Automatic crash detection

• US 10,650,617 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2018
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arity International Limited (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Arity International Limited (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Schmitt, Kyle Patrick, Harish, Pratheek M., Tammali, Venu Madhav, Layne, Larry, Ferguson, Dana
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US16/106,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20190130660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 701 315, 701121, 701 305, 701 309, 701 311, 701301, 701302
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for determining whether or not a crash involving a vehicle has occurred. A computing device may receive acceleration measurement(s) measured by one or more accelerometers during a time window. The computing device may determine, for one or more acceleration measurements, a corresponding acceleration magnitude. Based on the corresponding acceleration magnitude(s), the computing device may identify, from the acceleration measurement(s), an acceleration measurement and/or may determine whether the acceleration magnitude exceeds a threshold acceleration magnitude. The computing device may corroborate whether a vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash. Data associated with the acceleration magnitude and/or an event, such as a crash event, may be transmitted to a server.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device comprising:

an accelerometer configured to measure acceleration of at least one axis of the accelerometer;

communication circuitry configured to wirelessly communicate with other devices;

a processor; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the mobile computing device to;

receive, from the accelerometer of the mobile device, one or more acceleration measurements measured by the accelerometer of the mobile computing device during a first time window;

compare the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device to one or more acceleration thresholds;

based on the comparing the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device to the one or more acceleration thresholds, determine a likelihood that a vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash;

corroborate, based on one or more sensor measurements different from the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device, the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash,

wherein the one or more sensor measurements different from the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device comprise location data, and wherein corroborating the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash comprises determining, based on the location data, whether a distance the vehicle traveled during one or more additional time windows after the first time window exceed a threshold distance; and

based on corroborating the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash, store data indicative of the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the first time window overlaps a previous time window by a predetermined amount of time.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more acceleration thresholds comprise a threshold acceleration magnitude, and wherein comparing the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device to the one or more acceleration thresholds comprises comparing a magnitude of an acceleration measurement of the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device to the threshold acceleration magnitude.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more acceleration thresholds comprise a threshold number of acceleration measurements, wherein the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device comprise a plurality of acceleration measurements measured by the accelerometer of the mobile computing device during the first time window, and wherein comparing the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device to the one or more acceleration thresholds comprises comparing a number of the plurality of acceleration measurements measured by the accelerometer of the mobile computing device during the first time window to the threshold number of acceleration measurements.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensor measurements different from the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device comprise deceleration data, and wherein corroborating the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash comprises determining whether a deceleration value calculated from the deceleration data exceeds a threshold deceleration.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein determining the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash comprises determining the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in the crash based on an acceleration magnitude of the one or more acceleration measurements of the mobile computing device and based on of a deceleration value of the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein comparing the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device to the one or more acceleration thresholds comprises comparing the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device to the one or more acceleration thresholds based on determining that a speed of the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device is above a first threshold speed or determining that the speed of the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device is below a second threshold speed.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein corroborating the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash comprises calculating a confidence value based on the distance the vehicle traveled during the one or more additional time windows after the first time window.

9. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein corroborating the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash comprises calculating an overall confidence value l_tot using the following equation:

10. A method, comprising:

at a mobile computing device comprising an accelerometer configured to measure acceleration of at least one axis of the accelerometer, communication circuitry configured to wirelessly communicate with other devices, a processor, and memory;

receiving, by the processor, from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device, one or more acceleration measurements measured by the accelerometer of the mobile computing device during a first time window;

comparing, by the processor, the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device to one or more acceleration thresholds;

based on comparing the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device to the one or more acceleration thresholds, determining, by the processor, a likelihood that a vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash;

corroborating, by the processor, based on one or more sensor measurements different from the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device, the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash,

wherein the one or more sensor measurements different from the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device comprise location data, and wherein corroborating the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash comprises determining, based on the location data, whether a distance the vehicle traveled during one or more additional time windows after the first time window exceeds a threshold distance; and

based on corroborating the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash, storing, by the processor, data indicative of the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first time window overlaps a previous time window by a predetermined amount of time.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more acceleration thresholds comprise a threshold acceleration magnitude, and wherein comparing the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device to the one or more acceleration thresholds comprises comparing a magnitude of an acceleration measurement of the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device to the threshold acceleration magnitude.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more acceleration thresholds comprise a threshold number of acceleration measurements, wherein the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device comprise a plurality of acceleration measurements measured by the accelerometer of the mobile computing device during the first time window, and wherein comparing the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device to the one or more acceleration thresholds comprises comparing a number of the plurality of acceleration measurements measured by the accelerometer of the mobile computing device during the first time window to the threshold number of acceleration measurements.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more sensor measurements different from the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device comprise deceleration data, and wherein corroborating the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash comprises determining whether a deceleration value calculated from the deceleration data exceeds a threshold deceleration.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash comprises determining the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash based on an acceleration magnitude of the one or more acceleration measurements of the mobile computing device and based on a deceleration value of the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein comparing the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device to the one or more acceleration thresholds comprises comparing the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device to the one or more acceleration thresholds based on determining that a speed of the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device is above a first threshold speed or determining that the speed of the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device is below a second threshold speed.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein corroborating the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash comprises calculating a confidence value based on the distance the vehicle traveled during the one or more additional time windows after the first time window.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein corroborating the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash comprises calculating an overall confidence value l_tot using the following equation:

19. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by a mobile computing device comprising an accelerometer configured to measure acceleration of at least one axis of the accelerometer, communication circuitry configured to wirelessly communicate with other devices, a processor, and memory, cause the mobile computing device to:

receive, from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device, one or more acceleration measurements measured by the accelerometer of the mobile computing device during a first time window;

compare the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device to one or more acceleration thresholds;

based on comparing the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device to the one or more acceleration thresholds, determine a likelihood that a vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash;

corroborate, based on one or more sensor measurements different from the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device, the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash,

wherein the one or more sensor measurements different from the one or more acceleration measurements received from the accelerometer of the mobile computing device comprise location data, and wherein corroborating the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash comprises determining, based on the location data, whether a distance the vehicle traveled during one or more additional time windows after the first time window exceeds a threshold distance; and

based on corroborating the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash, store data indicative of the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein corroborating the likelihood that the vehicle associated with the mobile computing device was involved in a crash comprises calculating a confidence value based on the distance the vehicle traveled during the one or more additional time windows after the first time window.