Installation for control of a traffic light system by vehicles having an automatic location determination

• US 4,296,400 A
• Filed: 11/28/1978
• Issued: 10/20/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Steinkamp, Johann, Becker Friedbert, Koenen, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Application Number:
  US05/964,431
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 340/32, 340/33, 340/34, 340/23, 340/24, 325/117, 325/6, 325/111, 325/16, 325/21, 325/312, 325/314, 325/103, 364/460, 364/436, 364/424, 455/95, 455/99, 455/11, 455/25, 455/89, 455/78, 455/93, 455/152, 455/345
• US Class Current: 340/989
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/087 Override of traffic control, e.g. by signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle

Abstract

An installation for the control of a traffic light system by means of vehicles which are equipped with devices for automatic determination of position, i.e. bearing determination, and which includes therefore a first, transmission/reception antenna having a transmission direction perpendicular to the direction of travel for the transmission of bearing information, and a second antenna, arranged to transmit in the direction of travel, for the transmission of transfer messages or commands for control of lights of such a traffic light system. Means are also provided for selectively determining the type of signals to be transmitted and the corresponding antenna for such transmission.

Claims

1. In an installation for the control of a traffic light system from a vehicle, the combination of means carried by the vehicle for supplying information for automatic determination of position, i.e. bearing determination, a first directional antenna for transmission/reception, carried by the vehicle for transmission of such bearing information and having its transmission direction oriented essentially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the vehicle, a second directional antenna carried by the vehicle and oriented in the direction of travel of the vehicle for transmission of transfer messages or commands for the control of lights of such a traffic light system, means for producing carrier waves, means for modulating said carrier waves, said means for modulating is adapted to provide two types of modulated signals which are orthogonal to one another, one for the modulation of bearing information and the other for the modulation of transfer messages or commands, change-over switch means selectively connecting said means for modulating to said first antenna over a shunt means or to said second antenna, and control means connected to said change-over switch means and said means for modulating for selectively controlling the type of modulation utilized and the antenna employed for a selected transmission.

2. In a vehicular location system with a first directional antenna for receiving or transmitting vehicular location related information connected to means for demodulating received vehicular location related messages and a second directional antenna for transmitting traffic light control messages connected to means for modulating a carrier signal with said traffic light control message, an improvement wherein:

said first directional antenna is oriented substantially perpendicular to the direction of vehicular travel and said second directional antenna is oriented substantially along the direction of vehicular travel; and

said means for modulating has a control input port and is adapted to generate a modulated signal with a first or second type of modulation upon sensing a first electronic signal generated by a control means based on whether a vehicular location message or a traffic signal control message is to be transmitted; and

means for connecting said generated modulated signal to either the first or the second antenna upon sensing a second electronic signal generated by said control means based on whether a vehicular location message or a traffic signal control message is to be transmitted;

whereby said transmitted vehicular location related messages and said transmitted trafffic light control related messages are orthogonal to one another.