Driver assistance design and analysis system

Abstract

To determine the effectiveness of the operation of one or more driver assist systems or functions based on statistical relationships.SOLUTION: A routing system includes: an accident detection system for determining presence of an accident in a vehicle with a driver assistance function; a vehicle operational database (DB) that collects vehicle operational data from or about the vehicle at the time of an accident; a rule DB; a fault determination system that, when the accident detection system determines that a particular vehicle has been in an accident, operates to access the vehicle operational DB, access rules in the rule DB, determine a vehicle state at the time of the accident based on the vehicle operational data for the particular vehicle at the time of the accident, and determine a responsible party based on a set of the vehicle state and the accessed rules; and a routing engine operating on a processor to determine a route to the determined responsible party, of claims for the accident of the particular vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This patent relates to vehicle driver assistance processing systems and technologies, and more specifically, to a processing system and method for analyzing the design of an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) for detecting design defects in these systems.

Background Art

[0002] Driver assistance systems, sometimes called Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), generally provide information or feedback to the driver of a vehicle (e.g., an automobile) to avoid collisions or accidents, to alert the driver to potential problems or hazards (e.g., blind spot warning systems, distance detection systems, etc.), or to automatically control parts of the vehicle (e.g., braking systems, steering systems, lane-following systems, etc.). In some cases, driver assistance systems for so-called "driverless vehicles," which automatically control the vehicle without a human driver, are expected to be developed in the near future. In any case, many different types of driver assistance systems (or driver assistance features) exist or are currently under development and available on the market, both as part of high-end features in automobiles and as part of driverless vehicle prototypes. Driver assistance systems can include one or more driver assistance functions integrated into the vehicle's drive system, such as automatic braking systems, distance warning systems, automatic turning systems, automatic or semi-automatic collision avoidance systems, adaptive cruise control systems, automatic parking systems, one or more detection systems that warn the driver of hazards or other vehicles, and lane-following systems to keep the vehicle in the correct lane. All of these work in cooperation with the human driver to assist the driver in driving or controlling the vehicle. In some cases, a driver assistance system may be a fully automated control system that drives the vehicle without human assistance, including navigation, braking, acceleration, turning, etc. Currently, many designs and prototypes of driverless vehicle systems and / or driver assistance systems and functions have been developed, tested, and introduced to the market, but the absolute and / or relative performance of many or most of these systems remains unknown.

[0003] While many driver assistance systems or features are thoroughly tested before being introduced to the market, once introduced, hidden defects or weaknesses may still exist in these systems that are not easily detected or observed under typical test conditions. For example, some of these driver assistance systems or features may not function properly or completely satisfactorily when a combination of factors is present, such as when turning left in the rain. Thus, it may take years for driver assistance system manufacturers to be able to detect potential problems with a driver assistance system or feature, which could lead to unnecessary injuries and deaths, as well as increased damage from accidents caused by these improperly or poorly designed systems.

[0004] Furthermore, because the use of driver assistance system components is still in its infancy, there are no known standards or benchmarks for conducting absolute or comparative analyses of the performance of these driver assistance components or systems. As a result, driver assistance system and vehicle manufacturers end up using unplanned methods to analyze the effectiveness of these driver assistance systems or functions.

[0005] In addition, many questions remain regarding who is responsible for accidents and other damages caused by the failure or improper design of one or more driver assistance components or systems within a vehicle. For example, if none of the functions of the driver assistance system are involved in the accident, collision, or other loss, the driver's or vehicle owner's insurance company is generally liable for damages. However, if one or more components of the driver assistance system are involved in the accident, collision, or other loss, the vehicle manufacturer (or its insurance company) may be liable for some or all of the damages, especially if the driver assistance system failed or did not function properly. In other cases where the vehicle's driver assistance system components are involved in an accident or loss, but function properly and do not cause an accident, the driver's or vehicle owner's insurance company is still generally liable for damages. In situations where the driver assistance system is a driverless vehicle solution, the vehicle manufacturer, the driver assistance manufacturer, or their insurance company may be liable for damages. The method for determining who is responsible for such damages remains unclear, and there is currently no known mechanism for promptly assessing or ensuring that the correct parties are notified of accidents for which they are responsible or may be responsible. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] The driver assistance design analysis system includes a processing system and database for collecting and storing vehicle data and vehicle operation data relating to the operation of multiple vehicles (e.g., automobiles) that have and potentially do not have components or functions of a driver assistance system. The processing system runs an analysis module that typically operates to analyze vehicle data and vehicle operation data from many vehicles in order to detect driver anomalies from the vehicle operation data and determine statistical relationships between these driving anomalies and the operation or function of the driver assistance system. The processing system then determines, based on the statistical relationships, whether potential design defects exist within the driver assistance system or function and notifies the vehicle or driver assistance system manufacturer of any detected potential design defects. This system enables vehicle and driver assistance system manufacturers to quickly analyze the effectiveness of these systems and detect problems or malfunctions in driver assistance systems that are actually installed and operating in vehicles.

[0007] Vehicle data stored in the driver assistance system design device database may include identification data that defines the vehicle (type, model, year, vehicle identification number, etc.), vehicle characteristics (color, body style, driver assistance system components, if any), etc. Vehicle operation data stored in the design analysis system database may include data that shows or defines the operation of the vehicle with and without the involvement of driver assistance system components or multiple components, and in particular may store any desired or available data that shows or defines the operation of the vehicle during an accident or when the vehicle is close to an accident or encounters other dangerous events (all of which are referred to herein as driving anomalies), and / or during other periods of normal operation when no driving anomalies occur during that time. Vehicle operation data may also be telematics data collected or generated by various sensors on the vehicle. Telematics data may include, for example, acceleration and deceleration data, braking data, speed data, Global Positioning System (GPS) data, turning data, whether one or more vehicle components were involved (e.g., heated seats, radio, telephone, windshield wipers), and to what extent or level. Furthermore, the data may indicate whether and to what extent one or more driver assistance components were involved. The design analysis system database may also store environmental data, such as data identifying or indicating weather or road conditions, such as rainfall, fog, ice, dryness, extreme heat or cold.

[0008] As described above, the driver assistance system design apparatus also includes an analysis module that determines one or more driving anomalies (e.g., accidents or suboptimal driving behavior) based on vehicle operation data and correlates or determines statistical relationships between the driving anomalies and the operation or function of one or more driver assistance systems. Next, the driver assistance design analysis system determines potential design defects in the driver assistance system or function and determines the effectiveness of the operation of one or more driver assistance systems or functions based on statistical relationships in order to notify the user or recipient of the potential design defects. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In some cases, the driver assistance system design device includes a processor, computer-readable memory, a vehicle database storing vehicle information about multiple different vehicles, including driver assistance system data specifying one or more driver assistance systems used in different vehicles, and a vehicle operation database storing vehicle operation data for multiple of the multiple different vehicles having driver assistance systems. In this case, the vehicle operation data collected from each of the multiple different vehicles having driver assistance systems reflects the operation of the different vehicles during the actual operation of the different vehicles. Furthermore, the driver assistance system design device includes a design analysis engine stored in computer-readable memory, which operates on the processor to (1) detect driving anomalies during the operation of one or more different vehicles based on the vehicle operation data in the vehicle operation database, (2) determine statistical relationships (e.g., correlations) between driving anomalies and specific driver assistance systems based on the vehicle operation data in the vehicle operation database, and (3) detect potential design defects in a specific driver assistance system based on the determined statistical relationships. Furthermore, the driver assistance design device includes a notification engine operating on the processor to notify a recipient of potential design defects detected in a specific driver assistance system.

[0010] If necessary, the driver assistance system data may specify the type of driver assistance system, one or more functions of the driver assistance system installed in one or more vehicles, revisions to the driver assistance system or the functions of the driver assistance system installed in the vehicle, and / or one or more driver assistance functions of the driver assistance system. One or more driver assistance functions may include, for example, lane change or follow function, blind spot warning function, driverless parking function, driver assistance parking function, automatic braking function, distance determination function, or distance warning function.

