target vehicle.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein calculating the driver grade comprises assigning a weight to the driving behavior based on the severity of the driving behavior.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

retrieving, by the driving analysis computing device, historical driving behavior associated with the target vehicle,

wherein the driver grade for the target vehicle is further calculated based on the historical driving behavior associated with the target vehicle.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the target vehicle driving data received via vehicle-to-vehicle communication comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a speed of the target vehicle, a position of the target vehicle, and a direction of travel of the target vehicle.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the target vehicle driving data received via vehicle-to-vehicle communication comprises a driver score associated with the target vehicle or a driver of the target vehicle.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein determining the driving behavior comprises:

determining a first relative position of the target vehicle with respect to the monitoring vehicle at a first time; and

determining a second relative position of the target vehicle with respect to the monitoring vehicle at a second time after the first time.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein determining the driving behavior comprises:

determining that the target vehicle tailgated or cut-off the monitoring vehicle, based on the first and second relative positions and the first and second times.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein determining the driving behavior comprises:

determining that the target vehicle followed the monitoring vehicle at a safe following distance, yielded to the monitoring vehicle, or defensively avoided the monitoring vehicle, based on the first and second relative positions and the first and second times.

17. A driving analysis system associated with a monitoring vehicle, the driving analysis system comprising:

one or more vehicle operation sensors within the monitoring vehicle;

a first communication system configured to receive target vehicle driving data from a target vehicle by;

establishing a communication link with a second communication system associated with a target vehicle; and

receiving target vehicle driving data from the second communication system via the communication link; and

a driving analysis computing device comprising;

a graphical user interface;

one or more processors; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the driving analysis computing device to;

receive monitoring vehicle driving data from the one or more vehicle operation sensors;

receive, from the first communication system of the monitoring vehicle, the target vehicle driving data;

receive user input from a driver of the monitoring vehicle, the user input including an indication of a driving behavior of a driver of the target vehicle;

perform an analysis of the monitoring vehicle driving data, the target vehicle driving data, and the user input;

determine a driving behavior associated with the target vehicle, based on the analysis of the monitoring vehicle driving data, the target vehicle driving data, and the user input;

determine a severity of the driving behavior by comparing data associated with the driving behavior to a plurality of thresholds;

calculate a driver grade for the target vehicle or a driver of the target vehicle based on the severity of the driving behavior; and

output the driving behavior associated with the target vehicle.

18. The driving analysis system of claim 17, wherein the user input is received from a mobile device of the driver of the monitoring vehicle.

19. The driving analysis system of claim 17, the memory storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the driving analysis computing device to:

display, via a graphical user interface, the target vehicle driving data.

20. The driving analysis system of claim 17, wherein the user input received from the driver of the monitoring vehicle further comprises an identity of the target vehicle or the driver of the target vehicle.