Insurance system related to a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system

• US 10,664,918 B1
• Filed: 07/11/2016
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Slusar, Mark V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lemieux, Jessica
• Application Number:
  US15/206,521
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 705 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0881 Seat occupation; Driver or passenger presence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• 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: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

System and methods are disclosed for determining, through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, whether vehicles are involved in autonomous droning. Vehicle driving data and other information may be used to calculate a autonomous droning reward amount. In addition, vehicle involved in a drafting relationship in addition to, or apart from, an autonomous droning relationship may be financially rewarded. Moreover, aspects of the disclosure related to determining ruminative rewards and/or aspects of vehicle insurance procurement/underwriting.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, via a driving analysis computing device comprising a processing unit, a clock, and a memory unit, a first vehicle operational data collected by a short-range communication device, wherein the first vehicle operational data comprises driving data of a first vehicle;

receiving, via the driving analysis computing device, a second vehicle operational data collected by the short-range communication device, the second vehicle operational data comprises driving data of at least a second vehicle;

determining, based on the received first and second vehicle operational data collected by the short-range communication device, that the first vehicle and the second vehicle are engaged in an autonomous droning relationship with one another, including;

determining that the first vehicle is a lead vehicle and the second vehicle is a drone vehicle based on the received first and second vehicle operational data, wherein the first vehicle transmits vehicle control commands to the second vehicle which cause the second vehicle to automate driving based on driving of the first vehicle, wherein the processing unit is programmed to transmit the first vehicle operational data to a server comprising a second processing unit and a second memory unit;

calculating, via the second processing unit, a first amount of distance driven while the first vehicle is the lead vehicle engaged in the autonomous droning relationship with the second vehicle;

determining, via the second processing unit, a characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship, wherein the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship comprises the first amount of distance driven;

determining a property of a first insurance policy of the first vehicle using the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship; and

adjusting the first insurance policy based on the property.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the property of the first insurance policy comprises at least one of a premium, a deductible, a coverage term, and a coverage amount.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising determining an autonomous droning insurance factor using at least one of the first vehicle operational data and the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship and determine the property of the first insurance policy using the autonomous droning insurance factor.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising calculating a first amount of time the first vehicle is the lead vehicle engaged in the autonomous droning relationship with the second vehicle and wherein the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship further comprises the first amount of time.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the autonomous droning insurance factor comprises a ratio of the first amount of time amount versus a total amount of time the first vehicle has driven over a period of time.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the autonomous droning insurance factor comprises a ratio of the first amount of distance versus a total distance the first vehicle has driven over a period of time.

7. The method of claim 3 further comprising displaying a visual representation of the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship on a display associated with the first vehicle.

8. The method of claim 3 further comprising receiving information pertaining to a second insurance policy of the second vehicle and determining the property of the first insurance policy of the first vehicle at least in part by using the information pertaining to the second insurance policy.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship further comprises an amount of distance that the first vehicle is engaged in manual driving.

10. The method of claim 3 further comprising receiving information pertaining to a second insurance policy of the second vehicle and determining the property of the first insurance policy of the first vehicle at least in part by using the information pertaining to the second insurance policy.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, via a driving analysis computing device comprising a processing unit, a clock, and a memory unit, a first vehicle operational data collected by a short-range communication device, wherein the first vehicle operational data comprises driving data of a first vehicle;

receiving, via the driving analysis computing device, a second vehicle operational data collected by the short-range communication device, the second vehicle operational data comprises driving data of at least a second vehicle;

determining, based on the received first and second vehicle operational data collected by the short-range communication device, that the first vehicle and the second vehicle are engaged in an autonomous droning relationship with one another, including;

determining that the first vehicle is a lead vehicle and the second vehicle is a drone vehicle based on the received first and second vehicle operational data, wherein the first vehicle transmits vehicle control commands to the second vehicle which cause the second vehicle to automate driving based on driving of the first vehicle,

calculating, via the processing unit, a first amount of distance driven while the first vehicle is the lead vehicle engaged in the autonomous droning relationship with the second vehicle;

determining, via the processing unit, a characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship, wherein the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship comprises the first amount of distance driven;

determining a property of a first insurance policy of the first vehicle using the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship; and

adjusting the first insurance policy based on the property.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying a visual representation of the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship on a display associated with the first vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the property of the first insurance policy comprises at least one of a premium, a deductible, a coverage term, and a coverage amount and further comprising determining an autonomous droning insurance factor using the first vehicle operational data and the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship and determine the property of the first insurance policy using the autonomous droning insurance factor.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising calculating a first amount of time the first vehicle is the lead vehicle engaged in the autonomous droning relationship with the second vehicle and wherein the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship further comprises the first amount of time.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship further comprises that the first vehicle is engaged in manual driving.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, via a driving analysis computing device comprising a processing unit, a clock, and a memory unit, a first vehicle operational data collected by a short-range communication device, wherein the first vehicle operational data comprises driving data of a first vehicle;

receiving, via the driving analysis computing device, a second vehicle operational data collected by the short-range communication device, the second vehicle operational data comprises driving data of at least a second vehicle;

determining, based on the received first and second vehicle operational data collected by the short-range communication device, that the first vehicle and the second vehicle are engaged in an autonomous droning relationship with one another, including;

determining that the first vehicle is a lead vehicle and the second vehicle is a drone vehicle based on the received first and second vehicle operational data, wherein the first vehicle transmits vehicle control commands to the second vehicle which cause the second vehicle to automate driving based on driving of the first vehicle, wherein the processing unit is programmed to;

calculate an amount of time the first vehicle transmits vehicle control commands to the second vehicle; and

transmit the amount of time and at least a portion of the first vehicle operational data to a server comprising a second processing unit and a second memory unit;

determining, via the second processing unit of the server, a characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship, wherein the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship comprises the amount of time the first vehicle is the lead vehicle;

determining a property of a first insurance policy of the first vehicle using the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship; and

adjusting the first insurance policy based on the property.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the property of the first insurance policy comprises at least one of a premium, a deductible, a coverage term, and a coverage amount and further comprising further comprising determining an autonomous droning insurance factor using the first vehicle operational data and the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship and determine the property of the first insurance policy using the autonomous droning insurance factor.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising calculating a first amount of time the first vehicle is the lead vehicle engaged in the autonomous droning relationship with the second vehicle and wherein the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship further comprises the first amount of time.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship further comprises that the first vehicle is engaged in manual driving.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the characteristic of the autonomous droning relationship further comprises a weather condition.