DE102020135046A1 - Method for triggering a compensation process to compensate for damage to a motor vehicle and associated processor circuit - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for triggering a compensation process (13) for compensating for damage (15) inflicted on a motor vehicle at an event location (56) by a damage event (14), comprising the steps: receiving description data (19) from different data channels (D), generating a combined damage description (45) from the received description data (19) and carrying out a process selection, by means of which a compensation process (13) is selected from a plurality of predetermined compensation processes (13) by means of a predetermined assignment rule (48) on the basis of the combined Damage Description (45) is selected.

Description

The invention relates to a method for triggering a compensation process to compensate for damage to a motor vehicle. The damage can be, for example, accidental damage or the effects of vandalism or natural forces. A compensation measure or a compensation process can provide for repairing the damage, for example. The invention also includes a processor circuit with a data interface in order to determine on the basis of descriptive data what damage actually exists on a motor vehicle in order to then automatically initiate or trigger the described compensation process.

In the current motor vehicle damage process (vehicle - motor vehicle), the damage is usually reported manually by the vehicle owner or driver - often some time after an accident. A disadvantage of this current process is the loss of time and manual labor that is required. Bringing the damaged motor vehicle to the preferred workshop is often not possible. In addition, fraud in motor claims processes is difficult to detect. As a result of these circumstances, the owner of the damaged motor vehicle does not get immediate compensation.

An acceleration of processing procedures in the so-called settlement of claims (i.e. their settlement or compensation) is therefore of great interest. The so-called “document check”, i.e. the checking of expert opinions, cost estimates, bodywork invoices and glass invoices is currently the focus of the service providers’ offer. However, the market is in a phase of transition towards a comprehensive all-in-one offer that starts when the damage occurs and would like to carry out the entire processing of a damage in an automated and digitized manner. This is done with the inclusion of artificial intelligence, such as advanced image recognition processes.

Current alternative approaches to innovation include trials that include the following steps: collect photographs and attempt to use machine learning to estimate damage; Collect accident data and provide a damage assessment as working material for the claims agent (assessor); Offering an accident reporting website or app. This disadvantageously represents only individual solutions that only cover partial aspects and in turn generate additional effort in their coordination, because e.g. an expert can assess the result of the machine image analysis and compare it with other accident data.

It is known from US 2002/0 103 622 A1 that in the event of an accident in a motor vehicle, sensor data from so-called crash sensors can be read out and stored in a data network so that different departments of an insurance company can access it when processing the accident. However, which department could be responsible must be determined in another way.

It is known from US 2018/0 300 815 A1 that in the event of a traffic accident, the description of the damage can also be determined from a police report. This is a verbal description of a possible course of the accident.

It is known from US 2020/0 267 503 A1 that when an accident event is detected, the driver's responsiveness is automatically checked and, in the event that the driver does not respond, an emergency call can be triggered automatically.

From the WO 2018/046102 A1 It is known that, on the basis of telematics data from motor vehicles, an expert system can be used to make a decision about risky behavior by individual drivers, and payments can then be triggered in accordance with the risky behavior.

It is known from WO 2018/147 881 A1 that the volume of a bang is used to determine whether an accident could have occurred. In this case, geoposition data is then sent to a server so that the accident event is reported there and an insurance transaction is triggered.

The known solutions are based on the individual consideration of respective data sources or data channels, for example the signals from a motor vehicle or reports from the police. It is always necessary for someone to get an overview of the accident situation in order to get a coherent picture. Otherwise it cannot be reliably determined which type of damage is present overall (for example internal structural damage to the motor vehicle) and how great the extent of the damage is.

The object of the invention is, in the event of damage to a motor vehicle, to reliably determine the type of damage and the extent of the damage and to trigger a compensation process corresponding to the damage, for example a repair.

The object is solved by the subject matter of the independent patent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are described by the dependent patent claims, the following description and the figures.