[0011] Furthermore, if necessary, the notification engine may notify the driver assistance system manufacturer, vehicle manufacturer, or insurer of potential design defects. The driver assistance system design device may include an insurance rate calculation engine that calculates the vehicle's insurance rate based on potential design defects. In some cases, the vehicle motion database may store time-based datasets of vehicle motion, each of which contains a set of vehicle motion data over a specific time or time range, and each of the time-based datasets of vehicle motion may contain data indicating whether a driver assistance system was involved at that time.

[0012] In other cases, the design analysis engine of the driver assistance design system may retrieve vehicle motion data from a vehicle motion database for one or more vehicles and use time-based datasets in which driver assistance functions were involved to determine statistical relationships. Similarly, the design analysis engine may retrieve vehicle motion data from a vehicle motion database for one or more vehicles and use time-based datasets in which driver assistance functions were not involved to determine statistical relationships. In other cases, the design analysis engine may compare driver anomalies detected in time-based datasets in which driver assistance functions were involved with driver anomalies detected in time-based datasets in which driver assistance functions were not involved in determining statistical relationships.

[0013] In another case, a method for detecting defects in driver assistance systems installed in one or more vehicles includes: collecting vehicle information about several different vehicles, including driver assistance system data (specifying one or more driver assistance systems used in several different vehicles); collecting vehicle operation data for several of the different vehicles having the driver assistance system (where the vehicle operation data reflects the operation of different vehicles during actual operation); and storing the vehicle information and vehicle operation data in a vehicle database. This method further includes using a processor to access the vehicle operation data in the vehicle database for one or more of the several different vehicles having a particular driver assistance system; using a processor to detect driving anomalies in the operation of one or more of the several different vehicles based on the analyzed vehicle operation data; and using a processor to determine a statistical relationship between the driving anomaly and a particular driver assistance system based on the vehicle operation data in the vehicle database. Similarly, this method includes detecting potential design defects in a particular driver assistance system based on the determined statistical relationship and using a processor to notify a recipient of the potential design defects detected in the particular driver assistance system.

[0014] In another embodiment, the routing system includes an accident detection system that determines the presence of an accident in a vehicle having one or more driver assistance functions; a vehicle operation database that collects vehicle operation data from or about a vehicle when an accident occurs in which the vehicle is involved; and a rule database that stores one or more sets of fault rules based on one or more vehicle operation states during a vehicle accident. The routing system also includes a fault determination system that operates on the processor to access the vehicle operation database to collect vehicle operation data about a particular vehicle when the accident detection system determines that a particular vehicle has been in an accident; to access a set of rules in the fault rule database for a particular vehicle; to determine one or more vehicle states of a vehicle at the time of the accident based on the vehicle operation data for a particular vehicle at the time of the accident; and to determine the responsible party based on the vehicle states and the set of rules accessed. The routing system further includes a routing engine that operates on the processor to determine the route of claims for a particular vehicle accident to the responsible party determined by the fault determination system.

[0015] If necessary, the fault determination system may operate on the processor to determine multiple (e.g., two or more) liable parties for a particular accident, and may determine proportional liability for each of the two or more liable parties. In this case, the notification engine may notify each of the determined liable parties. In any case, the liable party or group of parties may include the driver, the vehicle owner, the driver assistance system manufacturer, the vehicle manufacturer, or the insurance company or any other agent of any of these entities.

[0016] The fault detection system may determine one or more vehicle states of a specific vehicle at the time of an accident based on vehicle operation data of that vehicle at the time of the accident, and may determine whether one or more driver assistance functions were involved at the time of the accident, whether one or more driver assistance functions were functioning properly at the time of the accident, and / or whether a human driver was actively driving the vehicle or interfering with the operation of the driver assistance functions at the time of the accident. The fault detection system may determine whether a driver was actively driving the vehicle at the time of the accident by detecting from operation data, steering, braking, or acceleration that were caused by a human driver. The fault detection system may also determine the detected operating state of the driver assistance system at the time of the accident, and the detected driving state of the driver assistance system at the time of the accident may indicate a known problem with the driver assistance system. In this case, the fault detection system may detect whether the driver was informed of the known problem with the driver assistance system prior to the accident. The fault detection system may also detect whether the driver assistance system was properly maintained at the time of the accident.

[0017] If necessary, the accident detection system may determine the presence of an accident in a vehicle having one or more driver assistance functions, for example, based on the receipt of a claim filed regarding the accident, or based on telematics data collected by the vehicle during the accident.

[0018] In another embodiment, a method for processing accident claims includes, via a processor, determining the existence of an accident involving a vehicle having one or more driver assistance functions; collecting and storing vehicle operation data from or about the vehicle in the accident related to the vehicle at the time the accident occurred; and storing rules in a rule database, where the rules in the rule database include one or more sets of rules relating to failures based on one or more vehicle operation states during the vehicle accident. The method also includes, via a processor, determining a party responsible for the accident by accessing the vehicle operation database to determine vehicle operation data relating to the vehicle; accessing a set of rules in the rule database relating to vehicle failures; determining one or more vehicle states of the vehicle at the time the accident occurred based on the vehicle operation data of the vehicle at the time the accident occurred; and determining a party responsible based on the vehicle operation states and the set of rules accessed. The method also includes routing claims for vehicle accidents to a party responsible via a communication network. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] A flowchart illustrating the data flow in the driver assistance design and analysis system is drawn. [Figure 2] This describes an exemplary processing system that can be used to detect design or operational defects in one or more driver assistance systems installed in a vehicle, and to determine the route of a claim based on the detected driving conditions of the vehicle during an accident. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] Figure 1 shows a data flow and information transmission diagram 10 in a driver assistance design analysis system that detects potential design defects in driver assistance systems used in vehicles, and / or a data flow diagram used in a routing system that determines the route of claims to one or more various potential liable parties for vehicle accidents in vehicles with driver assistance functions. Generally speaking, vehicle operation data is generated from or about one or more vehicles 12 (e.g., various sensors on vehicle 12 are mounted on vehicle 12) and sent to an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) 14 and / or the driver assistance design analysis system 16. The vehicle operation data may also be telematic data collected by vehicle 12 and typically transmitted to the OEM 14 or an insurance provider or other user via any desired communication connection, including an internet connection, wireless or wired connection, etc. As is known, in many cases, vehicle insurance systems collect vehicle data and accident data, commonly referred to as telematic data, in order to analyze and predict repair costs, insurance costs, and set insurance premiums. This data includes, for example, braking data, speed data, turning data, driving distance data for a specific driver, time data, environmental data (e.g., data indicating environmental conditions such as rain, fog, ice, cold, snow, etc.), and Global Positioning System (GPS) data. In many cases, these insurance systems use statistical processing techniques to determine expected repair costs, accident costs, and the likelihood of an accident.

[0021] As a result, the vehicle operation data transmitted from vehicle 12 in the diagram of Figure 1 may be received, and therefore may include all types of vehicle operation data, which may be compiled into a time-based dataset in which values ​​of various vehicle parameters are collected and time-stamped over a specific time or time range. In some cases, the vehicle operation data may include speed, acceleration, vehicle direction, steering position, braking or braking position, GPS data, etc. The vehicle operation data may also include the operating status of various components of the vehicle, such as lighting (external and internal), windshield wipers (and their speed), radiotelegraph, telecommunications system, in-vehicle entertainment system, engine characteristics, anti-lock braking system, gear or transmission position, window and door position (e.g., open or closed), tire pressure sensor readings, etc. The telematics data may also include various environmental condition data, such as outside temperature, presence of rain, snow, ice or fog, output of skid or tire spin detection system, time of day, ambient light or illumination, wind or wind direction, etc. Furthermore, the vehicle operation data may also include operation data related to one or more driver assistance systems or functions, including the type and nature of the system and / or function (e.g., manufacturer, revision, latest update, update history, service records, etc.), the operating status of the driver assistance system or function (e.g., whether the driver assistance system or function was operating or involved or not operating at each specific time), the latest applied revision, the latest maintenance applied to the driver assistance system or function, etc.

