Identifying the origins of a vehicular impact and the selective exchange of data pertaining to the impact

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9508201-B2
Application number	US-201514592940-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2015
Priority date	Jan 9, 2015
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

Approaches are provided for identifying the origin of a vehicular impact and selectively exchanging data pertaining to the impact. An approach includes determining whether an impact to a vehicle exceeds a predetermined threshold. The approach further includes when the impact exceeds the predetermined threshold, sending a signal that includes impact information and identifier information stored in a persistent storage device. The approach further includes receiving signals from one or more other vehicles within a predetermined proximity of the vehicle. The approach further includes comparing impact information from the signals to the impact information stored in the persistent storage device. The approach further includes when the impact information from the signals matches the impact information stored in the persistent storage device within a tolerance threshold, storing the impact information and identifier information from the signals in the persistent storage device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method implemented in a computer infrastructure having computer executable code tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage medium having programming instructions configured for:
determining, using an impact detection and data exchange system within a vehicle, whether an impact to the vehicle exceeds a predetermined threshold;
when the impact exceeds the predetermined threshold, sending a signal, from the impact detection and data exchange system within the vehicle, that includes impact information and identifier information stored in a persistent storage device;
receiving, by the impact detection and data exchange system within the vehicle, one or more signals from one or more other vehicles within a predetermined proximity of the vehicle, which one or more other vehicles also each have an impact detection and data exchange system therein;
comparing, using the impact detection and data exchange system within the vehicle, impact information from the one or more signals from the one or more other vehicles, within the predetermined proximity of the vehicle, to the impact information stored in the persistent storage device of the vehicle to determine in the vehicle whether the one or more other vehicles indicate a similar impact to the impact experienced by the vehicle; and
when the impact information from the one or more signals matches the impact information stored in the persistent storage device within a tolerance threshold, storing, in the impact detection and data exchange system within the vehicle, the impact information and identifier information from the one or more signals in the persistent storage device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining whether the impact to the vehicle exceeds the predetermined threshold comprises comparing a magnitude of the impact to the predetermined threshold, which is selected based on a speed of the vehicle at a time of the impact.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the programming instructions are further configured for recording an occurrence of the impact, vehicle status data prior to and at the time of the impact, and any images recorded at the time of the impact in the persistent storage device with a date and time stamp when the impact exceeds the predetermined threshold.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the programming instructions are further configured for determining a degree of the impact and record the degree of the impact in the persistent storage device when the impact exceeds the predetermined threshold.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the impact information stored in the persistent storage device includes the date and time of the impact and the degree of the impact.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein impact information from the one or more signals includes a date and time of an impact and a degree of the impact.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the comparing impact information comprises comparing the degree of impact and the date and time of impact from the one or more signals to the degree of the impact and the date and time of the impact stored in the persistent storage device.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein when at least one of the degree of the impact and the date and time of the impact from the one or more signals matches at least one of the degree of the impact and the date and time of the impact stored in the persistent storage device within the tolerance threshold, the date and time of the impact and identifier information from the one or more signals is stored in the persistent storage device.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the programming instructions are further configured for sending a notification of the impact to a concerned party when the date and time of the impact and the identifier information from the one or more signals is stored in the persistent storage device.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the predetermined proximity is based on signal strength of the signal, and the signal is a radio frequency or WiFi signal.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the programming instructions are further configured for collecting data regarding a status of the vehicle and detecting the impact to the vehicle based on the collected data.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein a service provider at least one of creates, maintains, deploys and supports the computer infrastructure.

13. A computer program product for selectively exchanging data regarding an impact to a vehicle, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, and the program instructions are readable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:
determining, using an impact detection and data exchange system within the vehicle, whether the impact to the vehicle exceeds a predetermined threshold;
when the impact exceeds the predetermined threshold, determining, in the impact detection and data exchange system within the vehicle, a degree of the impact and recording impact information including the degree of the impact and a date and time of the impact in a persistent storage device;
sending, from the impact detection and data exchange system within the vehicle, a signal that includes the impact information and identifier information;
receiving, by the impact detection and data exchange system within the vehicle, one or more signals from one or more other vehicles within a predetermined proximity of the vehicle, which one or more other vehicles also each have an impact detection and data exchange system therein;
comparing, using the impact detection and data exchange system within the vehicle, a degree of impact and a date and time of impact from the one or more signals from the one or more other vehicles, within the predetermined proximity of the vehicle, to the degree of the impact and the date and time of the impact stored in the persistent storage device of the vehicle to determine in the vehicle whether the one or more other vehicles indicates a similar impact to the impact experienced by the vehicle that exceeds the predetermined threshold; and
when at least one of the degree of the impact and the date and time of the impact from the one or more signals matches at least one of the degree of the impact and the date and time of the impact stored in the persistent storage device within a tolerance threshold, storing, in the impact detection and data exchange system within the vehicle, the date and time of the impact and identifier information from the one or more signals in the persistent storage device.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the determining whether the impact to the vehicle exceeds the predetermined threshold comprises comparing a magnitude of the impact to the predetermined threshold, which is selected based on a speed of the vehicle at a time of the impact.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the predetermined proximity is based on signal strength of the signal.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises sending a notification of the impact to a concerned party when the date and time of the impact and the identifier information from the one or more signals is stored in the persistent storage device.

17. A system comprising:
a CPU, a computer readable memory and a computer readable hardware storage device;
program instructions to determine, using an impact detection and data exchange system within a vehicle, whether an

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Bhogal Kulvir S
• Boss Gregory J
• Dhillon Jill S
• Hamilton Ii Rick A

Classifications

• G07C5/0808 Primary

  Diagnosing performance data (testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005) · CPC title

• G07C5/085

  using electronic data carriers · CPC title

• G07C5/008

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title