Fusing of sensor data of a vehicle with sensor data of a telecommunications device

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for determining a data set by means of a telecommunications device, wherein the data set represents a use of a predefined vehicle. A communication connection is established between the telecommunications device and the vehicle. If the telecommunications device identifies a movement pattern that corresponds to a vehicle movement, it calls up status reports from the vehicle. At least one comparison value is formed from parameter values of the status reports and parameter values of the telecommunications device. If the comparison value fulfils a predefined criterion, it can be assumed that the telecommunications device is actually in the vehicle it connected to. Data of the vehicle can then be fused with data of the telecommunications device.

Description

[0001] Merging sensor data from a vehicle with sensor data from a telecommunications device

[0002] Field of the invention

[0003] The invention relates to a method for determining a data set in a telecommunications device, wherein the data set describes a use of a predetermined vehicle.

[0004] Background of the invention

[0005] Vehicles equipped with sensors for collecting usage data and transmitting it to a server via a cellular connection are well known in the art. Vehicles of this type are also referred to as "networked" (or "connected"). However, the cellular connection is usually reserved for the vehicle manufacturer. Likewise, it is usually a proprietary server that the user and / or third parties generally cannot access.

[0006] In the course of commercializing the data recorded by the vehicle, third parties are granted access to this data, albeit on a significantly reduced scale. However, this level of data makes it impossible to implement and offer adequate products to support vehicle use, particularly because in many cases it is unclear who the driver is. Fig. 1 shows a schematic overview of various previously known application architectures to support the use of a connected vehicle.

[0007] Section a) of Figure 1 shows the architecture of a manufacturer's proprietary solution for a connected vehicle. The connected vehicle transmits usage data to a manufacturer's server, where applications related to the vehicle are generated from the transmitted data.

[0008] The data recorded and provided by the connected vehicle lacks sufficient data quality because data from certain sensors is simply not available or the data provided is generally not available in the required resolution or frequency.

[0009] Limits in data quality and quantity also arise from the severely limited bandwidth of connected vehicles. Thus, the data required for data-driven third-party applications could not be transmitted from the vehicle via mobile communications in the required quantity and quality, even if the manufacturer were available.

[0010] In addition, users of connected vehicles have so far had no way of consenting to the use of data collected during vehicle use by third parties in the vehicle, i.e. of authorising the use of the data before it is collected.

[0011] Due to these disadvantages, data-driven use cases provided by third parties to support the use of a connected vehicle are technically only poorly feasible. As shown in section b) of Fig. 1, there are prior art solutions that rely on data from the mobile phone carried on board instead of data from the connected vehicle. However, to reliably detect whether the mobile phone is being carried on board, additional hardware that is permanently installed in the vehicle is required. This increases the cost of the application provided by third parties. In addition, installing the application is cumbersome for the user due to the additional hardware compared to the usual process of setting up a new application on the mobile phone. This reduces the acceptance of these solutions among users. Data provided by the vehicle itself is not taken into account or is not recorded.

[0012] In a variant shown in section c) of Fig. 1, the mobile phone data are used for a data-driven application to support the use of a vehicle, but potentially at any time, ie even without actual use of the vehicle.

[0013] Even in the variants according to sections b) and c), the user cannot consent to the use of the data.

[0014] In all three variants, it is not possible to determine which user is actually using a vehicle.

[0015] Object of the invention

[0016] The object of the present invention is therefore to at least partially reduce the aforementioned disadvantages of introducing a data-driven application provided by third parties to support the use of a vehicle and to improve the quantity and quality of the data required for this purpose. Inventive Solution

[0017] The above object is achieved by the method according to patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the method are specified in the dependent patent claims.

[0018] Accordingly, a method is provided for determining a data set by means of a telecommunications device, wherein the data set represents the use of a predetermined vehicle, wherein the telecommunications device comprises a device for determining a geocode and an inertial sensor device, wherein the method comprises the following steps: a) establishing a communication connection between the telecommunications device and the predetermined vehicle, b) detecting a movement pattern of the telecommunications device that is associated with a state of vehicle movement, wherein the movement pattern is determined by evaluating measurement data from the inertial sensor device, c) retrieving a predetermined number of status reports from the predetermined vehicle, wherein each status report stores values ​​for a number of physical parameters associated with the predetermined vehicle,d) Determining a comparison value based on the values ​​of at least one physical parameter stored in the status reports and based on values ​​for corresponding physical parameters provided by the telecommunications device; and e) If the comparison value meets a predetermined criterion, determining the data set by merging values ​​from continuously retrieved status reports of the predetermined vehicle with a number of values ​​for physical parameters provided by the telecommunications device. The recognition of the movement pattern of the telecommunications device is performed by the telecommunications device itself.

