METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRAFFIC SIMULATION OF ROAD NETWORK

• US 20100070253A1
• Filed: 07/24/2009
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Hirata, Yosuke, Ooba, Yoshikazu, Ueno, Hideki
• Granted Patent: US 8,532,965 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/8
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/13 the indicator being in the form of a map

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a system is disclosed, which uses road parameters defining the road network and model parameters used as initial-value parameters, thereby performing traffic simulation by the microsimulation method. The system includes a traffic simulator and a display controller. The traffic simulator performs traffic simulation to predict a traffic condition on an object road of a road network. The display controller controls a display unit, displaying the result of the simulation. More precisely, the display controller displays a dynamic image showing the traffic condition of vehicles running on the road network, on the screen of the display unit, and changes the image in terms of pattern, in accordance with a display instruction.

Claims

1. A system for traffic simulation of a road network, comprising:

a traffic simulator configured to perform traffic simulation by a microsimulation method, to predict a traffic condition on an object road of the road network, by using road parameters defining the road network and model parameters being initial-value parameters; and

a display controller configured to control a display unit, displaying a dynamic image showing a traffic condition of vehicles running on the road network, on the screen of the display unit, as a result of the traffic simulation, which has been output from the traffic simulator, and changing the image displayed on the screen, in terms of pattern, in accordance with a display instruction.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the traffic simulator includes a prediction unit configured to perform traffic simulation in which a number of vehicle models are made to run on the object road of the road network, by using the road parameters and the model parameters, thereby to calculate, as the result of the traffic simulation, time-serial data for predicting the behavior of each vehicle model.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the display controller uses the time-serial data in accordance with a reproduction instruction, causing the display unit to display an animation in which the vehicle models change with time, in position on the road network.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the display controller performs a fast-feed process or a rewind process on the displayed animation in accordance with a fast-feed instruction or a rewind instruction.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein the display controller changes the animation being reproduced at present to an animation reproduced at any designated time, in accordance with a slider instruction.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the display controller performs, in accordance with a display instruction, a magnification process, a reduction process or a rotation process on an image displayed in a designated region of the screen.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the traffic simulator includes a road-network generation unit configured to generate the road parameters including nodes, links and lane numbers that define road segments.

8. The system according to claim 2, wherein during the traffic simulation, the prediction unit inputs event data to cause traffic congestion on the road, generates position data representing the positions of all vehicle models calculated in the traffic congestion, and generates the time-serial data that contains the position data.

9. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a communications unit configured to collect, via a network, the data representing traffic conditions on the actual roads of the road network.

10. The system according to claim 9, further comprising a data conversion unit configured to convert the data collected by the communications unit, to data that can be used in the traffic simulation performed by the traffic simulator.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the communications unit performs wireless communication with a vehicle-mounted device provided in each vehicle running on an actual road, thereby to collect data representing the traffic condition and containing vehicle data transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device, the vehicle data containing time data representing the time and average speed for and at which any vehicle runs on each road segment.

12. A method of performing traffic simulation of a road, designed for use in traffic simulation, the method comprising:

acquiring road parameters defining the road network and model parameters being initial-value parameters;

using the road parameters and the model parameters, thereby performing traffic simulation by a microsimulation method, to predict a traffic condition on an object road of the road network, by using road parameter defining the road network and model parameters used as initial-value parameters;

displaying a dynamic image showing a traffic condition of vehicles running on the road network, on the screen of a display unit, as a result of the traffic simulation; and

changing the image displayed on the screen, in terms of pattern, in accordance with a display instruction.