Systems and methods for automatically documenting an accident

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9472104-B2
Application number	US-201314091133-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2013
Priority date	Nov 26, 2013
Publication date	Oct 18, 2016
Grant date	Oct 18, 2016

Abstract

A system for documenting an accident includes a vehicle that includes a transceiver device and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive data from a collision detection device of the vehicle, determine, based on the received data, that an accident is impending or occurring involving the vehicle, generate a request for a nearby vehicle, and transmit, via the transceiver device, the request to the nearby vehicle. The request is for the nearby vehicle to illuminate a region associated with the accident, actively acquire data related to the accident, and record actively acquired data related to the accident.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for documenting an accident, comprising:
a vehicle, comprising:
a transceiver device; and
a processing circuit configured to:
receive data from a collision detection device of the vehicle;
determine in real-time, based on the received data, that an accident is impending or occurring involving the vehicle;
generate, in response to determining that the accident is impending or occurring, a request for a nearby vehicle to:
illuminate a region associated with the accident;
actively acquire data related to the accident using a data acquisition device onboard the nearby vehicle; and
record the actively acquired data related to the accident; and

transmit, via the transceiver device, the request to the nearby vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data related to the accident comprises data related to the vehicle as detected by the nearby vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data related to the accident comprises at least one of contour data, position data, velocity data, orientation data, and timing data.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data related to the accident includes data related to an additional vehicle as detected by the nearby vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the request specifies that the nearby vehicle record radar data related to the accident.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the request specifies that the nearby vehicle record lidar data related to the accident.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the request specifies that the nearby vehicle acquire radar data related to the accident.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the request specifies that the nearby vehicle acquire lidar data related to the accident.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the request directs the nearby vehicle to record identification of at least one of the nearby vehicle, an operator of the nearby vehicle, and an owner of the nearby vehicle.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the request directs the nearby vehicle to store positioning coordinates of the nearby vehicle.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the request directs the nearby vehicle to store a velocity and an orientation of the nearby vehicle.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the request includes metadata related to the vehicle, and wherein the metadata includes at least one of position coordinates, velocity information, orientation information, insurance information, and vehicle operator information.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the insurance information is related to the vehicle.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the request includes metadata related to the vehicle, and wherein the metadata includes an internet address, and wherein the request specifies that the data related to the accident should be sent to the internet address.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the request directs the nearby vehicle to transmit the data related to the accident to the vehicle, and wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:
receive the data related to the accident, via the transceiver device, from the nearby vehicle; and
store the data related to the accident in a storage device.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises a sensor device configured to generate sensor data related to an ID of the nearby vehicle, and wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:
determine the ID of the nearby vehicle based on the sensor data; and
store the ID of the nearby vehicle in a storage device.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the sensor device includes a camera, and wherein the ID of the nearby vehicle includes at least one of a license plate number of the nearby vehicle and a make and a model of the nearby vehicle.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the sensor device includes an RFID sensor, and wherein the ID of the nearby vehicle is based on an RFID tag of the nearby vehicle.

19. A system for documenting an accident, comprising:
a vehicle, comprising:
a collision detection device comprising at least one of a radar device and a lidar device, wherein the collision detection device is configured to illuminate and actively detect a nearby vehicle;
a storage device; and
a processing circuit configured to:
receive data from the collision detection device;
analyze the received data to detect in real-time an impending or occurring accident, wherein the accident involves the nearby vehicle;
receive a request, in response to determining that the accident is impending or occurring, from the nearby vehicle to:
acquire accident related data in response to the detected accident using an onboard data acquisition device, wherein the accident related data is based on the received data; and
store the accident related data in the storage device; and
deliver the accident related data to the nearby vehicle.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the accident related data includes at least one of positioning coordinates of the nearby vehicle, a velocity and an orientation of the nearby vehicle, timing information related to the nearby vehicle, data regarding an additional vehicle associated with the accident, and contour information related to the nearby vehicle.

21. The system of claim 19 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to store metadata along with the accident related data.

22. The system of claim 19 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to analyze the received data to determine an ID of the nearby vehicle, wherein the ID includes a license plate number of the nearby vehicle, and wherein the collision detection device includes a camera.

23. The system of claim 19 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to analyze the received data to determine an ID of the nearby vehicle, wherein the ID includes a make and model of the nearby vehicle, and wherein the collision detection device includes a camera.

24. The system of claim 19 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to analyze the received data to determine an ID of the nearby vehicle, wherein the ID is based on an RFID tag of the nearby vehicle, and wherein the collision detection device includes an RFID sensor.

25. The system of claim 19 , further comprising a transceiver device, and wherein the processing circuit is further configured to receive a request to record data related to the accident, and wherein the request is received via the transceiver device.

26. The system of claim 25 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to deliver the accident related data, via the transceiver device, to a source of the request.

27. The system of claim 19 , wherein the processing circuit is configured to deliver the accident related data to an address associated with the nearby vehicle.

28. A system for documenting an accident, comprising:
a vehicle, comprising:
a collision detection device;
a transceiver device;
a nearby vehicle detection device;
a storage device; and
a processing circuit configured to:
receive data from the nearby vehicle detection device, wherein the data includes data related to a nearby vehicle;
receive data from the collision detection device;
determine in real-time, based on the received data from the collision detection device, that an accident is impending or occurring involving the vehicle;
analyze the received data from the nearby

Assignees

• Elwha Llc

Inventors

• Hyde Roderick A
• Kare Jordin T
• Wood Jr Lowell L

Classifications

• B60Q2300/47

  Direct command from other road users, i.e. the command for switching or changing the beam is sent by other vehicles or road devices · CPC title

• G06Q40/08

  Insurance · CPC title

• B60Q1/08

  automatically · CPC title

• G08G1/04

  using optical or ultrasonic detectors · CPC title

• G08G1/16

  Anti-collision systems (road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08) · CPC title