Creating a virtual model of a vehicle event based on sensor information

• US 9,477,990 B1
• Filed: 11/24/2015
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Binion, Todd, Harr, Joe, Fields, Brian Mark, Cielocha, Steven, Balbach, Steve J.
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US14/950,492
• Time in Patent Office: 336 Days
• Field of Search: 701/32.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/10 related to vehicle motion
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/02 Systems using reflection of radio waves, e.g. primary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/02 using reflection of acoustic waves G01S15/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/02 Systems using the reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves G01S17/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0866 the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0891 Video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/12 in graphical form
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/01 Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled G08G1/07 - G08G1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A method includes receiving external data including a plurality of data points indicative of a plurality of respective states of an environment external to a vehicle. The external data is data that was received by the vehicle from a handheld mobile communication device of a pedestrian external to the vehicle via a wireless link, and is indicative of objects sensed by the handheld mobile communication device. The method also includes storing the external data in a memory, generating an animated re-creation of an event (e.g., accident) involving at least one vehicle using the stored plurality of data points, and causing the animated re-creation of the event to be displayed.

Claims

1. A method in an electronic processing system comprising a memory and one or more processors, the method comprising:

receiving, at the electronic processing system, external data that (i) was received by a vehicle from a handheld mobile communication device of a pedestrian external to the vehicle via a wireless link and (ii) is indicative of objects sensed by the handheld mobile communication device, wherein receiving external data includes receiving a first plurality of data points indicative of a plurality of respective states of an environment external to the vehicle at a plurality of respective times;

storing the received external data in the memory;

generating, via the one or more processors, an animated re-creation of an event involving at least one vehicle using the stored first plurality of data points; and

causing the animated re-creation of the event involving at least one vehicle to be displayed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the electronic processing system, operational data (i) generated by a unit arranged within the vehicle and (ii) indicative of an operational parameter of the vehicle, wherein receiving operational data includes receiving a second plurality of data points indicative of a plurality of respective states of the operational parameter at a plurality of respective times; and

storing the received operational data in the memory,

wherein generating the animated re-creation of the event involving at least one vehicle includes generating the animated recreation using the stored first plurality of data points and the stored second plurality of data points.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving synchronization data indicating a temporal relationship between the first plurality of data points and the second plurality of data points; and

storing the received synchronization data in the memory,

wherein generating the animated re-creation of the event involving at least one vehicle includes generating the animated re-creation using the stored first plurality of data points, the stored second plurality of data points, and the stored synchronization data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving synchronization data includes receiving data indicating which of the first plurality of data points corresponds to which of the second plurality of data points.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving synchronization data includes receiving:

a first plurality of time stamps each corresponding to a respective one of the first plurality of data points; and

a second plurality of time stamps each corresponding to a respective one of the second plurality of data points.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving external data includes receiving the external data at a server remote from the vehicle via a wireless communication network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving external data includes receiving the external data via a portable memory device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating an animated re-creation of an event involving at least one vehicle includes generating an animated re-creation of an accident involving at least one vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising at least one of:

determining fault for the accident based on the animated re-creation of the accident involving at least one vehicle;

or

determining damages resulting from the accident based on the animated re-creation of the accident involving at least one vehicle.

10. An electronic processing system comprising:

a memory;

a data collection unit configured to

receive external data that (i) was received by a vehicle from a handheld mobile communication device of a pedestrian external to the vehicle via a wireless link and (ii) is indicative of objects sensed by the handheld mobile communication device, wherein receiving external data includes receiving a first plurality of data points indicative of a plurality of respective states of an environment external to the vehicle at a plurality of respective times, and

store the received external data in the memory; and

a model generation unit coupled to the data collection unit and configured to generate an animated re-creation of an event involving at least one vehicle using the stored first plurality of data points.

11. The electronic processing system of claim 10, wherein:

the data collection unit is further configured to

receive operational data (i) generated by a unit arranged within the vehicle and (ii) indicative of an operational parameter of the vehicle, wherein receiving operational data includes receiving a second plurality of data points indicative of a plurality of respective states of the operational parameter at a plurality of respective times, and

store the operational data in the memory; and

the model generation unit is configured to generate the animated re-creation of the event involving at least one vehicle using the stored first plurality of data points and the stored second plurality of data points.

12. The electronic processing system of claim 11, wherein:

the data collection unit is further configured to

receive synchronization data indicating a temporal relationship between the first plurality of data points and the second plurality of data points, and

store the synchronization data in the memory; and

the model generation unit is configured to generate the animated re-creation of the event involving at least one vehicle using the stored first plurality of data points, the stored second plurality of data points, and the synchronization data.

13. The electronic processing system of claim 12, wherein the synchronization data includes:

a first plurality of time stamps each corresponding to a respective one of the first plurality of data points; and

a second plurality of time stamps each corresponding to a respective one of the second plurality of data points.

14. The electronic processing system of claim 10, wherein the model generation unit is further configured to:

cause the animated re-creation of the event involving at least one vehicle to be displayed.

15. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

store external data in a memory, wherein the external data is data that (i) was received by a vehicle from a handheld mobile communication device of a pedestrian external to the vehicle via a wireless link and (ii) is indicative of objects sensed by the handheld mobile communication device, the external data including a first plurality of data points indicative of a plurality of respective states of an environment external to the vehicle at a plurality of respective times;

generate an animated re-creation of an event involving at least one vehicle using the stored first plurality of data points; and

cause the animated re-creation of the event involving at least one vehicle to be displayed.

16. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to generate an animated re-creation of an accident involving at least one vehicle.

17. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein:

the instructions further cause the one or more processors to store operational data in the memory, wherein the operational data is data that (i) was generated by a unit arranged within the vehicle and (ii) is indicative of an operational parameter of the vehicle, the operational data including a second plurality of data points indicative of a plurality of respective states of the operational parameter at a plurality of respective times; and

the instructions cause the one or more processors to generate the animated re-creation of the event involving at least one vehicle using the stored first plurality of data points and the stored second plurality of data points.

18. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein:

the instructions further cause the one or more processors to store synchronization data indicating a temporal relationship between the first plurality of data points and the second plurality of data points; and

the instructions cause the one or more processors to generate the animated re-creation of the event involving at least one vehicle using the stored first plurality of data points, the stored second plurality of data points, and the stored synchronization data.

19. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the synchronization data includes data indicating which of the first plurality of data points corresponds to which of the second plurality of data points.

20. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the synchronization data includes:

a first plurality of time stamps each corresponding to a respective one of the first plurality of data points; and

a second plurality of time stamps each corresponding to a respective one of the second plurality of data points.