TRAFFIC EVENT DATA SOURCE IDENTIFICATION, DATA COLLECTION AND DATA STORAGE

• US 20130311641A1
• Filed: 05/18/2012
• Published: 11/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chow, Stephen Y., Miller, Grant D., Nassar, Nader M., Newhook, Richard J., Walls, Erich D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,852,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• 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: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

Traffic event data source identification embodiments comprise a first monitoring system that detects a traffic event, a communication device that broadcasts a discovery signal and receives back response signals from any second monitoring systems within the vicinity of the traffic event, and a memory that stores a list of responding second monitoring systems. Traffic event data collection embodiments incorporate the identification embodiments and additional features. In this case, the first monitoring system captures data recorded at the time of the traffic event and a second communication device transmits this data and, optionally, the list to a traffic event database in a traffic event data storage system. The first communication device also transmits a data capture request signal to the second monitoring system(s) requesting capture of any data recorded at the time of the traffic event and, optionally, requesting that such data be transmitted to the database.

Claims

1. A data source identification system comprising:

a first monitoring system detecting a traffic event;

an inter-monitoring system communication device broadcasting a monitoring system discovery signal in response to said traffic event and receiving, in response to said discovery signal, at least one response signal from at least one second monitoring system; and

a memory storing a list of all second monitoring systems responding to said discovery signal.

2. The data source identification system of claim 1, said at least one second monitoring system being within a predetermined distance from the location of said traffic event.

3. The data source identification system of claim 1, said first monitoring system and said at least one second monitoring system comprising any of an on-board vehicle monitoring system, a traffic signal status monitoring system, a traffic enforcement monitoring system and a security surveillance monitoring system.

4. The data source identification system of claim 1, said inter-monitoring system communication device comprising a radio frequency communication device.

5. The data source identification system of claim 4, said radio frequency communication device comprising any of a radio frequency identification (RFID) device, a near field communication (NFC) device, and a Bluetooth®

-enabled communication device.

6. A data collection system comprising:

a first monitoring system detecting a traffic event and, in response to said traffic event, capturing any first data recorded within a predetermined time window during which said traffic event occurred;

an inter-monitoring system communication device broadcasting a monitoring system discovery signal in response to said traffic event and receiving, in response to said discovery signal, at least one response signal from at least one second monitoring system;

a memory storing said first data and a list of all second monitoring systems responding to said discovery signal; and

a network interface device transmitting said first data and said list to a traffic event data storage system for storage.

7. The data collection system of claim 6, said at least one second monitoring system being within a predetermined distance from the location of said traffic event.

8. The data collection system of claim 6, said first monitoring system and said at least one second monitoring system comprising any of an on-board vehicle monitoring system, a traffic signal status monitoring system, a traffic enforcement monitoring system and a security surveillance monitoring system.

9. The data collection system of claim 6, said inter-monitoring system communication device comprising a radio frequency communication device.

10. The data collection system of claim 9, said radio frequency communication device comprising any of a radio frequency identification (RFID) device, a near field communication (NFC) device, and a Bluetooth®

-enabled communication device.

11. The data collection system of claim 6, said inter-monitoring system communication device further transmitting a data capture request signal to each second monitoring system on said list, said data capture request signal requesting that said second monitoring system capture any second data recorded by said second monitoring system within said predetermined time window.

12. The data collection system of claim 11, said data capture request signal further requesting that said second monitoring system transmit said second data to said traffic event data storage system for storage.

13. A data storage system comprising:

a traffic event database server maintaining a traffic event database stored in memory; and

a network interface device receiving first data captured by a first monitoring system upon detection of a traffic event and further receiving at least one of the following;

a list of all second monitoring systems that responded to a monitoring system discovery signal broadcast by said first monitoring system; and

second data captured by at least one second monitoring system in response to a data capture request signal from said first monitoring system; and

said traffic event database server inputting said first data and said at least one of said list and said second data into said traffic event database and associating said first data and said at least one of said list and said second data with a unique identifier for said traffic event.

14. The data storage system of claim 13, said first monitoring system and said at least one second monitoring system each comprising any of an on-board vehicle monitoring system, a traffic signal status monitoring system, a traffic enforcement monitoring system and a security surveillance monitoring system.

15. The data storage system of claim 13, said first data and said second data being recorded by said first monitoring system and said at least one second monitoring system, respectively, within a predetermined time window during which said traffic event occurred.

16. The data storage system of claim 13, said traffic event database server further controlling access to all data stored in said traffic event database, based on a predetermined access authorization policy.

17. The data collection system of claim 16, said predetermined access authorization policy allowing access as specified in any one of a court order, a search warrant, and applicable laws and regulations.

18. A data source identification method comprising:

detecting, by a first monitoring system, a traffic event;

broadcasting, by an inter-monitoring system communication device in response to said traffic event, a monitoring system discovery signal;

receiving, by said inter-monitoring system communication device from at least one second monitoring system, at least one response signal in response to said discovery signal; and

storing, in a memory, a list of all second monitoring systems responding to said discovery signal.

19. The data source identification method of claim 18, said at least one second monitoring system being within a predetermined distance from the location of said traffic event.

20. The data source identification method of claim 18, said first monitoring system and said at least one second monitoring system comprising any of an on-board vehicle monitoring system, a traffic signal status monitoring system, a traffic enforcement monitoring system and a security surveillance monitoring system.

21. The data source identification method of claim 18, said inter-monitoring system communication device comprising a radio frequency communication device.

22. The data source identification method of claim 21, said radio frequency communication device comprising any of a radio frequency identification (RFID) device, a near field communication (NFC) device, and a Bluetooth®

-enabled communication device.

23. A data collection method comprising:

detecting, by a first monitoring system, a traffic event;

capturing, by said first monitoring system, in response to said traffic event, any first data recorded within a predetermined time window during which said traffic event occurred;

broadcasting, by an inter-monitoring system communication device, a monitoring system discovery signal in response to said traffic event;

receiving, by said first communication device from at least one second monitoring system, at least one response signal in response to said discovery signal;

storing, in memory, said first data and a list of all second monitoring systems responding to said discovery signal; and

transmitting, via a network interface device, said first data and said list to a traffic event data storage system for storage.

24. The traffic event data collection method of claim 23,

said at least one second monitoring system being within a predetermined distance from the location of said traffic event,

said first monitoring system and said at least one second monitoring system comprising any of an on-board vehicle monitoring system, a traffic signal status monitoring system, a traffic enforcement monitoring system and a security surveillance monitoring system, and

said inter-monitoring system communication device comprising a radio frequency communication device.

25. The traffic event data collection method of claim 23, further comprising transmitting, by said inter-monitoring system communication device, a data capture request signal to each second monitoring system on said list, said data capture request signal requesting that said second monitoring system capture any second data recorded by said second monitoring system within said predetermined time window and further requesting that said second monitoring system transmit said second data to said traffic event database server for storage in said traffic event database.