• - Empfangen von jeweiligen Beschreibungsdaten aus unterschiedlichen, insbesondere unabhängigen Datenkanälen. Die Beschreibungsdaten charakterisieren die Beschädigung selbst und/oder eine Schadensanfälligkeit des Kraftfahrzeugs (z.B. eine Angabe zur strukturellen Festigkeit zumindest eines Bauteils) und/oder einen Ablauf oder Verlauf des Schadensereignisses.
• - Erzeugen einer kombinierten Schadensbeschreibung aus
  • ◯ einer Kombination der kanalspezifischen Beschreibungsdaten, also aus den Beschreibungsdaten in Kombination, und/oder
  • ◯ zumindest einer jeweiligen kanalspezifischen Schadensbeschreibung, die anhand der jeweiligen kanalspezifischen Beschreibungsdaten gebildeten wurde.
  Die jeweilige Schadensbeschreibung gibt einen Schadenstyp und ein Ausmaß der Beschädigung an. Der Schadenstyp kann z.B. das beschädigte Bauteil angeben. Das Ausmaß kann eine Schadenswert (Schadenshöhe) und/oder eine Angabe zumindest eines zu ersetzenden oder zu reparierenden Bauteils des Kraftfahrzeugs und/oder eine Angabe einer notwendigen Reparaturmaßnahme sein. Zudem kann die Fahrfähigkeit des Fahrzeugs Teil der Abschätzung sein, sowie die vermutlichen Verletzungen der Insassen. In der kombinierten Schadensbeschreibung sind somit alle in den Beschreibungsdaten enthaltenen Informationen zusammengefasst.
• - Durchführen oder Steuern einer Prozessauswahl, durch welche mittels einer vorbestimmten Zuordnungsvorschrift aus mehreren vorgegebenen Kompensationsprozessen ein Kompensationsprozess auf der Grundlage der kombinierten Schadensbeschreibung ausgewählt und bevorzugt auch ausgelöst und/oder durchgeführt wird.

The invention includes a method for initiating a compensation process for compensating for damage caused to a motor vehicle at an event location by a damage event. The following steps are envisaged:

• - Receiving of respective description data from different, in particular independent, data channels. The descriptive data characterize the damage itself and/or the motor vehicle's susceptibility to damage (for example an indication of the structural strength of at least one component) and/or a sequence or course of the damage event.
• - Generating a combined damage description
  • ◯ a combination of the channel-specific description data, i.e. a combination of the description data, and/or
  • ◯ at least one respective channel-specific damage description, which was formed using the respective channel-specific description data.
  The respective damage description specifies a damage type and an extent of the damage. The damage type can indicate, for example, the damaged component. The extent can be a damage value (amount of damage) and/or an indication of at least one component of the motor vehicle to be replaced or repaired and/or an indication of a necessary repair measure. In addition, the driving ability of the vehicle can be part of the assessment, as well as the probable injuries to the occupants. All of the information contained in the description data is thus summarized in the combined damage description.
• - Carrying out or controlling a process selection, by means of which a compensation process is selected from a plurality of predefined compensation processes on the basis of the combined damage description and preferably also triggered and/or carried out by means of a predetermined assignment rule.

It is therefore provided that the combined description of the damage, ie a summarized or global statement of the situation relating to the damage, is formed on the basis of description data from a number of different data sources or data channels. Such a data channel can, for example, provide the description data through an “internal” sensor system of a motor vehicle. This internal sensor system measures signals and/or changes within the motor vehicle itself that affect the motor vehicle. Another possible data channel can be, for example, an externally aligned or environment-oriented sensor system of the motor vehicle, which detects the environment of the motor vehicle. A further possible data channel can be, for example, a sensor system in a traffic infrastructure which, for example, has a traffic camera as a sensor and/or records the location of the event.

The method can be carried out by a processor circuit which can be coupled to the individual data channels by means of a data interface. For this purpose, the processor circuit can be connected with its data interface to a data network, such as the Internet, for example, and be coupled to the respective sensor system via this.

Once the combined description of damage is available, based on this it can be automatically decided by means of the assignment rule in what form compensation for the damage should take place, for example whether repairs should be initiated or whether the damage can be left as it is because it is trivial . For example, the assignment rule can be in the form of a table for the selection of the provided compensation process, in which a responsible compensation process is entered for a specific combined damage description. For example, the selection can be made based on the type of damage (e.g. personal injury or only property damage or structural damage (e.g. frame deformed) or component damage (e.g. denting of a sheet metal)). In addition or as an alternative to this, individual characteristic values can be specified or defined in the damage description (e.g. amount of the force applied or estimated costs for the repair) and it can be checked whether the respective characteristic value lies in the respective value interval from several predetermined value intervals, so that, for example, as a characteristic value the amount of damage or the damage value can be specified and intervals for possible damage values (e.g. 0 euros to 5,000.00 euros, 5,000.00 euros to 10,000.00 euros) can be defined and a different compensation process can be assigned for each value interval.

Channel-specific description data therefore come from the different data channels then the combined damage description is formed from this and the resulting compensation process is then triggered in accordance with the assignment rule. The combined damage description can be based directly on the channel-specific description data, ie by combining the description data from the different data channels. In addition or as an alternative to this, a channel-specific damage description can first be formed separately or individually for each data channel, that is to say a damage description that is created solely on the basis of the description data of a respective data channel. Such channel-specific descriptions of damage can then also be combined to form the combined description of damage. Significant divergences in the assessment from the various channels can also be a criterion for assignment to a predetermined compensation process, for example a compensation process for clarifying a possible attempt at fraud. When a divergence is strong, it can be described by a match value and/or by an inconsistency criterion, as will be described below. On the one hand, the description of the damage can indicate the type of damage, for example denting of a sheet metal and/or breakage of a window pane and/or deformation of the frame of the motor vehicle. In addition, the damage value or the amount of damage can be specified, for example in the form of repair costs to be incurred.

