IDENTIFYING A POTENTIAL VEHICLE INCIDENT WITHIN A COMMUNICATION BLACK SPOT

• US 20120154179A1
• Filed: 02/26/2012
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Burns, Simon E., Maynard, Nicholas C., Nottingham, Alasdair
• Granted Patent: US 8,912,926 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/994
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A method for identifying a potential vehicle incident within a communication black spot. It is identified when a vehicle has entered a communication black spot. It is further identified when the vehicle has failed to exit the communication black spot within a determined time period. It is then determined whether it is likely that the vehicle has failed to exit the communication black spot within the determined time period due to being involved in an incident (or whether there is another reasonable explanation for a vehicle'"'"'s failure to exit). If it is determined that it is likely that the vehicle has been involved in an incident within the communication black spot, a third party can be alerted (by a service provider) to the potential that an incident has occurred within the communication black spot.

Claims

1. A method for identifying a potential vehicle incident within a communication black spot, the method comprising:

identifying that a vehicle has entered a communication black spot;

identifying that the vehicle has failed to exit the communication black spot within a determined time period;

determining whether it is likely that the vehicle has failed to exit the communication black spot within the determined time period due to being involved in an incident; and

responsive to a determination that it is likely that the vehicle has been involved in the incident within the communication black spot, alerting, by a processor, a third party to a potential that the incident has occurred within the communication black spot.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the identifying that the vehicle has entered the communication black spot comprises:

identifying a loss of signal with respect to the vehicle.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the identifying that the vehicle has entered the communication black spot comprises:

using vehicle positional information and information about at least one known black spot.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the identifying that the vehicle has failed to exit the black spot within the determined time period comprises:

using information on a size of the black spot and average vehicle traversal times.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the identifying that the vehicle has failed to exit the black spot within the determined time period further comprises:

taking into account at least one of the following;

weather conditions, driver habits, roadworks, road type, vehicle type and traffic levels.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the determining whether it is likely that the vehicle has failed to exit the communication black spot within the determined time period due to being involved in the incident comprises:

establishing a most likely destination for the vehicle; and

identifying whether the most likely destination for the vehicle is within the communication black spot.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the establishing the most likely destination for the vehicle comprises taking into account at least one of the following:

phone records, driver records, satellite navigation information, driver habits, social networking information, email information, calendaring information, hotel booking information, place of work, home destination and driver profile data.

8. The method as recited in claim 6 further comprising:

responsive to identifying that the most likely destination for the vehicle is outside of the communication black spot, continuing to monitor for the vehicle'"'"'s exit from the communication black spot; and

only alerting the third party to the potential that the incident has occurred within the communication black spot in response to the vehicle failing to exit the black spot after a maximum period of time.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the determining whether it is likely that the vehicle has failed to exit the communication black spot within the determined time period due to being involved in the incident comprises:

establishing at least one destination that is sufficiently likely for the vehicle; and

identifying whether the established at least one destination is within the communication black spot.