METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPTIMIZING ROAD TRAFFIC CONTROL IN THE PRESENCE OF INCIDENTS

• US 20160171887A1
• Filed: 02/25/2016
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: WYNTER, Laura, BLANDIN, Sebastien
• Granted Patent: US 9,786,162 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0125 Traffic data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0145 for active traffic flow control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/07 Controlling traffic signals
• 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

A computerized method for adjusting control parameters of a traffic management system in a presence of one or more incidents on a network, said method includes representing, using a tree format, a prioritization across network junctions, as executed by a processor on a computer.

Associating weights with each junction as a function of its height in the tree; and solving a real-time optimization of control parameters for the network, using the weights on the junctions, and upon an occurrence of an incident in the network and depending upon a severity level of the incident, an incident-affected junction is selectively elevated higher in the tree, and the reallocated junction weights resulting from the incident are used for solving the optimization of network control parameters.

Claims

1. A computerized method for adjusting control parameters of a traffic management system in a presence of one or more incidents on a network, said method comprising:

representing, using a tree format, a prioritization across network junctions, as executed by a processor on a computer;

associating weights with each junction as a function of its height in the tree; and

solving a real-time optimization of control parameters for the network, using the weights on the junctions,

wherein, upon an occurrence of an incident in the network and depending upon a severity level of the incident, an incident-affected junction is selectively elevated higher in the tree, and the reallocated junction weights resulting from the incident are used for solving the optimization of network control parameters.

2. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising providing an output to change one or more control parameters in the network.

3. The computerized method of claim 2, wherein the system describes a road transportation network.

4. The computerized method of claim 3, wherein the control parameters are changed by at least one of:

a hard control, whereby a traffic timing is changed; and

a soft control, whereby at least one of information and a recommendation is displayed to drivers.

5. The computerized method of claim 3, further comprising:

exercising a traffic simulation model, to identify typical routes of drivers; and

identifying junctions in said network most likely to require traffic control to alleviate an incident-related congestion.

6. The computerized method of claim 3, wherein prioritized corridors, “

green waves”

, are defined in said network, wherein traffic signals for a series of junctions in said network are coordinated to permit waves of traffic to flow in said series of junctions.

7. The computerized method of claim 6, wherein, in a presence of an incident, traffic is selectively diverted from one or more affected green wave through an alternate corridor of said network.

8. The computerized method of claim 2, wherein optimal control values are computed a posteriori and serve as starting points when similar incidents occur or for future planned events.

9. The computerized method of claim 2, wherein the system describes one of an energy grid network and a water supply network.

10. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving data indicating current traffic in the network; and

detecting that an incident has occurred.

11. The computerized method of claim 10, wherein said detecting an incident has occurred comprises at least one of:

using the current traffic data to automatically detect an incident;

receiving an input that indicates an incident has occurred; and

receiving an input that indicates that a planned event will invoke an incident in the network.

12. The computerized method of claim 1, as incorporated into a control optimization framework that solves a time-dependent control problem on a rolling-horizon framework, implementing only the first control point and then updating the time steps and solving again.

13. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium tangibly embodying a set of machine-readable instructions to execute the method of claim 1.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU); and

a memory,

wherein said memory has tangibly embodied thereon a set of machine-readable instructions for executing a method for adjusting control parameters of a traffic management system in a presence of one or more incidents on a network, said method comprising;

representing, using a tree format, a prioritization across network junctions, as executed by a processor on a computer;

associating weights with each junction as a function of its height in the tree; and

solving a real-time optimization of control parameters for the network, using the weights on the junctions,

wherein, upon occurrence of an incident in the network and depending upon a severity level of the incident, an incident-affected junction is selectively elevated higher in the tree, and the reallocated junction weights resulting from the incident are used for solving the optimization of network control parameters.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the network comprises a road transportation network, said apparatus further comprising:

an input port to receive current traffic data; and

an output port to provide output signals controlling one or more of the network control parameters.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the output signals comprise at least one of:

a hard control signal, whereby timings for traffic lights in the network are controlled; and

a soft control, whereby a signal providing at least one of information and a recommendation is provided to drivers in the network.