Mobile Sensor Trip Logs for Device-Free Vehicle Association
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods struggle to accurately associate vehicle operation data from mobile devices with specific vehicles, particularly in vehicles lacking original equipment manufacturer Bluetooth or wireless connectivity, leading to challenges in determining driver risk for insurance purposes.
Innovation Solution
A system that utilizes sensor data from mobile devices to detect vehicle entry and exit events, generating trip logs that are analyzed to determine a primary vehicle associated with a user, using supervised and unsupervised learning algorithms to identify patterns in sensor data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If Bluetooth connections are used to associate devices with vehicles, then device-vehicle association is achieved, but additional devices and installation are required which increases cost and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device uses its own existing sensors (accelerometer, GPS, microphone) to detect vehicle entry/exit events and generate trip logs without requiring any additional devices to be installed in the vehicle. The system serves itself by utilizing resources already present in the mobile device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/installation-based Bluetooth device association system with a sensor-based detection system that automatically identifies vehicle-context through physical sensors (accelerometer, GPS, microphone) already present in the mobile device.
2Ease of operation
If OEM Bluetooth or wireless connectivity is present in vehicles, then device association is simplified, but many vehicles lack such connectivity requiring separate devices
Solution Approach 1:
The system makes the mobile device universal by using sensors already present in the device for multiple purposes: detecting vehicle entry, tracking location, monitoring driving behavior, and generating trip logs. This eliminates the need for vehicle-specific hardware while maintaining functionality across all vehicles.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device acts as an intermediary between the user and the vehicle, using its sensors to detect vehicle-context events and transmit this information to the insurance system, thereby bridging the gap between vehicles without native connectivity and the insurance rating system.
3Measurement precision
If sensor data is collected to accurately identify driver-vehicle associations, then insurance rating accuracy improves, but data processing and analysis complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data collection process into distinct components: vehicle entry detection, trip logging, and analysis. By separating these functions and processing them in stages, the system manages complexity while maintaining high accuracy in driver-vehicle association.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback loops where trip logs are generated from sensor data, analyzed to determine primary vehicles, and then used to refine insurance ratings. This iterative feedback process improves accuracy while managing complexity through systematic data refinement.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for identifying a primary vehicle associated with a user of a mobile device includes receiving an indication of a vehicle entry event from a mobile device and retrieving sensor data from the mobile device. The method further includes receiving an indication of a vehicle exit event from the mobile device, generating a trip log including portions of the sensor data, and storing the trip log in a trip database. A server, or other suitable computing device, then analyzes the trip log and a plurality of previously stored trip logs in the trip database to determine a primary vehicle corresponding to the user of the mobile device. The method may allow a computing device to assign gathered mobile device data to a specific household vehicle.