Mobile Vehicle Self-Inspection for Damage and Repair Costing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Assessing the wear and tear of leased vehicles is challenging, leading to disputes between lessors and lessees due to difficulties in accurately determining the extent of damage and wear, which complicates the inspection process.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle self-inspection application utilizing mobile devices and back-end servers for damage identification, cost estimation, and report generation, incorporating manual and automatic analysis, augmented reality, and discrepancy reconciliation to provide accurate and transparent assessments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If manual inspection methods are used to assess vehicle wear and tear, then the inspection process can be performed with simple equipment, but the accuracy and objectivity of damage assessment deteriorates leading to disputes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection with automated image processing and analysis systems. Mobile devices capture images of vehicle surfaces, and computer algorithms automatically detect, classify, and measure damage characteristics such as scratch depth, dent size, and surface imperfections. This substitution of mechanical/manual inspection with automated optical and computational systems resolves the contradiction by providing high measurement precision without requiring complex specialized equipment at the inspection point.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates digital copies (images and 3D models) of the vehicle surface conditions. Multiple images from different angles and distances are captured using mobile devices, then processed to generate accurate representations of damage. These digital copies allow for precise measurement and analysis without physically contacting or complicating the inspection process, thereby maintaining simplicity while improving assessment accuracy.
2Reliability
If automated image processing is used to identify damage, then the objectivity and consistency of assessment improves, but the complexity of the inspection system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs mobile devices (smartphones or tablets) that serve multiple functions: capturing images, processing images through analysis algorithms, storing inspection data, and communicating results. This multi-functional approach provides reliable automated assessment without requiring separate specialized equipment for each function, thereby maintaining system simplicity while achieving high objectivity and consistency in damage evaluation.
Solution Approach 2:
The inspection system performs self-assessment through automated algorithms that independently analyze captured images, identify damage types, measure dimensions, and generate reports without requiring expert inspector intervention. This self-service capability ensures consistent objective assessment while minimizing the complexity of human-operated systems, as the automated process handles all critical analysis functions.
3Loss of information
If multiple inspection reports are collected from lessee and dealer, then the completeness of damage documentation improves, but the difficulty of reconciling discrepancies increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where multiple inspection reports (from lessee and dealer) are automatically compared and reconciled. The system identifies discrepancies between reports, presents them to users for resolution, and updates the final assessment based on resolved differences. This automated feedback loop ensures complete documentation of all observed damage while simplifying discrepancy resolution through systematic comparison and user-guided reconciliation, rather than manual complex analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the inspection process into separate independent reports collected from different parties (lessee and dealer), each documenting their observations. These segmented reports are then systematically compared and integrated. This segmentation allows for complete documentation of diverse perspectives while simplifying reconciliation by breaking down the complex comparison task into manageable individual report analyses and systematic difference identification.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for self-inspection of a vehicle is disclosed. The self-inspection may be performed by an application executed on a mobile device, with the application being configured to determine excessive wear and use. The mobile device may obtain images from a plurality of predetermined views of the vehicle, with damage input being determined for the plurality of predetermined views. In turn, a cost estimate may be output for repair or replacement due to the damage for each of the plurality of predetermined views as well as a total cost for repair or replacement, which may be dynamically updated as additional damage is input for the plurality of predetermined views.