A method for providing a crash information of a motor vehicle to a user, a computer program product, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium

Abstract

A method for providing a crash information 12 of a motor vehicle 14 and another motor vehicle 24 to a user 16 by an electronic computing device 10 comprises receiving an information request 30 for the

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of automobiles. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for providing a crash information of a motor vehicle to a user by an electronic computing device according to independent claim 1. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a corresponding computer program product, a corresponding non-transitory computer-readable medium, as well as to a corresponding electronic computing device. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

[0002] One of the challenges that the automotive industry faces today is trying to piece together evidence from a vehicle accident and the events that lead to an accident of their customers’ vehicle. In addition to this, it is not easy to generate analytics regarding these accidents or at least not in an efficient and automated way.

[0003] There are various methods and technologies that can be combined to create an efficient pipeline to aid in this investigation and to generate the appropriate analytics to help investigators better understand the true route cause of the accident including a malfunction of a vehicle component. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method, a corresponding computer program product, a corresponding non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, as well as a corresponding electronic computing device, by which an efficient and automated way for investigating a crash of a motor vehicle can be realized.

[0005] This object is solved by a method, a corresponding computer program product, a corresponding non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, as well as a corresponding electronic computing device according to the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are presented in the dependent claims.

[0006] One aspect of the invention relates to a method for providing a crash information involving one or more motor vehicles to a user by an electronic computing device. An information request for the crash information is received from a user by a receiving device of the electronic computing device. Vehicle data from the motor vehicle is requested by a requesting device of the electronic computing device. The requested vehicle data is received from the motor vehicle by the requesting device. The crash information is generated depending on the received vehicle data by the electronic computing device. The crash information is provided by the electronic computing device to be retrieved by the user.

[0007] Therefore, a so-called black box recorder on the motor vehicle may continuously record the vehicle’s sensor data. A lot of new motor vehicles may come with radar, lidar, and cameras. This information is needed to be recorded on a continuous basis on the motor vehicle so that in the event of an accident / crash the data can be retrieved. This data is then retrieved from the electronic computing device. The user can then ask for the corresponding data during the crash. For example a web portal for parties / for the user may be provided to interact with a user, for example an engineer, attorney, investigator, can create a new case for investigation, enter the proper information, and upload the black box recording collected from the motor vehicle.

[0008] According to an embodiment the crash information is provided for a simulation of the crash.

[0009] In another embodiment the simulation is displayed on a display device of the user.

[0010] In another embodiment merely vehicle information of a predetermined time frame around the crash is transmitted from the motor vehicle to the receiving device.

[0011] In another embodiment the time frame is predetermined by the user.

[0012] In another embodiment additional vehicle data from another motor vehicle in the surroundings of the motor vehicle during the crash is requested by the electronic computing device.

[0013] In particular, the method is a computer-implemented method. Therefore, another aspect of the invention relates to a computer program product, comprising program code means for performing a method according to the preceding aspect.

[0014] Another aspect of the invention relates to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising at least a computer program product according to the preceding aspect.

[0015] A still further aspect of the invention relates to an electronic computing device for providing a crash information of a motor vehicle for a user, comprising at least one receiving device and one requesting device, wherein the electronic computing device is configured for performing a method according to the preceding aspect. In particular, the method is performed by the electronic computing device.

[0016] Advantageous embodiments of the method are to be regarded as advantageous embodiments of the computer program product, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, as well as the electronic computing device. The electronic computing device therefore comprises means for performing the method according to the preceding aspect.

[0017] A computing unit may in particular be understood as a data processing device, which comprises processing circuitry. The computing unit can therefore in particular process data to perform computing operations. This may also include operations to perform indexed accesses to a data structure, for example a look-up table, LUT.

[0018] In particular, the computing unit may include one or more computers, one or more microcontrollers, and / or one or more integrated circuits, for example, one or more application-specific integrated circuits, ASIC, one or more field-programmable gate arrays, FPGA, and / or one or more systems on a chip, SoC. The computing unit may also include one or more processors, for example one or more microprocessors, one or more central processing units, CPU, one or more graphics processing units, GPU, and / or one or more signal processors, in particular one or more digital signal processors, DSP. The computing unit may also include a physical or a virtual cluster of computers or other of said units.

