TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM, CONTROLLER AND METHOD FOR DIRECTING VEHICLE BEHAVIOR AT A DEFINED SPATIAL LOCATION
First Claim
1. A controller configured to direct a vehicle to slow at a defined spatial location along a roadway, wherein the controller comprises at least one processor and memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the controller to perform at least the following:
- receiving information indicative of at least one characteristic of a behavior of the vehicle as the vehicle approaches the defined location;
based on the information, comparing the behavior of the vehicle to a defined criterion; and
in response to comparing the behavior of the vehicle to the defined criterion, causing an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) to maintain a hovering position in which the UAV hovers above the roadway so as to be within the path of travel of the vehicle on the roadway.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A traffic control system, a controller and an associated method are provided to direct a vehicle to slow or, in some instances, stop at a defined spatial location along the roadway. In the context of a controller, the controller includes at least one processor and memory including computer program code with the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the controller to receive information indicative of at least one characteristic of the behavior of the vehicle as the vehicle approaches a defined location. Based on the information, the controller is caused to compare the behavior of the vehicle to a defined criterion and, in response, to cause an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) to maintain a hovering position in which the UAV hovers above the roadway so as to be within the path of travel of the vehicle on the roadway.
12 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A controller configured to direct a vehicle to slow at a defined spatial location along a roadway, wherein the controller comprises at least one processor and memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the controller to perform at least the following:
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receiving information indicative of at least one characteristic of a behavior of the vehicle as the vehicle approaches the defined location; based on the information, comparing the behavior of the vehicle to a defined criterion; and in response to comparing the behavior of the vehicle to the defined criterion, causing an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) to maintain a hovering position in which the UAV hovers above the roadway so as to be within the path of travel of the vehicle on the roadway. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for directing a vehicle to slow at a defined spatial location along a roadway, wherein the method comprises:
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receiving information indicative of at least one characteristic of a behavior of the vehicle as the vehicle approaches the defined location; based on the information, comparing the behavior of the vehicle to a defined criterion; and in response to comparing the behavior of the vehicle to the defined criterion, causing an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) to maintain a hovering position in which the UAV hovers above the roadway so as to be within a path of travel of the vehicle on the roadway. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A traffic control system comprising:
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a controller configured to control operation of an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) at a defined spatial location along a roadway differently in response to first and second mutually exclusive conditions along the roadway, wherein the controller is configured, in response to the first condition, to cause the UAV to hover above the roadway so as to be within a path of travel of a vehicle on the roadway, and wherein the controller is configured, in response to the second condition, to cause the UAV to be positioned out of the path of travel of the vehicle on the roadway, wherein the UAV is configured to remain at the defined spatial location and to be controlled by the controller so as to alternately respond to the first and second conditions along the roadway. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification