Motor vehicle operating data collection and analysis

• US 20040225557A1
• Filed: 04/27/2004
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Innosurance, Inc.
• Inventors: Perquin, Johannes Abraham, Phelan, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 6,931,309 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/11
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/00 Testing of vehicles testing fluid tightness G01M3/00; testing elastic properties of bodies or chassis, e.g. torsion-testing, G01M5/00; testing alignment of vehicle headlight devices G01M11/06; testing of engines G01M15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/02 Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable

Abstract

A method and apparatus for collecting, uploading and evaluating motor vehicle operation utilizing on-board diagnostic components (OBDII) and ground positioning satellite (GPS) systems whereby operator identifiable behavior can be rated for driving safety and other characteristics.

Claims

1. A method for rating driver behavior and operating performance utilizing recorded time related data of motor vehicle operation comprising:

a. electronically recording time marked data at regular periodic intervals comprising

i. engine start;

ii. vehicle speed;

iii. engine stop;

iv.

b. uploading the data to a CPU;

c. determining an excess speed event by the steps comprising

i. determining a first time marked data point recording speed in excess of selected limits;

ii. determining any sequentially recorded data points of speed in excess of selected limits to determine a time duration of the excess speed event;

iii. evaluating the amount of excess speed for each sequentially recorded data point;

iv. evaluating the speed event based upon the time duration and the amount of the speed in excess of the limit;

d. repeating step c for each next non-sequential data point to determine a separate excess speed event;

e. determining the duration of the trip;

f. evaluating the excess speed events in relation to the trip duration; and

g. recording the evaluation of the speed events, the trip duration and trip identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the evaluation comprises computing a numerical value for the excess speed event.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of evaluating the excess speed events in terms of the time of day.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of evaluating the excess speed events in terms of a driver history.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

a. recording a GPS vehicle position for each recorded time marked data point;

b. determining the distance of the trip

c. evaluating the excess speed events with the trip distance.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

a. recording a GPS vehicle position for each recorded time marked data point; and

b. evaluating the excess speed events with the vehicle location at the time of the event.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising utilizing a plurality of time marked vehicle speeds to compute at least one vehicle acceleration rate.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising determining events of acceleration rates in excess of selected limits.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

a. using each two sequential time marked data points of vehicle speed to compute the rate of vehicle acceleration;

b. determining events of rates of acceleration in excess of selected limits from each two sequential data points;

c. computing each duration of continued excess acceleration events from sequential data points having rates of acceleration in excess of the selected limits;

d. evaluating the amount and duration of events of excess accelerations;

the excess acceleration event value, and the trip distance; and

e. recording the excess rate of acceleration value.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising computing a numerical value for each excess acceleration event based upon the time duration and the amount of the rate of acceleration in excess of the limit.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

a. recording a GPS vehicle position for each recorded time marked data point;

b. evaluating the excess acceleration events with the vehicle location;

c. determining the distance of the trip; and

d. evaluating the excess acceleration events with the trip distance.

12. The method of claim 2 wherein the evaluation comprises the steps of:

a. Computing a driver safety rating speed violation deduction comprising the following steps;

i. squaring the recorded speed to obtain a first product;

ii. squaring the selected speed limit to obtain a second product;

iii. subtracting the second product from the first product to obtain a third product;

iv. determining a first adjustment factor;

v. multiplying the first adjustment factor by the selected speed limit to obtain a first normalized value;

vi. dividing the third product by the first normalized value to obtain a driver safety rating speed violation deduction

b. repeating steps i through vi for each recorded speed value;

c. computing the sum of driver safety rating speed violation deductions to obtain a gross speed violation deduction;

d. dividing the gross speed violation deduction by the total number of recorded speed events to obtain the driver safety rating speed violation deduction;

e. subtracting the driver safety rating speed violation deduction from 100 to obtain a trip Driver Safety Rating

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising multiplying the first adjustment factor by a second adjustment factor wherein the second adjustment factor is an assigned value for at least one variable selected from a group consisting of road condition, traffic volume, weather condition, and time of day.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the evaluation comprises the following steps:

a. Computing a driver safety rating speed violation deduction comprising the following steps;

i. squaring the recorded speed to obtain a first product;

ii. squaring the selected speed limit to obtain a second product;

iii. subtracting the second product from the first product to obtain a third product;

iv. determining a first adjustment factor;

v. multiplying the first adjustment factor by the selected speed limit to obtain a first normalized value;

vi. dividing the third product by the first normalized value to obtain a driver safety rating speed violation deduction;

b. repeating steps i through vi for each recorded speed value;

c. computing the sum of driver safety rating speed violation deductions to obtain a gross speed violation deduction;

d. dividing the gross speed violation deduction by the total number of recorded speed events to obtain the driver safety rating speed violation deduction;

e. computing a driver safety rating acceleration violation deduction comprising the following steps;

f. subtracting a selected threshold G-Force from the excess rate of acceleration value to obtain a fourth product;

g. determining an acceleration adjustment factor;

h. multiplying the acceleration adjustment factor by the selected speed limit to obtain a second normalized value;

i. dividing the fourth product by the second normalized value to obtain a driver safety rating acceleration violation deduction;

j. repeating steps i through iv for each recorded excess rate of acceleration value;

k. computing the sum of driver safety rating acceleration violation deductions to obtain a gross acceleration violation deduction;

l. dividing the gross acceleration violation deduction by the total number of recorded acceleration events to obtain the driver safety rating acceleration violation deduction; and

m. subtracting the driver safety rating acceleration violation deduction from 100 to obtain a trip Driver Safety Rating.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the selected threshold G-Force is 0.6.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising multiplying the acceleration adjustment factor by a fourth adjustment factor wherein the fourth adjustment factor is an assigned value for at least one variable selected from a group consisting of road condition, traffic volume, weather condition, and time of day.