The invention has the advantage that in the processor circuit that generates the combined damage description and carries out the selection process, the measurement results or sensor data or generally description data from different sensor circuits or detection devices are combined or fused in order to obtain the combined damage description, which is then the allocation rule for controlling or performing the process selection for compensation processes is used. Human intervention is therefore not necessary until a compensation process is triggered. On the one hand, this reduces the response time to damage and, on the other hand, no further human working time is required after the processor circuit has been programmed or installed once.

The damage may be accident damage, for example, that is to say the damaging event is then the traffic accident and the location of the event is the scene of the accident. Vandalism, for example, can also be present as damage, so that the damage event can then be, for example, scratching or a window being smashed, and the event location is then the crime scene.

The respective compensation process reacts to the damage to the motor vehicle by the user or owner of the motor vehicle being less affected by the damage overall, for example by the motor vehicle being repaired or the damage caused being compensated for in monetary terms.

The respective damage description (channel-specific or combined) can be a data record in which an indication of the damage type in question (e.g. a damage location or a position of the damage) and/or a component list relating to damaged components or components to be replaced or repaired, as well as a damage value , for example potential repair costs and/or an indication of the effort required to compensate or partially compensate for the damage.

The invention also includes embodiments that result in additional advantages.

An embodiment includes that a match value is determined, which describes a match of the channel-specific description data of at least two of the data channels. If the match value lies outside a predetermined plausibility interval and a contradictory description is thus signaled, a subsequent determination process for recording further description data is triggered in the process selection and/or an attempt at fraud is signaled. This results in a consistency check of the descriptive data from the different data channels. This has proven to be advantageous as a way of detecting an attempt at fraud. The match value can be determined, for example, by comparing the damage type. For example, a damage location or damage location on the motor vehicle can be compared in the respective damage description, so that the match value can be the distance between the damage locations, for example. If the distance between the damage locations, as specified in two different damage descriptions, is greater than a predetermined threshold value, this can be interpreted as a contradictory description. The plausibility interval therefore represents all those match values that are still tolerated, ie for which it is assumed that the damage descriptions or the description data are accepted as matching or plausible. Additionally or alternatively, the damage type can be compared. Is described by descriptive data from a data channel that glass has been broken, and in the If descriptive data from another data channel described a collision of sheet metal as a sound without a clinking being heard, this is implausible because two different damage categories (e.g. glass breakage and sheet metal damage) are signaled. The plausibility interval can summarize consistent damage categories here. If damage categories that are inconsistent with each other are specified, the subsequent investigation process can be triggered because the description data (different damage categories, e.g. sheet metal collision on the one hand and broken glass on the other) is no longer within the plausibility interval, i.e. a comparison of damage categories of damaged components shows, for example, that there is a category difference, which is not within the plausibility interval. By means of the post-determination process, a new acquisition of descriptive data from a specific data channel or from a plurality of data channels can then be initiated or triggered, for example. In addition or as an alternative to this, a warning regarding an attempt at fraud can be generated.

One embodiment includes that description data in the form of sensor data from a sensor circuit of the motor vehicle with one or more sensors for detecting a vibration and/or deformation of the motor vehicle is received via one of the data channels and the associated channel-specific and/or the combined description of the damage is respectively received by means a vehicle model is determined, which assigns at least one damage location (damage type) and an estimated defect (extent) at the damage location to the sensor data. Thus, at least one physical variable is measured in the motor vehicle by means of the sensor circuit of the motor vehicle, which is dependent on a predetermined type of damage, e.g. vibration (collision) and/or deformation. For example, what is known as a crash sensor can determine vibration of the motor vehicle. A deformation sensor, e.g. based on strain gauges and/or transilluminated glass fibers, can be provided in a component, e.g. a metal sheet and/or a high-voltage battery. If the component is dented or deformed, this can be detected by sensors. A microphone that detects a bang and/or the sound of shattering glass can be provided as a possible sensor in a motor vehicle. An acceleration sensor, for example, can be provided as a possible sensor, which describes an acceleration signal relating to the acceleration of at least one component of the motor vehicle. A speed signal can be generated by a speed sensor, which signals a driving speed of the motor vehicle, in particular at the time of the damage. The available sensor data can be combined or fused using a vehicle model and then evaluated by using the sensor data using the vehicle model to detect, for example, a movement and/or change in the motor vehicle. For this purpose, the vehicle model is operated in such a way, or a journey of the motor vehicle is simulated by means of the vehicle model, as it must have taken place according to the sensor data (e.g. a lateral impact according to the acceleration values described by the sensor data). A damage location and the extent of the damage can then be determined from this, for example by using the vehicle model to determine how deeply a metal sheet of the motor vehicle must have been pressed in and/or what mechanical force must have acted on a frame of the motor vehicle so that the received description data (e.g. sensor data) have arisen. Thus, the damage type in the resulting damage description can be read out from the vehicle model after it has reproduced or simulated the damage event according to the damage data. In addition, the vehicle model can be used to determine what extent or what effect the motor vehicle has, for example whether a component of the motor vehicle is destroyed or deformed. The vehicle model can be formed, for example, in the form of a machine learning method, for example in the form of an artificial neural network. The vehicle model can additionally or alternatively be based on an assignment table, which can assign measured values from the sensor data to an indication of a type of damage and/or an extent of the damage. The vehicle model can be implemented as software, for example.

