Autonomous vehicle operating status assessment
Methods and systems for monitoring use, determining risk, and pricing insurance policies for a vehicle having one or more autonomous or semi-autonomous operation features are provided. According to certain aspects, the operating status and/or configuration of autonomous operation features of an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle may be determined, such as via an on-board computer system or mobile device, and/or then directly or indirectly wirelessly communicated via data transmission from the vehicle computer system or mobile device to a remote server. An adjustment to one or more risk levels associated with operation of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle may also be determined, and an auto insurance policy, premium, or discount may be adjusted based upon the adjustment to the risk levels and presented to the customer for their review and approval. As a result, insurance cost savings may be passed onto risk averse customers that opt into to a rewards program.
1. A computer-implemented method for determining the status of autonomous operation features of an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, comprising:
receiving, at one or more processors, a signal indicating a request to determine an operating status of one or more autonomous operation features of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, wherein each of the one or more autonomous operation features comprises a control module configured to generate control decisions that actuate one or more electromechanical control components of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle based upon data received from a plurality of sensors associated with the one or more autonomous operation features;
determining, by the one or more processors, a configuration of the plurality of sensors comprising at least one of: a number of the plurality of sensors, a type of each of the plurality of sensors, a location of each of the plurality of sensors, and a technical specification for each of the plurality of sensors including normal functioning characteristics or output ranges;
presenting, by the one or more processors, a test signal to each of the plurality of sensors;
determining, by the one or more processors in response to the test signal, one or more of the plurality of sensors are missing, malfunctioning or damaged;
determining, by the one or more processors, the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features associated with the one or more of the plurality of sensors that are missing, malfunctioning or damaged is impaired;
generating, by the one or more processors, an operating status report indicating the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features, including the impaired operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features;
storing, in a computer-readable non-transitory memory, the operating status report for subsequent use;
transmitting, via a network, the generated operating status report to a server;
determining, by one or more processors of the server, an adjustment to one or more risk levels associated with operation of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle based upon the impaired operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features; and
adjusting, by the one or more processors of the server, an insurance policy cost associated with the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle based upon the determined adjustment to the one or more risk levels.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the cost associated with the insurance policy includes at least one of the following: a premium, a discount, a surcharge, a rate level, a cost based upon a distance traveled, a cost based upon a vehicle trip, and a cost based upon a duration of vehicle operation.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving, at the one or more processors of the server, one or more indications of maintenance performed on the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, wherein determining the adjustment to the cost associated with the insurance policy is further based upon the received one or more indications of maintenance.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the signal indicating the request to determine the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features is automatically generated by a processor upon the occurrence of an event.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the event includes one or more of the following: receipt of a command to start the vehicle, receipt of a command to shut off the vehicle, receipt of an indication of a collision involving the vehicle, and receipt of an indication of damage to the vehicle.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the signal indicating the request to determine the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features is received from a mobile device communicatively connected to the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the signal indicating the request to determine the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features is received from a special-purpose computing device communicatively connected to the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the one or more processors, the impaired operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features is caused by a blockage of the one or more of the plurality of sensors due to environmental factors;
generating, by the one or more processors, a remediation signal to remove the blockage; and
causing one or more remediation components of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle to remove the blockage by: (i) heating an area around the one or more of the plurality of sensors, or (ii) physically removing the blockage using other remediation components.
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the blockage is caused by one or more of the following: snow, ice, rain, dirt, mud, and condensation.
10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising correcting the impaired operating status of the one or more autonomous operating features by calibrating the one or more of the plurality of sensors based upon available sensor data.
11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein generating the operating status report includes generating a certification of the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features.
12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more autonomous operation features are related to at least one of the following: steering, accelerating, braking, monitoring blind spots, presenting a collision warning, adaptive cruise control, parking, driver alertness monitoring, driver responsiveness monitoring, pedestrian detection, artificial intelligence, a back-up system, a navigation system, a positioning system, a security system, an anti-hacking measure, a theft prevention system, and remote vehicle location determination.
