Technology for real-time detection and mitigation of remote vehicle anomalous behavior

• US 10,733,886 B1
• Filed: 12/09/2019
• Issued: 08/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Fields, Brian Mark, Nepomuceno, John A., Christensen, Scott Thomas, Christiansen, Duane, Cielocha, Steven C., Gaudin, Kristopher Keith, Bernico, Michael, Tofte, Nathan L., Roberson, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Sherwin, Ryan W
• Application Number:
  US16/707,912
• Time in Patent Office: 239 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• 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 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0137 for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096708 where the received information might be used to generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

Systems and methods for real-time detection and mitigation anomalous behavior of a remote vehicle are provided, e.g., vehicle behavior that is consistent with distracted or unexpectedly disabled driving. On-board and off-board sensors associated with a subject vehicle may monitor the subject vehicle'"'"'s environment, and behavior characteristics of a remote vehicle operating within the subject vehicle'"'"'s environment may be determined based upon collected sensor data. The remote vehicle'"'"'s behavior characteristics may be utilized to detect or determine the presence of anomalous behavior, which may be anomalous for the current contextual conditions of the vehicles'"'"' environment. Mitigating actions for detected remote vehicle anomalous behaviors may be suggested and/or automatically implemented at the subject vehicle and/or at proximate vehicles to avoid or reduce the risk of accidents, injury, or death resulting from the anomalous behavior. In some situations, authorities may be notified.

Claims

1. A method for detecting and mitigating anomalous behavior of a vehicle, the method comprising:

monitoring, using data collected by a set of sensors associated with a first vehicle operated by a first driver, an environment in which the first vehicle is operating, the environment in which the first vehicle is operating being a vehicle environment;

determining, using one or more processors associated with the first vehicle and based upon sensor data generated by the set of sensors, a set of characteristics indicative of one or more behaviors of a remote vehicle operating within the vehicle environment;

comparing, using the one or more processors, the set of characteristics indicative of the one or more behaviors of the remote vehicle with a set of anomalous vehicle behavior characteristics;

determining, using the one or more processors and based upon the comparing, that the remote vehicle is exhibiting an anomalous behavior;

mitigating an effect of the anomalous behavior of the remote vehicle, including;

generating an indication of one or more mitigating actions, to be taken by a second vehicle operating in the vehicle environment, to decrease a risk of a vehicle accident due to the anomalous behavior exhibited by the remote vehicle, the second vehicle being distinct from the remote vehicle; and

communicating the generated indication to an electronic device associated with the second vehicle for presentation via a user interface disposed in the second vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the vehicle environment using the data collected by the set of sensors associated with the first vehicle comprises monitoring the vehicle environment using the data collected by at least one of:

a first set of sensors disposed at the first vehicle;

a second set of sensors disposed in the vehicle environment external to the first vehicle, the second set of sensors fixedly attached to one or more other vehicles operating in the vehicle environment;

or

a third set of sensors disposed in the vehicle environment external to the first vehicle, the third set of sensors fixedly attached to one or more fixtures or infrastructure components disposed in the vehicle environment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the vehicle environment comprises monitoring a set of current behaviors of one or more other vehicles within a threshold distance of the first vehicle, the one or more other vehicles including the remote vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein monitoring the vehicle environment further comprises monitoring a set of current contextual conditions of the vehicle environment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the set of characteristics indicative of one or more behaviors of the remote vehicle with the set of anomalous vehicle behavior data comprises applying a model to the set of characteristics indicative of the one or more behaviors of the remote vehicle, the model generated based upon a statistical analysis or a learning method performed on a set of historical vehicle behavior data, the set of historical vehicle behavior data based upon data obtained by a plurality of sensors while a plurality of drivers operated a plurality of vehicles.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the remote vehicle is exhibiting the anomalous behavior comprises determining the remote vehicle is exhibiting the anomalous behavior based upon an output generated from the application of the model to the set of characteristics indicative of the one or more behaviors of the remote vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the output generated from the application of the model to the set of characteristics indicative of the one or more behaviors of the remote vehicle includes an indication of one or more mitigation actions corresponding to the anomalous behavior; and

mitigating the effect of the anomalous behavior further includes suggesting or performing the one or more mitigation actions.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein mitigating the effect of the anomalous behavior of the remote vehicle further comprises at least one of:

providing a first instruction to automatically modify an operating behavior of the first vehicle, the first instruction based upon the detected, anomalous behavior of the remote vehicle;

or

providing a second instruction to automatically modify an operating behavior of the second vehicle operating within the vehicle environment, the second instruction based upon the detected, anomalous behavior of the remote vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein mitigating an effect of the anomalous behavior of the remote vehicle further comprises at least one of:

providing an indication of the detected, anomalous behavior of the remote vehicle for presentation via at least one of a user interface disposed in the first vehicle or a user interface disposed in a second vehicle operating within the vehicle environment;

or

providing an indication of a suggested modification to an operating behavior of the first vehicle for presentation via the user interface disposed in the first vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein mitigating the effect of the anomalous behavior of the remote vehicle further comprises automatically notifying a public safety authority of the detected, anomalous behavior of the remote vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the set of anomalous vehicle behavior characteristics based upon a set of historical vehicle behavior data, the set of historical vehicle behavior data including data indicative of historical contextual conditions.

