Determining whether a vehicle is parked for automated accident detection, fault attribution, and claims processing

• US 9,019,092 B1
• Filed: 03/08/2013
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Brandmaier, Jennifer A., Gillespie, James, Hughes, Stephen, Koza, Daniel, Loo, William, Lowry, Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFSASS, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US13/791,386
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426.1, 340/428, 340/429, 340/426.18, 340/426.19, 340/436, 701/300, 701/301, 705/4
• US Class Current: 340/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

Sensors installed at a vehicle may automatically detect that a disturbance event, such as a collision, has occurred at the vehicle. A disturbance response module installed at the vehicle may automatically determine whether the vehicle was running and whether the vehicle was moving when the disturbance event occurred. The disturbance response module may determine that the vehicle was parked in response to a determination that the vehicle was not running and not moving when the disturbance event occurred. A communication module installed at the vehicle may automatically transmit a notification message that indicates a disturbance event has occurred at the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for automatically responding to a disturbance event occurring at a vehicle comprising:

detecting, at one or more sensors installed at the vehicle, that the disturbance event has occurred at the vehicle;

determining, automatically at a disturbance response module installed at the vehicle, whether the vehicle was running when the disturbance event occurred;

determining, automatically at the disturbance response module, whether the vehicle was moving when the disturbance event occurred;

determining that the vehicle was parked when the disturbance event occurred in response to a determination that the vehicle was not running and not moving when the disturbance event occurred; and

transmitting, using a communication module installed at the vehicle, a notification message that indicates the disturbance event has occurred at the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

activating a recording device automatically in response to detection that the disturbance event occurred at the vehicle; and

recording, using the recording device, an area surrounding the vehicle for a predetermined time period after the following detection of the disturbance event.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining, automatically using an on-board diagnostic module installed at the vehicle, diagnostic data associated with the vehicle; and

transmitting, using the communication module, the diagnostic data to an insurance management system wherein receipt of the diagnostic data at the insurance management system triggers automatic calculation of an estimated repair cost that is based, at least in part, on the diagnostic data.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein receipt of the diagnostic data at the insurance management system further triggers:

automatic determination of a settlement offer based, at least in part, on the estimated repair cost; and

automatic transmission of the settlement offer to an individual associated with the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the disturbance event is a towing or theft of the vehicle and further comprising:

determining, automatically at the disturbance response module, that the vehicle is being towed or stolen in response to a determination was moving and not running when the disturbance event occurred; and

transmitting, using a communication module installed at the vehicle, a notification message that indicates the vehicle is being towed or stolen.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

transmitting the notification message includes transmitting the notification message to an insurance application operating at a mobile computing device of an individual associated with the vehicle; and

receipt of the notification message at the insurance application triggers display of the notification message that indicates the disturbance event has occurred at the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the disturbance event is a collision involving the vehicle and another vehicle and wherein one or more of the sensors are configured to detect that the collision has occurred.

8. A system for automatically responding to a disturbance event occurring at a vehicle comprising:

one or more sensors installed at the vehicle respectively configured to detect the disturbance event occurring at the vehicle;

a disturbance response module installed at the vehicle in signal communication with one or more of the sensors, wherein the disturbance response module is configured to

i) determine whether the vehicle was running when the disturbance event occurred,

ii) determine whether the vehicle was moving when the disturbance event occurred,

iii) determine that the vehicle was parked when the disturbance event occurred in response to a determination that the vehicle was not running and not moving when the disturbance event occurred; and

a communication module installed at the vehicle and in signal communication with the disturbance response module, wherein the communication module is configured to, in response to a determination that the vehicle was parked when the disturbance event occurred, transmit a notification message that indicates the disturbance event has occurred at the parked vehicle.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the disturbance response module is further configured to enter a standby mode when the vehicle is parked and enter an active mode in response to receipt of a signal from one of the sensors indicating that the disturbance event has occurred at the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 8 further comprising a recording device in signal communication with at least one of the sensors wherein:

the recording device is configured to be activated in response to receipt of a signal from one of the sensors indicating that the disturbance event has occurred at the vehicle; and

the recording device is further configured to, when activated, record an area surrounding the vehicle for a predetermined period after the disturbance event has occurred.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the disturbance response module is further configured to obtain diagnostic data associated with the vehicle from an on-board diagnostic module installed at the vehicle; and

the communication module is further configured to transmit the diagnostic data to an insurance management system wherein receipt of the diagnostic data at the insurance management system triggers automatic calculation of an estimated repair cost based, at least in part, on the diagnostic data.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein receipt of the diagnostic data at the insurance management module further triggers:

automatic determination of a settlement offer based, at least in part, on the estimated repair cost; and

automatic transmission of the settlement offer to an individual associated with the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the disturbance response module is further configured to determine that the vehicle is being towed or stolen in response to a determination that the vehicle was moving and not running when the disturbance event occurred; and

the communication module is further configured to transmit a notification message that indicates the vehicle is being towed or stolen.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the disturbance response module is further configured to determine that the physical disturbance was a collision involving the parked vehicle and a moving vehicle;

the communication module is further configured to transmit the notification message to an insurance management system; and

receipt of the notification message at the insurance management system triggers automatic identification of a participant associated with the parked vehicle and a participant associated with the moving vehicle.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein receipt of the notification message at the insurance management system further triggers:

automatic selection of the participant associated with the moving vehicle as an at-fault participant; and

automatic filing of an insurance claim against the at-fault participant.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform steps for automatically responding to a disturbance event occurring at a vehicle, the steps comprising:

detecting that the disturbance event has occurred at the vehicle;

determining whether the vehicle was running when the disturbance event has occurred;

determining whether the vehicle was moving when the disturbance event has occurred;

determining that the vehicle was parked when the disturbance event occurred in response to a determination that the vehicle was not running and not moving when the disturbance event occurred; and

initiating transmission of a notification message that indicates the disturbance event has occurred at the parked vehicle.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to perform steps further comprising:

activating a recording device in response to receipt of a signal from one of the sensors indicating that the disturbance event has occurred at the vehicle; and

initiating recording of an area surrounding the vehicle using the recording device for a predetermined time period following detection of the disturbance event.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to perform steps further comprising:

obtaining diagnostic data associated with the vehicle from an on-board diagnostic module installed at the vehicle; and

transmitting the diagnostic data to an insurance management system wherein receipt of the diagnostic data at the insurance management system triggers automatic calculation of an estimated repair cost that is based, at least in part, on the diagnostic data.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein receipt of the diagnostic data at the insurance management system further triggers:

automatic determination of a settlement offer based, at least in part, on the estimated repair cost; and

automatic transmission of the settlement offer to an individual associated with the vehicle.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the disturbance event is a towing of the vehicle and further comprising:

determining that the vehicle is being towed or stolen in response to a determination that the vehicle was moving and not running when the disturbance event occurred; and

transmitting a notification message that indicates the vehicle being towed or stolen.