Traffic flow measuring method and apparatus
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A traffic flow measuring apparatus comprising:
- image input means for taking images of scenes near a crossing;
image processing means for executing various image processings for said images taken in said image input means, extracting possible vehicles and providing characteristic quantities of said possible vehicles; and
measuring means for determining position data of vehicles based on said characteristic quantities obtained from said image processing means, for tracking said vehicles by use of said position data and for calculating the number of vehicles moving in at least one direction in which vehicles run;
wherein said measuring means includes vehicle identification means for identifying vehicles on the basis of a moving range data table of moving range data of vehicles for each time zone associated with the phase of the signal lights of a traffic signal controller, a table of points in the moving direction of each vehicle and priority of said moving range, and vehicle moving direction determination means for determining the moving direction of a vehicle on the basis of said points in the moving direction.
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Abstract
This invention relates to a method an apparatus for measuring traffic flows or in other words, the flows of vehicles, inside and near a crossing, and is directed to provide method and apparatus capable of extracting vehicles with a high level of accuracy.
Overlap of vehicles can be avoided by setting the field of a camera not to a range from the inflow portion to the vicinity of center of the crossing, but to a range from the center to the vicinity of the outflow portion (151) of the crossing. Accordingly, accuracy of traffic flow measurement can be improved.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. A traffic flow measuring apparatus comprising:
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image input means for taking images of scenes near a crossing; image processing means for executing various image processings for said images taken in said image input means, extracting possible vehicles and providing characteristic quantities of said possible vehicles; and measuring means for determining position data of vehicles based on said characteristic quantities obtained from said image processing means, for tracking said vehicles by use of said position data and for calculating the number of vehicles moving in at least one direction in which vehicles run; wherein said measuring means includes vehicle identification means for identifying vehicles on the basis of a moving range data table of moving range data of vehicles for each time zone associated with the phase of the signal lights of a traffic signal controller, a table of points in the moving direction of each vehicle and priority of said moving range, and vehicle moving direction determination means for determining the moving direction of a vehicle on the basis of said points in the moving direction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 28, 30)
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13. A traffic flow measuring apparatus comprising:
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image input means for taking images of scenes near a crossing; image processing means for executing various image processings for said images taken in said image input means, extracting possible vehicles and providing characteristic quantities of said possible vehicles; and measuring means for determining position data of vehicles based on said characteristic quantities obtained from said image processing means, for tracking said vehicles by use of said position data and for calculating the number of vehicles moving in at least one direction in which vehicles run; wherein said measuring means includes means for checking for an abnormality of said measuring means by use of measurement values of other traffic flow measuring apparatuses.
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14. A traffic flow measuring apparatus comprising:
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image input means for taking images of scenes near a crossing; image processing means for executing various image processings for said images taken in said image input means, extracting information representing possible vehicles and providing characteristic quantities of said possible vehicles; and measuring means for determining position data of vehicles based on said characteristic quantities obtained from said image processing means, for tracking said vehicles by use of said position data and for calculating the number of vehicles moving in at least one direction in which vehicles run; wherein said measuring means includes first means for measuring (m2 -3 m+1) of the number of vehicles in a moving direction at an m-way crossing, second means for determining numbers of inflowing and outflowing vehicles of each of k roads, and third means for calculating the [(2k-11] (2k-1) number of vehicles which continue in the moving direction by use of outputs of said first and said second means.
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15. A traffic flow measuring and controlling apparatus comprising:
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image input means for taking images of scenes near a crossing; image processing means for executing various image processings for said images taken in said image input means, extracting data representing possible vehicles and providing characteristic quantities of said possible vehicles; measuring means for determining position data of a vehicle based on said characteristic quantities obtained from said image processing means, for tracking said vehicles by use of said position data and for calculating the number of vehicles moving in at least one direction in which vehicles run; and control means for controlling a signal on the basis of an output of said measuring means; wherein said measuring means includes vehicle identification means for identifying vehicles on the basis of a moving range data table of moving range data of vehicles for each time zone associated with the phase of the signal lights of a traffic signal controller, a table of points in the moving direction of each vehicle and priority of said moving range, and vehicle moving direction determination means for determining the moving direction of a vehicle on the basis of said points in the moving direction. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29)
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31. A traffic flow measuring and controlling apparatus comprising:
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image input means for taking images of scenes near a crossing; image processing means for executing various image processings for said images taken in said image input means, extracting data representing possible vehicles and providing characteristic quantities of said possible vehicles; measuring means for determining position data of a vehicle based on said characteristic quantities obtained from said image processing means, for tracking said vehicles by use of said position data and for calculating the number of vehicles moving in at least one direction in which vehicles run; and control means for controlling a signal on the basis of an output of said measuring means; wherein said measuring means includes means for checking for an abnormality of said measuring means by use of measurement values of other traffic flow measuring apparatuses.
