Systems and methods for analyzing vehicle sensor data via a blockchain

• US 10,719,501 B1
• Filed: 03/02/2018
• Issued: 07/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Leise, William J., Alt, Jacob J., Skaggs, Jaime, Bellas, Eric, Call, Shawn M., Moore, Eric R., Magerkurth, Melinda Teresa, King, Vicki
• Primary Examiner(s): Chau, Dung K
• Application Number:
  US15/910,141
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 707609
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/219 Managing data history or versioning querying versioned data G06F16/2474; querying temporal data G06F16/2477
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2255 Hash tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2358 Change logging, detection, and notification replication G06F16/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9027 Trees
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/00 Business processing using cryptography postage metering system using cryptography G06Q2250/05
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0637 : Modes of operation, e.g. cipher block chaining [CBC], electronic codebook [ECB] or Galois/counter mode [GCM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0643 : Hash functions, e.g. MD5, SHA, HMAC or f9 MAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 : involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 : using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

The present embodiments relate to systems and methods for using a blockchain to record information related to processes and services in the vehicle industry. The systems and methods may include (1) receiving an indication of vehicle being involved a vehicle collision and a vehicle VIN; (2) accessing, at a memory, a loss history blockchain associated with the vehicle using the VIN as a key; (3) receiving vehicle sensor data generated or collected prior to, during, and/or after the vehicle collision; (4) creating a block to add to the loss history blockchain that includes the vehicle sensor data, or otherwise updating the loss history blockchain with the vehicle sensor data associated with the vehicle collision; (5) analyzing the vehicle sensor data to reconstruct the vehicle collision; and/or (6) updating the loss history blockchain to include and/or indicate the reconstructed vehicle collision by including the created block.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of utilizing blockchain technology to maintain a loss history blockchain after vehicle collisions based upon vehicle sensor data, the method comprising:

receiving, via one or more processors and/or associated transceivers, an indication of a vehicle being involved a vehicle collision and a vehicle VIN;

accessing, at a memory, a loss history blockchain associated with the vehicle using the VIN as a key;

receiving, via the one or more processors and/or associated transceivers, vehicle sensor data generated or collected prior to, during, and/or after the vehicle collision;

creating, via the one or more processors, a block to add to the loss history blockchain that includes the vehicle sensor data, or otherwise updating the loss history blockchain with the vehicle sensor data associated with the vehicle collision;

analyzing, via the one or more processors, the vehicle sensor data to reconstruct the vehicle collision; and

updating, via the one or more processors, the loss history blockchain to include and/or indicate the reconstructed vehicle collision by including the created block.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

forming a consensus among nodes of the loss history blockchain in a communication network prior to updating, at the memory, the loss history blockchain.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the vehicle sensor data includes:

receiving, from vehicle-mounted sensors mounted on the vehicle, the vehicle sensor data.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle sensor data includes telematics data associated with the vehicle.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein reconstructing the vehicle collision includes:

determining, via the one or more processors, information relating to the vehicle collision including (i) a cause of the vehicle collision, (ii) a likely or estimated complexity of repair, (iii) one or more qualified repair shops, (iv) faulty and working vehicle-mounted sensors, and/or (v) estimate a repair cost.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein determining the cause of the vehicle collision comprises:

assigning, via the one or more processors, fault or lack thereof for the vehicle collision to one or more vehicle operators or autonomous vehicles.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein updating the loss history blockchain includes:

updating, via the one or more processors, the loss history blockchain to include and/or indicate the determined information relating to the vehicle collision.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein updating the loss history blockchain includes:

creating, via the one or more processors, a new block, different than the block that indicates the vehicle sensor data, to add to the loss history blockchain.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein updating the loss history blockchain includes:

updating, via the one or more processors, the block that indicates the vehicle sensor data, to include and/or indicate the reconstructed vehicle collision.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, via the one or more processors and/or associated transceivers, the update to the loss history blockchain to other nodes in a communication network.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein one or more nodes in the communication network are associated with a repair shop, a bank, and/or an insurance provider.

12. A system for utilizing blockchain technology to maintain a loss history blockchain after vehicle collisions based upon vehicle sensor data, the system comprising:

a network interface configured to interface with a processor;

a memory configured to store non-transitory computer executable instructions and configured to interface with the processor; and

the processor configured to interface with the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to cause the system to;

receive an indication of a vehicle being involved a vehicle collision and a vehicle VIN;

access a loss history blockchain associated with the vehicle using the VIN as a key;

receive vehicle sensor data generated or collected prior to, during, and/or after the vehicle collision;

create a block to add to the loss history blockchain that includes the vehicle sensor data, or otherwise update the loss history blockchain with the vehicle sensor data associated with the vehicle collision;

analyze the vehicle sensor data to reconstruct the vehicle collision; and

update the loss history blockchain to include and/or indicate the reconstructed vehicle collision by including the created block.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to:

form a consensus among nodes of the loss history blockchain in a communication network prior to updating the loss history blockchain.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein to receive the vehicle sensor data, the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to:

receive, from vehicle-mounted sensors mounted on the vehicle, the vehicle sensor data.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein to reconstruct the vehicle collision, the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to:

determine information relating to the vehicle collision including (i) a cause of the vehicle collision, (ii) a likely or estimated complexity of repair, (iii) one or more qualified repair shops, (iv) faulty and working vehicle-mounted sensors, and/or (v) estimate a repair cost.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein to determine the cause of the vehicle collision, the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to:

assign fault or lack thereof for the vehicle collision to one or more vehicle operators or autonomous vehicles.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein to update the loss history blockchain, the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to:

update the loss history blockchain to include and/or indicate the determined information relating to the vehicle collision.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein to update the loss history blockchain, the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to:

create a new block, different than the block that indicates the vehicle sensor data, to add to the loss history blockchain.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein to update the loss history blockchain, the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to:

update the block that indicates the vehicle sensor data, to include and/or indicate the reconstructed vehicle collision.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to:

transmit the update to the loss history blockchain to other nodes in a communication network.