[0019] The predetermined number of status reports is retrieved from the predetermined vehicle by the telecommunications device, i.e., upon request from the telecommunications device. The predetermined number of status reports can preferably be retrieved via the communication connection established in step a).

[0020] The comparison value is determined by the telecommunications device. If the comparison value meets a predetermined criterion, the telecommunications device is located in the vehicle.

[0021] In step e), the determination of the data set is carried out by fusion by the telecommunications device.

[0022] "Corresponding" physical parameters mean that when determining a comparison value for a physical parameter from the status report, a parameter of the telecommunications device is used that technically matches the physical parameter from the status report. For example, the acceleration of the vehicle and the acceleration of the telecommunications device, or the interior temperature of the vehicle and the ambient temperature of the telecommunications device, can be used.

[0023] According to the invention, the aforementioned disadvantages are resolved by connecting the vehicle to the telecommunications device. Installing an additional hardware component in the vehicle is not necessary.

[0024] The core of the invention is that the telecommunications device is connected to the predetermined vehicle in such a way that it can retrieve and evaluate status reports (data) from the vehicle, and thereby detect whether the telecommunications device is located in the vehicle. This is detected by a comparison value determined between the evaluated status reports and the data (physical variables) collected by the telecommunications device exceeding a predetermined threshold.

[0025] This has the advantage that data collection on vehicle usage is dedicated and targeted to the data-driven application. On the one hand, no data flow is established for the application if the predetermined vehicle is moved without the telecommunications device in it. On the other hand, no movement data is collected from the telecommunications device for the application if the telecommunications device is moving with or in another vehicle. Therefore, unless it is detected that the telecommunications device is actually located in the vehicle to which it is connected, no data collection of any kind is performed.It would be possible for the telecommunications device to be located in a first vehicle but connected to a second vehicle driving alongside it – in this case, the invention makes it possible to detect that the telecommunications device is not located in the second vehicle to which it is connected – and data collection is omitted. Only the data necessary to determine that the telecommunications device is actually located within the vehicle is requested. Furthermore, it can be provided that data is only collected if the user explicitly consents to data collection (e.g., by a corresponding user input on the telecommunications device).

[0026] For example, geocodes can be used for this purpose. The geocodes of the telecommunications device are determined by a dedicated device. This device can be a satellite positioning receiver, in which case the determined geocodes are determined from satellite signals. The satellite positioning receiver can, in particular, be a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver and receive and evaluate signals from various satellite systems, such as GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, and / or BeiDou. The device can also include a WLAN receiver, in which case the geocodes can be determined using WLAN triangulation.

[0027] The geocodes include at least coordinates of the current position of the telecommunications device, e.g. in the form of a combination of longitude and latitude, and the current speed of the telecommunications device.

[0028] The invention provides that the retrieval of the status reports and the determination of the comparison value only occur if a movement pattern of the telecommunications device has previously been detected that corresponds to a vehicle movement. In other words, a check is carried out to determine whether the movement pattern of the telecommunications device matches a movement pattern of the predetermined vehicle. For this purpose, the movement of the telecommunications device is classified into several states, such as walking, sitting, cycling, playing golf, or driving a vehicle. This classification is performed by evaluating the data provided by an inertial sensor device of the telecommunications device, which includes acceleration values ​​and / or gyroscope values ​​and / or inclination angle values.The advantage of this upstream check is that vehicle status reports do not have to be queried continuously, but only at specific times, namely when the telecommunications device is suspected to be within a (moving) vehicle.

[0029] Alternatively or additionally, it can be provided that the vehicle signals or reports an ignition process to the telecommunications device. In one embodiment of the invention, it can then be provided that the status reports are only retrieved once an ignition process has been signaled. It should be noted that signaling the ignition process is merely optional. The inertial sensor device comprises at least one acceleration sensor. Additionally, the inertial sensor device can comprise a gyroscope and / or an inclination sensor.

[0030] The wireless connection between the telecommunications device and the predetermined vehicle can be a cellular connection. The wireless connection can be end-to-end encrypted, allowing messages to be sent and received directly between the connected vehicle and the telecommunications device. Likewise, a server can be connected between the connected vehicle and the telecommunications device, via which the messages are transmitted and, if necessary, stored for analysis purposes.

[0031] The merging of the data collected by the connected vehicle (status reports) and the data from the telecommunications device has the advantage of overcoming the aforementioned problems regarding data quality and data quantity. Furthermore, the bandwidth of the telecommunications device is sufficiently dimensioned for the transmission of high-quality data.

