Vehicle collision alert system and method for detecting driving hazards

• US 10,762,786 B1
• Filed: 05/17/2018
• Issued: 09/01/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Dewey, Douglas L., Hodel, Jon, Roberson, Steve F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Odeh, Nadeem
• Application Number:
  US15/982,803
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 701 45, 701117, 701 23, 701301
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/40 Dynamic objects, e.g. animals, windblown objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/404 Characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4046 Behavior, e.g. aggressive or erratic
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4047 Attentiveness, e.g. distracted by mobile phone
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0265 Automatic obstacle avoidance by steering
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 : Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 : Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 : from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/012 : from other sources than vehicle or roadside beacons, e.g. mobile networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 : using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 : event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

An impairment analysis (“IA”) computer system for alerting a first driver of a first vehicle to a driving hazard posed by a second vehicle operated by a second driver is provided. The IA computer system is associated with the first vehicle, and includes at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device. The at least one processor is programmed to: (i) receive second vehicle data including second driver data and second vehicle condition data, where the second vehicle data is collected by a plurality of sensors included on the first vehicle; (ii) analyze the second vehicle data by applying a baseline model to the second vehicle data; (iii) determine that the second vehicle poses a driving hazard to the first vehicle based upon the analysis; and/or (iv) generate an alert signal based upon the determination that the second vehicle poses a driving hazard to the first vehicle.

Claims

1. An impairment analysis (IA) computer system for alerting a first driver of a first vehicle to a driving hazard posed by a second vehicle operated by a second driver, the IA computer system associated with the first vehicle, the IA computer system including at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device, the at least one processor is programmed to:

receive second vehicle data including second driver data and second vehicle condition data, wherein the second vehicle data is collected by a plurality of sensors included on the first vehicle and controlled by the at least one processor, the second vehicle condition data including data associated with a current engine condition of the second vehicle;

analyze the second vehicle data by comparing the received data associated with the current engine condition to a baseline model retrieved from the at least one memory device, wherein the baseline model includes standard engine operation conditions for the second vehicle;

determine that the second vehicle poses the driving hazard to the first vehicle based upon the analysis;

generate an alert signal based upon the determination that the second vehicle poses the driving hazard to the first vehicle; and

transmit the generated alert signal to a first vehicle controller to alert the first driver of the driving hazard in real-time.

2. The IA computer system of claim 1, wherein the second vehicle data comprises video data from a plurality of cameras, and wherein the plurality of cameras are configured to detect positional data, the positional data including at least one of eye movement, head orientation, neck position, and body posture of the second driver of the second vehicle.

3. The IA computer system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to store the baseline model in the at least one memory device, wherein the baseline model includes baseline conditions representing safe driving conditions and standard vehicle maintenance conditions.

4. The IA computer system of claim 1, wherein the second driver data is associated with the second driver, and includes information as to at least one of speed, vehicle lane maintenance, braking, head orientation, body posture, and eye movement.

5. The IA computer system of claim 1, wherein the second vehicle condition data is associated with the second vehicle, and includes information as to at least one of vehicle maintenance and road condition.

6. The IA computer system of claim 1, wherein the alert signal is at least one of an auditory signal, a visual signal, and a haptic signal.

7. The IA computer system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to transmit the alert signal to at least one of a second vehicle controller and a vehicle controller of a surrounding vehicle.

8. The IA computer system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors includes a wireless communications device, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive an alert message from the second vehicle using the wireless communications device, wherein the alert message indicates the current engine condition of the second vehicle.

9. The IA computer system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to:

store the second vehicle data in the at least one memory device; and

transmit the second vehicle data to a remote-computing device to update at least one of an underwriting model and an actuarial model, the second vehicle data used to adjust an insurance policy of an insurance holder.

10. A computer-implemented method for alerting a first driver of a first vehicle to a driving hazard posed by a second vehicle operated by a second driver, the method implemented using an impairment analysis (IA) computing device associated with the first vehicle, the IA computing device including at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the IA computing device, second vehicle data including second driver data and second vehicle condition data, that is collected by a plurality of sensors included on the first vehicle and controlled by the at least one processor, the second vehicle condition data including data associated with a current engine condition of the second vehicle;

analyzing, by the IA computing device, the second vehicle data by comparing the received data associated with the current engine condition to a baseline model retrieved from the at least one memory device, wherein the baseline model includes standard engine operation conditions for the second vehicle;

determining, by the IA computing device, that the second vehicle poses the driving hazard to the first vehicle based upon the analysis;

generating, by the IA computing device, an alert signal based upon the determination that the second vehicle poses the driving hazard to the first vehicle; and

transmitting the generated alert signal to a first vehicle controller to alert the first driver of the driving hazard in real-time.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein receiving second vehicle data comprises receiving video data from a plurality of cameras, and wherein the plurality of cameras are configured to detect positional data, the positional data including at least one of eye movement, head orientation, neck position, and body posture of the second driver of the second vehicle.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprises storing, in the at least one memory device, the baseline model, wherein the baseline model includes baseline conditions representing safe driving conditions and standard vehicle maintenance conditions.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the second driver data is associated with the second driver, and includes information as to at least one of speed, vehicle lane maintenance, braking, head orientation, body posture, and eye movement.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the second vehicle condition data is associated with the second vehicle, and includes information as to at least one of vehicle maintenance and road condition.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the alert signal is at least one of an auditory signal, a visual signal, and a haptic signal.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting, by the IA computing device, the alert signal to at least one of a second vehicle controller and a vehicle controller of a surrounding vehicle.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of sensors includes a wireless communications device, and wherein receiving the second vehicle data comprises receiving, at the wireless communications device, an alert message from the second vehicle.

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

storing, by the IA computing device, the second vehicle data in the at least one memory device; and

transmitting, by the IA computing device, the second vehicle data to a remote-computing device to update at least one of an underwriting model and an actuarial model, the second vehicle data used to adjust an insurance policy of an insurance holder.

19. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for alerting a first driver of a first vehicle to a driving hazard posed by a second vehicle operated by a second driver, wherein when executed by an impairment analysis (IA) computer system associated with the first vehicle, the IA computer system comprising at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device, the computer-executable instructions cause the at least one processor to:

receive second vehicle data including second driver data and second vehicle condition data, wherein the second vehicle data is collected from a plurality of sensors included on the first vehicle and controlled by the at least one processor, the second vehicle condition data including data associated with a current engine condition of the second vehicle;

analyze the second vehicle data by comparing the received data associated with the current engine condition to a baseline model retrieved from the at least one memory device, wherein the baseline model includes standard engine operation conditions for the second vehicle;

determine that the second vehicle poses the driving hazard to the first vehicle based upon the analysis;

generate, an alert signal based upon the determination that the second vehicle poses the driving hazard to the first vehicle; and

transmit the generated alert signal to a first vehicle controller to alert the first driver of the driving hazard in real-time.

20. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the second vehicle data comprises video data from a plurality of cameras, and wherein the plurality of cameras are configured to detect positional data, the positional data including at least one of eye movement, head orientation, neck position, and body posture of a second driver of the second vehicle.