Traffic management system based on packet switching technology

• US 20020065599A1
• Filed: 11/21/2001
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Hundscheidt, Frank, Hameleers, Heino
• Granted Patent: US 6,792,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09 Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions railroad crossing signals B61L; reflectors E01F, G08B; indicating arrangements for variable information by selection or combination of individual elements G09F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA

Abstract

The invention relates to a traffic management system (TMSYS), which comprises a road network (RDN) on a physical layer (PL) and at least a packet switched control network (PSCN) on a traffic control layer (TCL). The vehicle traffic formed on the physical layer (PL) by a plurality of vehicles (C1-Cx) travelling along a plurality of road sections (RDS1-RDSm) of the road network is mapped into a packet traffic constituted by a plurality of packets (CP1-CPx) routed along a plurality of packet routing links. Packet control units (PCU1-PCUn) of the packet switched control network (PSCN) are adapted to control the packets (CP1-CPx) on a respective packet routing link (PRL1-PRLm) in the traffic control layer (TCL) to correspond to or simulate a respective vehicle (C1-Cx) on a corresponding road section on the physical layer (PL). The traffic management system (TMSYS) thus treats each vehicle as a packet and can monitor, control or simulate the traffic on this physical layer (PL) by the packet traffic in the traffic control layer (TCL).

Claims

1. A traffic management system (TMSYS) for managing in a road network (RDN) the vehicle traffic formed, on a physical layer (PL), by

a1) a plurality of vehicles (C1-Cx) travelling along

a2) a plurality of road sections (RDS1-RDSm) of the road network (RDN) and

a3) a plurality of road points (ICP1-ICPn) located at said road sections (RDS1-RDSm) of the road network (RDN), comprising:

a packet switched control network (PSCN) on a traffic control layer (TCL) in which the packet traffic constituted by

b1) a plurality of packets (CP1-CPx) being routed along

b2) a plurality of packet routing links (PRL1-PRLm) is controlled by

b3) a plurality of packet control units (PCU1-PCUn) located at said packet routing links (PRL1-PRLm);

wherein said packet switched control network (PSCN) on the traffic control layer (TCL) is configured in such a way that

c1) packet routing links (PRL1-PRLm) correspond to roads sections (RDS1-RDSm);

c2) packet control units (PCU1-PCUn) correspond to road points (ICP1-ICPn); and

c3) each packet (CP1-CPx) routed along a respective packet routing link (PRL1-PRLm) corresponds to or simulates at least one vehicle (CR1-CRx) travelling on a corresponding road section (RDS1-RDSm);

wherein

c4) said packet control units (PCU1-PCUn) are adapted to control the packets (CP1-CPx) on a respective packet routing link (PRL1-PRLm) in the traffic control layer (TCL) to correspond to or simulate a respective vehicle (C1Cx) on a corresponding road section (RDS1-RDSm) on the physical layer (PL).

2. A system according to claim 1, comprising

a traffic signalling layer (TSL) including one or more traffic information units (TIU1-TIUy) which are adapted to collect traffic information (TI1-TIy) about the traffic on the physical layer (PL) and to provide said traffic information (TI1-TIy) to the traffic control layer (TCL) and/or to a service/application layer (SAL).

3. A system according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein

said system (TGSYS) further comprises a communication layer (CL) including a communication network (GPRS, UMST) for providing communications at least between the traffic control layer (TCL) and the traffic signalling layer (TSL).

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein

said communication layer (CL) comprises a GPRS (General Purpose Radio System) network and/or a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephone Network) network.

5. A system according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein

said packet control units (PCU1-PCUn) are adapted to generate and/or delete and/or route packets (CP1-CPx) on the packet routing links (PRL1-PRLm) dependent on said traffic information (TI1-TIy).

6. A system according to one or more of the preceding claims, comprising

a services/application layer (SAL) including at least one server (SERV), wherein said traffic control layer (TCL) provides packet traffic information (PTI1-PTIn) about the packet traffic to the at least one server (SERV).

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein

said at least one server (SERV) is adapted to generate statistical information about the vehicle traffic on the physical layer (PL) on the basis of said provided packet traffic information (PTI1-PTIn).

8. A system according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein

said packet control units (PCU1-PCUn) are adapted to control the packets in the packet switched control network (PSCN) in accordance with a predetermined control method (e.g. RIP, OSPF, BGP);

said traffic signalling layer (TSL) comprises one or more traffic guidance units (TGU1-TGUy) which are adapted to control the traffic on the physical layer (PL) by outputting traffic guidance information (TGI1-TGIy) dependent on respective traffic guidance unit control information (TGU-CI1 to TGU-CIy);

wherein

said packet control units (PCU1-PCUn) are adapted to provide said traffic guidance unit control information (TGU-CI1 to TGU-CIy) to said traffic guidance units (TGU1-TGUn) in accordance with said predetermined packet control method.

9. A system according to claim 2 or claim 6, wherein

said traffic information units (TIU1-TIUy) and/or said traffic guidance units (TGU1-TGUy) are arranged at road points (ICP1-IPCn) or inside a vehicle.

10. A system according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein

said traffic control layer (TCL) is adapted to receive vehicle location information (VLI1-VLIx) of the location of the vehicles (C1-Cx) and vehicle identification information (VID1-VIDx) identifying said respective vehicle or information (VIDB1-VIDBx) based on said vehicle identification information (VID1-VIDx);

wherein

said traffic control layer (TCL) is adapted to generate and/or delete and/or route packets having a packet identification information (PID1-PIDx) corresponding to said vehicle identification information (VID1-VIDx) or said information (VIDB1-VIDBX) based on said vehicle identification information (VID1-VIDx).