[0032] While the status reports provide a maximum of one speed value per minute, the telecommunications device can generally provide speed values ​​with a frequency of 1 Hz. The status reports contain practically no information about the acceleration values ​​recorded during a journey with the connected vehicle. The telecommunications device, on the other hand, can provide acceleration values ​​with a frequency of 100 Hz or higher using the inertial sensor device. Conversely, the telecommunications device has no means of recording other vehicle occupants or fuel consumption, which in turn can be included in the status reports of the connected vehicle and which are not subject to any high-frequency changes. Through fusion, a data set can thus be determined orwhich, in a data-driven application of the telecommunications device, provides significant added value for the use of the connected vehicle.

[0033] Advantageously, the status reports are merged with the data from the telecommunications device within the application of the telecommunications device. Furthermore, the collected data is stored exclusively in a storage device of the telecommunications device. This design has the advantage that complete control over the data flow within the application lies on the telecommunications device. Consequently, a user whose use of the predetermined vehicle is the subject of the collected data can consent to data processing on the telecommunications device and to the possible forwarding of pre-aggregated data to third parties.

[0034] The method according to the invention can therefore be summarized as follows: a) The telecommunications device connects to a vehicle. b) The telecommunications device detects a movement pattern that corresponds to vehicle movement – ​​it is therefore assumed that the telecommunications device is located in a moving vehicle. Steps a) and b) can also be performed in reverse order. c) After the telecommunications device has connected to the vehicle and detected the movement pattern mentioned (this does not yet ensure that the telecommunications device is actually located in the connected vehicle), the telecommunications device retrieves status reports with parameter values ​​from the vehicle.d) The retrieved parameter values ​​are compared with parameter values ​​provided by the telecommunications device, and a comparison value is determined. e) If the comparison value meets a predetermined criterion, it can be assumed that the telecommunications device is actually located in the vehicle. Data from the vehicle can then be merged with data from the telecommunications device to generate the data set.

[0035] It is advantageous if the telecommunication device for establishing the communication connection is authenticated, preferably by means of a QR code, and authorized, preferably by entering a shared secret.

[0036] Authenticating the telecommunications device application in the connected vehicle enables the establishment of an encrypted, direct connection between the application and the connected vehicle. Authorizing the application also enables the application to be authorized to request status reports or other queries from the connected vehicle.

[0037] The method may optionally further comprise: transmitting the values ​​from the status reports of the predetermined vehicle and the values ​​for the physical parameters provided by the telecommunication device from the telecommunication device to a server by means of a data connection, wherein the data set in step e) can be determined on the server.

[0038] Determining the data set by merging the captured data and transmitting it to the server has the advantage of reducing maintenance. When processing all the data within the telecommunications device, it is necessary to keep the application compatible with the various operating systems and versions of the telecommunications device manufacturers. With a fleet of several thousand telecommunications devices, the heterogeneous manufacturer landscape and the evolution of the telecommunications device operating systems result in a significant increase in data processing effort compared to processing all provided application data on a single server.

[0039] Optionally, the data set—that is, the data merged at the telecommunications device—can be transferred from the telecommunications device to a server via a data connection. This has the advantage that only data relevant to the specific application is transferred. This aspect can be taken into account during the data merging process.

[0040] The comparison value can be determined by calculating a correlation between values ​​of a physical parameter from the status reports and values ​​of a corresponding physical parameter provided by the telecommunication device, wherein the physical parameter and the corresponding physical parameter are selected from the group comprising

[0041] - current speed of the vehicle and a speed provided by the device for determining a geocode,

[0042] - Acceleration of the vehicle and acceleration of the telecommunications equipment,

[0043] - Angular acceleration of the vehicle and angular acceleration of the telecommunications equipment,

[0044] - GPS position of the vehicle and GPS position of the telecommunications device,

[0045] - Steering angle of the vehicle and GPS position of the telecommunications device including map data,

[0046] - Interior temperature of the vehicle and ambient temperature of the telecommunications equipment,

[0047] - Brightness in the interior of the vehicle and ambient brightness of the telecommunications equipment, - Noise in the interior of the vehicle and ambient noise of the telecommunications equipment,

[0048] - Charging data of the vehicle's battery and charging data of the telecommunications device coupled to a wallbox or a public charging device, and

[0049] - combinations thereof.

[0050] The aforementioned parameters or parameter values ​​can be recorded as time series. Thus, the comparison value can be determined, for example, by calculating a correlation between the time series of speeds from the status reports and the time series of speeds from the geocodes of the telecommunications equipment.

[0051] This determination is carried out, for example, by calculating a cross-correlation between two time series. This approach has the advantage that the comparison value is determined not just based on a single data point, but over a specific period of time. This allows the comparison value to indicate with great accuracy whether the telecommunications device is actually located within the specified vehicle.