[0019] In various embodiments, the computing unit includes one or more hardware and / or software interfaces and / or one or more memory units.

[0020] A memory unit may be implemented as a volatile data memory, for example a dynamic random access memory, DRAM, or a static random access memory, SRAM, or as a non-volatile data memory, for example a read-only memory, ROM, a programmable read-only memory, PROM, an erasable programmable read-only memory, EPROM, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, EEPROM, a flash memory or flash EEPROM, a ferroelectric random access memory, FRAM, a magnetoresistive random access memory, MRAM, or a phase-change random access memory, PCRAM.

[0021] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention derive from the following description of preferred embodiments as well as from the drawings. The features and feature combinations previously mentioned in the description as well as the features and feature combinations mentioned in the following description of the figures and / or shown in the figures alone can be employed not only in the respectively indicated combination but also in any other combination or taken alone without leaving the scope of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The novel features and characteristic of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system and / or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described below, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0023] The drawings show in:

[0024] Fig. 1 a schematic block diagram according to an embodiment of an electronic computing device; and

[0025] Fig. 2 a schematic flow chart according to an embodiment of the method.

[0026] In the figures the same elements or elements having the same function are indicated by the same reference signs. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration". Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

[0028] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawing and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.

[0029] The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion so that a setup, device or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus preceded by “comprises” or “comprise” does not or do not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or method.

[0030] In the following detailed description of the embodiment of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawing that forms part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration a specific embodiment in which the disclosure may be practiced. This embodiment is described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0031] Fig. 1 shows a schematic block diagram according to an embodiment of an electronic computing device 10. The electronic computing device 10 is configured for providing a crash information 12 of a crash 22 involving motor vehicles 14 and 24 to a user 16. The electronic computing device 10 therefore comprises at least one receiving device 18 as well as one requesting device 20.

[0032] According to the shown embodiment the motor vehicle 14 was involved in a crash 22 with another motor vehicle 24. The motor vehicle 14 comprises a black box recorder 26. In the black box recorder 26, data from a set of capturing devices 28 of the motor vehicle 14 are stored. Another motor vehicle 24 comprises of an another black box recorder 36. In the black box recorder 36, data from another set of capturing devices 38 of the another motor vehicle 24 are stored.

[0033] According to an embodiment of the method an information request 30 is received for the crash information 12 from the user 16 by the receiving device 18 of the electronic computing device 10. Vehicle data 32 from the motor vehicle 14 and another vehicle data 40 from the another motor vehicle 24 are requested by the requesting device 20 of the electronic computing device 10 based on the request 30. The requested vehicle data 32 is received from the motor vehicle 14 by the receiving device 18. The requested another vehicle data 40 is received from the another motor vehicle 24 by the receiving device 18. The crash information 12 is generated depending on the received vehicle data 32 and the received another vehicle data 40 by the electronic computing device 10. The crash information 12 is retrieved by the user 16 from the electronic computing device 10.

[0034] In particular, the crash information 12 may be provided for a simulation of the crash 22. Furthermore, the simulation may be displayed on a display device of the user 16.

[0035] Furthermore, just vehicle data 32 of a predetermined time frame around the crash 22 is transmitted from the motor vehicle 14 to the receiving device 18. Similarly, just another vehicle data 40 of a predetermined time frame around the crash 22 is transmitted from the another motor vehicle 24 to the receiving device 18. In particular, the time frame may be predetermined by the user 16.

[0036] Additional vehicle data from another motor vehicle in the surroundings of the motor vehicles involved in the crash may be requested to provide their own vehicle data as well by the electronic computing device.

[0037] According to the shown embodiment the black box recorder 26 on the motor vehicle 14 may continuously record the vehicle sensor data provided by a set of capturing devices 28 of the motor vehicle 14. The another black box recorder 36 on the another motor vehicle 24 may continuously record the vehicle sensor data provided by a set of another capturing devices 38 of the another motor vehicle 24. A lot of newer motor vehicles 14 and 24 come with capturing devices such as radars, lidars, and cameras. The corresponding information may need to be recorded on a continuous basis on the motor vehicle 14 so that in the event of the crash 22 the data can be retrieved.