[0022] As described above, vehicle 12 may provide vehicle operation data to OEM 14 and / or design analysis system 16 using any online or real-time data acquisition system or communication connection, such as using periodic downloads via a communication connection, using a maintenance system download system, or using an accident investigation system. That is, for example, when vehicle 12 is connected to a wired or wireless internet or other wide area network (LAN), when vehicle 12 is undergoing routine maintenance, when vehicle 12 is involved in an accident and connected to an accident investigation computer or other connection, vehicle operation data may be collected by vehicle 12 and provided to OEM 14 and / or design analysis system 16 in real time, or stored in vehicle 12 and provided to OEM 14 and / or design analysis system 16 at various intervals or convenient times. Similarly, vehicle operation data may be provided as part of an accident claim. Furthermore, vehicle operation data may be communicated from the vehicle 12 to the OEM 14 and / or design analysis system 16 using any desired communication connection, including hardwired connection, connection via an intermediary device (such as a computer connected to the vehicle data acquisition system via a hardwired or short-range wireless connection), wireless connection, etc.

[0023] In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, OEM 14 may provide vehicle data (VD; Vehicle Data) and any collected vehicle operational data (VOD; Vehicle Operational Data) for a particular vehicle 12 to design analysis system 16 for storage and / or use by design analysis system 16. For example, OEM 14 may provide vehicle data related to the configuration and function of various vehicles (e.g., automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, etc.) manufactured by OEM 14. Vehicle data may include, for each particular vehicle, model, type, body type, vehicle characteristics, vehicle identification number (VIN; Vehicle Identification Number), and any other vehicle description or identification data. Vehicle data may also include data or descriptions related to or describing one or more driver assistance systems or driver assistance functions of various vehicles. Such driver assistance system data may include the manufacturer, type, feature set, revision or update, serial number, etc. of the driver assistance system or function provided on or within each vehicle.

[0024] Of course, vehicle data (including driver assistance system data) and vehicle operational data may be provided from OEM 14 to design analysis system 16 via any data communication connection, such as the Internet, Bluetooth® connection, or any combination of wireless and wired connections. Further, this data may be provided online and in real time, or may be provided to design analysis system 16 via batch download, or in any other desired manner.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, Vehicle Accident Data (VAD) may be provided to the driver assistance design analysis system 16 from one or more insurance or repair facilities 17. Such Vehicle Accident Data may include data relating to past accidents of various vehicles having vehicle data stored in the vehicle database of the design analysis system 16. Vehicle Accident Data may include, for example, information relating to or describing any other data that defines or describes the accident or the damage caused by the accident. This includes information on the damage caused to the vehicle in the accident, the location of the damage, the body parts affected by the damage, whether airbags deployed, the cost of repairing the vehicle, the type of repairs to the vehicle, the cause and / or nature of the accident (e.g., driver error, vehicle malfunction, improper turning, running a red light or stop sign, speeding), the location of the accident (e.g., on a highway or other type of road), the environmental conditions at the time of the accident (rain, sleet, ice, ambient temperature, etc.), and any other data that defines or describes the accident or the damage caused by the accident.

[0026] Generally speaking, the design analysis system 16 may be a processor-based system including a database that stores various vehicle data, vehicle operation data, vehicle accident data, and environmental data as needed, and an analysis engine that can perform different types of analysis on the collected and stored data. Specifically, the design analysis system 16 may perform analysis on the vehicle data, vehicle operation data, vehicle accident data, and environmental data stored in the database to determine the effectiveness of one or more advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) installed in vehicles such as driver assistance systems installed in specific models / types of vehicles, driver assistance systems installed in specific types of vehicles, driver assistance systems installed in different models and / or types of vehicles (e.g., driver assistance systems installed in sedans, SUVs (Sport Utility Vehicles), coupes, etc., of the same or different vehicle manufacturers). Similarly, the design analysis system 16 may perform analysis on the operational effectiveness of specific driver assistance system functions such as the automatic braking function, lane detection function, following function, parking function, etc., of a specific driver assistance system. These analyses may be performed once again on various different sets of vehicle data such as data for all vehicles including the function of a specific driver assistance system, for all vehicles of a specific manufacturer having a specific driver assistance system, for specific models of vehicles of a specific manufacturer having a specific driver assistance system, for vehicles of a specific type or body style (coupe, four-wheel drive, SUV, etc.) having a specific driver assistance system installed, for all vehicles manufactured by any vehicle manufacturer having a specific driver assistance system or function, etc.

[0027] Generally speaking, the design analysis system 16 performs an analysis of one or more of the vehicle data, vehicle operation data, vehicle accident data, and environmental data to determine the effectiveness or statistical relationship (such as correlation) between the operation of the driver assistance system or the functions operating or installed in a set of vehicles, and the risk of accidents or losses and / or the possible severity of accidents or losses when using these systems. Furthermore, the design analysis system 16 may determine if the driver assistance system or components of the driver assistance system are not operating effectively, or at the same time, under specific circumstances desired by the OEM 14 (e.g., road type, speed, environmental conditions, turning conditions, etc.). Generally speaking, the design analysis system 16 may perform various different statistical or regression analyses (such as correlation or other regression analyses) on the stored data for various vehicles in the case of driving anomalies (e.g., accidents, difficult braking events, difficult acceleration events, high-speed turning events, etc.) and in the case of no driving anomalies. The design analysis system 16 may compare the operation of a driver assistance system or function over various periods of time in order to determine a statistical measure or relationship between the occurrence of a driving abnormality and the use of the driver assistance system or some function of the driver assistance system. Furthermore, to provide this statistical measure or relationship, the design analysis system 16 may compare the operation of one driver assistance system or a function of one type of driver assistance system (e.g., from one manufacturer) with the operation of another driver assistance system or a function of another type (e.g., from another manufacturer). Such comparative analyses may include comparisons of similar driver assistance systems or functions made by different driver assistance system manufacturers, comparisons of similar driver assistance systems or functions in different types of vehicles from the same driver assistance system manufacturer, comparisons of identical basic driver assistance systems or functions from a particular driver assistance system manufacturer, but with different revisions or updates installed, etc.

[0028] In any case, the design analysis system 16 may compare determined statistical measures (e.g., correlations) with baseline values ​​or other thresholds to determine whether the performance of the analyzed driver assistance system or function is worse than a baseline amount, which means that there is a design defect in the driver assistance system or function and the system or function cannot perform the desired effect. The design analysis system 16 may also compare, or instead compare, statistical measures of different driver assistance systems (e.g., driver assistance systems from different manufacturers, different revisions of the same basic driver assistance system, etc.) to determine the comparative effectiveness of these systems. As a result, the design analysis system 16 may use determined statistical measures or relationships to determine potential design defects (or weaknesses) in the driver assistance system or function. The design analysis system 16 may also provide statistical analysis and / or some sophisticated analysis, such as notifying the OEM 14 (or the driver assistance system manufacturer) of correlation analyses that are higher than average or higher than expected than a certain threshold, enabling the OEM 14 or the manufacturer to determine or investigate the possibility that the OEM 14 or the manufacturer's driver assistance system is not performing as desired. Furthermore, the design analysis system 16 may also notify other users, such as insurers, of high or unusual statistical measures, in order to enable insurers to set rates based on the measured or determined operation of the driver assistance system, or to use design defect analysis when setting rates to guarantee vehicles, or when setting insurance rates for automobile manufacturers or driver assistance system manufacturers.