[0052] Each status report may include a vehicle mileage and the number of vehicle occupants, wherein from each status report, the mileage, the number of vehicle occupants, the current speed, and the location of the last position are fused with the number of geocodes, a number of acceleration values ​​of the inertial sensor device, and an indication of the use of the telecommunications device by correlating the number of geocodes with the speed and location from the status reports, wherein the dataset represents an evaluation of a driving style. When determining the dataset by fusion, the dataset may be enriched with map data, wherein the enriched dataset includes criteria for evaluating the driving style selected from the group comprising

[0053] - speeding,

[0054] - strong acceleration values,

[0055] - accident-like braking,

[0056] - Use of telecommunications equipment while driving,

[0057] - travel times,

[0058] - Disregard of traffic rules,

[0059] - Driver fatigue,

[0060] - weather conditions,

[0061] - travel time,

[0062] - Street type,

[0063] - risk of distraction, and

[0064] - combinations thereof.

[0065] This specialized application enables the processing of behavior-based motor vehicle insurance. The driving style can be assessed individually for each trip and for a specific driver (the driver to whom the telecommunications device is assigned) based on a weighting of the evaluation criteria listed above, and averaged over time from various trips. By evaluating the vehicle's mileage, the actual number of kilometers traveled can also be taken into account when calculating an insurance premium. Another advantage of this application is the ability to display the recorded routes to reflect on the driver's behavior in traffic. This can reduce the likelihood of an accident.

[0066] The measured values ​​of the inertial sensor device may include acceleration values, the method further comprising: f) monitoring the acceleration values, and reporting an extreme acceleration event, the acceleration value thereof exceeding a predetermined threshold, g) retrieving information about the extreme acceleration event from the predetermined vehicle, the data set comprising the acceleration values ​​and the number of geocodes from a predetermined time interval before the extreme acceleration event and the information about the extreme acceleration value.

[0067] This specialized application thus enables automated accident detection, within which any damage that has occurred can also be automatically assessed. With precise calibration of the inertial sensor device's acceleration sensor, the high-resolution acceleration data can be used to characterize the extreme acceleration event, i.e., the severity of an impact and its direction of impact can be precisely estimated. High-resolution acceleration data is necessary precisely because the initial acceleration pulse due to the impact builds up and dissipates again within a few milliseconds. The automatic assessment of body damage can significantly accelerate insurance claims processing. When an accident is detected, the telecommunications device can retrieve contextual information in the form of telemetry data and / or other data from the vehicle.

[0068] The method may further comprise querying a fuel level of the predetermined vehicle and detecting a reduction in the fuel level when the predetermined vehicle is stationary, wherein the data set comprises the location of the last position and values ​​of the fuel level before and after the reduction. A status report of the predetermined vehicle may additionally comprise a charge level of a battery of the predetermined vehicle, wherein the telecommunications device determines an ambient temperature at predetermined time intervals, wherein the data set comprises a fusion of the charge level of the battery, the ambient temperature, the mileage, and the current speed with the number of geocodes, such that the data set represents an evaluation of the use of the battery.

[0069] This specialized application enables the evaluation of the use of the battery of the predetermined vehicle, in particular a (partially) electric vehicle.

[0070] In one embodiment of the invention, the telecommunications device can be a mobile phone.

[0071] Likewise, the telecommunications device can be a tablet or a smartwatch.

[0072] In one embodiment of the invention, the communication connection may be a wireless communication connection.

[0073] Short description of the characters

[0074] Details and features of the invention, as well as specific embodiments of the invention, will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawing. It shows:

[0075] Fig. 1 is a schematic overview of various prior art application architectures for supporting the use of a connected vehicle; Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of the data streams in a data-driven application according to one aspect of the invention;

[0076] Fig. 3 is a flow chart for an embodiment of the method according to the invention;

[0077] Fig. 4 is a diagram for determining a comparison value according to one aspect of the invention.

[0078] Detailed description of the characters

[0079] The core idea of ​​the inventive solution is to readily determine from the data available from the networked vehicle and the telecommunications device whether the telecommunications device is moving with the vehicle, i.e., whether the telecommunications device is located in the vehicle. If this is the case, the data from both sources, i.e., from the vehicle and the telecommunications device, can be merged in a way that is specific to the application. This drastically improves the quality and quantity of the data provided by the vehicle, while simultaneously minimizing data capture using the telecommunications device, i.e., only related to the specific purpose of the application and only within the framework necessary for evaluation.

[0080] Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of the data streams in a data-driven application according to one aspect of the invention.

