Method for analyzing operation characteristics of a vehicle driver

Abstract

A disclosed method analyzes characteristics of a vehicle driver, especially for insurance purposes. The method is performed by a cooperation of an analyzing vehicle system in a vehicle and a stationary processing unit remote from the vehicle. The analyzing vehicle system determines a driver operation characteristics parameter from the driving vehicle and sends the parameter to the stationary processing unit. The stationary processing unit derives a metric from that parameter as driver operation characteristics.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for analyzing operation characteristics of a vehicle driver, comprising:
 determining a driver operation characteristics parameter in an analyzing vehicle system in the vehicle;   sending the parameter to a stationary processing unit; and   determining a driver operation characteristic within the stationary processing unit.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the analyzing vehicle system comprises a base device fixed to the vehicle and a mobile device selectively removable from the vehicle. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein:
 the base device and the mobile devices engage in communication using a handshake communication protocol;   multiple handshakes occur at predefined instants of time;   communication between the base device and the mobile device is terminated after a handshake process;   after communication is terminated, which the base device and the mobile device operate independently from one another, wherein at least one of the base device and the mobile device operates in an analyzing mode to collect parameter data.   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein if a handshake fails one of the base device and the mobile device monitors a parameter of a movement of the vehicle and stores parameter data together with the information that the handshake failed. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the parameter is a duration of the movement, 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the analyzing vehicle system records independent from driver intervention every driving event of the vehicle. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein a rate of determining the parameter, like speed, acceleration, average speed, average acceleration, speed metrics and/or acceleration metrics, is varied upon an input of a vehicle driver. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the parameter is a plurality of position coordinates of the vehicle determined by the analyzing vehicle system at random instants of time. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the position coordinates of the vehicle are stored as entries in a file of the vehicle system and the sequence of entries of the file is randomized by the vehicle system. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the parameter is a plurality of position coordinates and speed data of the vehicle, and wherein the speed data are separated from the location data in different files containing either the location data or the respective speed data. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein during the movement of the vehicle the analyzing vehicle system determines the speed of the vehicle, generates speed data, stores the speed data in a file, integrates the speed data to a superior speed value (speed average), and erases the speed data from the file. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the analyzing system determines the speed of the vehicle at random instants of time. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein during the movement of the vehicle the analyzing vehicle system determines position coordinates of the vehicle and camouflages the position coordinates by a position error, and wherein a travel route trend line is calculated from the camouflaged position coordinates. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the position error is a random position error. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein during the movement of the vehicle the vehicle system determines multiple travel route trend lines separated by a predefined travel parameter. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the predefined travel parameter is a direction change of the travelling route of the vehicle 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of parameter data are processed to an integrated parameter value by the vehicle analyzing system and sent to the stationary processing unit which compares a metric derived from the integrated parameter value with metrics analogously derived for other drivers. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the parameter is a plurality of speed data of the travelling speed of the vehicle, wherein the analyzing vehicle system determines an average speed value of the vehicle over a driving distance and sends this value to the stationary processing unit, and wherein the stationary processing unit compares the speed value to an average speed limit of more than one different speed limits over that distance. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18 , wherein the comparison by the stationary processing unit results in a speed difference from which the stationary processing unit derives a driving risk value from an actuarial parameter and feeds the speed difference and the driving risk value back to the driver. 
     
     
         20 . A system for determining a driver operation characteristics in a vehicle, comprising:
 an analyzing system in the vehicle that determines a driver operation characteristics parameter;   a base device fixed to the vehicle that transmits the driver operation characteristics parameter from the vehicle;   a mobile device independent from the vehicle that receives the driver operation characteristics parameter from the base device; and   a stationary processing unit that receives the driver operation characteristics parameter from the mobile device and that processes the driver operation characteristics parameter to determine a driver operation characteristic.   
     
     
         21 . The system for determining a driver operation characteristic in a vehicle according to  claim 20 , wherein the base device fixed to the vehicle comprises a safety element that prevents an operation of the base device when the base device is disassembled from the vehicle. 
     
     
         22 . Analyzing vehicle system according to  claim 20 , wherein the fixed device comprises a holder formed to receive the mobile device, and wherein the fixed device further includes a safety element that prevents an operation of the device when the base device is disassembled from the vehicle.