[0029] Thus, as shown in Figure 1, the design analysis system 16 may be communicably connected to one or more private insurers 20 and / or commercial insurers 22, and may provide the private insurers 20 and / or commercial insurers 22 with information on the analysis of driver assistance systems installed in the vehicle, the rates associated with these driver assistance systems, or other factors relating to the effectiveness of the operation of the analyzed driver assistance systems, which may be used by the insurers to set rates for the private owner of the vehicle 12, or for product warranty insurance for the OEM 14 of the vehicle 12 or for the driver assistance systems installed in the vehicle 12.

[0030] Furthermore, in other cases, system 16 may implement an online or automated claims processing system that automatically or quickly determines the failure associated with an accident involving a particular vehicle 12, and / or determines one or more liable parties associated with a particular accident involving a particular vehicle when a driver assistance system is installed in the vehicle 12 involved in the accident. Thus, system 16 can provide either (or both) a commercial insurer 22 or a private insurer 20 with a notice via any desired communication network indicating that a particular insurer is financially liable for the accident based on the factors involved in the accident. In particular, system 16 may store a set of rules in a rule database and include a failure determination engine that uses various rules in the rule database to determine the financially liable party associated with an accident or claim. Thus, system 16 may determine whether a private insurer 20, which insures the owner or driver of vehicle 12, is financially liable for the accident, or whether a commercial insurer 22 (e.g., an insurer that guarantees the proper functioning of a driver assistance system, or an insurer that guarantees the proper functioning of a vehicle in which a driver assistance system is installed) is financially liable for the accident. In any case, System 16 can quickly route a claim to the correct commercial or private insurer based on an analysis and determination of the financially responsible party or multiple financially responsible parties regarding the accident. System 16 can make this determination based on an analysis of vehicle operation data and / or vehicle accident data from the accident, as well as rules used in determining the failure. In many cases, the rules may be specified by logic such that they are determined by the contractual relationship between the automobile manufacturer, the driver assistance system manufacturer, the insurer, and the owner or user of the vehicle on which the driver assistance system is installed. Thus, these rules may be updated or modified based on contractual changes or changes in insurance law relating to the liable parties.

[0031] Figure 2 depicts a more detailed block diagram of an example of the design analysis system 16 in Figure 1. The example of the design analysis system 16 depicted in Figure 2 includes a vehicle data database 30, an analysis engine 32, and a notification engine 34 connected to the analysis engine 32. In particular, the vehicle data database 30 is any desired type of computer-readable memory that stores data collected by and about various vehicles 12 (in Figure 1). More specifically, the vehicle data database 30 may store and collect data from actual vehicle operation, from the OEM 14 (Figure 1), and / or from other external sources (such as data sources connected via the Internet or from sensors near the roads on which the vehicles travel). The vehicle data stored in the vehicle data database 30 may be any of the above data, including vehicle data 40, driver assistance system data 42, vehicle operation data 44, vehicle accident data 46, and environmental data 48. Specifically, the vehicle data database 30 may store vehicle data 40 for each vehicle that is being tracked or whose data is associated with it, including, for example, the VIN, type, model, type, year, color, and features of each specific vehicle. The vehicle data 40 may also include vehicle-specific driver assistance system data 41 that specifies or points to a driver assistance system or driver assistance system feature that is on or installed on a particular vehicle. The driver assistance system data 41 may also include, for example, one or more identification numbers, types, brands, model numbers, serial numbers, manufacturers, etc., for a driver assistance system or feature installed on a particular vehicle. The driver assistance system data 41 may also include, for example, instructions for revisions or updates provided to, incorporated into, or installed on the driver assistance system software, hardware, or firmware of a driver assistance system installed on a particular vehicle, including any recall corrections made to or incorporated into the driver assistance system or driver assistance feature.

[0032] Furthermore, the vehicle data database 30 may include or store driver assistance system data 42 that describes or provide more general information or data about various driver assistance systems incorporated into one or more of the vehicles in which the vehicle data is stored in the database 30. The driver assistance system data 42 may describe or specify the functions, operations, etc., of different driver assistance systems or different driver assistance functions manufactured by separate or different manufacturers, including different vehicle manufacturers. That is, in some situations, the driver assistance system data 42 stored in the database 30 may specify different types, brands, models, etc., of driver assistance systems or functions that are available and / or installed in the vehicles from which the vehicle data 40 is collected. In some cases, a particular driver assistance system specified by the driver assistance system data 42 may be installed in different vehicles, including different vehicle types made by the same vehicle manufacturer, or different vehicles made by different vehicle manufacturers. The driver assistance system data 42 may store or indicate the functions of each driver assistance system, such as the functions of the system, the upgrades that can be provided to the driver assistance system, the various models, types, revisions, etc., as well as other data about these driver assistance systems.

[0033] Furthermore, the vehicle data database 30 may store vehicle operation data 44, which includes vehicle operation data associated with individual vehicles being tracked, or vehicle operation data received from the vehicle 12 itself, from the OEM 14, or from any other source. Such vehicle operation data may be any type of operation data, including speed data, braking data, acceleration data, mileage data, direction data, Global Positioning System (GPS) data, etc. As described above, the vehicle operation data may be stored as a set of timestamps or time-correlated data, where each set of time-based data has values ​​of various vehicle parameters (e.g., sensor measurements) collected over each time or time range. Furthermore, the vehicle database 30 may store vehicle accident data 46, which indicates damage to the vehicle in an accident associated with a particular vehicle, including accidents, repairs and repair costs, repair time, parts list, work orders, etc. In addition, this data or vehicle operation data 44 may include vehicle operation data collected by the vehicle or other sources during the accident, as well as data generated by adjusters, repair personnel, etc. after the accident. As described above, the vehicle accident data 46 may include any accident or claim-related data for each of several specific accidents, including the type of accident, the vehicles involved or related to the accident, and statistical or vehicle data collected during, immediately before, or immediately after the accident. This data may also include details, including indicators of the severity of the accident, the type and description of vehicle damage, the costs associated with the repair of the vehicle, and other costs associated with the repair of the vehicle or the processing of claims for the vehicle involved in the accident.

[0034] Furthermore, the vehicle data database 30 may also store environmental data 48 that points to environmental conditions or environmental data associated with vehicle operation data 44 or vehicle accident data 46. As described above, the environmental data 48 may include temperature, whether it was raining, whether it was slippery or icy, whether it was daytime or dark or twilight, etc., and any other data that defines or relates to driving conditions at a particular time and place. Much of the environmental condition data stored in the database 48 may be collected by the vehicle (e.g., by temperature or other sensors on the vehicle). However, this data can also be obtained from third-party sources such as weather applications, private maintenance providers, etc., that provide meteorological data (e.g., temperature, precipitation, sunlight, sunrise and sunset times, etc.) for various geographical locations.

[0035] As indicated in Figure 2, vehicle data 40, driver assistance system data 42, vehicle operation data 44, vehicle accident data 46, and environmental data 48 may be provided to the database 30 on a continuous or real-time basis from real vehicles on the road via input 52, or vehicle data may be provided by other sources such as OEM 14 via input 54. Similarly, the vehicle database 30 may have a data collection engine that automatically retrieves and acquires various types of data, such as environmental data 48, vehicle data 40, vehicle accident data 46, vehicle operation data 46, etc., from the relevant sources of that data, or in response to user prompts. As understood, new data may be collected for various vehicles from which data is being collected at any desired time or speed.

[0036] Furthermore, as illustrated in Figure 2, the analysis engine 32 is communicatively connected to the vehicle data database 30. The analysis engine 32 includes one or more statistical analysis modules 50 that use data from the database 30 to perform one or more statistical analyses to detect or determine various statistical relationships between driving conditions and the operation (or non-operation) of one or more driver assistance systems or functions, as defined in the driver assistance system data 42. The modules 50, stored in computer-readable memory 56 and executed on the processor 58, are executed to determine or detect operational statistics or information about the operation of various driver assistance systems (ADAS), such as driver assistance systems 42, or applied to different datasets in the vehicle database 30, or may include, for example, various regression analyses or correlation analyses, based on the actual operation of these systems in the vehicle captured by the vehicle data 40, vehicle operation data 44, and vehicle accident data 46, combined with different environmental conditions, such as those defined by the environmental data 48 that these vehicles experience at various times, or applied to different datasets in the vehicle database 30.

