System for capturing an image of a damaged vehicle

A device and method that assists a user in photographing a vehicle for documenting a condition of the vehicle for a vehicle insurance estimate. The device is a camera that captures images of the vehicle. The camera includes a screen that displays an image of the vehicle and a graphical arrow that indicates a direction in which a plurality of vehicle images are to be captured. The camera also includes a memory that stores a plurality of captured vehicle images of the vehicle each captured from a different vantage point. The camera transmits the plurality of captured vehicle images that are reviewed at an insurance estimate computer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The subject matter disclosed generally relates to a method and system for photographing a vehicle for an insurance claim.

2. Background Information

When a vehicle such as an automobile is damaged the owner may file a claim with an insurance carrier. A representative typically inspects the vehicle to determine the amount of damage and the costs required to repair the automobile. The owner of the vehicle or the vehicle repair facility may receive a check equal to the estimated cost of the repairs. If the repair costs exceed the value of the automobile, or a percentage of the car's value, the representative may “total” the vehicle. The owner may then receive a check based on the value of the automobile.

The repair costs and other information may be entered by the representative into an estimate report. After inspection the representative sends the estimate report to a home office for approval. To improve the efficiency of the claims process there have been developed computer systems and accompanying software that automate the estimate process. By way of example, the assignee of the present invention, Audatex, Inc., (“Audatex”) provides a software product under the trademark Audatex Estimating that allows a representative to enter claim data. The data is processed into an estimate for repairing the vehicle and/or a valuation report of the vehicle.

Photographs of the damaged vehicle are sometimes used in the estimating process. By way of example, the photograph may be attached to the estimate. To promote consistency in generating insurance estimates it is desirable to capture vehicle photographs in a systematic manner. A photograph only provides a two dimensional visual representation of the vehicle. A two dimensional image may not capture shading, etc. that accurately reflect the damage to the vehicle. It would be desirable to provide a system that would provide a three dimensional visual of the vehicle.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A device and method that assists a user in photographing a vehicle for use in a vehicle insurance estimate. The device is a camera that captures images of the vehicle. The camera includes a screen that displays an image of the vehicle and a graphical arrow that indicates a direction in which a plurality of vehicle images are to be captured. The camera also includes a memory that stores a plurality of captured vehicle images of the vehicle each captured from a different vantage point. The camera transmits the plurality of captured vehicle images that are reviewed at an insurance estimate computer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed is a device and method that assists a user in photographing a vehicle for use in a vehicle insurance estimate. The device is a camera that captures images of the vehicle. The camera includes a screen that displays an image of the vehicle and a graphical arrow that indicates a direction in which a plurality of vehicle images are to be captured. The camera also includes a memory that stores a plurality of captured vehicle images of the vehicle each captured from a different vantage point. The camera transmits the plurality of captured vehicle images that are reviewed at an insurance estimate server. An adjuster can play back the captured vehicle images at a rate that provides a 3-D visual representation of the vehicle.

Referring to the drawings more particularly by reference numbers,FIG. 1shows a system10that can be used to photograph a vehicle to document a condition of the vehicle. The system10may include at least one client12that is connected to an electronic communication network14. The electronic communication network14may be a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet. Accordingly, communication may be transmitted through the network14in TCP/IP format. The client12could be any type of device that can access the network14.

The system10may further include an claim server16connected to the network14. The claim server16may provide a web based portal that provides access to a repair cost estimate and/or a vehicle valuation web site. The web site may provide one or more web pages that can be used by a representative to generate a repair cost estimate and/or a vehicle valuation. By way of example, the representative may utilize the web pages to determine the estimate and/or a vehicle valuation of a vehicle. Although one claim server16is shown, it is to be understood that the claim server may include two or more separate servers including a web server and an application server that together perform various functions.

The system may also include an OEM server18that can be coupled to the claim server16and clients12through the network14. The OEM server18may contain a database that includes vehicle model information and vehicle option information. The OEM server18may provide vehicle model information and vehicle options information based on a VIN. Although a web based system is shown and described, it is to be understood that a non-web based system could be employed.

The system10may also include a camera device20that can be used to capture an image of a vehicle. The device20may be a smartphone, tablet or a similar device that contains a camera, a screen and processing to create a graphic overlay. The camera device20may be coupled to the client12.

FIG. 2shows an embodiment of a camera device20. The camera device20includes a processor30connected to one or more memory devices32through a bus34. The memory device32may include both volatile and non-volatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) or random access memory (RAM). The processor30is capable of operating software programs in accordance with instructions and data stored within the memory device32. Without limiting the scope of the invention the term computer readable medium may include the memory device32. The computer readable medium may contain software programs in binary form that can be read and manipulated by the processor30.

The camera device20further includes a screen36and a camera38. The device20may also include transceivers and network ports to communicate with external sources such as the servers16and18shown inFIG. 1.

The servers16and18may contain relational databases that correlate data with individual data fields and a relational database management system (RDBMS). The RDBMS of the server16may include a reference to a website that can be accessed by the client12and/or camera device20. The website has one or more specific uniform resource locators (URL) that can be used to access the site through the network14. The URL can be entered through a web-based application resident in the client computer12and/or device20. By way of example, the web based application may be a browser. Servers16and/or18may contain a database of graphic overlays that are associated with vehicle information.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5shows how a photograph of a vehicle50can be captured using a graphic overlay52The user can enter information regarding the vehicle. For example, the user can input the year, make and model of the vehicle. A graphic overlay52of the identified vehicle is displayed on the camera device20as shown inFIG. 3. As shown inFIG. 4, the user can then operate the camera device to obtain an image of the vehicle50that is displayed with the graphic overlay52. The graphical overlay52may be transparent so that the user can see the image of the vehicle. Although a process wherein the overlay52is displayed before the image of the vehicle50, it is to be understood that the process may be reversed so that the vehicle50can be displayed before the overlay52.

