Method and device for extensive traffic situation monitoring

• US 6,285,949 B1
• Filed: 10/22/1998
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Roediger, Malte
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US09/177,135
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 701/208, 701/117-119, 340/905, 340/916-919, 340/934, 340/937, 340/988, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors

Abstract

A method and a device for extensive traffic situation monitoring of a road network on which vehicles can travel is provided. Remote photographs are taken by aircraft of the area to be monitored, and the images thus taken are subjected to an image-processing process to localize the roads in the road network and to recognize vehicles on them. On the basis of the detected vehicles, conclusions are then drawn about the traffic situation. A device for performing this method incorporates an evaluation center to which the data from the pictures taken by the aircraft are supplied and which has a suitable image-processing system.

Claims

1. A method for extensive traffic situation monitoring of a road network on which vehicles travel, the method comprising the acts of:

taking remote photographs of an area to be monitored via an aircraft;

image-processing data of the remote photographs in order to localize roads in the road network and to detect the vehicles on the roads; and

drawing traffic situation monitoring conclusions about a current traffic situation from the detected vehicles on the roads.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the act of localizing the roads in the road network is performed using a map-matching method with superimposed vector paths.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of taking remote photographs is performed using different types of imaging radiation systems.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the different types of imaging radiation systems include radar and infrared radiation.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the act of estimating travel times between a starting location determined in advance and a target location determined in advance from the detected vehicles.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the acts of repeatedly taking images of the area to be monitored at predetermined time intervals;

and

detecting developments or movements of a given traffic pattern from vehicles that are recognized from the images taken sequentially.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the acts of determining a position of the detected vehicles on the roads via the image-processing process;

and

determining that a traffic problem has occurred from abnormal vehicle positions.

8. A device for extensive traffic situation monitoring of a road network on which vehicles travel, comprising:

at least one aircraft equipped with an image-recording system for recording images of a portion of the Earth'"'"'s surface on which the road network is located;

an evaluation center receiving image-related data from the at least one aircraft; and

wherein said evaluation center includes an image-processing system to which said image-related data from the image-recording system are transmitted, said image-processing system localizing the roads in the road network in the recorded images, and recognizing vehicles that are on the road network, said evaluation center drawing conclusions about the traffic situation from the vehicles recognized by the image-processing system.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein said evaluation center further comprises a travel-time estimating device that estimates travel times between a defined starting location and a defined target location on a basis of the recognized vehicles on the roads of the road network.