Vehicle Image and Sound Data Gathering for Insurance Rating Purposes

• US 20140257872A1
• Filed: 03/10/2014
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Christensen, Scott T., Hayward, Gregory, Gay, Christopher E., Cielocha, Steven, Binion, Todd
• Granted Patent: US 9,734,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 1/00 Tyres characterised by the chemical composition or the physical arrangement or mixture of the composition
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/00 Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor for lighting vehicle interior B60Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/20 Means to switch the anti-theft system on or off
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

A method and computer system provides vehicle insurance underwriting and ratings to a policy holder. The method and system receives captured sensor data associated with a vehicle from the policy holder. For example, the captured sensor data may include vehicle image and sound data. The method and system may compare the received data to baseline data to determine an operating condition of the vehicle. Based at least in part on the determined operating condition of the vehicle, the method and system may identify a risk of loss for the vehicle. The method and system may then determine an insurance premium for the vehicle based at least in part on the identified risk of loss, and provide the determined insurance premium to the policy holder. In some embodiments, the sensor data is image and sound data captured by a user'"'"'s mobile phone.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing vehicle insurance, the method comprising:

receiving, via one or more processors, data associated with a vehicle, the data captured by a sensor of a computing device and including sound data recorded by an audio sensor of the computing device;

comparing, via one or more processors, the received data to stored baseline vehicle data to determine an operating condition of the vehicle, the stored baseline vehicle data including a baseline engine sound model;

identifying, via one or more processors, a risk of loss for the vehicle based on the determined operating condition of the vehicle, wherein the risk of loss includes the sound data recorded by the audio sensor of the computing device deviating from the baseline engine sound model by a threshold amount;

determining, via one or more processors, an insurance premium for the vehicle based at least in part on the identified risk of loss; and

providing, via one or more processors, the determined insurance premium to a user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the captured data includes one or more of sound data or image data, the image data captured by an imaging sensor of the computing device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the imaging sensor includes one or more of a camera or a video recorder, and the audio sensor includes a microphone.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the image data includes a captured odometer reading indicating the mileage of the vehicle and the sound data includes a recorded engine sound while the vehicle is running.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the image data further includes a captured image of the vehicle indicating the appearance of the vehicle such as a vehicle make, a vehicle model, a vehicle model year, paint conditions of the vehicle, tire conditions of the vehicle, window conditions of the vehicle, interior conditions of the vehicle, dents on the vehicle, scratches on the vehicle, or other vehicle defects.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving vehicle owner or operator data associated with an owner or operators of the vehicle, and identifying the risk of loss for the vehicle is further based on comparing the received vehicle owner or operator data to stored vehicle owner or operator statistics.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the vehicle owner or operator data includes one or more of an age, gender, or marital status of the vehicle owner or operator, a home address of the vehicle owner or operator, how the vehicle is used by the vehicle owner or operator, where the vehicle is driven to by the vehicle owner or operator, how many miles driven by the vehicle owner or operator, how many speeding tickets that the vehicle owner or operator has, how many auto accidents that the vehicle owner or operator has been involved in, and how many previous vehicle insurance claims that the vehicle owner or operator has previously filed.

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

receiving, via one or more processors, updated image data, sound data or vehicle owner or operator data associated with the vehicle; and

calculating, via one or more processors, an adjustment for the determined insurance premium based on the updated image data, sound data or vehicle owner or operator data.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a beginning or ending of a trip using the vehicle based at least in part on the sound data recorded by the audio sensor of the computing device, wherein the beginning of the trip causes collection of vehicle usage data including one or more of miles driven, a speed, a time of day, or a geographic location.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including computer-readable instructions to be executed on one or more processors of a system for providing vehicle insurance, the instructions when executed causing the one or more processors to:

receive data associated with a vehicle, the data captured by a sensor of a computing device and including sound data recorded by an audio sensor of the computing device;

compare the received data to stored baseline vehicle data to determine an operating condition of the vehicle, the stored baseline vehicle data including a baseline engine sound model;

identify a risk of loss for the vehicle based on the determined operating condition of the vehicle, wherein the risk of loss includes the sound data recorded by the audio sensor of the computing device deviating from the baseline engine sound model by a threshold amount;

determine an insurance premium for the vehicle based at least in part on the identified risk of loss; and

provide the determined insurance premium to a user.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the received data includes one or more of sound data or image data. The image data captured by an imaging sensor of the computing device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the imaging sensor includes one or more of a camera or a video recorder, and the audio sensor includes a microphone.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the image data includes a captured odometer reading indicating the mileage of the vehicle and the sound data includes a recorded engine sound while the vehicle is running.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the image data further includes a captured image of the vehicle indicating the appearance of the vehicle such as a vehicle make, a vehicle model, a vehicle model year, paint conditions of the vehicle, tire conditions of the vehicle, window conditions of the vehicle, interior conditions of the vehicle, dents on the vehicle, scratches on the vehicle, or other vehicle defects.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to receive vehicle owner or operator data associated with an owner or operators of the vehicle, and wherein the instructions to identify the risk of loss for the vehicle include identifying the risk of loss based on comparing the received vehicle owner or operator data to stored vehicle owner or operator statistics.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the vehicle owner or operator data includes one or more of an age, gender, or marital status of the vehicle owner or operator, a home address of the vehicle owner or operator, how the vehicle is used by the vehicle owner or operator, where the vehicle is driven to by the vehicle owner or operator, how many miles driven by the vehicle owner or operator, how many speeding tickets that the vehicle owner or operator has, how many auto accidents that the vehicle owner or operator has been involved in, how many previous vehicle insurance claims that the vehicle owner or operator has previously filed, or other relevant information.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:

receive updated image data, sound data or vehicle owner or operator data associated with the vehicle; and

calculate an adjustment for the determined insurance premium based on the updated image data, sound data or vehicle owner or operator data.

18. A computer system for providing vehicle insurance, the system comprising:

a vehicle data repository; and

a insurance server, including a memory having instructions for execution on one or more processors, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the insurance server to;

retrieve, via a network connection, sound data associated with a vehicle from the vehicle data repository;

retrieve, via a network connection, a baseline engine sound model from the vehicle data repository;

compare the sound data associated with the vehicle with the baseline engine sound model to determine an operating condition of the vehicle;

identify a risk of loss for the vehicle based on the determined operating condition of the vehicle, wherein the risk of loss includes the sound data recorded by the audio sensor of the computing device deviating from the baseline engine sound model by a threshold amount;

determine an insurance premium for the vehicle based at least in part on the identified risk of loss; and

provide, via a network connection, the determined insurance premium to a user.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the instructions of the insurance server, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the insurance server to:

retrieve, via a network connection, vehicle owner or operator data associated with an owner or operators of the vehicle from the vehicle data repository;

retrieve, via a network connection, vehicle owner or operator statistics from the vehicle data repository; and

identify the risk of loss based on comparing the vehicle owner or operator data to the vehicle owner or operator statistics.

20. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the instructions of the insurance server, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the insurance server to:

retrieve, via a network connection, updated data including image data, updated sound data or vehicle owner or operator data associated with the vehicle from the vehicle data repository; and

calculate an adjustment for the determined insurance premium based on the image data, updated sound data or vehicle owner or operator data.

21. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the image data includes a captured odometer reading indicating the mileage of the vehicle, and the updated sound data includes a further recording of engine sound while the vehicle is running.