Method and device for operating a traffic-infrastructure unit including a signal source

• US 10,078,961 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2017
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Ruenz, Johannes, Kaeferstein, Berthold
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Tanmay
• Application Number:
  US15/604,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20180012487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 340916
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/07 Controlling traffic signals
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/095 Traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A traffic-infrastructure unit and a method for operating a traffic-infrastructure unit encompassing a signal source, the method having a step of detecting at least one vehicle, a step of detecting at least one further road user, a step of determining a danger potential for the at least one further road user due to the at least one vehicle, and a step of operating the traffic-infrastructure unit as a function of the determined danger potential.

Claims

1. A method for operating a traffic-infrastructure unit including at least one signal source, the method comprising:

detecting at least one vehicle;

detecting at least one further road user;

determining, by the traffic-infrastructure unit, a danger potential for the at least one further road user on account of the at least one vehicle based on the detecting of the at least one vehicle and the detecting of the at least one further road user; and

operating the traffic-infrastructure unit as a function of the determined danger potential, wherein the operation of the traffic-infrastructure unit includes the traffic-infrastructure unit modifying, as a function of the determined danger potential, an illumination of a current location of the at least one further road user via a light source of the traffic-infrastructure unit, the light source being external to the at least one further road user and to the at least one vehicle;

wherein the traffic-infrastructure unit is a stationary, fixed in place traffic-infrastructure unit.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the danger potential is determined, by the traffic-infrastructure unit, as a function of at least one of a position, a movement direction, and a velocity, of the at least one vehicle and the at least one further road user.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the detection of at least one of the at least one vehicle and the at least one further road user takes place at least one of:

(i) with the aid of a sensor, (ii) with the aid of a radio link between the at least one vehicle and the traffic-infrastructure unit, and (iii) between the at least one further road user and the traffic-infrastructure unit.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the detection is realized with the aid of the radio link between the at least one road user and the traffic-infrastructure unit in such a way that at least one of a transmitting and a receiving, on the part of the at least one road user, takes place with the aid of a portable transmit and receive device, the portable transmit and receive device being a smartphone.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one further road user includes at least one of a pedestrian, a bicyclist, and a two-wheeled motor vehicle.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the traffic-infrastructure unit is a street light.

7. A method for operating a traffic-infrastructure unit including at least one signal source, the method comprising:

detecting, by the traffic-infrastructure unit, a vehicle;

receiving, by the traffic-infrastructure unit, information regarding a further road user transmitted from a transmit and receive unit of the further road user, the information regarding the further road user including at least one of a position of the further road user and a movement direction of the further road user;

determining, by the traffic-infrastructure unit, a danger potential for the at least one further road user on account of the vehicle, based on the detecting of the vehicle and based on the received information regarding the further road user; and

operating the traffic-infrastructure unit as a function of the determined danger potential;

wherein the traffic-infrastructure unit is a stationary, fixed in place traffic-infrastructure unit.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the operation of the traffic-infrastructure unit including emitting, as a function of the determined danger potential, a warning signal with the aid of the at least one signal source encompassed by the traffic-infrastructure unit.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the emitting of the warning signal, as a function of the determined danger potential, takes place in the form of the optical warning signal, the emitting of the optical warning signal taking place in such a way that an item of information that represents the danger potential for the at least one further road user is projected onto at least a sub-region of the current location of the at least one further road user.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the emitting of the warning signal, as a function of the determined danger potential, takes place in the form of the optical warning signal, the emitting of the optical warning signal taking place in such a way that at least one of:

(i) the optical warning signal is emitted in the form of a signal that periodically flashes up or down, and (ii) the optical warning signal is emitted in a wavelength range that differs from the wavelength range of an emitted non-warning signal of the signal source.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the emitting of the warning signal, as a function of the determined danger potential, takes place in the form of the optical warning signal, the emitting of the optical warning signal taking place in such a way that the optical warning signal is emitted in the direction of the at least one vehicle.

12. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the emitting of the warning signal, as a function of the determined danger potential, takes place in the form of the optical warning signal, the emitting of the optical warning signal taking place in such a way that illumination of a current location of the at least one further road user is modified.

13. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the emitting of the warning signal, as a function of the determined danger potential, takes place at least one of:

(i) in the form of an optical warning signal, (ii) in the form of an acoustic warning signal, and (iii) in the form of a radio warning signal, wherein the emitting of the warning signal is one of;

(i) to the at least one vehicle, and (ii) to the at least one further road user.

14. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the detecting of the vehicle include receiving information regarding the vehicle transmitted from a transmit and receive unit of the vehicle, the information regarding the vehicle including at least one of a position of the vehicle and a movement direction of the vehicle, and wherein the danger potential is determined as a function of the received information regarding the vehicle and the receiving information regarding the further road vehicle.

15. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the traffic-infrastructure unit is a street light.

16. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the transmit and receive unit of the further road user is part of a smartphone.

17. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the danger potential is determined, by the traffic-infrastructure unit, as a function of at least one of a position, a movement direction, and a velocity, of the vehicle and the further road user.

18. A traffic-infrastructure unit, comprising:

a signal source; and

a device that encompasses;

first means for detecting at least one vehicle;

second means for detecting at least one further road user;

third means for determining a danger potential for the at least one further road user on account of the at least one vehicle based on the detecting of the at least one vehicle and the detecting of the at least one further road user; and

fourth means for operating the traffic-infrastructure unit as a function of the determined danger potential, wherein the operation of the traffic-infrastructure unit includes the traffic-infrastructure unit modifying, as a function of the determined danger potential, an illumination of a current location of the at least one further road user via a light source of the traffic-infrastructure unit, the light source being external to the at least one further road user and to the at least one vehicle;

wherein the traffic-infrastructure unit is a stationary, fixed in place traffic-infrastructure unit.

19. The traffic-infrastructure unit as recited in claim 18, wherein at least one of the signal source, the first means, the second means, third means, and/or the fourth means are designed determine the danger potential as a function of at least one of a position, a movement direction, and a velocity, of the at least one vehicle and the at least one further road user.

20. The traffic-infrastructure unit as recited in claim 18, wherein the traffic-infrastructure unit is a street light.