[0081] The starting point of the solution according to the invention is that both the vehicle and the telecommunications devices each comprise a number of sensors whose values ​​can be made available in an application of the telecommunications devices, for example by queries ("pull") or as a message from the networked vehicle ("push"). This initially requires a connection to be established between the telecommunications device and the vehicle. In one embodiment of the method according to the invention, the application first determines the manufacturer of the vehicle. The background here is that the status reports provided by the vehicle are only partially specified, so that more or less data is provided by the networked vehicle depending on the manufacturer. According to one aspect of the invention, the corresponding vehicle manufacturer can be selected from a list of manufacturers in the application.After selecting the manufacturer, the application establishes an encrypted connection to the connected vehicle. To do this, the application must authenticate itself to the connected vehicle, for example, using a QR code or other known mechanisms. Preferably, the application must also be authorized by the connected vehicle. Once the encrypted connection has been successfully established, the keys used for this purpose can be stored in the application on the telecommunications device. In other words, the telecommunications device represents a security token, which can be used to easily approve or reject the collection of data from the vehicle's use.

[0082] Using the keys of the predetermined vehicle stored in the application, status reports can be retrieved from the vehicle. These status reports contain a series of values ​​from the vehicle's sensors. For example, the status reports can be queried once an hour as long as the vehicle is stationary. If the vehicle is moving, the status reports can be queried once a minute. However, the status reports often only contain sparse information, such as the coordinates of the vehicle's last parked position, the fuel level, the current speed, the number of vehicle occupants, and the mileage. The data in the status reports is therefore insufficient both in terms of their volume and rate, particularly for insurance data products. As soon as the telecommunications device and the vehicle are connected via an encrypted connection over the Internet orare paired, and the user has additionally approved the use of the data collected by the application (opt-in), the application first determines whether the telecommunications device is moving with the vehicle.

[0083] For this purpose, the movement of the telecommunications device is continuously classified into movement patterns. These movement patterns can be divided into the states of running, cycling, driving a vehicle, walking, etc. The movement patterns can be recognized by evaluating acceleration data from the telecommunications device's inertial sensor device. This evaluation can include, for example, interval-based and / or frequency-based time series classifiers.

[0084] In one embodiment of the invention, the telecommunication device can determine the start of a journey via movement heuristics (using acceleration data of the inertial sensor device of the telecommunication device) without using position data (GPS, GNSS, . . .).

[0085] In the same way, the telecommunications device can detect the end of a journey, i.e., using movement heuristics. Using movement heuristics, it can also be determined whether a journey has actually ended or whether the vehicle is merely stationary, for example, to refuel. This allows multiple journey segments, between which the vehicle stops briefly, to be considered as a single journey, which can be relevant, for example, in insurance applications. Journey interruptions can thus be detected exclusively by the telecommunications device, without requiring data from the vehicle's status reports.

[0086] As soon as the start of a journey is detected, the telecommunications device can begin buffering the data (GPS, acceleration, etc.). The buffered data can be used to determine whether the telecommunications device is in the vehicle.

[0087] If the movement pattern "driving in a vehicle" is detected, a subset of the sensor values ​​or data from the status reports and the data obtained from the telecommunications devices are compared. The status reports are preferably only retrieved from the vehicle when the movement pattern "driving in a vehicle" is detected and the telecommunications device is connected to the vehicle via the communication link.

[0088] By evaluating the requested status reports, the application can determine whether the vehicle is also moving and what its last parked position was. A comparison value could therefore be calculated from the inverse distance between the geocodes determined by the telecommunications device and the vehicle's last parked position. The closer the positions from the geocode and the vehicle's last parked position are, the higher the comparison value will be. If the comparison value exceeds a predetermined threshold, it can be assumed that the telecommunications device has been moved into the predetermined vehicle and is now moving with it.

[0089] To improve the determination of the comparison value in situations where the vehicle was parked without GNSS reception, the comparison value can also be determined from the speeds recorded by the vehicle and the telecommunications equipment. This embodiment of the method according to the invention is explained in more detail with reference to Fig. 4.

[0090] If a match is found between the selected sensor values ​​of the predetermined vehicle and the selected sensor values ​​of the telecommunications device, it is assumed that the telecommunications device is located in the predetermined vehicle. In this case, the vehicle data and data of the telecommunications device may be recorded and processed together (i.e., the data of the telecommunications device and the vehicle data retrieved or requested by the telecommunications device are merged into a common data set). Otherwise, the previously recorded data is deleted. Depending on the specific application to be enabled by the recorded and processed data, selected sensor values ​​of the predetermined vehicle are merged with the data of the telecommunications device.This enables the application to provide data products with high data quality and based on additional data such as mileage or the number of vehicle occupants.

[0091] The choice of the predetermined threshold may depend on the specific application or data product. For behavior-based insurance, a relatively high threshold can be set, as sensitive personal data such as the coordinates of a trip in relation to the recorded speeds and accelerations are processed. A lower threshold can be set for fuel level monitoring, as the fuel level is not typically a sensitive personal data set.

