Time multiplexed global positioning system for control of traffic lights

• US 6,246,954 B1
• Filed: 01/28/1999
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Berstis, Viktors, Smith, Joel Leslie
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US09/239,336
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 701/116, 701/117, 701/200, 701/208, 701/207, 701/213, 701/300, 701/301, 340/906, 340/907, 340/961, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995, 340/825.36, 340/825.49, 455/38.1, 455/456, 455/457, 342/29, 342/32, 342/455, 342/357.01, 342/357-6-3, 342/357.12, 342/357.13
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/07 Controlling traffic signals
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A method for controlling automobile traffic lights uses global positioning systems installed at each vehicle. Each vehicle determines a location of the vehicle via a global positioning system calculation. Each vehicle determines a cell corresponding to the determined location. Each vehicle broadcasts a message at a time slice allocated for the cell. A traffic light computer system receives broadcasted messages from a plurality of vehicles which are approaching the traffic light. The system uses the received broadcasted messages to determine an optimal traffic signal sequence.

Claims

1. A method for controlling automobile traffic lights, comprising the steps of:

at each vehicle, determining a location of the vehicle via a global positioning system calculation;

at each vehicle, determining a cell corresponding to the determined location;

at each vehicle, broadcasting a message at a time slice allocated for the cell; and

at a traffic light, receiving broadcasted messages from a plurality of vehicles which are approaching the traffic light; and

using the received broadcasted messages to determine an optimal traffic signal sequence, wherein a optimal traffic signal sequence is defined as causing a minimum number of the plurality of vehicles to stop and minimizing a stop time of any of the plurality of vehicles.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of receiving a cell layout from a proximate traffic light system used in determining a cell corresponding to the determined location of a respective vehicle.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the cell in which a vehicle is located is determined with reference to a cell formula.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein a cell layout is designed so that no more than one vehicle can be physically present in a given cell.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

at the traffic light, storing detected patterns of incoming vehicles;

at the traffic light, storing results from determined optimal traffic signal sequences for the detected patterns including actual stops and stop times; and

at the traffic light, using the results to calculate new optimal traffic signal sequences.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

at the traffic light, detecting a vehicle which violates a current state of the traffic light as the violating vehicle passes through an intersection associated with the traffic light;

at the traffic light, determining a vehicle ID from the received message broadcasted from the violating vehicle; and

sending traffic light state data and vehicle ID to a ticket issuing system so that a ticket can be issued to a driver of the violating vehicle.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein each cell belongs to a group cell and no vehicle within a cell within the group cell broadcasts messages in the same time slice.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein each cell belongs to a group cell and vehicles in the group cell broadcast in a plurality of frequencies and no vehicle which broadcasts on a given frequency located in a cell within the group cell broadcasts messages in the same time slice.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 further comprising means for receiving a cell layout from a proximate traffic light system used in determining a cell corresponding to the determined location of a respective vehicle.

10. A traffic network for controlling automobile traffic lights, comprising:

at each vehicle, means for determining a location of the vehicle via a global positioning system calculation;

at each vehicle, means for determining a cell corresponding to the determined location;

at each vehicle, means for broadcasting a message at a time slice allocated for the cell; and

at a traffic light, means for receiving broadcasted messages from a plurality of vehicles which are approaching the traffic light; and

means for using the received broadcasted messages to determine an optimal traffic signal sequence, wherein a optimal traffic signal sequence is defined as causing a minimum number of the plurality of vehicles to stop and minimizing a stop time of any of the plurality of vehicles.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein the cell in which a vehicle is located is determined with reference to a cell formula.

12. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein a cell layout is designed so that no more than one vehicle can be physically present in a given cell.

13. The system as recited in claim 10 further comprising:

means at the traffic light for storing detected patterns of incoming vehicles;

means at the traffic light for storing results from determined optimal traffic signal sequences for the detected patterns including actual stops and stop times; and

means at the traffic light for using the results to calculate new optimal traffic signal sequences.

14. The system as recited in claim 10 further comprising

means at the traffic light for detecting a vehicle which violates a current state of the traffic light as the violating vehicle passes through an intersection associated with the traffic light;

means at the traffic light for determining a vehicle ID from the received message broadcasted from the violating vehicle; and

means for sending traffic light state data and vehicle ID to a ticket issuing system so that a ticket can be issued to a driver of the violating vehicle.

15. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for controlling automobile traffic lights, comprising:

means for receiving broadcasted messages from a plurality of vehicles which are approaching the traffic light, wherein the broadcasted messages contain location data for each of the plurality of vehicles; and

means for using the received broadcasted messages to determine an optimal traffic signal sequence, wherein a optimal traffic signal sequence is defined as causing a minimum number of the plurality of vehicles to stop and minimizing a stop time of any of the plurality of vehicles.

16. The product as recited in claim 15 further comprising:

means for determining a location of a vehicle via a global positioning system calculation;

means for determining a cell corresponding to the determined location; and

means for broadcasting a message at a time slice allocated for the cell.

17. The product as recited in claim 16 further comprising means for receiving a cell layout from a proximate traffic light system used in determining a cell corresponding to the determined location of a respective vehicle.

18. The product as recited in claim 16 wherein the cell in which a vehicle is located is determined with reference to a cell formula.

19. The product as recited in claim 15 wherein a cell layout is designed so that no more than one vehicle can be physically present in a given cell.

20. The product as recited in claim 15 further comprising:

means at the traffic light for storing detected patterns of incoming vehicles;

means at the traffic light for storing results from determined optimal traffic signal sequences for the detected patterns including actual stops and stop times; and

means at the traffic light for using the results to calculate new optimal traffic signal sequences.

21. The product as recited in claim 15 further comprising

means at the traffic light for detecting a vehicle which violates a current state of the traffic light as the violating vehicle passes through an intersection associated with the traffic light;

means at the traffic light for determining a vehicle ID from the received message broadcasted from the violating vehicle; and

means for sending traffic light state data and vehicle ID to a ticket issuing system so that a ticket can be issued to a driver of the violating vehicle.