Vehicle turn detection

• US 9,666,067 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2016
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arity International Limited (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Snyder, Jared S., Nagpal, Varun, Mukhtar, Yasir, Walsh, Connor
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri
• Application Number:
  US15/251,556
• Time in Patent Office: 273 Days
• Field of Search: 340935, 340936
• 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: 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 1/056 with provision for distinguishing direction of travel
• 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

Abstract

An turn detection system is configured to determine headings or a course of a vehicle over a period of time and evaluate whether the vehicle has registered a turn based on these headings/course. In some arrangements, upon detecting a turn, sensor data may be collected to determine one or more characteristics or attributes of the turn. Such data may indicate a loss event associated with the turn and be used to calculate a probability or risk of loss given the various characteristics of the turn. These probabilities may further be applied to determine various costs and premiums.

Claims

1. A turn detection apparatus comprising:

a communication receiver;

a processor; and

memory storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the turn detection apparatus to;

determining a plurality of headings of a vehicle by, at each of a plurality of times;

receiving, from a remote device, position information for a vehicle through the communication receiver, the remote device being exterior to the vehicle;

determining a heading of the vehicle based on the position information, the heading including an angle measured relative to one of;

a reference line and a heading of the vehicle determined immediately prior;

determining a total turn angle by summing the plurality of angles;

determining whether the vehicle has registered a turn based on whether the total turn angle meets a threshold angle.

2. The turn detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of times are spaced apart by 1 second.

3. The turn detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of headings includes 13 headings of the vehicle.

4. The turn detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the total turn angle includes an unsigned sum of the plurality of angles.

5. The turn detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the turn detection apparatus is further caused to:

determine a signed sum of the plurality of angles; and

determine a direction of the turn based on whether the signed sum is positive or negative.

6. The turn detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the turn detection apparatus is further caused to:

determine at least one characteristic of the turn; and

determine a risk of loss associated with at least one of the vehicle and a driver of the vehicle based on the determined at least one characteristic of the turn.

7. The turn detection apparatus of claim 6, wherein determining the risk of loss includes calculating a probability of loss based on historical loss data associated with turns having the at least one characteristic.

8. The turn detection apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one characteristic of the turn includes a speed of turn.

9. The turn detection apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one characteristic of the turn includes a traffic light status.

10. The turn detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the turn detection apparatus is further caused to:

detect a loss event within a predefined amount of time of the turn; and

assigning a value of the loss event to at least one characteristic of the turn.

11. The turn detection apparatus of claim 10, wherein detecting the loss event includes determining whether the loss event is within a predefined proximity of the turn.

12. The turn detection apparatus of claim 11, wherein the loss event corresponds to another vehicle different from the vehicle registering the turn.

13. A turn detection apparatus comprising:

a communication receiver;

a processor; and

memory storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the turn detection apparatus to;

receiving, from a remote device, first position information for a vehicle through the communication receiver, the remote device being exterior to the vehicle;

determining a first heading of the vehicle based on the first position information, the first heading including a first angle relative to a reference line;

receiving, from the remote device, second position information for the vehicle at a predefined amount of time after receipt of the first position information;

determining a second heading of the vehicle based on the second position information, the second heading including a second angle measured relative to the first angle;

adding at least the first angle and the second angle to determine a total turn angle of the vehicle;

comparing the total turn angle of the vehicle to a threshold angle; and

determining whether the vehicle has registered a turn based on whether the total turn angle meets the threshold angle.

14. The turn detection apparatus of claim 13, wherein the communication receiver is a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

15. The turn detection apparatus of claim 13, wherein the reference line is magnetic north.

16. The turn detection apparatus of claim 13, wherein the total turn angle is an unsigned sum of at least the first angle and the second angle.

17. The turn detection apparatus of claim 13, wherein the predefined amount of time is 1 second.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a turn detection apparatus to:

determine a plurality of headings of a vehicle by, at each of a plurality of times;

receiving, from a remote device, position information for a vehicle through a communication receiver of the turn detection apparatus, the remote device being exterior to the vehicle;

determining a heading of the vehicle based on the position information, the heading including an angle measured relative to one of;

a reference line and a heading of the vehicle determined immediately prior;

determine a total turn angle by summing the plurality of angles;

determine whether the vehicle has registered a turn based on whether the total turn angle meets a threshold angle.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the turn detection apparatus is further caused to:

determine at least one characteristic of the turn; and

determine a risk of loss associated with at least one of the vehicle and a driver of the vehicle based on the determined at least one characteristic of the turn.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein determining the risk of loss includes calculating a probability of loss based on historical loss data associated with turns having the at least one characteristic.