[0092] If the determined comparison value falls below the predetermined threshold or the geocodes of the telecommunications devices do not sufficiently correlate with the values ​​read from the status reports, it can be assumed that the telecommunications devices are not located within the predetermined vehicle. In this case, the data collected to determine the comparison value is not further processed but deleted. Using the merged data, a number of different data-driven use cases can be implemented and deployed to support the use of a connected vehicle.

[0093] According to one aspect of the invention, behavior-based motor vehicle insurance can be implemented. For this application, sensor data with the highest possible resolution is required. Positions, speeds, accelerations, headings, and usage data of the telecommunications device can be collected from the telecommunications device. Mileage, positions, and speeds can be extracted from the status reports of the connected vehicle with low temporal resolution. If a match between the predetermined vehicle and the telecommunications device is detected, the data from the two data sources are merged by determining a correlation between the position data and the speed data. To determine the correlation between the speed data from the predetermined vehicle and the telecommunications device, see Figure 4.

[0094] The merged dataset forms the data basis for the application of behavior-based motor vehicle insurance ("pay-how-you-drive"). The inventive method ensures that the policyholder is monitored via their telecommunications devices, e.g., smartphone, only while driving the insured (predetermined) vehicle. Based on the merged dataset, a driving style assessment or score can be determined. Sudden acceleration and / or braking maneuvers, speeding, risky cornering, and even the use of a smartphone while driving can worsen the score. The mileage of the connected vehicle can be used to determine whether the vehicle was moved without data recording between the last recorded trip and the current trip.For example, it can be checked whether the mileage at the start of a current trip matches the last reported mileage of the previous trip. Another advantage for behavior-based insurance applications is the inclusion of data on the number of vehicle occupants, which can be used to estimate the driver's potential for distraction.

[0095] The merged dataset can also form the basis for automated damage reporting in the event of an accident. In this use case, vehicle accidents should be reliably detected and the associated insurance company informed of the expected damage. This can accelerate the processing of the claim, as it can be known early on which part needs to be repaired and what the costs would be. By determining the force and direction of the impact, as well as information on how many vehicle occupants were in which seats in the insured vehicle, injuries to the vehicle occupants can also be estimated.

[0096] According to one aspect of the invention, the application of the telecommunications device monitors the recorded acceleration values ​​of the inertial sensor device for extreme acceleration events during vehicle use. An extreme acceleration event can be detected if the acceleration value along at least one axis of the inertial sensor device exceeds 1g. As soon as an extreme acceleration event has been registered, the telecommunications device can query the networked vehicle as to whether it has registered an accident and, if so, how severe it was assessed to be and whether an airbag was deployed. Furthermore, it can query which part of the vehicle's exterior wall was damaged or deformed.For the extreme acceleration event, high-resolution acceleration values ​​recorded for the last five minutes prior to the extreme certification event are transmitted to the affected insurance company in an event report, along with a chain of at least three most recently recorded positions, the estimated severity of the accident, and the number of vehicle occupants. By enhancing the data with static vehicle data such as the manufacturer, model, model year, color, engine, additional equipment, and spare parts prices in the policyholder's country, repair costs can be automatically estimated. If a repair appears economically viable, the necessary spare parts can be pre-ordered and the workshop informed. This significantly reduces the processing of damage resulting from the extreme acceleration event.

[0097] According to a further aspect of the invention, the merged data set can be used to monitor the fuel level. Vehicles with large tanks are particularly vulnerable to fuel theft. This use case is therefore particularly aimed at networked trucks. To monitor the fuel level, it can be queried once per hour from the predetermined vehicle as long as it is not moving. The query frequency can be increased once it is dark, as fuel theft is most likely in the dark. Furthermore, the query frequency can be increased if the vehicle is parked in a location where fuel theft has previously been reported or detected.

[0098] In a specific embodiment of this use case, a message can be displayed to the user in their smartphone application if a drop in the fuel level has been detected while the predetermined vehicle is parked. If the smartphone is in the vehicle, the position of the smartphone can be used to report the fuel theft. If the smartphone is not in the vehicle, the vehicle's last parked position can be used to report the fuel theft. This report can be sent to both the insurance company and the police. Furthermore, an anonymized report, which only includes the time, location, and extent of the fuel theft, can be made available to other users of the application via a server. According to another aspect of the invention, the merged data set can be used to monitor the use of the battery of the connected vehicle.Batteries for electric vehicles have traditionally been expensive. By merging vehicle data, such as temperature, state of charge, mileage, and speed, with the positions and speeds of telecommunications equipment, battery usage can be characterized and evaluated. This allows the battery's condition to be estimated cost-effectively and efficiently, especially during operation.