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32. A traffic flow measuring and controlling apparatus comprising:
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image input means for taking images of scenes near a crossing; image processing means for executing various image processings for said images taken in said image input means, extracting data representing possible vehicles and providing characteristic quantities of said possible vehicles; measuring means for determining position data of a vehicle based on said characteristic quantities obtained from said image processing means, for tracking said vehicles by use of said position data and for calculating the number of moving vehicles in at least one direction in which vehicles run; and control means for controlling a signal on the basis of an output of said measuring means; wherein said measuring means includes first means for measuring (m2 -3 m+1) [of] numbers of vehicles in a moving direction at an m-way crossing, second means for determining the number of inflowing and outflowing vehicles of each of k roads, and third means for calculating the (2k-1) number of vehicles which continue in the moving direction by use of outputs of said first and said second means.
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33. A traffic flow measuring apparatus comprising:
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image input means for taking image of scenes near a m-way crossing; image processing means for executing various image processings for said images taken in said image input means, extracting possible vehicles and providing characteristic quantities of said possible vehicles; and measuring means for determining position data of vehicles based on said characteristic quantities obtained from said image processing means, for tracking said vehicles by use of said position data and for calculating the number of moving vehicles in at least one direction in which vehicles run; wherein said measuring means includes means for determining numbers of vehicles running in individual directions and numbers of incoming and outgoing vehicles at the m-way crossing, and means for performing a calculation, using equations relative to volumes of traffic per signal light cycle at an m-way crossing together with (m2 -3 m+1) independent values representing the numbers of vehicles running in individual directions and (2 m-1) values representing the numbers of incoming and outgoing vehicles, so as to calculate the (2 m-1) values representing the numbers of vehicles which continue running in individual directions.
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34. A traffic flow measuring apparatus comprising:
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image input means for taking images of scenes near a m-way crossing; image processing means for executing various image processings for said images taken in said image input means, extracting data representing possible vehicles and providing characteristic quantities of said possible vehicles; measuring means for determining position data of a vehicle based on said characteristic quantities obtained from said image processing means, for tracking said vehicles by use of said position data and for calculating the number of moving vehicles in at least one direction in which vehicles run; and control means for controlling a signal on the basis of an output of said measuring means; wherein said measuring means includes means for determining numbers of vehicles running in individual directions and numbers of incoming and outgoing vehicles at the m-way crossing, and means for performing a calculation, using equations relative to volumes of traffic per signal light cycle at an m-way crossing together with (m2 -3 m+1) independent values representing the numbers of vehicles running in individual directions and (2 m-1) values representing the numbers of incoming and outgoing vehicles, so as to calculate the (2 m-1) values representing the numbers of vehicles which continue running in individual directions.
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35. A traffic flow measuring apparatus comprising:
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image input means for taking images of scenes near a 4-way crossing; image processing means for executing various image processings for said images taken in said image input means, extracting possible vehicles and providing characteristic quantities of said possible vehicles; and measuring means for determining position data of vehicles based on said characteristic quantities obtained from said image processing means, for tracking said vehicles by use of said position data and for calculating the number of moving vehicles in at least one direction in which vehicles run; wherein said measuring means includes means for determining the numbers of left-turning and right-turning vehicles and the numbers of incoming and outgoing vehicles at the 4-way crossing, and means for performing a calculation, using equations relative to volumes of traffic per signal light cycle at a 4-way crossing together with two independent values representing the numbers of left-turning and right-turning vehicles, necessary values representing the numbers of incoming and outgoing vehicles per each signal phase of individual roads, so as to calculate 6 values representing the numbers of vehicles which continue running in individual directions. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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37. A traffic flow measuring apparatus comprising:
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image input means for taking images of scenes near a 4-way crossing; image processing means for executing various image processings for said images taken in said image input means, extracting data representing possible vehicles and providing characteristic quantities of said possible vehicles; measuring means for determining position data of a vehicle based on said characteristic quantities obtained from said image processing means, for tracking said vehicles by use of said position data and for calculating the moving number of vehicles in at least one direction in which vehicles run; and control means for controlling a signal on the basis of an output of said measuring means; wherein said measuring means includes means for determining the numbers of left-turning and right-turning vehicles and the numbers of incoming and outgoing vehicles at the 4-way crossing, and means for performing a calculation, using equations relative to volumes of traffic per signal light cycle at a 4-way crossing together with two independent values representing the numbers of left-turning and right-turning vehicles, necessary values representing the numbers of incoming and outgoing vehicles for each signal phase of individual roads, so as to calculate 6 values representing the numbers of vehicles which continue running in individual directions. - View Dependent Claims (38)
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Specification