Traffic management system

• US 5,504,683 A
• Filed: 06/16/1993
• Issued: 04/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Adamasu Gebre
• Original Assignee: Adamsu Gebre, Hailemichael Gurmu
• Inventors: Gurmu, Hailemichael, Gebre, Adamsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US08/077,535
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 364/436, 364/437, 364/438, 340/903, 340/905, 340/989, 340/991, 340/992, 340/993
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn

Abstract

A vehicle guidance system for guiding motor vehicles comprising a central traffic control system, a plurality of roadside equipment, and an on-board vehicle guidance and control system. The central traffic control system includes horizontal memory for storing horizontal coordinates and direction information of a locality, vertical memory for storing vertical coordinates and direction information of the locality, transmitter means for transmitting the horizontal and vertical information of the locality, and a system control unit for controlling the continuous transmission of the horizontal and vertical information of the locality. The roadside equipment includes coordinates memory for storing the coordinates information of the roadside equipment, coordinates transmitter means for transmitting the coordinates information of the roadside equipment to the vehicle, receiver means for receiving destination information from the vehicle, and vehicle destination means for transmitting the coordinates information of the roadside equipment and the destination information of the vehicle to the central traffic control system. The on-board vehicle guidance and control system includes receiver means for receiving the horizontal and vertical coordinates information of the locality traffic control system, vertical coordinates memory for storing the vertical coordinates information of the locality, horizontal coordinates memory for storing the horizontal coordinates information of the locality, an on-board system control unit for controlling the reception and storage of the horizontal and vertical coordinates information of the locality, display feed memory for storing route direction information for reaching the destination of the vehicle, and display means for displaying the route direction information.

Claims

1. In a traffic management system for a locality wherein positions in the locality are represented by a plurality of decision points indicative of crossing streets and an associated plurality of links indicative of streets which interconnect said decision points, a method for guiding vehicle around traffic congestion comprising the steps of:

maintaining at central traffic control a coordinate memory defining said decision points and links,

detecting route congestion and altering information in said coordinate memory in response to said detected route congestion,

transmitting from said central traffic control the altered contents of said coordinate memory,

receiving in said vehicle said altered contents transmitted by said central traffic control,

storing in a primary data segment of a memory a representation of at least one primary street in the locality having an associated plurality of decision points representing crossing street intersecting said at least one primary street,

storing in a crossing street data segment of said memory vertical and horizontal coordinate information associated with said decision points along said primary street, at least one bearing representation of a route direction from at least one of said decision points to at least one other of said interconnecting decision points, and a crossing street identifier for referencing a crossing street in said memory,

retrieving said primary street representation and at least one of said crossing streets from said memory,

establishing an initial position of said vehicle within said locality,

tracking movements of said vehicle in the locality by detecting a direction of travel of said vehicle at each said decision point,

determining the position of said vehicle in said locality by comparing said initial position with a result of said tracking, and

displaying information pertaining to said primary street representation and said crossing street identifier as the vehicle moves within said locality.

2. A traffic load prediction system for predicting congestion of vehicular traffic in a locality wherein said system includes a central traffic control, a plurality of roadside equipments for transferring information between said central traffic control and motor vehicles on the roadway, a vehicle guidance unit located in each of said motor vehicles, said system comprising:

corresponding map data located in each of said vehicles and at said central traffic control for defining in a memory a plurality of decision points representing intersections of crossing streets and a corresponding plurality of links which interconnect said decision points,

a route determination algorithm located in said vehicle guidance unit for receiving a destination and for determining a route along a series of said decision points and links and for interconnecting said decision points according to said map data and said destination,

a roadside transceiver located at said roadside equipments for relaying destination information from said vehicles to said central traffic control,

a central transceiver located at said central traffic control for receiving destinations transmitted by said vehicles and for determining respective routes of said vehicles along a series of said decision points and links interconnecting said decision points in a manner as determined by said route determination algorithm located in said vehicle guidance unit, and

a congestion analyzer located at said central traffic control for analyzing the number of vehicles projected to travel certain ones of said links according to the determined routes and for generating predicted congestion information according to congestion at said certain links.

5. A system as recited in claim 2, 3, or 4 further including means for transferring information to said vehicles representing said predicted congestion.

6. A system as recited in claim 2, 3, or 4 further including means in the roadway for detecting other congestion or blockage, and means for transferring said other congestion or blockage to said vehicles.

3. A traffic load prediction system for predicting congestion of vehicular traffic in a locality wherein said system includes a central traffic control and a plurality of motor vehicles on the roadway having a vehicle guidance unit located in each of said vehicles, said system comprising:

corresponding map data located in each of said vehicles and at said central traffic control for defining in a memory a plurality of decision points representing intersections of crossing streets and a corresponding plurality of links which interconnect said decision points,

a route determination algorithm located in said vehicle guidance unit for receiving a destination and for determining a route along a series of said decision points and links and for interconnecting said decision points according to said destination,

a central transceiver located at said central traffic control for receiving destinations transmitted by said vehicles and for determining respective routes of said vehicles along a series of said decision points and links interconnecting said decision points in a manner as determined by said route determination algorithm located in said vehicle guidance unit, and

a congestion analyzer located at said central traffic control for analyzing the number of vehicles projected to travel certain ones of said links according to the determined routes and for generating predicted congestion information according to congestion at said certain links.

4. A traffic load prediction system for predicting congestion of vehicular traffic in a locality wherein the locality is defined by a plurality of decision points representing intersections of crossing streets and a corresponding plurality of links which interconnect said decision points, said system including a central traffic control, a plurality of roadside equipments for transferring information between said central traffic control and motor vehicles on the roadway, a vehicle guidance unit located in each of said motor vehicles, said system comprising:

corresponding map data located in each of said vehicles and at said central traffic control for defining in a memory a representation of at least one named street in said locality having an associated plurality of decision points representing crossing streets intersecting said named street, vertical and horizontal coordinate information associated with said decision points along said named street, and at least one bearing representation of a route direction from one of said decision points to a next decision point along said crossing street,

a route determination algorithm located in said vehicle guidance unit for receiving a destination and for determining a route along a series of said decision points and links interconnecting said decision points according to said map data,

a roadside transceiver located at said roadside equipments for relaying destination information from said vehicles to said central traffic control,

a central transceiver located at said central traffic control for receiving destinations transmitted by said vehicles and for determining respective routes of said vehicles along a series of said decision points and links interconnecting said decision points in a manner as determined by said route determination algorithm located in said vehicle guidance unit, and

a congestion analyzer located at said central traffic control for analyzing the number of vehicles projected to travel certain ones of said links according to the determined routes and for generating predicted congestion information according to congestion at said certain links.

7. A method for predicting congestion of vehicular traffic in a locality which includes a central traffic control and a plurality of motor vehicles on the roadway having vehicle guidance units located therein, said method comprising the steps of:

providing corresponding map data in each of said vehicles and at said central traffic control for defining a plurality of decision points representing intersections of crossing streets and a corresponding plurality of links which interconnect said decision points,

receiving a destination at each of said vehicles and determining a route along a series of said decision points and links interconnecting said decision points according to said destination,

transmitting to said central traffic control the destinations of said vehicles and determining respective routes of said vehicles based upon said destinations along a series of said decision points and links interconnecting said decision points in a manner as determined in said vehicles, and

analyzing at said central traffic control the number of vehicles projected to travel certain ones of said links according to the determined routes and generating predicted congestion information according to congestion at said certain links.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 further including the step of transferring to said vehicles the predicted congestion information.