Traffic signal light control system and method

• US 20080086258A1
• Filed: 02/24/2006
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Henry H. Wall
• Original Assignee: Henry H. Wall
• Inventors: Wall, Henry H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,689,347 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/081 Plural intersections under common control

Abstract

An apparatus or system and method to control traffic at an intersection which uses a digital camera with pan, tilt, zoom, fast position and autofocus to send information to an integrated central processing unit having image processing algorithms which evaluate and analyze less than the entire image to determine whether a vehicle(s) is (are) present or are approaching and its (their) size, speed and distance in order to solve logical propositions to maintain or change the right of way by signal to a conventional traffic control signal unit.

Claims

1. A traffic control apparatus adjacent an area of interest in which one or more moving objects is to be controlled for efficiency and safety in passage through said area, said apparatus including

a) at least one means for viewing said area of interest and capturing at least one image thereof to provide information related to movement of one or more of said objects through said area of interest

b) means for analyzing and evaluating said information, using less than the entire image to provide location, speed, direction of travel, size and distance from said area of interest parameters for one:

or more of said objects in order to provide said parameters as data for algorithms to solve a logical proposition for regulation of the passage through said area of interest and provide an appropriate control signal, and

c) at least one control signal means for regulating the passage of one or more of said objects through the area of interest.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said area of interest is an intersection of one or more streets and said means for viewing said area of interest is a high resolution digital camera.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the high resolution digital camera is a video camera.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the high resolution digital camera can pan 360 degrees horizontally,degrees vertically and zoom from 1 to about 10 times with automatic focus.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus further includes marker means for determining the location of the field of view of the viewing means.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said marker means is a flat, geometrically shaped marker having a highly reflective surface, sized to be readily recognized by the viewing means and capable of being viewed at night.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for analyzing and evaluating is an integrated central processing unit.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the integrated central processing unit has a simplified digital image processing algorithm to process less than the entire image or series of images captured by said viewing means and compare such image or series of images to a previously captured image of said area of interest which is unoccupied and determine the location, speed, direction of travel, size and distance from the area of interest of any object in said area of interest, said comparison providing data to solve logical algorithms using such data for regulation of the passage of one or more objects through said area of interest by generating an appropriate control signal to said control signal means to regulate the passage of one or more of said objects through said area of interest.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said integrated central processing unit is a digital computer means for analyzing one or more of said images or series of images captured by said digital camera, which digital computer means employs a simplified digital image processing algorithm to process less than the entire image captured in said image or series of images in order to provide data to a logical algorithm for regulation of passage of one or more of said objects through said area of interest.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one control signal means is a tri-color traffic control signal.

11. A process for regulating the movement of one or more discrete bodies in motion in specific intersecting lanes and intersecting motion so that collision of such bodies in the intersection is avoided and the bodies proceed through the intersection in a safe and efficient manner, said process comprising the steps of

a) capturing at least a portion of an image or series of images of the discrete bodies

approaching the intersectional area over a discrete period of time, using a camera means and including a known marker means at a predetermined location in at least a portion of said image or series of images;

b) comparing the captured images using less than the entire image to a known image of an unoccupied lane in order to determine the size, speed of approach to, distance from the intersection and

direction of travel of at least one such discrete body, if any;

c) based on the calculated size, speed, distance from the intersection and direction of travel, determining the most efficient and effective protocol for allowing at least one of such discrete bodies to enter and safely pass through the intersection, and

d) signaling a control means to operate at such a safe and efficient method for allowing one or more of the discrete bodies to pass through said intersection.

12. The process of claim 11 in which said step (b) is carried out using one or more algorithms for comparing at least a portion of the images or series of images using triangulation calculations to determine the size, speed, distance and direction of travel of any discrete bodies captured in said image or series of images.

13. The process of claim 11 further comprising a fail safe intersectional area protocol in the event that a useable image or series of images cannot be captured.

14. The process of claim 11 further comprising the step of

e) intervening in the process at any step by an operator to manually control the intersectional control means.

15. The process of claim 11 further comprising in said step b) using separate computational devices for each algorithm or subroutine so that simultaneous parallel processing of all simplified digital image processing and computations is carried out allowing traffic control in real time.