The user can move the camera to align the vehicle image50with the graphical overlay52as shown inFIG. 5. The vehicle image50can be stored in memory when the image50is aligned with the graphical overlay52. This can be accomplished by the user “clicking” the camera to capture the image of the vehicle50. The graphical image52can be displayed in a manner so that the stored image has a predetermined horizontal angle, vertical height, size, resolution and/or quality. The stored image may be provided with an insurance estimate. Creating standardized image parameters such as horizontal angle and height promotes consistency and uniformity in the estimating process.

The graphical overlay52can be created by extrapolating a 2D image showing only the outline and various highlights of the vehicle from a 3D model of the vehicle. The area between the outline may be shaded but still transparent when overlayed onto the video image captured by the camera. The color of the shaded area and outlines can be varied. For example, the shaded area and outlines may be gray, but the user can change the color to yellow. This would be desirable if the vehicle is gray and would be difficult to distinguish from a gray shaded area and outline. Some vehicle components, such as the front driver side wheel may be created in the overlay52. This would allow the user to align the wheel of the image captured by the camera with the graphical wheel provided by the overlay.

By way of example, the assignee Audatex has a database(s) that contains 3D models of various vehicles. The overlays may be created from these 3D models. For example, the 3D models can be rotated and otherwise manipulated to achieve the desired horizontal angle, vertical height and vehicle size. The outline of the 3D model is then extrapolated to create the overlay52. Overlays for various vehicles can be created and stored in a database(s).

The photograph of the vehicle can be used in a process to create an insurance estimate.FIG. 6shows an example of an claim page100used to create an insurance estimate. The claim page may include a VIN field102that allows a user to enter a VIN. The page100may include vehicle information fields, including but not limited to ORIGIN104, MAKE106, YEAR108, MODEL110, STYLE112, ENGINE114and TRANSMISSION116, exterior and interior Paint code, color, refinish type and production date fields. The page may further include vehicle package fields118and vehicle option fields120that can be selected and deselected to indicate the options of a vehicle. Entering the VIN may automatically populate certain fields of the page100.

A representative may enter and/or select damaged parts for the vehicle.FIG. 7shows an example of an estimating page200that allows the user to enter and/or select damaged parts of a vehicle. The page200may include a graphical section202that can be selected by the representative and a text section204that lists a plurality of selectable parts for the vehicle. The parts that are selected to be replaced or repaired can be listed in section206. An estimate page can be displayed by selecting the “Estimate Total” link208shown inFIG. 7.FIG. 8shows a page220that displays a running cost total of the estimated damage of the vehicle. The process may have a feature (not shown) that provides a warning to the representative that the cost total exceeds a “totaled” value at which point the representative may discontinue the process and request a vehicle valuation. After all of the parts to be repaired or damaged are selected the representative may obtain a final repair cost estimate and/or vehicle valuation. The photograph of the vehicle can be associated with the estimate. For example, the photograph can be attached to the estimate file.

FIGS. 9-15show a process for capturing a plurality of vehicle images that can be subsequently played back at a rate that provides a three dimensional visual representation of the vehicle.FIG. 9shows a graphical user interface300that depicts a graphical vehicle302and a plurality of graphical position indicators304. As shown inFIG. 10a subset of the indicators304can be selected by a user. The selection of the indicators creates graphical photo capture area306on the vehicle. The graphical photo capture area306may include an initial reference point308and a final reference point310. Although only two reference points are described, it is to be understood that any number of reference points can be implemented.FIG. 11shows a pull down screen312that allows a user to define how many photographs are to be captured. It is to be understood thatFIGS. 9-11may not be presented to a user.

FIG. 12shows a screen of a camera depicting a graphical overlay320superimposed onto a vehicle image322. The graphical overlay320corresponds to a reference model of the vehicle. The camera operates software algorithms that recognize the spatial existence of the vehicle and creates spatial vehicle data, such as reference points. By way of example, spatial vehicle data can be calculated utilizing point cloud mapping and edge detection techniques employed by a product sold by Metaio, Inc. of San Francisco, Calif. Matching algorithms are employed to match the spatial vehicle data with like data points of the vehicle model so that the system can determine the orientation at which the user is viewing the vehicle. For example, the matching technique may match the initial308and final310reference points of the graphical photo capture area306shown inFIG. 10with the corresponding points on the vehicle image322.

As shown inFIG. 13the camera screen displays a graphical arrow324depicting where the user should start capturing images. A graphical bullseye326may also be displayed on the screen. The graphical bullseye326may provide a visual indicator of the focal point for the camera during the entire image capture process. Although an arrow324and bullseye326are shown, it is to be understood that other graphical indicators can be utilized.

As shown inFIGS. 14 and 15the user can move about the vehicle in the direction indicated by the graphical arrow326. The software causes the camera to automatically capture vehicle images as the user moves about the vehicle. The graphical arrow326may include a shaded area328that fills in as the user moves about the vehicle until completed shaded, indicating the end of the process. The software may perform calculations to determine whether the user is moving at a rate above a threshold. For example, if the process is to capture 10 photos, the process can determine whether the user is moving at a rate that will not capture 10 photos at the end of the process. The shaded area328may change colors to indicate an excessive movement rate of the user.

The captured vehicle images are stored in the memory of the camera and sent through the network so that the images can be reviewed at an insurance estimate computer. The user can play back the captured vehicle images at a rate such that the still captured vehicle images provide a 3-D visual representation of the vehicle. The user can utilize the captured vehicle images to generate an insurance estimate.