TRAFFIC SIGNAL CONTROL APPARATUS, TRAFFIC SIGNAL CONTROL METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20170053529A1
• Filed: 04/23/2015
• Published: 02/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: YOKOYAMA, Ryo, HATTORI, Osamu
• Granted Patent: US 10,074,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0116 from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/012 from other sources than vehicle or roadside beacons, e.g. mobile networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0145 for active traffic flow control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/08 according to detected number or speed of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/081 Plural intersections under common control

Abstract

A central device 4 includes: a measurement processing unit 410 that acquires an inflow traffic volume at a first intersection Ci-1; an estimation processing unit 411 that estimates an inflow traffic volume at a second intersection Ci-2 on the basis of at least one of the inflow traffic volume at the first intersection Ci-1 and probe data obtained from a traveling vehicle 5; a control processing unit 412 that generates signal control parameters for the first intersection Ci-1 on the basis of the inflow traffic volume at the first intersection Ci-1, and generates signal control parameters for the second intersection Ci-2 on the basis of the estimated inflow traffic volume at the second intersection Ci-2; and a communication unit 403 that transmits the generated signal control parameters for the first intersection Ci-1 to a traffic signal controller 1a at the first intersection Ci-1, and transmits the generated signal control parameters for the second intersection Ci-2 to a traffic signal controller 1a at the second intersection Ci-2.

Claims

1. A traffic signal control apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire an inflow traffic volume at a first intersection defined below;

an estimation unit configured to estimate an inflow traffic volume at a second intersection defined below, on the basis of the acquired inflow traffic volume at the first intersection;

an information processing unit configured to generate a signal control parameter for a first controller defined below, on the basis of the acquired inflow traffic volume at the first intersection, and generate a signal control parameter for a second controller defined below, on the basis of the estimated inflow traffic volume at the second intersection; and

a communication unit configured to transmit the generated signal control parameter for the first controller to the first controller, and to transmit the generated signal control parameter for the second controller to the second controller, wherein

first intersection;

an intersection at which an inflow traffic volume can be obtained,

second intersection;

an intersection at which an inflow traffic volume cannot be obtained,

first controller;

a traffic signal controller installed at the first intersection, and

second controller;

a traffic signal controller installed at the second intersection.

2. The traffic signal control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

two control methods defined below are provided as switchable control methods to be performed on the second controller by the information processing unit, wherein

actuated method:

a control method in which the signal control parameter for the second controller is generated on the basis of the estimated inflow traffic volume at the second intersection; and

non-actuated method;

a control method in which a preset signal control parameter or a signal control parameter being applied to an adjacent first controller is adopted as the signal control parameter for the second controller.

3. The traffic signal control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the information processing unit is capable of determining whether or not the first intersection is under congestion, on the basis of the inflow traffic volume at the first intersection, and

the information processing unit adopts the actuated method as the control method of the second controller in a case where the first intersection is under congestion, and adopts the non-actuated method as the control method of the second controller in a case where the first intersection in not under congestion.

4. The traffic signal control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the information processing unit is capable of executing a subarea connection determination process of determining, on the basis of a traffic condition, whether or not a plurality of intersections adjacent to each other should be included in the same subarea, and

in the determination process, the information processing unit treats the second intersection equally to the first intersection in a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied, and does not regard the second intersection as a target of subarea connection in a case where the predetermined condition is not satisfied.

5. The traffic signal control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined condition is that the first intersection is under congestion.

6. The traffic signal control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the information processing unit is capable of executing a subarea connection determination process of determining, on the basis of a traffic condition, whether or not a plurality of intersections adjacent to each other should be included in the same subarea, and

the determination process includes:

calculating

a first evaluation value obtained from a predetermined evaluation condition in a case where signal control is performed with cycle lengths respectively set at a plurality of intersections adjacent to each other, and

a second evaluation value obtained from the predetermined evaluation condition in a case where signal control is performed such that each of the respective cycle lengths of the plurality of intersections adjacent to each other is set to be the same value as a cycle length which is obtained based on reliability indicating a degree of reliability obtained based on a process for obtaining a signal control parameter at each intersection; and

determining whether or not the plurality of intersections adjacent to each other should be included in the same subarea, on the basis of comparison between the first evaluation value and the second evaluation value.

8. A computer program for causing a computer to function as the traffic signal control apparatus according to claim 1.

9. The traffic signal control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the estimation unit estimates the inflow traffic volume at the second intersection, on the basis of the acquired inflow traffic volume at the first intersection, and probe data acquired from a traveling vehicle.

7. A traffic signal control method comprising:

acquiring an inflow traffic volume at a first intersection defined below;

estimating an inflow traffic volume at a second intersection defined below, on the basis of the acquired inflow traffic volume at the first intersection;

generating a signal control parameter for a first controller defined below, on the basis of the acquired inflow traffic volume at the first intersection, and generating a signal control parameter for a second controller defined below, on the basis of the estimated inflow traffic volume at the second intersection; and

transmitting the generated signal control parameter for the first controller to the first controller, and transmitting the generated signal control parameter for the second controller to the second controller, wherein

first intersection;

an intersection at which an inflow traffic volume can be obtained,

second intersection;

an intersection at which an inflow traffic volume cannot be obtained,

first controller;

a traffic signal controller installed at the first intersection, and

second controller;

a traffic signal controller installed at the second intersection.