AUTOMATED TRAFFIC SYNCHRONIZATION

• US 20100060482A1
• Filed: 09/08/2008
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fairweather, Peter G., Rish, Irina, Kanevsky, Dimitri, Emam, Ossama
• Granted Patent: US 8,344,906 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/905
• 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 1/096708 where the received information might be used to generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/06 for control when on the ground

Abstract

Spatial relationship information and performance information are determined for vehicles within a vehicular environment. Traffic signaling information is received from a traffic regulation system associated with the vehicular environment. At least one synchronized control action is calculated for each of the vehicles to synchronize the vehicles with the traffic regulation system based upon the traffic signaling information, the determined spatial relationship information, and the determined performance information for each of the vehicles. The associated at least one synchronized control action is communicated to each of the vehicles. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining spatial relationship information and performance information for each of a plurality of vehicles within a vehicular environment;

receiving traffic signaling information from a traffic regulation system associated with the vehicular environment;

calculating at least one synchronized control action for each of the plurality of vehicles to synchronize the plurality of vehicles with the traffic regulation system based upon the traffic signaling information, the determined spatial relationship information, and the determined performance information for each of the plurality of vehicles; and

communicating the associated at least one synchronized control action to each of the plurality of vehicles.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving driver status information for a driver of at least one of the plurality of vehicles from a driver monitoring module associated with the at least one of the plurality of vehicles, the driver status information comprising at least one of driver body orientation information, driver head orientation information, driver eye direction information, and driver activity information.

3. The method of claim 2, where calculating the at least one synchronized control action for each of the plurality of vehicles further comprises calculating the at least one synchronized control action for each of the plurality of vehicles based upon the received driver status information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication from at least one of the plurality of vehicles that the at least one of the plurality of vehicles is capable of automated external control and where calculating the at least one synchronized control action further comprises calculating at least one synchronized automated control action for automated control of the at least one of the plurality of vehicles.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication from at least one of the plurality of vehicles that the at least one of the plurality of vehicles is not capable of automated external control and where calculating the at least one synchronized control action further comprises calculating at least one synchronized manual control action for driver control of the at least one of the plurality of vehicles.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating a driver alert to at least one of the plurality of vehicles.

7. The method of claim 1, where calculating the at least one synchronized control action for each of the plurality of vehicles further comprises calculating an action time and at least one of an acceleration parameter, a deceleration parameter, a driver notification time, a vehicle start time, and a vehicle stop time for each of the plurality of vehicles.

8. The method of claim 1, where determining the spatial relationship information and performance information for the plurality of vehicles further comprises at least one of:

receiving the spatial relationship information from at least one of a driver monitoring module associated with each of the plurality of vehicles and a traffic monitoring module associated with the vehicular environment; and

receiving the performance information from a vehicle monitoring module associated with each of the plurality of vehicles.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving weather information from the traffic regulation system and compensating the calculated at least one synchronized control action based upon the weather information.

10. The method of claim 1, where the plurality of vehicles further comprises at least one of a plurality of automobiles, a plurality of planes, a plurality of boats, and a plurality of trains.

11. A system, comprising:

a memory adapted to store traffic synchronizing information; and

a processor programmed to;

determine spatial relationship information and performance information for each of a plurality of vehicles within a vehicular environment;

store the spatial relationship information and the performance information to the memory;

receive traffic signaling information from a traffic regulation system associated with the vehicular environment;

store the traffic signaling information to the memory;

calculate at least one synchronized control action for each of the plurality of vehicles to synchronize the plurality of vehicles with the traffic regulation system based upon the traffic signaling information, the determined spatial relationship information, and the determined performance information for each of the plurality of vehicles; and

communicate the associated at least one synchronized control action to each of the plurality of vehicles.

12. The system of claim 11, where the processor is further programmed to receive driver status information for a driver of at least one of the plurality of vehicles from a driver monitoring module associated with the at least one of the plurality of vehicles, the driver status information comprising at least one of driver body orientation information, driver head orientation information, driver eye direction information, and driver activity information;

and store the driver status information to the memory.

13. The system of claim 12, where the processor is further programmed to calculate the at least one synchronized control action for each of the plurality of vehicles based upon the received driver status information.

14. The system of claim 11, where the processor is further programmed to receive an indication from at least one of the plurality of vehicles that the at least one of the plurality of vehicles is capable of automated external control and to calculate the at least one synchronized control action as at least one synchronized automated control action for automated control of the at least one of the plurality of vehicles.

15. The system of claim 11, where the processor is further programmed to receive an indication from at least one of the plurality of vehicles that the at least one of the plurality of vehicles is not capable of automated external control and to calculate the at least one synchronized control action as at least one synchronized manual control action for driver control of the at least one of the plurality of vehicles.

16. The system of claim 11, where the processor is further programmed to communicate a driver alert to at least one of the plurality of vehicles.

17. The system of claim 11, where the processor is further programmed to calculate the at least one synchronized control action as an action time and at least one of an acceleration parameter, a deceleration parameter, a driver notification time, a vehicle start time, and a vehicle stop time for each of the plurality of vehicles.

18. The system of claim 11, where the processor is further programmed to at least one of:

receive the spatial relationship information from at least one of a driver monitoring module associated with each of the plurality of vehicles and a traffic monitoring module associated with the vehicular environment; and

receive the performance information from a vehicle monitoring module associated with each of the plurality of vehicles.

19. The system of claim 11, where the processor is further programmed to receive weather information from the traffic regulation system and to compensate the calculated at least one synchronized control action based upon the weather information.

20. A system comprising:

a memory adapted to store traffic synchronizing information; and

a processor programmed to;

determine spatial relationship information and performance information for each of a plurality of vehicles within a vehicular environment;

store the spatial relationship information and the performance information to the memory;

receive traffic signaling information from a traffic regulation system associated with the vehicular environment;

store the traffic signaling information to the memory;

receive driver status information for a driver of at least one of the plurality of vehicles from a driver monitoring module associated with the at least one of the plurality of vehicles, the driver status information comprising at least one of driver body orientation information, driver head orientation information, driver eye direction information, and driver activity information;

store the driver status information to the memory;

calculate at least one synchronized control action for each of the plurality of vehicles to synchronize the plurality of vehicles with the traffic regulation system based upon the traffic signaling information, the determined spatial relationship information and performance information for each of the plurality of vehicles, and the driver status information, where the at least one synchronized control action comprises at least one of an acceleration parameter, a deceleration parameter, a driver notification time, a vehicle start time, and a vehicle stop time for each of the plurality of vehicles; and

communicate the associated at least one synchronized control action to each of the plurality of vehicles.