One embodiment includes that description data in the form of sensor data of the damage event is received via one of the data channels from a respective sensor of a respective sensor circuit of at least one permanently installed traffic monitoring system and/or a surrounding vehicle and the associated channel-specific and/or the combined description of damage by means of a kinetic movement model from in road users mapped to the sensor data is determined. Thus, one is not solely dependent on sensors of the damaged motor vehicle when it comes to creating a description of the damage. Traffic monitoring can, for example, provide at least one camera at an intersection, which captures the traffic. Camera data from such traffic monitoring can also be used to generate a damage description. Additionally or alternatively, a festi nstalled microphone can be used, which can be installed on such a camera, for example. Using sensor data from such infrastructure sensors (traffic monitoring sensors), a movement process of road users can be traced. A road user is in particular the damaged motor vehicle. In particular, camera data or image data from a camera that is or was located above the road users, ie at a height that is above or greater than the height of the road users, is preferably used. For example, the trajectory of each road user can be recreated or simulated. A surrounding vehicle can, for example, generate camera data and/or radar data and/or LIDAR data and/or ultrasound measurement data as descriptive data and transmit it to the processor circuit. In the descriptive data of a vehicle in the vicinity, said motor vehicle in particular can be depicted before/during/after the damage event. The kinetic movement model can, for example, assign a speed and/or a mass to each road user. These values and/or vectors can be estimated from the image data by means of image processing, for example. For example, the mass may be estimated by recognizing the size of the road user and/or a vehicle type (truck or passenger car or motorcycle) as a category and assigning a default mass value to each category. The speed can be determined based on a change in position in the camera image. A bang volume and/or a signal pattern of a sound signal can be used to determine which component or components of the road users were damaged, for example in a collision. For example, shattering glass and/or dented sheet metal can be detected based on the sound of a bang. A speed can also be estimated, for example, from a squeaking noise from braking. A kinetic movement model can then be used to simulate the course of the damage event. The kinetic motion model can be implemented as software. It can be based on physical equations and/or on a simulator.

One embodiment includes that description data in the form of environmental data from at least one environmental sensor of the motor vehicle, which detects the location of the event, is received via one of the data channels and the associated channel-specific and/or the combined damage description is determined by evaluating a relative position and/or relative movement of at least one traffic object becomes. In other words, the surroundings of the damaged motor vehicle are detected by a sensor circuit with at least one surroundings sensor before and/or during and/or after the damage event. For example, a relative position of another road user involved in the damaging event can be recorded. In addition or as an alternative to this, a trajectory of such a road user can be recorded. For example, a surroundings camera, a radar, a lidar and/or an ultrasonic sensor can be used as a suitable surroundings sensor. By evaluating the relative position and/or relative movement, such a road user or a traffic object in general (i.e., for example, a stationary traffic object such as a traffic light or a pole or a pillar) can be evaluated in relation to the motor vehicle to determine where this traffic object causes damage on the motor vehicle, i.e. the damage site or the damage location. In addition or as an alternative to this, a damage value can be evaluated on the basis of, for example, the speed of the traffic object relative to the motor vehicle. The relative position and/or relative movement and/or a category of a traffic object (e.g. motor vehicle or stationary traffic object) can be determined, for example, by means of image recognition from an image of the surroundings that the motor vehicle made of the event location before and/or during and/or after the damage event will. Such an image recognition can take place, for example, on the basis of an artificial neural network. Image recognition can be determined in a manner known per se, for example on the basis of an algorithm for machine learning. In the case of the invention, a distinction is made between a data channel for an “internal sensor circuit” for measuring the motor vehicle's own state and a data channel for an “environment-oriented sensor circuit” for measuring in the area surrounding the motor vehicle.