[0037] During operation, the analysis engine 32 may, at any time, execute one or more modules or routines 50, the module 50 which may apply any kind of regression analysis or other statistical analysis to the data in the database 30 to determine the effectiveness of one or more operations of the driver assistance system or functions 42. Generally speaking, the analysis engine 32 may first execute one or more detection routines 60, each detection routine 60 which determines or detects one or more driving anomalies in the vehicle operation data 40 and / or vehicle accident data 46. Such driving anomalies may be actual accidents, such as accidents defined by or associated with data in the vehicle accident data 46. However, driving anomalies may be other dangerous, less desirable or undesirable driving actions (or situations) that do not result in actual accidents, such as difficult braking events, difficult turning events, sudden acceleration events, sudden stops, tire slips, tire locks (e.g., skidding), or other driving events that indicate inadequate driving, near-accidents, or last-minute avoidance of possible accidents. The driving anomaly detection routine or module 60 may extract data from vehicle operation data 44 to detect one or more driving anomalies of the same or different types. If necessary, separate modules 60 may be provided for each different type of driving anomaly, or a single module 60 may detect one or more types of driving anomalies.

[0038] In any case, the analysis engine 32 then runs module 50 to determine the relationship between the operation of one or more driver assistance systems or driver assistance system functions and the occurrence of one or more driving anomalies detected by module 60. In one example, the analysis engine 32 or its driving anomaly detection module 60 may extract vehicle operation data 44 and / or vehicle accident data 46 for the operation of a vehicle having a particular driver assistance system or driver assistance function. The detection module 60 may search for driving anomalies in this vehicle data (e.g., vehicle operation data and / or vehicle accident data) for a vehicle having a particular type of driver assistance system or function, such as defined by vehicle data 40. The detection module 60 may also subdivide the analyzed data, or limit the analyzed data to a specific model / revision / upgrade of a driver assistance system or function, etc., in order to analyze the operation of a vehicle having a particular driver assistance system revision or function revision. In any case, the driving anomaly detection routine 60 may then find one or more driving anomalies in the collected data. The driving anomaly detection routine 60 may also determine, for each detected driving anomaly, whether a driver assistance system or driver assistance function was involved or in use at that time, and, if the driver assistance system has various levels of involvement, to what level or setting the driver assistance system or function was involved. If necessary, the driving anomaly detection routine 60 may detect one or more types of driving anomalies in vehicles in which a driver assistance system was involved, and may also detect one or more types of driving anomalies in vehicles in which a driver assistance system was not involved, in order to enable a better determination of the correlation or relationship between the use of a particular driver assistance system or function and driving anomalies such as accidents and the severity of accidents.

[0039] The analysis module 50 may determine a statistical measure or relationship between the operation of a particular driver assistance system or function and the operation of the vehicle, based on detected driving abnormalities (or accidents), in order to determine the effectiveness of the operation of a particular driver assistance system or function. In some cases, module 50 may determine a statistical relationship between the use of a driver assistance system or function and the statistical repair cost of the claimed vehicle, for example, in the First Notice of Loss (FNOL). In other cases, module 50 may perform other analyses to determine other statistical measures or relationships related to the likelihood of an accident or loss when using a driver assistance system or function.

[0040] The statistical module 50 may analyze the data in any desired manner to determine statistical relationships between any type or subset of vehicles, driver assistance systems, driver assistance system functions, etc., and detected or determined driving anomalies. In this way, for example, the statistical module 50 may operate to determine statistical relationships based on the type of vehicle having a driver assistance system or function, all vehicles having a particular driver assistance system or function, etc. To perform this analysis, the module 50 may search for vehicle accident data 46 for these types of systems or functions for driving anomalies and vehicles detected in the vehicle operation data 44 (for example, for vehicles in the vehicle data 40), and may perform regression analysis or other statistical analysis to determine statistical indications, for example, the likelihood of an accident, the probability or severity of an accident, or the expected loss or repair cost in an accident, based on data over a specific period, such as a specific number of driving hours, etc.

[0041] Furthermore, the statistical module 50 may look for secondary or other factors that increase or decrease the correlation between the operation of the driver assistance system or function and driving abnormalities, such as environmental conditions (rain), vehicle operation data (e.g., left turn, braking, speed, direction, etc.). For example, the analysis engine 32 may perform the analysis by correlating driving abnormalities with the driver assistance system or function in addition to environmental data, by looking at the vehicle operation data 44 and vehicle accident data 46 in which different environmental conditions are present (or absent), to determine whether the driver assistance system or function operates better or worse in certain types of environmental conditions, such as rainy or slippery conditions, compared to sunny or bright daytime conditions. Similarly, the analysis engine 32 may perform the analysis by correlating driving abnormalities with the driver assistance system or function in addition to various types of vehicle operation or vehicle conditions (e.g., left turn, braking, acceleration, etc., or any combination of vehicle operation), by looking at the vehicle operation data 44 in which various types of vehicle operation or conditions are present and / or absent. Of course, the analysis engine 32 may perform various different types of analysis based on the data in the database 30 to determine one or more statistical relationships (e.g., correlation coefficients) for each driver assistance system or each driver assistance system function, and may provide the determined statistical relationships (e.g., correlation coefficients) to the design analysis engine 70.

[0042] In general, the design analysis engine 70 may use one or more determined statistical relationships (e.g., correlation coefficients for expected accident costs, accident probability, etc.) developed by system 32 to determine whether a particular driver assistance system or function has a design defect. For example, the design analysis engine 70 may compare a statistical relationship developed by a particular driver assistance system analysis (from engine 32) based on vehicle operation data in which the driver assistance system was involved or operating with a statistical relationship developed by a similar analysis performed on vehicle operation data in which the driver assistance system was not involved, or a statistical relationship developed by a similar analysis performed on vehicle operation data in which the driver assistance system was involved for some time but not all time. In another case, the design analysis engine 70 may compare a statistical relationship for a particular driver assistance system analysis based on vehicle operation data in which the driver assistance system was involved or operating with a baseline threshold (which may be predetermined by the user, OEM 14, or other entity) to determine whether the determined statistical relationship is worse than (e.g., higher than) a baseline threshold. In yet another case, the design analysis engine 70 may compare statistical relationships developed by a specific driver assistance system analysis for a particular driver assistance system based on vehicle operation data in which that particular driver assistance system was involved or operating, with statistical relationships developed for different (e.g., baseline) driver assistance system analyses in which different driver assistance systems were involved (and based on similar vehicle operation data in which two driver assistance systems were involved or operating) in order to determine how the particular driver assistance system operates relative to a baseline driver assistance system. Of course, the design analysis engine 70 may perform any other analysis or comparison of one or more determined statistical relationships to determine the relative performance or effectiveness of the operation of a particular driver assistance system or function.

[0043] Furthermore, if the design analysis engine 70 determines that a particular performance or statistical relationship is poor, or worse than expected, acceptable, or demonstrates the designed effectiveness (e.g., the determined statistical relationship is greater than a stored threshold), the notification engine 34 may notify one or more users, such as OEM 14, that the driver assistance system or function is not operating as intended (i.e., the system or function has a potential design defect). If necessary, OEM 14 (or other recipients of the notification) may further examine or look at the vehicle operation data to determine if the system is not operating as designed or desired, and may redesign or reprogram the driver assistance system to operate better based on the collection of this data and the notification.

