Driving event data analysis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9934627-B1
Application number	US-201615345641-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 8, 2016
Priority date	Dec 19, 2012
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

A driving analysis server may be configured to receive vehicle operation data from vehicle sensors, and may use the data to identify a potentially high-risk or unsafe driving event by the vehicle. The driving analysis server also may receive corresponding image data, video, or object proximity data from the vehicle or one or more other data sources, and may use the image, video, or proximity data to analyze the potentially high-risk or unsafe driving event. A driver score for the vehicle or driver may be calculated or adjusted based on the analysis of the data and the determination of one or more causes of the driving event.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A driving analysis device comprising:
a processing unit comprising a processor; and
a memory unit storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processing unit, cause the driving analysis device to:
receive a driver score associated with a driver of a first vehicle;
receive first vehicle driving data collected by vehicle operation sensors within the first vehicle, wherein the driving analysis device is located on the first vehicle;
identify an occurrence of sudden braking by the first vehicle, swerving by the first vehicle, or an impact by the first vehicle, based on the first vehicle driving data;
in response to identifying the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact, analyze data associated with the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle; and
identify at least two causes of the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle, wherein identifying the at least two causes comprises:
attempting to identify at least two external causes of the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle by analyzing the first vehicle driving data associated with the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle;
if at least two external causes can be identified:
identifying a first external cause and a second external cause;
based on the analysis of the first vehicle driving data associated with the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle, determining a percentage of cause associated with each of the first external cause and the second external cause;
evaluating the determined percentage of cause of the first external cause and the second external cause to identify one of the first external cause and the second external cause as a primary cause, the primary cause being the cause having a percentage greater than a predetermined event cause threshold;
determining whether the primary cause was unsafe or high-risk driving;
responsive to determining that the primary cause was unsafe or high-risk driving, adjusting the driver score;
responsive to determining that the primary cause was not unsafe or high-risk driving, maintaining the driver score based on the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving or impact by the first vehicle; and

if at least two external causes cannot be identified, determining that high-risk or unsafe driving by the driver of the first vehicle was the cause of the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle and adjusting the driver score based on the at least two external causes not being identified.

2. The driving analysis device of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the data comprises:
identifying a first location and time associated with the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle;
using the first location and time, identifying a first traffic camera in a vicinity of the first vehicle at the time of the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle; and
retrieving the data from the first traffic camera.

3. The driving analysis device of claim 1 , wherein the driving analysis device is located within the first vehicle, the memory unit storing further computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processing unit, cause the driving analysis device to:
transmit a record of the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle to an external system only if the identified at least two causes correspond to high-risk or unsafe driving by a driver of the first vehicle,
wherein if the identified at least two causes of the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle correspond to something other than high-risk or unsafe driving, the driving analysis device is configured not to transmit a record of the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle to an external system.

4. The driving analysis device of claim 1 , wherein identifying the cause of the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle comprises:
in response to the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle, identifying a first location and time associated with the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact;
using the first location and time associated with the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact, retrieving at least one of traffic data, weather data, or road condition data corresponding to the first location and time associated with the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact, from one or more external data sources; and
analyzing the traffic data, weather data, or road condition data retrieved from the one or more external data sources to determine the cause of the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle.

5. The driving analysis device of claim 1 , wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processing unit, cause the driving analysis device to:
calculate a driver reaction time metric based on the analysis of the data.

6. The driving analysis device of claim 1 , wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processing unit, cause the driving analysis device to:
calculate a visibility metric based on the analysis of the data.

7. The driving analysis device of claim 1 , wherein identifying the at least two causes of the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle comprises:
determining, based on an analysis of the data, that at least one of a road obstruction, adverse road conditions, adverse weather conditions, or poor visibility was a cause of the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle; and
based on said determination, determining that high-risk or unsafe driving by a driver of the first vehicle was not the cause of the occurrence of the sudden braking, swerving, or impact.

8. A driving analysis system comprising a first vehicle on-board data recording system and a driving analysis server:
wherein the first vehicle on-board data recording system comprises:
one or more vehicle operation sensors configured to record data of a first type at a first vehicle, the data of the first type including vehicle operation data;
one or more cameras or object proximity sensors configured to record data of a second type at the first vehicle, the second type being different from the first type; and
one or more telematics devices configured to transmit the data of the first type and the data of the second type from the first vehicle to the driving analysis server,

wherein the driving analysis server comprises a processor and a memory unit storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the driving analysis server to:
receive a driver score associated with a driver of the first vehicle;
receive first data of the first type from the one or more telematics devices of the first vehicle on-board data recording system;
identify an occurrence of sudden braking by the first vehicle, swerving by the first vehicle, or an impact by the first vehicle, based on the first data;
in response to identifying the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact, receive and analyze data of the second type from the one or more telematics devices of the first vehicle on-board data recording system, wherein the received data of the second type is associated with the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle; and
identify at least two causes of the occurrence of sudden braking, swerving, or impact by the first vehicle, wherein identifying the at least two causes compr

Assignees

• Allstate Insurance Co

Inventors

• Brinkmann Margaret A
• Kraft Daniel
• Bryer Nathan M
• Huls Eric
• Warden Thomas Michael

Classifications

• G07C5/008 Primary

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

• G07C5/0841 Primary

  Registering performance data (recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B) · CPC title

• G07C5/0808

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

• G07C5/0866

  the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera · CPC title

• G06F17/00

  Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions (information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00) · CPC title