One embodiment includes that design data, in which a structural strength of at least one vehicle component of the motor vehicle is described, is received via one of the data channels and a structural model of the motor vehicle is configured using the design data and using the configured structural model damage to at least one vehicle component due to a sensor-detected and/or is determined based on environmental images (camera, radar, ultrasound) estimated force. In this way, information about the structural condition of the motor vehicle in relation to the stability of at least one component can be evaluated. Is then by a sensor and / or based on at least If an image of the surroundings recognizes that a force and/or which force has acted on the motor vehicle, the design data can be used to determine the extent to which the structural strength of at least one component has withstood the force and/or which component is affected by the force. A general, configurable structural model of a motor vehicle can be used for this purpose, which is adapted or configured by means of the design data to the damaged motor vehicle with regard to the information about the structural strength. The reaction or the damage to the motor vehicle can then be predicted or estimated on the basis of the determined action of force. The structural model can be based on software. The structural model can include an artificial neural network and/or an allocation table.

One embodiment includes that description data in the form of report data of a verbal description of the damage event and/or the location of the event is received via one of the data channels and a damage category and/or the damage type is determined using the report data. Thus, eyewitness reports can also be integrated into this process selection. For example, a verbal description may be evaluated based on a semantic analysis algorithm. The verbal description can be received as spoken text and converted into written text, for example using a method for speech recognition, in particular based on “Hidden Markov Models”. A written text can also be received as a verbal description. A damage category can include or combine a number of different damage types, which can advantageously also be used to evaluate a verbal description by a person who is not technically skilled. The damage type can at least be restricted based on the damage category. If the damage type is mentioned directly in the verbal description, it can of course also be used. The verbal description can be based on a multiple-choice questionnaire, which has the particular advantage that a person can be specifically asked for information about the type of damage. The verbal description can also take place, for example, in a call center, from where a participant in the damaging event can be questioned.

One embodiment includes that the person is issued via an assistance app at least one instruction for a user-guided acquisition of description data and the description data are received via one of the data channels from a mobile device of the person. In other words, the acquisition of descriptive data can be influenced or controlled by informing a person from where or at which point descriptive data is to be acquired. For example, the person can be instructed to use a camera on a mobile terminal to take a photograph of a specified point on the motor vehicle and/or the area surrounding the motor vehicle. For example, a smartphone or a tablet PC or a smartwatch can be controlled as a mobile end device. The location to be photographed can be determined, for example, on the basis of description data from at least one other data channel. If, for example, information is missing in another data channel, this can be supplemented by instructing the person via the assistant app to record the corresponding point on the vehicle and/or at the location of the event using the mobile terminal device. Software for a mobile terminal device, a so-called application (app), can be provided as an assistant app. For example, it can be provided that a list of required information is kept for a damage event and, in the event that certain information was not received through the data channels, the person can be instructed via the assistant app to use the mobile device to obtain this information in a targeted manner to capture, for example, to photograph a certain point. In addition or as an alternative to this, the assistant app can be used, for example, to read out a data bus (e.g. CAN - Controller Area Network) or an error memory in the motor vehicle, for which purpose the data network of the motor vehicle can be connected via a Bluetooth radio connection via the so-called OBD (on-board diagnosis). ) can be queried or retrieved.

One embodiment includes that the instruction is issued to the person if at least one channel-specific description and/or description data necessary for the combined damage description is missing and/or two damage descriptions meet a predetermined inconsistency criterion, i.e. contain differing information on the same aspect of the damage. The missing descriptive data can be recognized, for example, by the fact that data slots are specified for a specific data channel, which must be filled with data so that the data channel is recognized as complete. Such a data slot can specify, for example: frontal photography; photography from the side; photography with predetermined ambient lighting; Photograph with a reference object (e.g. folding rule) must be shown next to a damaged area; Photography with integrated geoposition data (e.g. GPS coordinates - Global Positioning System). Additionally or alternatively tively, the user-guided recording can be triggered if two different data channels result in a damage description that is inconsistent, for example with regard to the damage location specified in the damage descriptions, if these show a distance or a difference in the damage descriptions with regard to the damage location, greater than a predetermined maximum distance.

One embodiment includes that the recording of the descriptive data is triggered automatically when an accident signal arrives from the motor vehicle. In this way, the receiving or collecting of description data from the different data channels can be triggered or started automatically as a function of the accident signal. A suitable accident signal can, for example, be provided by a crash detector, for example an airbag deployment, in a motor vehicle. In the case of a mobile terminal, for example, the vibration can be determined using a gyro sensor of the motor vehicle and thus also a jerk event, such as can be triggered by an accident.

A geoposition of the event location can be determined using the descriptive data from at least one data channel, which can be done, for example, on the basis of so-called position data from a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), for example the GPS (Global Positioning System). The processor circuit can then actively request description data for at least one further data channel, for example from a traffic monitoring server computer, by specifying the geoposition for which description data are required in a request message. Thus, within a time window of less than 10 seconds after a damage event, image material or generally descriptive data, for example, can already be determined or recorded from traffic monitoring.