[0044] It will be understood that the analysis engine 32 can perform or carry out various analyses on any combination of vehicle operation data 44, vehicle accident data 46, environmental data 48, etc., to determine whether a particular function of the driver assistance system is functioning well based on detected driving abnormality indications, and that the analysis may be performed on the driver assistance system as a whole, or one or more functions of the driver assistance system may be analyzed separately. In some cases, the analysis engine 32 may perform an analysis of vehicle operation based on driving abnormalities detected or associated with vehicle accident data only or vehicle operation data only (where no accident occurred), but in other cases, in order to determine the operation or effectiveness of the driver assistance system or function being analyzed, the analysis engine 32 may perform an analysis of vehicle operation based on driving abnormalities detected in both accident-unrelated vehicle operation data and vehicle accident-related vehicle operation data. In some cases, the analysis engine 32 may review or analyze data from a specific vehicle, from all vehicles, or from a subset of vehicles having a specific driver assistance system or driver assistance function, determine when the driver assistance system is on, and when the driver assistance system is on, determine the correlation or likelihood of an accident or other type of driver anomaly based on the actual operation of the driver assistance system, and may do the same for vehicle operation when the driver assistance system is off or not in use. In this case, the analysis engine 32 or the design analysis engine 70 may compare the two determined statistical relationships to determine whether there is a high probability of an accident or driver anomaly when the driver assistance system is off (not involved) rather than when the driver assistance system is on (involved). As described above, a driver anomaly may be any other severe driving operation that could result in an accident but does not actually result in an accident at that moment, such as difficult braking, difficult turning, spin, skid control or antilock braking, etc.

[0045] If necessary, correlations or other statistical relationship indicators (numerical values) can be stored in the correlation database 76 and provided to the user or other recipient if these values ​​are bad (e.g., high) enough to justify notifying a third party, such as the OEM 14 or the driver assistance system manufacturer, that the system is potentially poorly designed. The notification engine 34 may also notify the user or owner of a poorly designed driver assistance system, or the manufacturer of the driver assistance system (or the vehicle in which the driver assistance system is incorporated), of the poor effectiveness of the driver assistance system or its features, and may provide statistical data or other data that point to specific situations with a high correlation, such as environmental conditions or other driving conditions that statistically cause or correlate with the poor performance of the driver assistance system (e.g., when the vehicle is normally turning left or right, when the vehicle is being driven at night, when the vehicle is being driven in the rain, etc.).

[0046] Furthermore, the rate notification engine or rate determination engine 80 may use correlation numbers stored in the database 76 for various vehicles or driver assistance systems (along with other data typically used when calculating insurance rates or premiums) to establish or perform rate calculations for determining insurance costs to commercial insurers, such as insurers guaranteeing vehicle manufacturers or driver assistance system manufacturers, or to private insurers that insure private vehicles or owners or drivers of private vehicles. Thus, the results of the design analysis engine 70 may be used to establish insurance rates, estimates, etc., to drivers or manufacturers based on the operation of vehicles equipped with driver assistance systems and the determined effectiveness of driver assistance systems.

[0047] Furthermore, the analysis system 16 in Figure 2 may also include a claims routing engine 90 that uses vehicle operation data 44 and / or vehicle accident data 46 provided to or stored in the database 30 to determine the route of accident claims. In this case, the claims routing engine 90 includes a rules database 92 that stores one or more rules used to determine a fault in an accident or to determine the responsible party in a particular accident (e.g., whether the driver or the OEM or driver assistance system manufacturer is liable for the damages in the accident). More specifically, the claims routing system 90 receives instructions for an accident via the receipt of a claim or, for example, via the loading of vehicle accident data 46 into the database 30. The data and / or claims may come from the vehicle itself (via the receipt of telematic data from the vehicle), and may, as necessary, come from the insurance company to which the claim is filed, from the OEM 14 or the vehicle manufacturer that manufactured the vehicle or the driver assistance system involved in the accident, or from the claim filer.

[0048] When the billing routing engine 90 receives notification that an accident has occurred, the billing routing engine 90 (which may be stored in computer-readable memory and implemented as a routine executed on a processor) may retrieve relevant vehicle data stored in or collected by the database 30, such as vehicle data 40, vehicle accident data 46, vehicle operation data 44, driver assistance system data 42, and / or environmental data 48, analyze this data, and access one or more rules in the rules database 92 to determine the liable party or multiple parties in the accident. The liable party is the party or entity (which may be a person, a manufacturer, an insurance company, etc.) that is legally liable for repairs or damages caused by the accident, either due to a contractual relationship or the enforcement of one or more applicable laws.

[0049] More specifically, the billing routing engine 90 may use or run (on the processor) one or more vehicle operation state determination modules 94 that analyze vehicle operation data 44 or vehicle accident data 46 about an accident in order to determine one or more operating states of the vehicle at the time of the accident (e.g., immediately before, during, and / or after the accident). One or more operating states of the vehicle may refer to various states associated with the vehicle or vehicle components at the time of the accident, such as whether the vehicle was accelerating, braking, coasting, changing direction or moving straight, the direction of movement of the vehicle before or during the accident, the position of the driver-controlled accelerator pedal, brake pedal, steering wheel, etc. Any number of vehicle states may be determined by various telematic data collected about the vehicle during the accident. Often, the billing routing engine 90 determines the state of the driver assistance system or the state of one or more functions of the driver assistance system from the vehicle operation data 44 or vehicle accident data 46, for example, whether the vehicle's driver assistance system or functions were involved with the vehicle at the time of the accident. Once the operating state of the vehicle is determined, another claims analysis module 96 may determine who is at fault or liable based on the combination of vehicle operating states, based on the rules in the rules database 92. The claims routing system 90 may then determine the potential liable parties for one or more accidents based on the fault determination. The liable parties may include, for example, the vehicle's OEM (which may be determined from vehicle data 40), the driver assistance system manufacturer (which may be determined from vehicle data 42), the OEM's or the driver assistance system manufacturer's insurer (which may be stored in the database 98 of the claims routing system 90 and may be provided through the claims), and the vehicle's driver or owner's insurance company (which may originate from the claims but may be provided in vehicle data 40 or obtained elsewhere).

[0050] Of course, during this process, a fault determination module 98 running on the processor may use one or more rules in the rule database 92 to determine, from vehicle driving status data and possibly other data (vehicle data including environmental data and vehicle operation data) whether the driver assistance system was faulty or whether the driver of the vehicle was at fault if the operation of the driver assistance system during the accident caused or contributed to the accident. In the case of various driver assistance functions (such as automatic parking functions, fully automated driver assistance systems, etc.) that are intended to be handed off and therefore not involved by the vehicle owner or driver, the claims routing engine 90 may also determine whether those systems were involved at the time of the accident, and if so, whether the driver assistance system was faulty for that accident. In this case, the claims routing engine 90 may notify the OEM 14 or the driver assistance system insurer (22 in Figure 1) of the claim that should be paid or covered by that insurer. On the other hand, if none of the driver assistance system functions of the vehicle's driver assistance system were involved in the accident, the claims routing engine 90 may determine, based on the rules in the rule database 92, that the driver was at fault and may route the claim to the insurer associated with the driver. Of course, in this case, the claims routing system 90 may store insurance data relating to the appropriate insurer or liability insurer for each vehicle or each driver assistance system, e.g., the vehicle manufacturer, and / or for the driver or vehicle owner themselves.

