Motor Vehicle Operating Data Collection and Analysis

• US 20170183015A1
• Filed: 03/16/2017
• Published: 06/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Perquin, Johannes A., Phelan, Joseph Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 10,124,808 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• 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 40/107 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• 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 5/008 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 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/162 Control of ships, boats, or other waterborne vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/165 Control of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/167 : Control of land vehicles

Abstract

A method and apparatus for collecting and evaluating powered vehicle operation utilizing on-board diagnostic components and location determining components or systems. The invention creates one or more databases whereby identifiable behavior or evaluative characteristics can be analyzed or categorized. The evaluation can include predicting likely future events. The database can be correlated or evaluated with other databases for a wide variety of uses.

Claims

1. A driving evaluation computing device comprising

a processing unit comprising a processor;

a memory unit; and

a wireless receiver, wherein the driving evaluation computing device is configured to;

receive a first vehicle operational data of a first vehicle collected by a first vehicle data acquiring component over a first period of time;

determine a first vehicle operation factor from the first vehicle operational data;

receive via the wireless receiver a second vehicle operational data of the first vehicle collected by a second vehicle data acquiring component over the first period of time, wherein the second vehicle data acquiring component is distinct from the first vehicle data acquiring component, and the second vehicle operational data is distinct from the first vehicle operational data;

determine a second vehicle operation factor from the second vehicle operational data;

compare the first vehicle operation factor to the second vehicle operational factor and determine whether the first vehicle operation factor is accurate using the comparison between the first and second vehicle operation factors;

responsive to a determination that the first vehicle operation factor is accurate, calculate a driver safety rating using the first vehicle operation factor;

record in a driver profile associated with the first vehicle the driver safety rating, wherein the driver profile is stored in a driver profile database.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the device is configured to calculate a difference between the first vehicle operation factor and the second vehicle operation factor and wherein the first vehicle operation factor is accurate when the difference does not exceed a threshold factor.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the first and second vehicle operation factors each comprise vehicle acceleration and the threshold factor is a percent difference between the first and second vehicle operation factors.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the first vehicle operational factor and second vehicle operational factor further comprises a weather condition.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the first vehicle data acquiring component comprises a mobile telephone of the vehicle driver.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the first vehicle operation data comprises vehicle speed and the first vehicle operation factor comprises vehicle acceleration determined from the vehicle speed, and wherein the second vehicle operation factor comprises vehicle acceleration.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the second vehicle operational data comprises vehicle speed and the second vehicle data acquiring component comprises an OBD of the first vehicle or a GPS of the first vehicle.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein responsive to the determination that the first vehicle operation factor is accurate, the device is further configured to determine whether the first vehicle operation factor deviates from an operational threshold factor and, responsive to a determination that the first vehicle operation factor deviates from the operation threshold factor, record in the driver profile a deviation event.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the device is further configured to display on the mobile telephone of the vehicle driver that the deviation event has occurred.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the first and second vehicle operational data each comprise time marked data.

11. A method for evaluating driving of a vehicle comprising:

determine a first vehicle operation factor from a first vehicle operational data of a first vehicle, wherein the first vehicle operational data is collected by a vehicle data acquiring component over a first period of time;

determine a second vehicle operation factor from a second vehicle operational data of a first vehicle, wherein the second vehicle operational data is collected by a second data acquiring component over the first period of time, wherein the second vehicle data acquiring component is distinct from the first vehicle data acquiring component, and the second vehicle operational data is distinct from the first vehicle operational data;

determining whether the first vehicle operation factor is accurate by comparing the first vehicle operation factor to the second vehicle operational factor;

responsive to a determination that the first vehicle operation factor is accurate, calculate a driver safety rating using the first vehicle operation factor;

recording in a driver profile associated with the first vehicle the driver safety rating, wherein the driver profile is stored in a driver profile database.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising calculating a difference between the first vehicle operation factor and the second vehicle operation factor and determining that the first vehicle operation factor is accurate when the difference does not exceed a threshold factor.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the first and second vehicle operation factors each comprise vehicle acceleration and the threshold factor is a percent difference between the first and second vehicle operation factors.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein each of the first vehicle operational factor and the second vehicle operational factor further comprises a weather condition.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the first vehicle data acquiring component comprises a mobile telephone of the vehicle driver.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the first vehicle operation data comprises vehicle speed and the first vehicle operation factor comprises vehicle acceleration determined from the vehicle speed, and wherein the second vehicle operation factor comprises vehicle acceleration.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the second vehicle operational data comprises vehicle speed and the second vehicle data acquiring component comprises an OBD of the first vehicle or a GPS of the first vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein responsive to determining that the first vehicle operation factor is accurate, further comprising determining whether the first vehicle operation factor deviates from an operational threshold factor and, responsive to determining that the first vehicle operation factor deviates from the operation threshold factor, recording in the driver profile a deviation event.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising displaying on the mobile telephone of the vehicle driver that the deviation event has occurred.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the first and second vehicle operational data each comprise time marked data.