One embodiment includes that the compensation processes include an automated settlement with a payment of compensation for the damage and at least one of the following additional compensation processes: initiating a repair in a workshop, evaluation of the combined damage description by an expert, special treatment. It is thus possible to react flexibly to the damage event or damage by adjusting the compensation by triggering or starting the appropriate compensation process or one provided according to the assignment rule. Special treatment can arise, for example, if the motor vehicle is part of a fleet contract or the location of the event is abroad, so that other regulations for handling the damaging event must be followed, for example. In particular, it is provided that the type of damage and the extent resulting from the combined damage description is reported to a workshop and the workshop prepares and/or carries out a repair operation or repair process for the motor vehicle in order to thereby reduce the damage to the motor vehicle or to eliminate. For example, as preparation, a component can be ordered from a central warehouse based on the damage description if the component is not available in the workshop but is necessary to compensate for the damage. Thus, when the motor vehicle arrives at the workshop, the smart device can ensure that every component required for damage compensation is available.

The invention also includes a processor circuit that is set up to receive, via a data interface, from respective description data characterizing damage and/or susceptibility to damage of the motor vehicle and/or a course of a damage event from different, independent data channels and a combined damage description from a combination of the channel-specific description data and/or from respective channel-specific damage descriptions formed on the basis of the respective channel-specific description data, with the respective damage description specifying a damage type and an extent of the damage (damage level), and to carry out a process selection which, by means of a predetermined assignment rule, is selected from a number of predetermined compensation processes Compensation process selected on the basis of the combined damage description and in particular also triggered or carried out. The processor circuit can be a data processing device that is set up to carry out an embodiment of the method according to the invention. For this purpose, the processor circuit can have at least one microprocessor and/or at least one microcontroller and/or at least one FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and/or at least one DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Furthermore, the processor circuit can have program code which is set up to carry out the embodiment of the method according to the invention when executed by the processor device. The program code can be stored in a data memory of the processor circuit. The data interface can be formed, for example, on the basis of an NIC—Network Interface Controller. The data interface can include one or more protocol stacks, for example sen, for example an IP protocol stack (IP - Internet Protocol). The data interface can be designed to receive sensor data of the motor vehicle and/or environmental data from at least one environmental sensor of the motor vehicle from a control unit (eg EDR—Event Data Recorder) of a motor vehicle. The data interface can be set up to receive description data from at least one sensor of a traffic monitoring system. The processor circuit can be designed as an Internet server.

The invention also includes a system with the processor circuit described and with one or more sensor circuits, the processor circuit and/or the respective sensor circuit being set up to transmit description data from the sensor circuit to a data interface of the processor circuit via a data channel. The respective data channel can be generated, for example, on the basis of an Internet connection, for example a connection based on IP (Internet Protocol). For this purpose, the processor circuit can, for example, operate a so-called IP socket at its data interface. The transmitter circuit can be arranged, for example, in the motor vehicle that is affected by the damage event. It can be a sensor circuit for sensors for detection in the motor vehicle. A further sensor circuit can, for example, comprise at least one environment sensor of the motor vehicle. At least one sensor circuit can be provided in the motor vehicle in order to provide the described at least one sensor for the associated descriptive data in the motor vehicle. At least one sensor circuit can be provided in the described traffic monitoring system in order to provide the at least one sensor described for the associated description data in the traffic monitoring system. At least one sensor circuit can be provided in a traffic object or a road user in order to provide the described at least one sensor for the associated description data in the traffic object and/or road user.

The invention also includes the combinations of features of the described embodiments. The invention also includes implementations that each have a combination of the features of several of the described embodiments, unless the embodiments were described as mutually exclusive.

• 1 eine schematische Darstellung einer Ausführungsform des erfindungsgemäßen Systems;
• 2 eine Skizze zu einer Ausführungsform des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below. The only figure shows this:

• 1 a schematic representation of an embodiment of the system according to the invention;
• 2 a sketch of an embodiment of the method according to the invention.

The exemplary embodiments explained below are preferred embodiments of the invention. In the exemplary embodiments, the described components of the embodiments each represent individual features of the invention that are to be considered independently of one another and that each also develop the invention independently of one another. Therefore, the disclosure is also intended to encompass combinations of the features of the embodiments other than those illustrated. Furthermore, the described embodiments can also be supplemented by further features of the invention that have already been described.

In the figures, the same reference symbols designate elements with the same function.

1 shows a system 10, by means of which, in the event of damage to a motor vehicle 11, one of a plurality of compensation processes 13 can be selected automatically on the basis of a processor circuit 12 in order to compensate for the damage to motor vehicle 11, ie to eliminate it by repairing it, for example.

2 1 illustrates an exemplary damage event 14 in which damage 15 to motor vehicle 11 may have occurred. Motor vehicle 11 may have been in road traffic 16 and may have hit a traffic object 17, for example another road user. 2 shows a position of the traffic object 17 before the damage event and (in dashed form) during the damage event (here a collision). It is also shown how the processor circuit 12 can receive description data 19 via the Internet 18 , for example, which are correlated with the damage event 14 .