[0051] In other cases, the billing routing system 90 may access other, more complex, or relevant rules in the rule database 92 to determine fault or liability. For example, more complex rules may be used in situations where a driver assistance system was involved but was only intended to warn the driver (i.e., not designed to completely prevent an accident), or when a driver assistance system was involved but may not have been functioning correctly during the accident and is partially or entirely responsible for the accident, or when a driver assistance system was functioning but its operation was hindered by the driver's actions, or when a driver assistance system was involved but there was a known (self-detected) problem that was communicated to the driver before the accident, or when a driver assistance system was involved but was not properly maintained or upgraded. That is, for example, an automatic braking system was involved and may have been functioning correctly during the accident (which may be determined based on vehicle accident data 46 or vehicle operation data 44), but may still not have been able to prevent the accident. Furthermore, in some cases, the claims routing engine 90 may determine that the driver interfered with the operation of a driver assistance system or function, for example, by turning the steering wheel when the driver assistance system is attempting to accelerate or brake, interfering with the steering wheel, pressing the brake or accelerator, or taking any other action to interfere with or disrupt the operation of the driver assistance system. In other cases, when determining whether the driver assistance system was the cause of an accident, the claims routing engine 90 may determine (from the vehicle condition determination module 98) whether the driver assistance system was properly maintained before the accident (e.g., received the latest updates or upgrades, was serviced to be called upon in a recall notice, etc.).In other cases, the billing routing engine 90 may determine whether the driver was using the driver assistance system even though the driver assistance system had detected a problem and notified the driver of the problem.

[0052] As can be understood, the various different rules in the rule database 92 may be set up or defined to cover various different types of accident or action combinations during an accident that may affect the determination of a failure, and therefore the determination of the liable party. The claims routing engine 90 determines the state of the relevant functions or components of the vehicle at the time of the accident and applies the rules stored in the rule database 92 based on the state for determining a failure, and therefore for determining one or more liable parties. As described above, the determination of the liable party may also include determining which insurance company is responsible for covering the damages of a particular accident, based on vehicle accident data, vehicle operation data, vehicle data, environmental data, etc. Furthermore, in some cases, the claims routing engine 90 may determine that there are multiple liable parties and may use one or more rules in the rule database 92 to distribute the failure among the parties based on the collected vehicle data, vehicle operation data, vehicle accident data, environmental data, etc. In this case, the claims routing engine 90 may determine the percentage or portion of the failure or liability for each of the multiple liable parties.

[0053] In any case, the claims routing system 90 may use the rules of the rule database 92 to determine faults and / or multiple faults and route the claims received by the system 16 to the appropriate insurance company or other party responsible for covering the accident, thereby improving the speed of processing claims and providing neutral or third-party analysis or fault determination (or at least initial determination) when a vehicle equipped with a driver assistance system is involved in an accident.

[0054] The following additional considerations apply to the preceding description: Throughout this specification, multiple instances may implement components, operations, or structures described as single instances. While individual operations of one or more routines or methods are illustrated and described as separate operations, one or more individual operations may be performed simultaneously, and there is no requirement for them to be performed in the illustrated order. Structures and functions presented as separate components in exemplary configurations may be implemented as combined structures or components. Similarly, structures and functions presented as single components may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject matter of this disclosure.

[0055] In addition, certain embodiments are described herein as including a logical or numerous components, modules, or mechanisms or units. Any of these modules, units, components, etc., can be components of either a software module (e.g., code stored in a non-temporary machine-readable medium) or a hardware module. A hardware module is a tangible unit capable of performing a specific operation and can be configured or arranged in a certain manner. In exemplary embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., standalone, client, or server computer systems) or one or more hardware modules of a computer system (e.g., processors or groups of processors) may be configured by software (e.g., applications or application portions) as hardware modules that operate to perform certain operations described herein.

[0056] Hardware modules may include dedicated circuits or logic permanently configured to perform certain operations (e.g., as a dedicated processor such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)). Hardware modules may also include programmable logic or circuits temporarily configured by software to perform certain operations (e.g., those contained within a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor). It will be understood that the decision to implement hardware modules in dedicated and permanently configured circuits or temporarily configured circuits (e.g., circuits configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations.

[0057] Therefore, the hardware terms used herein should be understood to include tangible entities that are physically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) in order to operate in a certain way or to perform certain operations described herein. In embodiments where hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each hardware module does not need to be configured or illustrated at any particular stage in time. For example, if a hardware module includes a general-purpose processor configured using software, the general-purpose processor may be configured as different hardware modules at different times. Thus, the software may configure the processor to build a particular hardware module at one stage in time and different hardware modules at different stages in time.

[0058] Hardware and software modules or routines can provide and receive information from other hardware and / or software modules and routines. Thus, the described hardware modules may be considered to be communicatively coupled. When multiple such hardware or software modules exist simultaneously, communication can be achieved through signal transmissions connecting the hardware or software modules (e.g., via appropriate circuits, lines, and buses). In embodiments where multiple hardware modules or software are configured or illustrated at different times, communication between such hardware or software modules may be achieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of information in a memory structure accessible to the multiple hardware or software modules. For example, one hardware or software module may perform an operation and store the output of that operation in a communicatively coupled memory device. Further hardware or software modules may later access the memory device to retrieve and process the stored output. Hardware and software modules can also initiate communication with input or output devices and operate on resources (e.g., collected information).

[0059] Various operations of the exemplary methods described herein may be performed, at least in part, by one or more processors that are configured temporarily (e.g., by software) or permanently to perform the operations in question. Whether configured temporarily or permanently, such processors may constitute a processor implementation module that operates to perform one or more operations or functions. The modules referenced herein may include processor implementation modules in some exemplary embodiments.

[0060] Similarly, any methods or routines described herein may be processor implementations, at least partially. For example, the operation of at least some methods may be performed by one or more processors or hardware modules of a processor implementation. The performance of certain operations may reside not only within a single machine but also distributed across one or more processors deployed across several machines. In some exemplary embodiments, a processor or a group of processors may be located in a single location (e.g., within a facility environment, an office environment, or a server farm), while in other embodiments, a group of processors may be distributed across several locations.

[0061] Several parts of this specification are presented relating to algorithms or symbolic representations of operations on data stored as bits or binary digital signals in machine memory (e.g., computer memory). These algorithms or symbolic representations are examples of techniques used by those skilled in the field of data processing to communicate the nature of their work to others skilled in the field. As used herein, “application,” “algorithm,” or “routine” is a self-consistent sequence of operations or similar processes that lead to a desired result. In this context, applications, algorithms, routines, and operations include the physical manipulation of physical quantities. Typically, but not always, such quantities may take the form of electrical, magnetic, or optical signals that can be stored, accessed, transferred, combined, compared, or otherwise manipulated by a machine. It is sometimes convenient and is the main reason for the common use of words such as “data,” “content,” “bit,” “value,” “element,” “symbol,” “character,” “term,” “number,” “digit,” etc., to refer to such signals. However, these words are merely convenient labels and should be associated with appropriate physical quantities.

[0062] Unless otherwise specified, any description herein using words such as “process,” “computer process,” “calculate,” “determine,” “present,” “display,” etc., may refer to the actions or processes of a machine (e.g., a computer) that manipulates or transforms data represented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical) quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), registers, or other machine components that receive, store, transmit, or display information.

[0063] Where used herein, any reference to "one embodiment" or "embodiment" means that a particular element, function, structure, or characteristic described in relation to an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The phrase "in one embodiment" appearing in various places herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0064] Some embodiments may be described using the expressions “linked” and “connected” along with their derivatives. For example, some embodiments may be described using the term “linked” to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, the term “linked” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other but are still working together or interacting with each other. Embodiments are not limited in this context.

[0065] As used herein, the terms “equipped,” “having,” “including,” “containing,” “having,” “having,” or any other variation thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus comprising a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements alone, and may include other elements not explicitly listed or specific to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Furthermore, unless explicitly stated otherwise, "or" refers to an inclusive OR, not an exclusive OR. For example, condition A or B satisfies one of the following: A is true (or exists) and B is false (or does not exist), A is false (or does not exist) and B is true (or exists), and both A and B are true (or exist).

[0066] Furthermore, the use of “one (a)” or “one (an)” is used to describe the elements and components of the embodiments herein. This is for convenience only and is done to give a general meaning to the description. This description should be read as including one or at least one, and including the plural, even if singular, unless it becomes clear that it has another meaning.