13. A computer system for determining the status of autonomous operation features of an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, comprising:
one or more processors;
a plurality of sensors associated with the one or more autonomous operation features communicatively connected to the one or more processors; and
a program memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing executable instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the computer system to:
receive, at the one or more processors, a signal indicating a request to determine an operating status of one or more autonomous operation features of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, wherein each of the one or more autonomous operation features comprises a control module configured to generate control decisions that actuate one or more electromechanical control components of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle based upon data received from a plurality of sensors associated with the one or more autonomous operation features;
determine, by the one or more processors, a configuration of the plurality of sensors comprising at least one of: a number of the plurality of sensors, a type of each of the plurality of sensors, a location of each of the plurality of sensors, a technical specification for each of the plurality of sensors including normal functioning characteristic or output ranges;
present, by the one or more processors, a test signal to each of the plurality of sensors;
determine, by the one or more processors in response to the test signal, one or more of the plurality of sensors are missing, malfunctioning or damaged;
determine, by the one or more processors, the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features associated with the one or more of the plurality of sensors that are missing, malfunctioning or damaged is impaired;
generate, by the one or more processors, an operating status report indicating the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features, including the impaired operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features;
store, in a computer-readable non-transitory memory, the operating status report for subsequent use;
transmit, via a network, the generated operating status report to a server;
determine, by one or more processors of the server, an adjustment to one or more risk levels associated with operation of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle based upon the impaired operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features; and
adjust, by the one or more processors of the server, an insurance policy cost associated with the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle based upon the determined adjustment to the one or more risk levels.
14. The computer system of claim 13 , wherein the program memory further stores executable instructions that cause the computer system to:
determine, by the one or more processors, the impaired operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features is caused by a blockage of the one or more of the plurality of sensors due to environmental factors;
generate, by the one or more processors, a remediation signal to remove the blockage; and
cause one or more remediation components of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle to remove the blockage by: (i) heating an area around the one or more of the plurality of sensors, or (ii) physically removing the blockage using other remediation components.
15. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for determining the status of autonomous operation features of an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle that, when executed by at least one processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to:
receive, at one or more processors, a signal indicating a request to determine an operating status of one or more autonomous operation features of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, wherein each of the one or more autonomous operation features comprises a control module configured to generate control decisions that actuate one or more electromechanical control components of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle based upon data received from a plurality of sensors associated with the one or more autonomous operation features;
determine, by the one or more processors, a configuration of the plurality of sensors comprising at least one of: a number of the plurality of sensors, a type of each of the plurality of sensors, a location of each of the plurality of sensors, a technical specification for each of the plurality of sensors including normal functioning characteristics or output ranges;
present, by the one or more processors, a test signal to each of the plurality of sensors;
determine, by the one or more processors in response to the test signal, one or more of the plurality of sensors are missing, malfunctioning or damaged;
determine, by the one or more processors, the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features associated with the one or more of the plurality of sensors that are missing, malfunctioning or damaged is impaired;
generate, by the one or more processors, an operating status report indicating the operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features, including the impaired operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features;
store, in a computer-readable non-transitory memory, the operating status report for subsequent use;
transmit, via a network, the generated operating status report to a server;
determine, by one or more processors of the server, an adjustment to one or more risk levels associated with operation of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle based upon the impaired operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features; and
adjust, by the one or more processors of the server, an insurance policy cost associated with the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle based upon the determined adjustment to the one or more risk levels.
16. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause the computer-system to:
determine, by the one or more processors, the impaired operating status of the one or more autonomous operation features is caused by a blockage of the one or more of the plurality of sensors due to environmental factors;
generate, by one or more processors, a remediation signal to remove the blockage; and
cause one or more remediation components of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle to remove the blockage by: (i) heating an area around the one or more of the plurality of sensors, or (ii) physically removing the blockage using other remediation components.