For example, the motor vehicle 11 can include an internal sensor circuit 21 with sensors or at least one sensor 22 in order to carry out sensory monitoring of the motor vehicle 11 inside the vehicle. The internal sensor circuit 21 can, for example, generate description data 19 for internal or vehicle-internal measurements via a communication circuit 23 , which represent a data channel 24 relating to vehicle-internal measurements and can be signaled to the processor circuit 12 . An environment-oriented sensor circuit 25 can include at least one environment sensor in motor vehicle 11 . The environment 27 of the road traffic 16 can be detected by means of the environment-oriented sensor circuit 25 . The description data 19 of this environment-oriented sensor circuit 25 can represent a second data channel 28 via which the processor circuit 12 receives description data 19 relating to the environment 27 . Another data channel 29 can be provided, for example, by a sensor circuit 30 of the traffic object 17, which can provide traffic object-specific description data 19. The traffic object 17 can also have a communication circuit 31 for this purpose. Traffic monitoring 32 can also provide a sensor circuit 33 with at least one traffic sensor 34, for example a traffic monitoring camera. The traffic monitor 32 can also transmit a data channel 36 for description data 19 from the sensor circuit 33 of the traffic monitor 32 to the processor circuit 12 via a communication circuit 35 . The communication circuits 23, 31, 35 described can, for example, be based on a mobile radio module (for example line element or 5G) and/or a WiFi module.

1 12 further illustrates how, in addition to the sensor circuits 21, 25, 30, 33, for example from a database 37, design data 38 relating to the motor vehicle 11 can be provided as further description data 19 in a further data channel 39. In addition, a person 40 can provide further description data 19 in the form of verbal report data 42 in a further data channel 43, for example via a terminal 41, such as a call center or an Internet portal. The data channels can end at a data interface 44 of the processor circuit 12, for example as Internet connections or API (Application Programming Interface). The description data 19 of the different data channels are thus present in the processor circuit 12 . The description data 19 can be combined in order to obtain a combined damage description 45, i.e. a data record relating to the damage 15 (see 2 ) can indicate a damage type 46 (e.g. front right damage or front right dent) and an extent 47 of the damage 15, e.g. a damage value. On the basis of the combined damage description 45, it can then be selected by means of an assignment rule 48 which of the compensation processes 13 can be initiated or triggered by corresponding triggering data 49 to compensate for the damage 15.

The creation of the combined damage description from the description data 19 can be achieved in that the description data 19 can be combined in a data fusion 50 in order to use a model 51 to generate the combined damage description 45 or a part thereof. In addition or as an alternative to this, the respective description data 19 from the individual data channels D can be combined individually into a channel-specific damage description 52 by providing a respective model 53 for the individual data channels D, on the basis of which the respective channel-specific damage description 52 is formed from the description data 19 which can then also be used as a basis or partial basis for the combined damage description 45 .

If, for example, it is determined by means of one of the models 51, 53 that the description data 19 from one data channel D is incomplete or contradictory to the description data 19 from another data channel D, instruction data can be generated for an instruction 54, which can be assigned, for example, to a person 55 who is the event location 56 (see 2 ) is asked or requested, for example via a mobile terminal device 57 and an assistant app 58 running on it, to determine further description data 19, for example by generating a photograph of the motor vehicle 11 and/or the location of the event 56. This additional description data 19 can then also be used for the combined damage description 45 can be used or integrated.

On the basis of the combined damage description 45, one of the compensation processes 13 or a selection of a plurality of compensation processes 13 can then be triggered by means of the assignment rule 48 described. For example, the repair can be arranged in a workshop and/or a compensation sum can be paid. The compensation processes 13 can, as in 1 illustrated to be managed by different departments. A decision by the respective compensation process 13 can then bring about control data 60, which can then, for example, be carried out by a central administration unit 61 via an API 62, a compensation measure 63, for example a user at a terminal 64 with instructions or information relating to a compensation amount or a workshop appointment.

Thus, overall, the sensor circuits 21, 25, 30, 33 and/or the database 37 and/or the terminal 41 are coupled via data channels D to a processor circuit 12, through which a damage event 14, a compensation process 13 is automatically selected, which carries out a compensation measure 63.

In a preferred embodiment, the proposed approach thus provides the following steps: The description data of the accident are used to trigger an automatic first notification (FNOL—First Notification Of Loss) of damage. The description data or accident data are combined from different, independent data channels, namely images of the surroundings that the vehicle has taken from the scene of the accident, recording a verbal description of the course of the accident and/or the scene of the accident from the driver or policyholder. An insurance type can be taken into account. Additionally or alternatively, a description of the damage is determined with the location of the damage and the extent of the damage per data channel. The automatic steps then take place: combining the accident data and/or the channel-specific damage descriptions into a combined damage description and carrying out a process selection, through which one of several predetermined subordinate compensation processes or processing processes, each processing process having a processing profile and by comparing the combined damage description with the processing profile is selected for this incident.

