System and method for facilitating transportation of a vehicle involved in a crash

• US 8,972,100 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2013
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Mullen, Christina P., Leise, William J., Graff, Douglas Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mazzara, Anne
• Application Number:
  US14/085,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20140277916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 701/31.4
• US Class Current: 701/31.4
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0027 Post collision measures, e.g. notifying emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/00 Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles B60R22/00; devices, apparatus or methods for life-saving in general A62B; safety devices for propulsion unit control specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles B60K28/00; seats constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats, B60N2/42; energy-absorbing arrangements for hand wheels for steering vehicles B62D1/11; energy-absorbing arrangements for vehicle steering columns B62D1/19; harnessing in aircraft B64D25/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• 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 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B

Abstract

A system, method, and computer-readable medium to facilitate treatment of a damaged vehicle by gathering crash information, estimating an extent of vehicle damage, and requesting transport of the damaged vehicle from the crash site to a treatment facility.

Claims

1. A method implemented on a computer system for treating a vehicle damaged in a crash, the method comprising:

receiving, at the computer system, crash information about a damaged vehicle;

determining, via one or more a processors, a crash velocity of the damaged vehicle based on the received crash information;

determining, via the one or more processors, a crash direction of the damaged vehicle based on the received crash information;

determining, via the one or more processors, a treatment complexity level based on the crash velocity and the crash direction, the treatment complexity level including a price schedule for treating the damaged vehicle, a time duration for completing treatment of the damaged vehicle, and a damaged vehicle parts list including vehicle parts of the damaged vehicle estimated to be damaged by the crash, wherein treating the damaged vehicle includes repairing, salvaging, and/or scrapping the damaged vehicle;

selecting, via the one or more processors, a treatment facility for treating the damaged vehicle based on the treatment complexity level; and

transmitting, via the one or more processors, information associated with transporting the damaged vehicle to the selected treatment facility.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a treatment complexity level includes analyzing, via the one or more processors, the crash velocity of the damaged vehicle to collision data of a vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining a treatment complexity level includes performing, via the one or more processors, a mathematical operation on the crash velocity.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining a treatment complexity level includes performing, via the one or more processors, a mathematical operation on the crash direction.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining a treatment complexity level includes performing, via the one or more processors, a mathematical operation on the crash velocity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a treatment complexity level includes comparing, via the one or more processors, the crash direction of the damaged vehicle to collision data of a vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining a treatment complexity level includes comparing, via the one or more processors, the crash velocity of the damaged vehicle to the collision data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a crash velocity of the damaged vehicle includes measuring, via the one or more processors, an acceleration associated with the damaged vehicle and determining, via the one or more processors, the crash velocity from the measured acceleration.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a crash direction of the damaged vehicle includes measuring, via the one or more processors, an acceleration associated with the damaged vehicle and determining, via the one or more processors, the crash direction from the measured acceleration.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining a crash velocity of the damaged vehicle includes measuring, via the one or more processors, an acceleration associated with the damaged vehicle and determining, via the one or more processors, the crash velocity from the measured acceleration.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring, via the one or more processors, operating information about the damaged vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein monitoring operating information about the damaged vehicle includes:

monitoring, via the one or more processors, an operating velocity of the damaged vehicle; and

monitoring, via the one or more processors, an operating direction of the damaged vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein monitoring an operating velocity of the damaged vehicle includes measuring, via the one or more processors, an acceleration associated with the damaged vehicle and determining, via the one or more processors, the velocity of the damaged vehicle from the measured acceleration.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving crash information includes measuring, via the one or more processors, acceleration associated with the damaged vehicle in one or more directions with an accelerometer;

and wherein determining a treatment complexity level includes utilizing the measured acceleration to assess acceleration segments including one or more of a fore-aft acceleration and a lateral acceleration.

15. A computer system for treating a vehicle damaged in a crash, the computer system comprising:

a first computing device including one or more processors;

one or more sensors coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more sensors monitor operating information of the vehicle and facilitate providing crash information of the damaged vehicle to the first computing device;

a first communication module coupled to the first computing device and wirelessly transmitting the crash information to a second computing device;

the second computing device including one or more processors;

one or more memory devices coupled to the one or more processors of the second computing device, the one or more memory devices of the second computing device storing executable instructions that when executed by the one or more processors of the second computing device cause the computer system to evaluate the crash information and determine a treatment complexity level associated with the damaged vehicle, the treatment complexity level including a price schedule for treating the damaged vehicle, a time duration for completing treatment of the damaged vehicle, and a damaged vehicle parts list including vehicle parts of the damaged vehicle estimated to be damaged by the crash, wherein treating the damaged vehicle includes repairing, salvaging, and/or scrapping the damaged vehicle; and

a second communication module coupled to the second computing device and transmitting information associated with transporting the damaged vehicle to a selected treatment facility, wherein selection of the treatment facility is based on the treatment complexity level.

16. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising:

a comparator operatively coupled to the second computing device and comparing the crash information of the damaged vehicle to a compilation of collision data of a vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the compilation of collision data is stored on the memory.

18. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the compilation of collision data includes a particular treatment complexity level equated to a particular collision information.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the crash information includes a crash velocity of the damaged vehicle and a crash direction of the damaged vehicle.

20. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the one or more sensors includes an accelerometer monitoring acceleration associated with the damaged vehicle in one or more directions.

21. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the crash information includes a crash velocity of the damaged vehicle determined from the acceleration measured by the accelerometer and a crash direction of the damaged vehicle determined from the acceleration measured by the accelerometer.

22. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the vehicle type includes one or more of a vehicle make, a vehicle model, and a vehicle year.

23. A computer system for treating a vehicle damaged in a crash, the computer system comprising:

a computing device including one or more processors;

a memory coupled to the one or more processors, the memory storing executable instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the computer system to determine a treatment complexity level associated with the damaged vehicle, the treatment complexity level including a price schedule for treating the damaged vehicle, a time duration for completing treatment of the damaged vehicle, and a damaged vehicle parts list including vehicle parts of the damaged vehicle estimated to be damaged by the crash, wherein treating the damaged vehicle includes repairing, salvaging, and/or scrapping the damaged vehicle;

one or more sensors coupled to the one or more processors for monitoring operating information of the damaged vehicle, the one or more sensors capable of gathering crash information of the damaged vehicle;

an analyzer operatively coupled to the one or more processors and evaluating the crash information of the damaged vehicle with a compilation of collision data of a vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle; and

a communication module coupled to the one or more processors and transmitting information associated with transporting the damaged vehicle to a selected treatment facility, wherein selection of the treatment facility is based on the treatment complexity level.

24. A tangible, computer-readable medium storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors of a computer system cause the computer system to:

gather crash information about the damaged vehicle;

utilize the crash information and determine a crash velocity of the damaged vehicle;

utilize the crash information and determine a crash direction of the damaged vehicle,

determine a treatment complexity level based on an analysis of the crash information with a compilation of collision data of a vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle, the treatment complexity level including a price schedule for treating the damaged vehicle, a time duration for completing treatment of the damaged vehicle, and a damaged vehicle parts list including vehicle parts of the damaged vehicle estimated to be damaged by the crash, wherein treating the damaged vehicle includes repairing, salvaging, and/or scrapping the damaged vehicle; and

transmit information associated with transporting the damaged vehicle to a selected treatment facility, wherein selection of the treatment facility is based on the treatment complexity level.