Systems and methods for alerting a driver to vehicle collision risks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9656606-B1
Application number	US-201514702150-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 1, 2015
Priority date	May 30, 2014
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

Methods and systems for displaying a user interface that warns a driver that a vehicle is located within or is near a geographical area (and/or intersection) associated with a higher than average risk of animal-vehicle and/or vehicle-vehicle collisions are provided. According to certain aspects, an electronic device may access a database that identifies a plurality of high risk areas, including areas associated with prior vehicle accidents. The electronic device may display a virtual road map, as well as an icon indicating the vehicle's current location and a plurality of visual indications of high-risk areas. When the electronic device detects that the current location of the vehicle is within and/or approaching a high-risk area, the electronic device may then warn the driver about the higher than average risk of experiencing a vehicle collision.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method to facilitate safer driving and reduce vehicle accidents by alerting a driver of a vehicle about high-risk areas via an application executing on an electronic device, wherein the electronic device includes one or more processors and a memory coupled to the one or more processors, the method comprising:
the application causing the one or more processors to access data detailing a plurality of prior vehicle accidents, wherein the data includes a plurality of prior vehicle accident locations;
causing the one or more processors to display a primary interface in the application executing on the electronic device, the primary interface displaying at least:
(i) a virtual road map,
(ii) a virtual representation of a current location for the vehicle, and
(iii) a plurality of virtual representations corresponding to at least a portion of the plurality of prior vehicle accident locations;

the application causing the one or more processors to update the current location of the vehicle in response to the vehicle moving to a new location;
when the current location of the vehicle is within a threshold distance of at least one of the plurality of prior vehicle accident locations, the application causing the one or more processors to generate a warning to alert the driver of the vehicle that the current location corresponds to a high-risk area indicating a higher than average risk of vehicle accidents
the application receiving, from the driver and at the one or more processors, an indication indicating an intended change to a zoom level of the virtual road map displayed in the primary interface;
based upon the intended change to the zoom level, the application causing the one or more processors to access a second set of data detailing a second plurality of prior vehicle accidents; and
the application causing the one or more processors to display in the primary interface a plurality of virtual representations corresponding to the second set of data detailing the second plurality of prior vehicle accidents.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
causing the one or more processors to display a secondary interface in the application executing on the electronic device, the secondary interface displaying a plurality of selectable interface elements corresponding to a plurality of features of the application.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the one or more processors to display a plurality of selectable interface elements corresponding to a plurality of features of the application further comprises:
causing the one or more processors to display a selectable interface element corresponding to the primary interface displaying the plurality of virtual representations corresponding to the plurality of prior vehicle accident locations.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
receiving an input at the one or more processors, from the driver, indicating a selection of the selectable interface element corresponding to the primary interface displaying the plurality of virtual representations corresponding to the plurality of prior vehicle accident locations; and
causing the primary interface to display the virtual road map without displaying the at least a portion of the plurality of virtual representations corresponding to the plurality of prior vehicle accident locations.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
transmitting, from the electronic device to an insurance provider corresponding to the driver, an indication that the driver has disabled the feature of the application corresponding to the primary interface displaying the plurality of virtual representations corresponding to the plurality of prior vehicle accident locations, wherein transmitting the indication causes the insurance provider to adjust at least one of:
an insurance policy,
an insurance rate,
an insurance premium, or
an insurance discount.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the one or more processors to generate a warning further comprises:
causing the one or more processors to generate a visual alert, wherein the visual alert comprises at least one of:
changing a portion of the primary interface to a color indicative of higher than average risk of vehicle accidents, or
displaying, via the primary interface, a textual warning indicating the higher than average risk of vehicle accidents.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the one or more processors to generate a warning further comprises:
causing the one or more processors to generate an audible alert indicating the higher than average risk of vehicle accidents.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the one or more processors to access data detailing a plurality of prior vehicle accidents further comprises:
causing the one or more processors to access data detailing a plurality of prior vehicle accidents, wherein:
(i) a first set of the plurality of prior vehicle accidents correspond to vehicle-animal collisions, and
(ii) a second set of the plurality of prior vehicle accidents correspond to vehicle-vehicle collisions.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein causing the one or more processors to display on the primary interface a plurality of visual representations corresponding to at least one of the plurality of prior vehicle accident locations further comprises:
causing the one or more processors to display the virtual representations corresponding to prior vehicle accidents belonging to the first set of the plurality of prior vehicle accidents in a first color; and
causing the one or more processors to display the virtual representations corresponding to prior vehicle accidents belonging to the second set of the plurality of prior vehicle accidents in a second color.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the one or more processors to access data display on the primary interface the plurality of virtual representations corresponding to at least one of the plurality of prior vehicle accident locations further comprises:
causing the one or more processors to display only the virtual representations corresponding to prior vehicle accidents that are within a temporal scope defined by at least one of (i) a time of day or (ii) a day of year.

11. A computer-implemented method of alerting a driver of a vehicle about high-risk areas, the method comprising:
displaying, via one or more processors:
(i) a virtual road map,
(ii) a virtual representation of a current location of the vehicle, and
(iii) at least a portion of a plurality of virtual representations corresponding to a plurality of high-risk areas, wherein the plurality of high-risk areas correspond to a plurality of prior vehicle accidents;

updating, via the one or more processors, the current location of the vehicle in response to the vehicle moving to a new location; and
displaying, via the one or more processors, the virtual representation of the updated current location of the vehicle on the virtual road map at a location representative of the new location
receiving, from the driver and at via one or more processors, an indication indicating an intended change to a zoom level of the virtual road map displayed in the primary interface;
based upon the intended change to the zoom level, accessing a second set of data detailing a second plurality of prior vehicle accidents; and
displaying on the virtual road map a plurality of virtual representations corresponding to the second set of data detailing the second plurality of prior vehicle accidents.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining, via the one or more processors, that the updated current location of t

Assignees

• State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co

Inventors

• Vose Matthew E
• Bernico Michael
• Mowery Milton
• Sanidas Tim G
• Zimmer Christopher

Classifications

• G08G1/0112 Primary

  from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD] · CPC title

• B60Q9/008 Primary

  for anti-collision purposes · CPC title

• G08G1/0129

  for creating historical data or processing based on historical data · CPC title

• G08G1/0141

  for traffic information dissemination · CPC title

• G08G1/096741

  where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle · CPC title