Autonomous Feature Risk Evaluation for Vehicle Insurance Pricing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for determining vehicle insurance premiums do not account for the use of autonomous vehicle operation features, which affects risk levels associated with vehicle operation.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for testing the effectiveness of autonomous vehicle operation features in a virtual environment, using test input signals to simulate real-world scenarios and determine risk levels, which are then used to adjust insurance premiums.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional premium determination methods are used, then simplicity and ease of operation are maintained, but accuracy in assessing risk for autonomous vehicles is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the premium determination process into distinct modules: autonomous feature usage monitoring, virtual environment testing, risk level determination, and premium calculation. Each module handles a specific aspect of the assessment, improving overall precision while maintaining manageable complexity through functional decomposition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a virtual environment testing system as an intermediary between autonomous vehicle features and risk assessment. This intermediary layer simulates real-world scenarios to evaluate feature effectiveness without requiring actual road testing, thereby improving measurement precision while containing complexity within a controlled computational framework.
2Reliability
If autonomous vehicle operation features are monitored and tested in virtual environments, then risk assessment accuracy improves, but system complexity and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of real-world driving environments and autonomous vehicle features for testing purposes. These digital replicas allow comprehensive reliability assessment through simulated scenarios without requiring physical testing infrastructure, thereby improving reliability while managing complexity through software-based modeling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary testing of autonomous features in virtual environments before actual deployment or insurance pricing. By conducting advance simulations of various driving scenarios, the system establishes reliable risk profiles beforehand, reducing the need for complex real-time monitoring and simplifying the overall system architecture.
3Measurement precision
If comprehensive test input signals are used to evaluate autonomous features, then measurement precision improves, but loss of time in testing and processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic testing of autonomous features using structured test input signals at defined intervals and scenarios. This periodic approach ensures comprehensive measurement precision while preventing continuous testing that would cause excessive time loss, balancing thoroughness with efficiency through scheduled evaluation cycles.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for monitoring use and determining risks associated with operation of a vehicle having one or more autonomous operation features are provided. According to certain aspects, operating data may be recorded during operation of the vehicle. This may include information regarding the vehicle, the vehicle environment, use of the autonomous operation features, and/or control decisions made by the features. The control decisions may include actions the feature would have taken to control the vehicle, but which were not taken because a vehicle operator was controlling the relevant aspect of vehicle operation at the time. The operating data may be recorded in a log, which may then be used to determine risk levels associated with vehicle operation based upon risk levels associated with the autonomous operation features. The risk levels may further be used to adjust an insurance policy associated with the vehicle.