[0099] According to the invention, it is therefore provided that a fused data set is generated from the data of the vehicle and the data of the telecommunications device, wherein the fused data set is only generated if it has first been positively validated that the telecommunications device is located in the vehicle.

[0100] What the merged data set actually looks like, i.e., what information it contains, also depends on the specific application. Data irrelevant to a specific application is not stored in the merged data set. Furthermore, it is intended that data from the vehicle and / or telecommunications device that is not required for a specific application is not collected or queried – thus, only those data from the vehicle and / or telecommunications device that are necessary to create a merged data set for a specific application are collected or queried.

[0101] According to the invention, it is also provided that the correlation between the vehicle and the telecommunications device takes place entirely within or through the telecommunications device. For this purpose, neither vehicle data as such nor data from the telecommunications device as such are transmitted to a third party (e.g., a server). Only merged data sets are transmitted to a third party (e.g., an insurance company's server), and only if it has been positively validated beforehand that the telecommunications device is located in the vehicle.

[0102] As explained above, the start and end of a journey are determined exclusively by the telecommunications device. The aforementioned correlation between the vehicle and the telecommunications device takes place during the journey and not at the end of the journey, with the correlation being performed exclusively in the telecommunications device. It can be advantageous if the telecommunications device independently selects times at which it queries the vehicle's data for correlation purposes—for example, the telecommunications device can retrieve vehicle data at certain acceleration values ​​from the telecommunications device.

[0103] A key aspect of the present invention is that the telecommunications device itself determines whether it is "riding in a vehicle." For this purpose, vehicle data is only used to check whether the telecommunications device and the vehicle are moving congruently. Thus, in the present invention, determining whether a vehicle is moving is not performed based on the vehicle data, but exclusively on the data from the telecommunications device.

[0104] In the event that two telecommunications devices detect a journey in the same vehicle, the invention can provide for a message to be sent to both telecommunications devices, querying which user is driving. The driving user can confirm the query on their telecommunications device with a positive answer; alternatively, the non-driving user can confirm the query on their telecommunications device with a negative answer.

[0105] Fig. 3 shows a flowchart for one embodiment of the method according to the invention. As explained above, according to the invention, a connection is first established between the predetermined vehicle and the telecommunications device.

[0106] Subsequently, movement patterns of the communications device are continuously determined. If a movement pattern of the telecommunications device detects that it is located in a vehicle (e.g., by matching a corresponding movement pattern of the vehicle), status reports from the predetermined vehicle are retrieved using the keys stored in the application. Otherwise, further movement patterns of the telecommunications device are classified.

[0107] The retrieved status reports of the predetermined vehicle are evaluated, i.e., the last parking position and / or the current speed are extracted from the status reports (other data can also be extracted from the status reports according to the invention). Likewise, the geocode device of the telecommunications device continuously provides geocodes or locations. With sufficient reception strength, the determined geocodes each include at least a coordinate pair of longitude and latitude, a speed, a heading, and a timestamp.

[0108] In the next step, the data evaluated from the vehicle reports and the geocodes of the telecommunications device are combined to calculate a comparison value. The comparison value can be calculated as a distance value based on the recorded positions and / or as a (cross-)correlation between the time series of recorded speeds.

[0109] If the comparison value V exceeds a predetermined threshold T or fulfills a predetermined condition / criterion, the sensor data retrieved from the vehicle are merged with the geocodes and measurement data collected by the telecommunications device. The merged data set represents the use of a predetermined vehicle.

[0110] Fig. 4 shows a diagram for determining a comparison value according to one aspect of the invention.

[0111] The comparison shown in Fig. 4 is based on the speed values ​​that were evaluated on the one hand from the vehicle's status reports and on the other hand were determined by a device of the telecommunications device, in this case a smartphone.

[0112] To determine the comparison value, a predetermined number of status reports can be requested from the vehicle at a predetermined time interval and evaluated based on their speed information. For example, ten status reports can be requested during the first 30 minutes of a journey. In this example, status reports from the vehicle were continuously retrieved and evaluated.

[0113] A first time series can be created from the speed values ​​of the geocodes; a second time series can be created from the speed values ​​of the status reports.

[0114] The round data points of the first curve in Fig. 4 represent the first time series, which resulted from a high-frequency speed measurement of the smartphone during a ride. The square points of the second curve in Fig. 4 correspondingly represent the second time series. Visually, there is a perfect match between the first time series and the second time series. Although the two time series have different sampling rates and offset timestamps, the two time series fit together seamlessly when superimposed. Furthermore, the comparison of the two time series can be quantified using a correlation analysis. For this purpose, a cross-correlation between the two time series can be calculated. The cross-correlation is normalized, with a value of 1 for two identical time series, a value of 0 for two completely uncorrelated time series, and a value of -1 for two time series in opposite phase.In this case, the result of the cross-correlation is the comparison value, whereby the comparison value becomes more meaningful the longer the predetermined time interval or the larger the number of queried status reports.