[0038] A web portal for all parties to interact with is provided. A user 16, for example an engineer, attorney, or investigator, may create a new case for investigation, enter the appropriate information, and upload the black box recording collected from the motor vehicle 14 and another motor vehicle 24. For example, an investigator may be assigned to the case. The investigator may use a simulation system in the cloud to take the black box recordings, and replay the recording in for example a three-dimensional simulated environment. Simulation technology is widely used in the autonomous driving industry to simulate different driving scenarios, and render three-dimensional visualizations for the actions and objects surrounding the motor vehicle 14 and another motor vehicle 24. The goal for this use case is to replay the black box data with regards to the time frame around the time of the crash 22. The three-dimensional visualization may allow investigators to more efficiently spot the root cause of the crash 22. For example, if multiple vehicles black box systems are available, the simulation system may be able to play all of such recordings in a coordinated manner using the time stamp for each entry from these black box recordings. All time stamps are stored for example in UTC time zone so that they are all in the same time zone.

[0039] The investigator then may enter their findings into the case, and holds the appropriate discussions to finalize the route cause. Once the route cause has been found, the case will be automatically forwarded to the analytics engine and then be closed. The analytics engine may add the case and root cause information into a database. A user 16 may use the analytics page on the portal to generate various metrics. The analytics page may use analytics engine to generate actual metrics. In particular, for example, what percentage of accidents are driver fault, what percentage of accidents are external partial faults, what percentage of accidents are mechanical failures, what percentage of accidents are software failures, what percentage of accidents are due to region conditions, is there a correlation between internal failures and vehicle age on the road, what percentage of accidents are due to a recall component, and the number of accidents per region of the world may be generated as matrix.

[0040] Fig. 2 shows a schematic flow chart according to an embodiment of the method. In a particular first step S1 the black box data is collected. In a second step S2 the user 16 may create a new case, enter the proper information, and uploads black box recordings. In a third step S3 an investigator may use a simulation to replay black box recordings to identify issues. In a fourth step S4 conclusions on the root cause of the accidents may be provided, and the case may be closed. In a fifth step S5 the output may be fed into the analytics engine. In a sixth step S6 a user 16, may review the analytics reports. In a seventh step S7, for example an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) can make business decisions based on analytics reports. In an eighth step S8 the method may be ended. Reference Signs 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 S1-S8 electronic computing device crash information motor vehicle user receiving device requesting device crash another motor vehicle black box recorder set of capturing devices information request vehicle data additional vehicle data another black box recorder another set of capturing devices another vehicle data steps of the method

Claims

1. A method for providing a crash information (12) of a motor vehicle (14) and another motor vehicle (24) to a user (16) by an electronic computing device (10), comprising the steps of:- receiving an information request (30) for the crash information (12) from the user (16) by a receiving device (18) of the electronic computing device (10);- requesting vehicle data (32) from the motor vehicle (14) by a requesting device (20) of the electronic computing device (10) based on the information request (30);- requesting another vehicle data (40) from the another motor vehicle (24) by a requesting device (20) of the electronic computing device (10) based on the information request (30);- receiving the requested vehicle data (32) from the motor vehicle (14) by the receiving device (18);- receiving the requested another vehicle data (40) from the another motor vehicle (24) by the receiving device (18);- generating the crash information (12) depending on the received vehicle data (32) and received another vehicle data (40) by the electronic computing device (10); and - providing the crash information (12) by the electronic computing device (10) to be retrieved by the user (16).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe crash information (12) is provided for a simulation of the crash (22).

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in thatthe simulation is displayed on a display device of the user (16).

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in thatvehicle data (32) of a predetermined time frame around the crash (22) is transmitted from the motor vehicle (14) to the receiving device (18) and another vehicle data (40) of a predetermined time frame around the crash (22) is transmitted from the another motor vehicle (24) to the receiving device (18).

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in thatthe time frame is predetermined by the user (16).

6. A computer program product comprising program code means for performing the method.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising at least the computer program product according to claim 6.

8. An electronic computing device (10) for providing a crash information (12) of a motor vehicle (14) and another motor vehicle (24) for a user (16), comprising at least one receiving device (18) and one requesting device (20), wherein the electronic computing device (10) is configured for performing a method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.12

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