12. A system for detection and mitigation of anomalous behavior of a vehicle, the system comprising:

one or more communication interfaces;

one or more processors associated with a first vehicle operated by a first driver, the one or more processors being communicatively connected to a set of sensors associated with the first vehicle via the one or more communication interfaces;

one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media coupled to the one or more processors; and

computer-executable instructions stored on the one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media thereby particularly configuring the one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, causing the system to;

monitor, via the set of sensors, an environment in which the first vehicle is operating, the environment in which the first vehicle is operating being a vehicle environment;

determine, based upon a set of sensor data generated by the set of sensors, a set of characteristics indicative of one or more behaviors of a remote vehicle operating within the vehicle environment;

compare the set of characteristics indicative of the one or more behaviors of the remote vehicle with a set of anomalous vehicle behavior characteristics;

determine, based upon the comparison of the one or more behaviors of the remote vehicle and the set of anomalous vehicle behavior characteristics, an anomalous behavior exhibited by the vehicle; and

mitigate an effect of the anomalous behavior of the remote vehicle, including;

generating an indication of one or more mitigating actions, to be taken by a second vehicle operating in the vehicle environment, to decrease a risk of a vehicle accident due to the anomalous behavior exhibited by the remote vehicle, the second vehicle being distinct from the remote vehicle; and

communicating the generated indication to an electronic device associated with the second vehicle for presentation via a user interface disposed in the second vehicle.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein at least a portion of the one or more processors associated with the first vehicle is disposed in at least one of:

(i) an electronic device that is fixedly attached to the first vehicle, or (ii) a portable device associated with the first driver and disposed in the first vehicle.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

at least another portion of the one or more processors associated with the first vehicle is disposed at one or more remote servers that are associated with the first vehicle and that are communicatively connected, via the one or more communication interfaces, to the at least one of the electronic device that is fixedly attached to the first vehicle, or the portable device associated with the first driver and disposed in the first vehicle; and

at least a portion of the set of anomalous vehicle behavior characteristics is accessible to the one or more remote servers.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein at least a subset of the set of anomalous vehicle behavior characteristics is generated from a set of historical vehicle behavior data by using at least one of a statistical analysis or a learning method, the set of historical vehicle behavior data corresponding to data obtained by a plurality of sensors while a plurality of drivers operated a plurality of vehicles.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the set of sensors associated with the first vehicle operated by the first driver includes at least one of:

a first set of sensors disposed at the first vehicle;

or

a second set of sensors disposed at one or more other vehicles operating in the vehicle environment;

or

a third set of sensors disposed on one or more stationary fixtures disposed in the vehicle environment.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first vehicle or the second vehicle is an autonomous vehicle.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the first vehicle and the second vehicle are communicatively connected via the one or more communication interfaces.

19. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing computer-readable instructions to be executed on one or more processors of a system for detection and mitigation of anomalous behavior of a vehicle, the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, causing the system to:

monitor, using data collected by a set of sensors associated with a first vehicle operated by a first driver, an environment in which the first vehicle is operating, the environment in which the first vehicle is operating being a vehicle environment;

determine, based upon a set of sensor data generated by the set of sensors, a set of characteristics indicative of one or more behaviors of a remote vehicle operating within the vehicle environment;

compare the set of characteristics indicative of the one or more behaviors of the remote vehicle with a set of anomalous vehicle behavior characteristics;

determine, based upon the comparing, that the remote vehicle is exhibiting an anomalous behavior; and

mitigate an effect of the anomalous behavior of the remote vehicle, including;

generating an indication of one or more mitigating actions, to be taken by a second vehicle operating in the vehicle environment, to decrease a risk of a vehicle accident due to the anomalous behavior exhibited by the remote vehicle, the second vehicle being distinct from the remote vehicle; and

communicating the generated indication to an electronic device associated with the second vehicle for presentation via a user interface disposed in the second vehicle.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the system to at least one of:

(a) provide a first instruction to automatically modify an operating behavior of the first vehicle, the first instruction based upon the detected, anomalous behavior of the remote vehicle;

(b) provide a second instruction to automatically modify an operating behavior of the second vehicle operating within the vehicle environment, the second instruction based upon the detected, anomalous behavior of the remote vehicle;

(c) provide an indication of the detected, anomalous behavior of the remote vehicle for presentation via at least one of a user interface disposed in the first vehicle or a user interface disposed in the second vehicle operating within the vehicle environment;

or

(d) provide an indication of a suggested modification to an operating behavior of the first vehicle for presentation via the user interface disposed in the first vehicle.