Systems and methods for determining vehicle trip information

• US 9,846,977 B1
• Filed: 09/02/2015
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MetroMile, Inc. (Lemonade Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: MetroMile, Inc. (Lemonade Incorporated)
• Inventors: Cox, Evan Gabriel Turitz, Waliji, Muhammad, Preston, Jr., Dan Richard, Mercado, Jose, Goodman, Daniel Eric, Ramaiah, Chetan
• Primary Examiner(s): Pipala, Edward J
• Application Number:
  US14/843,853
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/45 by combining measurements of signals from the satellite radio beacon positioning system with a supplementary measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/52 Determining velocity
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/02 Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

The present disclosure provides methods and systems for identifying or verifying trip information. A method for identifying or verifying a trip of a vehicle comprises detecting a presence of the vehicle with a mobile computing device of a user. The mobile computing device may be removable from the vehicle. Next, a trip start may be determined when the vehicle is detected by the mobile computing device as being present. Trip data may be recorded for a trip of the vehicle subsequent to the trip start, the trip data being based at least in part on sensor readings. A trip end that corresponds to an end of the trip of the vehicle may be detected and verified.

Claims

1. A method for determining insurance for a vehicle on a per-unit distance basis to provide insurance to a user, comprising:

detecting a presence of the vehicle with a mobile computing device of the user by detecting a signal from a beacon that is mounted or installed in the vehicle, which mobile computing device and the beacon are removable from the vehicle;

determining a trip start using sensor readings from the mobile computing device when the vehicle is detected by the mobile computing device as being present, which trip start corresponds to a start of the trip of the vehicle;

recording, in computer memory, trip data for the trip of the vehicle subsequent to the trip start, the trip data being based at least in part on sensor readings of the mobile computing device;

detecting a trip end that corresponds to an end of the trip of the vehicle;

subsequent to detecting the trip end, verifying the trip end and presenting the trip data, including the trip start and the trip end, on a graphical user interface of the mobile computing device; and

using the trip data, including the trip start and the trip end, to calculate the insurance for the vehicle on the per-unit distance basis.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the beacon is a Bluetooth Low Energy device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the trip start includes sampling one or more sensor devices of the mobile computing device in determining that a movement of the mobile computing device satisfies a threshold criteria.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining that the movement of the mobile computing device satisfies the threshold criteria comprises (i) determining a velocity of the mobile computing device at multiple sampled instances, and (ii) determining a profile of the velocity at multiple instances that satisfies the threshold criteria.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the trip end includes determining with the mobile computing device that the vehicle is not present.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein verifying the trip end includes determining with the mobile computing device that a duration in which the vehicle is not present exceeds a threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the trip end includes (i) detecting a velocity of the mobile computing device and (ii) determining that the velocity is indicative of the vehicle as having stopped.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein verifying the trip end includes determining that a duration in which the vehicle is indicated as having stopped exceeds a threshold.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the trip end is detected and/or verified using an algorithm that takes as input at least a subset of the sensor readings of the mobile computing device and outputs a probability that is indicative of the trip end.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the trip end is detected and/or verified using a machine learning algorithm that takes as input at least a subset of the sensor readings of the mobile computing device and outputs a probability that is indicative of the trip end.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the trip data to a computer server in network communication with the mobile computing device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device includes the computer memory.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an item of value to the user upon verifying the trip end.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the trip data, including the trip start and the trip end, on the mobile computing device.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the trip data for providing vehicle services, including fuel consumption and route guidance.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein a type of vehicle being driven is detected and/or verified using a convolutional neural network that takes as input at least a subset of the sensor readings of the mobile computing device.

17. A system for determining insurance for a vehicle on a per-unit distance basis to provide insurance to a user, comprising:

a mobile computing device comprising one or more sensors for detecting a presence of the vehicle by detecting a signal from a beacon that is mounted or installed in the vehicle, and recording trip data for the trip of the vehicle, which mobile computing device and beacon are removable from the vehicle;

computer memory that contains the trip data recorded during the trip of the vehicle; and

a computer processor operatively coupled to the computer memory and the one or more sensors, wherein the computer processor is programmed to (i) detect the presence of the vehicle using the one or more sensors by detecting a signal from the beacon, (ii) determine a trip start when the vehicle is detected by the one or more sensors as being present, which trip start corresponds to a start of the trip of the vehicle, (iii) record, in the computer memory, trip data for the trip of the vehicle subsequent to the trip start, the trip data being based at least in part on readings of the one or more sensors, (iv) detect a trip end that corresponds to an end of the trip of the vehicle, (v) subsequent to detecting the trip end, verify the trip end and present the trip data, including the trip start and the trip end, on a graphical user interface of the mobile computing device, and (vi) use the trip data, including the trip start and trip end, to calculate the insurance for the vehicle on the per-unit distance basis.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer memory and computer processor are part of a mobile computing device of a user, which mobile computing device is removable from the vehicle.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more sensors are part of a mobile computing device.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer processor is programmed to determine that a movement of the mobile computing device satisfies a threshold criteria by (i) determining a velocity of the mobile computing device at multiple sampled instances, and (ii) determining a profile of the velocity at multiple instances that satisfies the threshold criteria.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer processor is programmed to detect the trip end by determining that the vehicle is not present.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the computer processor is programmed to verify the trip end by determining that a duration in which the vehicle is not present exceeds a threshold.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer processor is programmed to detect the trip end by (i) detecting a velocity of the mobile computing device and (ii) determining that the velocity is indicative of the vehicle as having stopped.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the computer processor is programmed to verify the trip end by determining that a duration in which the vehicle is indicated as having stopped exceeds a threshold.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer processor is programmed to detect and/or verify the trip end using a machine learning algorithm that takes as input at least a subset of the readings from the readings of the one or more sensors and outputs a probability that is indicative of the trip end.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer processor is programmed to transmit the trip data to a computer server in network communication with the computer processor.

27. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer processor is programmed to determine an item of value to the user upon verifying the trip end.

28. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer processor is further programmed to present the trip data, including the trip start and the trip end, on the mobile computing device.

29. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer processor is further programmed to use the trip data to provide vehicle services, including fuel consumption and route guidance.

30. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer processor is further programmed to detect and/or verify a type of vehicle being driven using a convolutional neural network that takes as input at least a subset of the sensor readings of the mobile computing device.

31. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising machine executable code that, upon execution by one or more computer processors, implements a method for determining insurance for a vehicle on a per-unit distance basis to provide insurance to a user, the method comprising:

detecting a presence of the vehicle with a mobile computing device of the user by detecting a signal from a beacon that is mounted or installed in the vehicle, which mobile computing device and the beacon are removable from the vehicle;

determining a trip start using sensor readings from the mobile computing device when the vehicle is detected by the mobile computing device as being present, which trip start corresponds to a start of the trip of the vehicle;

recording, in computer memory, trip data for the trip of the vehicle subsequent to the trip start, the trip data being based at least in part on sensor readings of the mobile computing device;

detecting a trip end that corresponds to an end of the trip of the vehicle;

subsequent to detecting the trip end, verifying the trip end and presenting the trip data, including the trip start and the trip end, on a graphical user interface of the mobile computing device; and

using the trip data, including the trip start and the trip end, to calculate the insurance for the vehicle on the per-unit distance basis.