Systems and methods for telematics monitoring and communications

• US 8,928,495 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2013
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Inc. (RELX PLC)
• Original Assignee: LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Inc. (RELX PLC)
• Inventors: Hassib, Ash, Kaminski, Charles, Pierce, Aaron G
• Primary Examiner(s): Akintola, Olabode
• Application Number:
  US13/909,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20130289819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 705/4, 340/439, 340/540, 340/933, 340/936, 701/1, 701/36
• US Class Current: 340/933
• 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: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

Certain example embodiments of the disclosed technology may include systems and methods for telematics monitoring. An example method is provided that includes receiving, at a mobile computing device, and from a Vehicle Identification Unit (VIU), identification (ID) data representing a first vehicle. The method further includes receiving, by the mobile computing device, sensor data from one or more sensors associated with the mobile computing device. Certain embodiments may further include receiving, at an Operational Measurement Unit (OMU), an operation indication associated with the first vehicle. The OMU may include an operational measurement component configured to advance an operational count in response to receiving the operation indication. Certain example embodiments may include transmitting telematics data by the mobile computing device. In certain embodiments, the telematics data may include least a portion of one or more of the ID data, the sensor data, and/or the operational count data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at an Operational Measurement Unit (OMU), an operation indication associated with operation of a first vehicle, wherein the operation indication is generated responsive to power being supplied to the OMU, and, wherein the OMU comprises an operational measurement component configured to advance an operational count in response to receiving the operation indication;

in response to receiving the operation indication, advancing the operational count;

receiving, at a Vehicular Identification Unit (VIU), vehicular identification data related to the first vehicle, wherein the vehicular identification data comprises identification (ID) data representing the first vehicle;

transmitting the operational count and the ID data wirelessly to a mobile computing device;

receiving, at the mobile computing device, the transmitted operational count and the ID data;

updating, at the mobile computing device, a mirrored count responsive to receiving the transmitted operational count;

comparing, at the mobile computing device, the updated mirrored count with a previous count;

generating, responsive to the comparing, a monitor indication representing whether the vehicle has been monitored by the mobile communication device during a previous operation;

receiving, by a processor associated with the mobile computing device, sensor data from one or more sensors within the mobile computing device;

transmitting, by the mobile computing device, telematics data, wherein the telematics data comprises at least a portion of one or more of the operational count, the ID data, the monitor indication, and the sensor data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the OMU is in communication with an on-board diagnostics (OBD) port associated with the first vehicle, and wherein the operation indication is sensed by the OMU when the first vehicle is in an operating state, and wherein transmitting the operational count and the ID data wirelessly to the mobile computing device is based at least in part on the operation indication, and wherein the mobile computing device is configured to receive the sensor data based at least in part on the operation indication.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting operational count and the ID data wirelessly to the mobile computing device comprises transmitting data over one or more established communications channels in which the OMU and VIU are paired with the mobile computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing, a first operational count with a second operational count, wherein the first operational count corresponds to a previously stored end-of-vehicle-operation operational count, and wherein the second operational count corresponds to a start-of-vehicle-operation operational count; and

providing an alert in response to the first operational count and second operational count differing by greater than a predefined threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving and storing, at a remote server, the transmitted telematics data associated with the first vehicle;

receiving and storing telematics data associated with a plurality of vehicles; and

comparing at least a portion of the received telematics data from the first vehicle with telematics data from the plurality of vehicles to determine one or more risk factors associated with operating the first vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving and storing, at a server, the transmitted telematics data associated with the first vehicle;

and outputting at least a portion of the telematics data in graphical format.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based at least in part on the telematics data, one or more entity scenarios comprising one or more assertions;

comparing one or more attributes of the telematics data with information from one or more data sources to determine a plurality of correlations;

calculating a confidence level associated with the one or more assertions based at least in part on the determined plurality of correlations; and