This method of processing damage data or data describing a damage is efficient (fewer manual processing steps, more targeted workshop planning), fast (due to computer processing), customer-friendly (due to quick and clear guidance of the customer through the processing), a logically comprehensible and consistent damage assessment allows the design is scalable (additional input data streams from other data channels can be added) and thus future-proof.

Overall, the examples show how partially automated claims settlement can be provided.

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• WO 2018/046102 A1 [0008]

Claims (13)

Method for initiating a compensation process (13) for compensating for damage (15) inflicted on a motor vehicle at an event location (56) by a damage event (14), characterized by the steps of: - receiving respective damage (15) and /or a damage susceptibility of the motor vehicle and/or a course of the damage event characterizing description data (19) from different data channels (D), - generating a combined damage description (45) o from a combination of the channel-specific description data (19) and/or o from using the channel-specific damage descriptions (52) formed from the respective channel-specific description data (19), - the respective damage description (45, 52) specifying a damage type (46) and an extent (47) of the damage (15), - carrying out a process selection, by means of which a predetermined allocation specification (48) from a plurality of predetermined comps nsation processes (13) a compensation process (13) is selected on the basis of the combined damage description (45). procedure after claim 1 , wherein a match value that describes a match between the channel-specific description data (19) of at least two of the data channels (D) is determined, and if the match value is outside a predetermined plausibility interval and a contradictory description is thus signaled, a post-determination process for detecting is used in the process selection further descriptive data (19) is triggered and/or an attempt at fraud is signaled. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein sensor data from a sensor (22) or a plurality of sensors (22) for a detected vibration and/or deformation of the motor vehicle and the associated channel-specific and/or combined damage description are received via one of the data channels (D). (45, 52) is determined by means of a vehicle model (53), which assigns at least one damage location and an estimated defect at the damage location to the sensor data. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein sensor data of the damage event from a respective sensor (34) of at least one permanently installed traffic monitoring system (32) and/or a surrounding vehicle are received via one of the data channels (D) and the associated channel-specific and/or the combined damage description ( 45, 52) is determined by means of a kinetic movement model (53) of road users depicted in the sensor data. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein environmental data from at least one environmental sensor (26) of the motor vehicle (11), which detects the location of the event (56), is received via one of the data channels (D) and the associated channel-specific and/or the combined damage description ( 45, 52) by evaluating a relative position and/or relative movement of at least one traffic object (17). Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein construction data (38), in which a structural strength of at least one vehicle component of the motor vehicle (11) is described, are received via one of the data channels (D) and a structural model (53) of the motor vehicle (11) by means the design data (38) is configured and damage (15) to at least one vehicle component is determined by means of the configured structural model (53) as a result of a force effect detected by sensors and/or estimated on the basis of images of the surroundings. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein report data (42) of a verbal description of the damage event and/or the location of the event (56) is received via one of the data channels (D) and a damage category and/or the damage type (46 ) is specified. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one instruction (54) for a user-guided acquisition of description data (19) is issued to a person (55) via an assistance app (58) and the description data (19) via one of the data channels ( D) received from a mobile terminal (57) of the person (40, 55). procedure after claim 8 , wherein the at least one instruction (54) is issued if description data (19) necessary for at least one channel-specific and/or for the combined damage description (45, 52) is missing and/or two damage descriptions (45, 52) meet a predetermined inconsistency criterion. Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which the recording of the descriptive data (19) is triggered automatically when an accident signal arrives from the motor vehicle (11). Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the compensation processes (13) include an automated settlement with a payment of compensation for the damage (15) and at least one of the following further compensation processes (13): triggering a repair in a workshop, evaluation of the combined damage description (45) by an expert, a predetermined special treatment. Processor circuit (12), which is set up to transmit via a data interface (44) respective description data (19) characterizing damage (15) and/or susceptibility to damage of the motor vehicle and/or a course of a damage event from different, independent data channels (D) to receive and to generate a combined damage description (45) from a combination of the channel-specific description data (19) and/or from the respective channel-specific damage descriptions (52) formed using the respective channel-specific description data (19), the respective damage description (45, 52) having a damage type (46) and an extent (47) of the damage (15), and to carry out a process selection which, by means of a predetermined assignment rule (48) from a plurality of predetermined compensation processes (13), a compensation process (13) on the basis of the combined damage description (45 ) selects. System (10) with a processor circuit (12). claim 12 and having at least one sensor circuit (21, 25, 30, 33), the processor circuit (12) and/or the respective sensor circuit (21, 25, 30, 33) being set up to transmit description data (19) via a data channel (D) from the sensor circuit (21, 25, 30, 33) to a data interface (44) of the processor circuit (12).

Images