Method and apparatus for the surveillance, monitoring, management and control of vehicular traffic

• US 20070067410A1
• Filed: 09/20/2005
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Devices Inc. (Heico Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Devices Inc. (Heico Corporation)
• Inventors: Mulligan, Bryan
• Application Number:
  US11/230,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20070067410A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• 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: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

Information is communicated both between one of a number of network server devices disposed in proximity to corresponding traffic devices and between such a network server device and a remote client device. The traffic devices can include intersection traffic signals, roadway sensors, message signs, video cameras, etc. Each network server device acts as a sensor for its corresponding traffic device to facilitate communication of information between the traffic device and a remote client device.

Claims

1. A system for managing vehicular traffic with a plurality of traffic devices disposed in a corresponding plurality of roadway locations within a localized managed traffic area, comprising:

a plurality of network server devices corresponding in number to the plurality of traffic devices, each network server device having a processor system for controlling network server device operation, a traffic device interface for communicating information with the corresponding one of the traffic devices, and a network interface for communicating the information directly via a computer network with any of a plurality of remotely located client devices operable by users.

2. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein each network server device is disposed in proximity to at least a portion of a corresponding one of the traffic devices at the roadway locations.

3. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein each network server device and at least a portion of one of the traffic devices are housed together in a common structure.

4. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the traffic device interface communicates information with a traffic device selected from the group consisting of:

actuated traffic signal intersection controller;

dynamic message sign;

environmental sensor system;

traffic sensor system;

streetlight monitoring and control system;

highway advisory radio system; and

mass transit system information controller.

5. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the network interface and the traffic device interface communicate information bidirectionally.

6. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein each network server device further comprises memory for storing a portion of the communicated information.

7. The system claimed in claim 6, wherein at least a portion of the memory is organized as a database for storing a portion of the communicated information.

8. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the traffic device interface communicates image information with a traffic device having a camera.

9. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the network interface communicates information via a computer network in a graphical hypertext format, and the network server device serves hypertext pages containing information received from the corresponding one of the traffic devices.

10. The system claimed in claim 9, wherein the network interface communicates information via the World Wide Web.

11. The system claimed in claim 10, wherein:

the traffic device interface receives image information from a traffic device having a camera; and

the network server device encodes the image information in accordance with an image encoding standard format; and

in response to a request received from a client device, the network server device serves a Web page containing, encoded in the image transmission standard format, image information received from the camera.

12. The system claimed in claim 11, wherein:

each network server device further comprises memory for storing the image information; and

image information stored in memory is accessible to a client device in response to a request.

13. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the traffic device interface receives environmental information from a traffic device having an environmental sensor;

the network server device detects environmental information relating to a sensed quantity exceeding a predetermined threshold; and

in response to detection of a sensed quantity exceeding a predetermined threshold, the network server device serves an alert to a client device.

14. The system claimed in claim 13, wherein the client device to which an alert is served is a mobile device.

15. A method for managing vehicular traffic with a plurality of traffic devices disposed in a corresponding plurality of roadway locations within a localized managed traffic area, comprising the steps of:

communicating information between a network server device and a remote client device directly via a computer network, the network server device being one of a plurality of network server devices, each corresponding to one of the traffic devices;

the network server device processing the information; and

communicating the information between the network server device and the corresponding one of the traffic devices.

16. The method claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of communicating the information between the network server device and the corresponding one of the traffic devices comprises communicating the information a traffic device selected from the group consisting of:

actuated traffic signal intersection controller;

dynamic message sign;

environmental sensor system;

traffic sensor system;

streetlight monitoring and control system;

highway advisory radio system; and

mass transit system information controller.

17. The method claimed in claim 15, wherein the network server communicates information bidirectionally with at least one of the traffic devices.

18. The method claimed in claim 15, wherein the processing step comprises storing a portion of the communicated information.

19. The method claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of communicating the information between the network server device and the corresponding one of the traffic devices comprises communicating the information a traffic device having a camera.

20. The method claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of communicating information between the network server device and a remote client device comprises communicating information in the form of hypertext pages.

21. The method claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of communicating information between the network server device and a remote client device comprises communicating information via the World Wide Web.

22. The method claimed in claim 21, wherein:

the step of communicating the information between the network server device and the corresponding one of the traffic devices comprises the network server device receiving image information from a traffic device having a camera; and

the processing step comprises the network server device encoding the image information in accordance with an image encoding standard format; and

the step of communicating information between the network server device and a remote client device comprises, in response to a request received from a client device, serving a Web page containing, encoded in the image transmission standard format, image information received from the camera.

23. The method claimed in claim 22, wherein the processing step comprises storing the image information in a manner accessible to a client device.

24. The method claimed in claim 15, wherein:

the step of communicating the information between the network server device and the corresponding one of the traffic devices comprises the network server device receiving environmental information from a traffic device having an environmental sensor;

the processing step comprises the network server device detecting whether environmental information relating to a sensed quantity exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

the step of communicating information in a client-server manner between the network server device and a remote client device comprises, in response to detection of a sensed quantity exceeding a predetermined threshold, serving an alert to a client device.

25. The method claimed in claim 24, wherein serving an alert to a client device comprises serving an alert to a mobile client device.

26. The method claimed in claim 15, wherein the processing step comprises:

receiving authentication information from the remote client device identifying a user; and

permitting communication of information between the client device and the corresponding one of the traffic devices in accordance with a permission level associated with an identified user.