Claims

Claims 1. A method for determining a data set by means of a telecommunications device, wherein the data set represents the use of a predetermined vehicle, wherein the telecommunications device comprises a device for determining a geocode and an inertial sensor device, the method comprising the following steps: a) establishing a communication connection between the telecommunications device and the predetermined vehicle, b) detecting a movement pattern of the telecommunications device that is associated with a state of vehicle movement, wherein the movement pattern is determined by evaluating measurement data from the inertial sensor device, c) retrieving a predetermined number of status reports from the predetermined vehicle, wherein each status report stores values ​​for a number of physical parameters associated with the predetermined vehicle,d) determining a comparison value based on the values ​​of at least one physical parameter stored in the status reports and based on values ​​for corresponding physical parameters provided by the telecommunications device, and e) if the comparison value meets a predetermined criterion, determining the data set by merging values ​​from continuously retrieved status reports of the predetermined vehicle with a number of values ​​for physical parameters provided by the telecommunications device.

2. Method according to the preceding claim, wherein steps b), c), d) and e) are each carried out by the telecommunications device.

3. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the telecommunication device for establishing the communication connection is authenticated, preferably by means of a QR code, and authorized, preferably by means of an input of a shared secret.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting the values ​​from the status reports of the predetermined vehicle and the values ​​for the physical parameters provided by the telecommunication device from the telecommunication device to a server by means of a data connection, wherein the data set is determined in step e) on the server.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising transmitting the data set from the telecommunications device to a server by means of a data connection.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the comparison value is determined by calculating a correlation between values ​​of a physical parameter from the status reports and values ​​of a corresponding physical parameter provided by the telecommunication device, wherein the physical parameter and the corresponding physical parameter are selected from the group comprising - current speed of the vehicle and a speed provided by the device for determining a geocode, - Acceleration of the vehicle and acceleration of the telecommunications equipment, - Angular acceleration of the vehicle and angular acceleration of the telecommunications equipment, - GPS position of the vehicle and GPS position of the telecommunications device, - Steering angle of the vehicle and GPS position of the telecommunications device including map data, - Interior temperature of the vehicle and ambient temperature of the telecommunications equipment, - Brightness in the interior of the vehicle and ambient brightness of the telecommunications equipment, - Noises in the interior of the vehicle and ambient noise from the telecommunications equipment, - Charging data of the vehicle's battery and charging data of the telecommunications device coupled to a wallbox or a public charging device, and - combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each status report includes a mileage of the vehicle and the number of vehicle occupants, wherein from each status report the mileage, the number of vehicle occupants, the current speed and the location of the last position are fused with the number of geocodes, a number of acceleration values ​​of the inertial sensor device and an indication of the use of the telecommunications device by correlating the number of geocodes with the speed and the location from the status reports, wherein the data set represents an evaluation of a driving style.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein when determining the data set by merging the data set is enriched with map data, wherein the enriched data set comprises criteria for evaluating the driving style, which are selected from the group comprising - speeding, - strong acceleration values, - accident-like braking, - Use of telecommunications equipment while driving, - travel times, - Disregard of traffic rules, - Driver fatigue, - weather conditions, - travel time, - Street type, - risk of distraction, and - combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the measured values ​​of the inertial sensor device comprise acceleration values, the method further comprising: f) monitoring the acceleration values, and reporting an extreme acceleration event, the acceleration value of which exceeds a predetermined threshold, g) retrieving information about the extreme acceleration event from the predetermined vehicle, the data set comprising the acceleration values ​​and the number of geocodes from a predetermined time interval before the extreme acceleration event and the information about the extreme acceleration value.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising querying a fuel level of the predetermined vehicle, and detecting a reduction in the fuel level when the predetermined vehicle is stationary, wherein the data set includes the location of the last position and values ​​of the fuel level before and after the reduction.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein each status report of the predetermined vehicle additionally comprises a charge level of a battery of the predetermined vehicle, wherein the telecommunication device determines an ambient temperature at predetermined time intervals, wherein the da- The data set comprises a fusion of the battery charge level, the ambient temperature, the mileage and the current speed with the number of geocodes, so that the data set represents an evaluation of the battery usage.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the start and end of a journey of the vehicle are detected by the telecommunications device using motion heuristics of the telecommunications device.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein steps c) and d) are performed exclusively by the telecommunications device.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the telecommunications device is a mobile phone.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication link is a wireless communication link.

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