[0067] A person skilled in the art will understand, upon reading this disclosure, that further additional alternative structural and functional designs may be used to implement image processing applications and systems for constructing and performing the technologies disclosed herein. Therefore, while specific embodiments and applications have been illustrated and described herein, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are not limited to the exact configurations and components disclosed herein. Various modifications, changes, and variations will be made to the arrangement, operation, and details of the methods and structures disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope set forth in the claims, as will be apparent to a person skilled in the art. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0068] 10. Data flow and information transmission diagrams 12...vehicles 14. Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) 16. Driver assistance design and analysis system 17. Insurance or repair facility 20....Private insurance companies 22....Commercial insurance company 30..Vehicle Data Database 32······Analysis Engine 34....Notification Engine 40..Vehicle Data 41. Driver assistance system data 42...Driver assistance system data 44..Vehicle operation data 46...Vehicle accident data 48. Environmental data 50. Statistical Analysis Module 52······Input 54······Input 56. Computer-readable memory 58 Processors 60...Detection routine 70······Design Analysis Engine 76. Correlation Database 80······Rate determination engine 90······Billing Routing Engine 92.....Rule Database 94..Vehicle operating status determination module 96...Billing Analysis Module 98. Fault detection module

Claims

1. It is a routing system, An accident detection system that determines the existence of an accident in a vehicle equipped with one or more driver assistance functions, A vehicle operation database that collects vehicle operation data from or about the vehicle at the time of an accident involving the aforementioned vehicle, A rule database storing one or more sets of rules relating to malfunctions based on one or more vehicle operating states of the vehicle's driver assistance functions during a vehicle accident, wherein at least part of the set of rules is based on a contractual or legal relationship between the vehicle owner and the provider of the driver assistance functions; It is a fault detection system, When the accident detection system determines that a particular vehicle has been involved in an accident, it accesses the vehicle operation database to collect vehicle operation data for that particular vehicle. Access a set of rules in the rule database related to the failure of the aforementioned specific vehicle, Based on the vehicle operation data of the specific vehicle at the time of the accident, one or more vehicle states of the vehicle at the time of the accident are determined. A fault determination system operating on a processor to determine the liable party between (1) the vehicle owner and / or the vehicle owner's insurance company and (2) the provider of driver assistance features and / or the insurance company of the provider of driver assistance features, based on the vehicle's condition and the set of accessed rules, A routing system comprising: a routing engine operating on a processor to determine the route of a claim for the accident of the particular vehicle to the responsible party determined by the fault determination system.

2. The routing system according to claim 1, wherein the fault determination system operates on the processor and determines multiple responsible parties for a specific accident.

3. The routing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fault determination system operates on the processor to determine two or more responsible parties and to determine proportional responsibility for each of the two or more responsible parties.

4. The routing system according to claim 3, wherein the notification engine notifies each of the determined responsible parties.

5. The routing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the liable party includes either the driver or the insurance company.

6. The routing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the responsible party includes either a driver assistance system manufacturer or a vehicle manufacturer.

7. The routing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the liable party includes a vehicle owner's insurance company.

8. The routing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the fault determination system includes determining one or more vehicle states of the specific vehicle at the time of the accident based on the vehicle operation data, and determining whether one or more driver assistance functions were involved at the time of the accident.

9. The routing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the fault determination system includes determining one or more vehicle states of the specific vehicle at the time of the accident based on the vehicle operation data, and determining whether one or more driver assistance functions were operating at the time of the accident.

10. The routing system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the fault determination system includes determining one or more vehicle states of the specific vehicle at the time of the accident based on the vehicle operation data, and determining whether a human driver was actively operating the vehicle at the time of the accident.

11. The routing system according to claim 10, wherein the fault detection system determines whether a human driver was actively operating the vehicle at the time of the accident by detecting from the vehicle operation data, steering, braking, or acceleration that the accident was caused by the human driver.

12. The routing system according to claim 11, wherein the fault detection system determines the driving state detected by the driver assistance system when the accident occurs.

13. The routing system according to claim 12, wherein the detected driving state of the driver assistance system at the time of the accident indicates a known problem with the driver assistance system.

14. The routing system according to claim 13, wherein the fault detection system detects whether a known problem with the driver assistance system was communicated to the driver prior to the accident.

15. The routing system according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the fault detection system detects whether the driver assistance system was properly maintained at the time of the accident.

16. The routing system according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the accident detection system determines the existence of an accident in a vehicle having one or more driver assistance functions based on the receipt of a claim submitted regarding the accident.

17. The routing system according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the accident detection system determines the presence of an accident involving one or more vehicles having driver assistance functions based on telematic data collected by the vehicle during the accident.

18. A method for processing accident claims, The processor determines the presence of an accident involving a vehicle equipped with one or more driver assistance functions, To collect and store vehicle operation data from or about the vehicle in relation to the accident when the accident occurs, Storing rules in a rule database, wherein the rules in the rule database include one or more sets of rules relating to failures based on one or more vehicle operating states concerning the driver assistance functions of the vehicle during a vehicle accident, and at least part of the set of rules is based on a contractual or legal relationship between the vehicle owner and the provider of the driver assistance functions; The process involves determining the party responsible for the accident via a processor, In order to determine the vehicle operation data relating to the aforementioned vehicle, access the vehicle operation database, Accessing a set of rules in the rule database relating to the failure of the vehicle, Based on the vehicle operation data of the vehicle at the time of the accident, one or more vehicle states of the vehicle at the time of the accident are determined. Determining the liable party in an accident, including (1) determining the liable party between the vehicle owner and / or the vehicle owner's insurance company and (2) the provider of the driver assistance features and / or the insurance company of the provider of the driver assistance features, based on the vehicle condition and the set of rules accessed; A method for processing an accident claim, comprising routing the claim for the accident involving the vehicle to the responsible party via a communication network.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein determining the liable party based on the vehicle condition and the set of rules accessed includes determining the plurality of liable parties.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, wherein determining the liable party based on the vehicle condition and the set of rules accessed includes determining two or more liable parties and determining proportional liability for each of the two or more liable parties.

21. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein routing a claim for the accident of the vehicle to the responsible party via a communication network includes routing the claim to an insurance company.

22. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein routing a claim for the accident of the vehicle to the liable party via a communication network includes routing the claim to the insurance company of the driver assistance system manufacturer or to the insurance company of the vehicle manufacturer.

23. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 22, wherein routing a claim for the accident of the vehicle to the liable party via a communication network includes routing the claim to the insurance company of the driver or owner of the vehicle.

24. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 23, wherein determining one or more vehicle states of the vehicle at the time of the accident includes determining whether one or more driver assistance functions were involved at the time of the accident.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein determining one or more vehicle states of the vehicle at the time of the accident includes determining whether one or more driver assistance functions were operating at the time of the accident.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein determining one or more vehicle states of the vehicle at the time of the accident includes determining whether a human driver was actively operating the vehicle at the time of the accident.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein determining one or more vehicle states of the vehicle at the time of the accident includes determining whether a human driver was actively driving the vehicle at the time of the accident by detecting from the vehicle operation data, steering, braking, or acceleration that the accident was caused by a human driver.

28. The method according to claim 24, wherein determining one or more vehicle states of the vehicle at the time of the accident includes determining the driving state detected by the driver assistance system at the time of the accident.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein determining one or more vehicle conditions of the vehicle at the time of the accident includes determining whether there was a known problem with the driver assistance system at the time of the accident.

30. The method according to claim 24, wherein determining one or more vehicle conditions of the vehicle at the time of the accident includes determining whether the driver assistance system was properly maintained at the time of the accident.

31. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 30, wherein determining the presence of an accident in a vehicle having one or more driver assistance functions via a processor includes determining the presence of an accident in the vehicle based on the receipt of a claim filed for the accident.

32. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 31, wherein determining the presence of an accident in a vehicle having one or more driver assistance functions via a processor includes determining the presence of an accident in the vehicle based on telematic data collected by the vehicle during the accident.

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