11. A system according to 10, wherein

said vehicle identification information (VID1-VIDx) or said information (VIDB1-VIDBx) based on said vehicle identification information (VID1-VIDx) is provided by said traffic information units (TIU1-TIUy) of the traffic signalling layer (TSL).

12. A system according to 10, wherein

said information (VIDB1-VIDBx) based on said vehicle identification information (VID1-VIDx) is provided by said service/application layer (SAL).

13. A system according to claim 6 and 10, wherein

said traffic control layer (TCL) provides said packet identification information (PID1-PIDx) of the packets (CP1-CPx) on specific packet routing links of the packet switched network (PSCN) to the services/application layer (SAL).

14. A system according to claim 6 and 10, wherein

said communication layer (CL) is further adapted to provide communications between the traffic signalling layer (TSL) and the service application layer (SAL).

15. A system according to claim 12, wherein

said service application layer (SAL) determines on the basis of said vehicle identification information (VID1-VIDx) vehicle-specific information (VSPI1-VSPIx) of the identified vehicles (C1-Cx), wherein said service application layer (SAL) provides said vehicle-specific information (VSPI1-VSPIx) to the traffic control layer (TCL).

16. A system according to claim 6, wherein

said services/application layer (SAL) provides packet control unit control information (PCU-CI1 to PCU-CIn) to the traffic control layer (TCL).

17. A system according to claim 13, wherein

said services/application layer (SAL) provides said packet control unit control information (PCU-CI1 to PCU-CIn) to the traffic control layer (TCL) on the basis of the vehicle-specific information (VSPI1-VSPIx).

18. A system according to claim 16, wherein

said services/application layer (SAL) receives from said traffic control layer (TCL) packet traffic information (PTI1-PTIn), processes this packet traffic information (PTI1-PTIn) in accordance with a predetermined processing process and provides corresponding packet control unit control information (PCU-CI1 to PCU-CIn) to the packet control units (PCU1-PCUn).

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein

said packet control unit control information (PCU-CI1 to PCU-CIn) is a header information (H1-Hx) for the packets (CP1-CPx) or a configuration information for configuring the packet switched control network (PSCN).

20. A system according to claim 16, wherein

said traffic control layer (TCL) receives vehicle destination information (VDI1-VDIx) indicating at least one desired vehicle destination (VD1-VDx).

21. A system according to claim 16, wherein

said service/application layer (SAL) receives vehicle destination information (VDI1-VDIx) indicating at least one desired vehicle destination (VD1-VDx) and forwards to said traffic control layer (TCL) said vehicle destination information (VDI1-VDIx) or processes said vehicle destination information (VDI1-VDIX) and forwards corresponding packet destination information (PDI1-PDIx) to said traffic control layer (TCL).

22. A system according to claim 21, wherein

said traffic control layer (TCL) inserts packet destination information (PDI1-PDIx) corresponding to said vehicle destination information (VDI1-VDIx) in a packet (CP1-CPX) corresponding to the vehicle (C1-Cx) desiring to travel to said vehicle destination (VD1-VDx);

routes said packet (CP1-CPx) in the packet switched control network (PSNC) to the packet destination (PD1-PDx) indicated by said packet destination information (PDI1-PDIx); and

outputs corresponding traffic guidance unit control information (TGU-CI1 to TGU-CIy) to at least one traffic guidance unit (TGU1-TGUy).

23. A system according to claim 16, wherein

said traffic control layer (TCL) simulates the vehicle traffic by routing the packets (CP1-CPx) in the packet switched control network (PSCN) for a predetermined time interval (ATs) in accordance with said vehicle destination information (VDI1-VDIn).

24. A system according to claim 20, wherein

said service application layer (SAL), during the simulation, receives packet traffic information (PTI1-PTIn) about the packet traffic on the packet routing links (PRL1-PRLm), determines the occurrence of packet traffic conditions (PTC) and forwards packet control unit control information (PCU-CI1 to PCU-CIn) to control the packet control units (PCU1-PCUn) for avoiding bad packet traffic conditions.

25. A system according to claim 24, wherein said traffic guidance units (TGU1-TGUx) of said traffic signalling layer (TSL) receive traffic guidance unit control information (TGU-CI1 to TGU-CIn) corresponding to said packet control unit control information (PCU-CI1 to PCU-CIn) as determined by said service application layer (SAL).

27. A computer program product stored on a computer readable storage medium comprising code means adapted to carry out the method steps a) and b) of claim 20.

26. A method for managing in a road network (RDN) the vehicle traffic formed, on a physical layer (PL), by

a plurality of vehicles (C1-Cx) travelling along

a plurality of road sections (RDS1-RDSm) of the road network (RDN) and

a plurality of road points (ICP1-ICPn) located at said road sections (RDS1-RDSm) of the road network (RDN)

comprising the following steps:

a) configuring a packet switched control network (PSCN) on a traffic control layer (TCL) including a plurality of packet routing links (PRL1-PRLm) and a plurality of packet control units (PCU1-PCUn) located at said packet routing links (PRL1-PRLm) such that packet routing links (PRL1-PRLm) correspond to roads sections (RDS1-RDSm) and packet control units (PCU1-PCUn) correspond to road points (ICP1-ICPn); and

b) controlling the packet control units (PCU1-PCUn) for routing the packets (CP1-CPx) along respective packet routing links (PRL1-PRLm) such that they correspond to or simulate at least one vehicle (CR1-CRx) travelling on a corresponding road section (RDS1-RDSm).