outputting a score representative of the confidence level that the telematics data comprises one or more attributes that correspond to the one or more assertions.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising transforming the telematics data, wherein the transforming comprises one or more of formatting, filtering, compressing, or validating the received telematics data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the information from one or more data sources comprises previously stored information having a class type corresponding to the telematics data, wherein the class type comprises accelerometer data, magnetometer data, gyroscope data, clock data, global positioning system (GPS) data, Bluetooth system data comprising one or more of paring or disconnects, microphone signals, or Wi-Fi system data.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the one or more entity scenarios comprising one or more assertions comprises identifying one or more of an individual in possession of or associated with the mobile computing device, characteristics of an individual in possession of or associated with the mobile computing device, and a vehicle in proximity to the mobile device and associated with the VIU.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the comparing one or more attributes of the telematics data with information from one or more data sources comprises comparing one or more of repeat location visits, repeatable events, velocity, acceleration, location at a specific operational, body patterns, habits, data attributes indicative of education level, data attributes indicative of age, data attributes indicative of gender, data attributes indicative of behavior risks, or groups of events.

12. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at an Operational Measurement Unit (OMU), an operation indication associated with operation of a first vehicle, wherein the OMU comprises an operational measurement component configured to advance an operational count in response to receiving the operation indication;

in response to receiving the operation indication, advancing the operational count;

transmitting data representing the operational count wirelessly to a mobile computing device;

receiving, at the mobile computing device, the transmitted operational count data;

updating, at the mobile computing device, a mirrored count responsive to receiving the transmitted operational count;

comparing, at the mobile computing device, the updated mirrored count with a previous count;

generating, responsive to the comparing, a monitor indication representing whether the vehicle has been monitored by the mobile communication device during a previous operation; and

transmitting, by the mobile computing device, telematics data, wherein the telematics data comprises one or more of the operational count data and the monitor indication.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, by a processor associated with the mobile computing device, and from a Vehicle Identification Unit (VIU), identification (ID) data representing the first vehicle;

receiving, by the processor associated with the mobile computing device, sensor data from one or more sensors associated with-the mobile computing device;

transmitting, by the mobile computing device, telematics data, wherein the telematics data comprises at least a portion of one or more of the ID data and the sensor data; and

determining, based at least in part on the ID data, one or more individuals associated with the first vehicle.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the operation indication is sensed by the OMU when the first vehicle is in an operating state, and wherein wirelessly transmitting data representing the operational count to the mobile computing device is based at least in part on the sensed operation indication, and wherein the mobile computing device is configured to receive the sensor data based at least in part on the operation indication received by the OMU.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

wirelessly transmitting, to the mobile computing device from a Vehicle Data Unit (VDU), vehicular information corresponding to the first vehicle;

receiving, at the mobile computing device, the vehicular information; and

transmitting, by the mobile computing device, telematics data, wherein the telematics data further comprises the vehicular information.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting the ID data representing the first vehicle from a Vehicle Data Unit (VDU) to the VIU.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

comparing a first operational count with a second operational count from the operational count data, wherein the first operational count corresponds to a previously stored end-of-vehicle-operation operational count, and wherein the second operational count corresponds to a start-of-vehicle-operation operational count; and

providing an alert in response to the first operational count and second operational count differing by greater than a predefined threshold.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining, based at least in part on the telematics data, one or more entity scenarios comprising identifying one or more of an individual in possession of or associated with the mobile computing device, characteristics of an individual in possession of or associated with the mobile computing device, and a vehicle in proximity to the mobile computing device and associated with the VIU.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the sensor data comprises accelerometer data, magnetometer data, gyroscope data, clock data, global positioning system (GPS) data, Bluetooth system data comprising one or more of paring or disconnects, microphone signals, and Wi-Fi system data.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the telematics data further comprises one or more of repeat location visits, repeatable events, velocity, acceleration, location at a specific operational, body patterns, habits, data attributes indicative of education level, data attributes indicative of age, data attributes indicative of gender, data attributes indicative of behavior risks, and groups of events.

