Driving event data analysis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9947217-B1
Application number	US-201615347211-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 9, 2016
Priority date	Dec 19, 2012
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 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 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 vehicle operation data at a first vehicle;
one or more cameras or object proximity sensors configured to record data at the first vehicle; and
one or more telematics devices configured to transmit the vehicle operation data and the recorded data from the one or more cameras or object proximity sensors 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 vehicle operation data from the first vehicle on-board data recording system;
identify a first driving event of the first vehicle based on the first vehicle operation data;
receive data from the one or more cameras or object proximity sensors corresponding to the first driving event;
identify at least a first cause of the first driving event and a second cause of the first driving event, wherein identifying the at least a first cause and a second cause comprises:
attempting to identify at least two external causes of the first driving event by analyzing the first vehicle operation data received from the first vehicle on-board data recording system corresponding to the first driving event and the data received from the one or more cameras or object proximity sensors corresponding to the first driving event;
identifying a first external cause and a second external cause;
based on the analysis of the data corresponding to the first driving event, 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 first driving event; and

output at least the first cause of the first driving event.

2. The driving analysis system of claim 1 , wherein identifying the first driving event comprises:
analyzing the first vehicle operation data to identify an occurrence of sudden braking by the first vehicle or an occurrence of swerving by the first vehicle.

3. The driving analysis system of claim 1 , wherein identifying the first driving event of the first vehicle by the driving analysis server comprises:
determining an occurrence of a moving violation by the first vehicle, based on the first vehicle operation data.

4. The driving analysis system of claim 3 , wherein determining the occurrence of the moving violation comprises:
receiving moving vehicle regulation data from one or more external data sources, corresponding to a location and time of the first driving event; and
comparing the first vehicle operation data received from the first vehicle on-board data recording system to the moving vehicle regulation data received from the one or more external data sources.

5. The driving analysis system of claim 1 , wherein attempting to identify at least two external causes of the first driving event by the driving analysis server comprises:
using a location and time of the first driving event, retrieving at least one of traffic data, weather data, or road condition data corresponding to the location and time of the first driving event, 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, along with the data received from the first vehicle on-board data recording system, to attempt to determine at least two external causes of the first driving event.

6. The driving analysis system of claim 1 , wherein identifying the first cause of the first driving event comprises:
using the data received from the first vehicle on-board data recording system to calculate a driver reaction time associated with the first event; and
determining the at least a first cause of the first driving event based on the driver reaction time associated with the first driving event.

7. The driving analysis system of claim 1 , wherein identifying the at least a first cause of the first driving event comprises:
using the data received from the first vehicle on-board data recording system to calculate a driver visibility level associated with the first event; and
determining the at least the first cause of the first driving event based on the driver visibility level associated with the first driving event.

8. The driving analysis system of claim 1 , wherein identifying the at least a first cause of the first driving event comprises:
using the data received from the first vehicle on-board data recording system to calculate a traffic amount associated with the first event; and
determining the at least a first cause of the first driving event based on the traffic amount associated with the first driving event.

9. The driving analysis system of claim 1 , the driving analysis server comprising further computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the driving analysis server to:
transmit a record of the first driving event to an external insurance system associated with the first vehicle 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 at least two identified causes of the first driving event correspond to something other than high-risk or unsafe driving, the driving analysis server is configured not to transmit a record of the first driving event to the external insurance system associated with the first vehicle.

10. A driving analysis system comprising a first vehicle on-board data recording system, an external data source, and a driving analysis server:
wherein the first vehicle on-board data recording system comprises:
one or more vehicle operation sensors configured to record vehicle operation data at a first vehicle; and
one or more telematics devices configured to transmit the vehicle operation data to the driving analysis server,

wherein the external data source comprises:
one or more cameras or object proximity sensors configured to record data, wherein the cameras or object proximity sensors are separate from the first vehicle; and
one or more transmitters or network interfaces configured to transmit the data 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 vehicle operation data from the first vehicle on-board data recording system;
identify a first driving event of the first vehicle based on the first vehicle operation data;
identify a first location and time associated with the first driving event;
retrieve data from the external data source, corresponding to the first location

Assignees

• Allstate Insurance Co

Inventors

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

Classifications

• G08G1/054

  photographing overspeeding vehicles · CPC title

• G08G1/0116 Primary

  from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons · 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

• G06Q40/08

  Insurance · CPC title

• G08G1/0175

  by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules · CPC title