21. A system comprising:

a vehicle identification unit (VIU), wherein the VIU is configured to provide identification (ID) data corresponding to a specific vehicle, wherein the VIU includes a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the ID data; and

a mobile computing device including;

one or more sensors; and

at least one memory for storing data and computer-executable instructions; and

at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory and further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

receive the ID data from the VIU;

receive sensor data from the one or more sensors; and

transmit telematics data, wherein the telematics data comprises at least a portion of one or more of the ID data and the sensor data;

a server in communication with the mobile computing device, wherein the server is configured to receive telematics data from the mobile computing device, and wherein the server is configured to;

determine, based at least in part on the telematics data, one or more individuals associated with the VIU; and

an Operational Measurement Unit (OMU), the OMU including;

an operational measurement component configured to advance an operational count in response to receiving an operation indication from a motor vehicle; and

a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the operational count;

wherein the at least one processor associated with the mobile computing device is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

receive the operational count from the OMU;

update a mirrored count responsive to receiving the operational count;

compare the updated mirrored count with a previous count;

generate, responsive to the comparing, a monitor indication representing whether the vehicle has been monitored by the mobile communication device during a previous operation; and

transmit telematics data, wherein the telematics data further comprises the monitor indication.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the mobile computing device is further configured to:

compare a first operational count with a second operational count, wherein the first operational count corresponds to a previously stored end-of-vehicle-operation operational count, and wherein the second operational count corresponds to a start-of-vehicle-operation operational count; and

provide an alert in response to the first operational count and second operational count differing by greater than a predefined threshold.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising a server in communication with the mobile computing device, wherein the server is configured to:

receive and store the telematics data transmitted by the mobile computing device;

receive and store telematics data associated with a plurality of vehicles; and

compare at least a portion of the received telematics data from the mobile computing device with telematics data from the plurality of vehicles to determine one or more risk factors.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the server is further configured to determine, based at least in part on the received telematics data, one or more entity scenarios comprising identifying one or more of an individual in possession of or associated with the mobile computing device, characteristics of an individual in possession of or associated with the mobile computing device, and a vehicle in proximity to the mobile computing device and associated with the VIU.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the sensor data comprises accelerometer data, magnetometer data, gyroscope data, clock data, global positioning system (GPS) data, Bluetooth system data comprising one or more of paring or disconnects, microphone signals, and Wi-Fi system data.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the telematics data further comprises one or more of repeat location visits, repeatable events, velocity, acceleration, location at a specific operational, body patterns, habits, data attributes indicative of education level, data attributes indicative of age, data attributes indicative of gender, data attributes indicative of behavior risks, or groups of events.

27. A computer-readable media that stores instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

receiving, at a mobile computing device, and from a Vehicle Identification Unit (VIU), identification (ID) data representing a first vehicle;

receiving, by the mobile computing device, sensor data from one or more sensors within the mobile computing device;

receiving, at an Operational Measurement Unit (OMU), an operation indication associated with the first vehicle, wherein the OMU comprises an operational measurement component configured to advance an operational count in response to receiving the operation indication;

transmitting data representing the operational count wirelessly to the mobile computing device;

receiving, at the mobile computing device, the transmitted operational count data;

updating, at the mobile computing device, a mirrored count responsive to receiving the transmitted operational count;

comparing, at the mobile computing device, the updated mirrored count with a previous count;

generating, responsive to the comparing, a monitor indication representing whether the vehicle has been monitored by the mobile communication device during a previous operation; and

transmitting, by the mobile computing device, telematics data, wherein the telematics data comprises the operational count data, the monitor indication, and at least a portion of one or more of the ID data and the sensor data.

28. The computer-readable media of claim 27, wherein the operation indication is sensed by the OMU when the first vehicle is in an operating state, and wherein wirelessly transmitting data representing the operational count to a mobile computing device is based at least in part on the sensed operation indication, and wherein the mobile computing device is configured to receive the sensor data based at least in part on the operation indication sensed by the OMU.