Traffic management system based on packet switching technology

• US 6,792,348 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2001
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Hundscheidt, Frank, Hameleers, Heino
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US09/989,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20020065599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/118, 701/119, 340/905, 340/907
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09 Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions railroad crossing signals B61L; reflectors E01F, G08B; indicating arrangements for variable information by selection or combination of individual elements G09F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA

Abstract

A traffic management system comprises a road network on a physical layer and at least a packet switched control network on a traffic control layer. The vehicle traffic formed on the physical layer by a plurality of vehicles traveling along a plurality of road sections of the road network is mapped into a packet traffic constituted by a plurality of packers routed along a plurality of packet routing links. Packet control units of the packet switched control network are adapted to control the packets on a respective packet routing link in the traffic control layer to correspond to or simulate a respective vehicle on a corresponding road section on the physical layer. The traffic management system thus treats each vehicle as a packet and can monitor, control, or simulate the traffic on this physical layer by the packet traffic in the traffic control layer.

Claims

1. A traffic management system for managing in a road network the vehicle traffic which is formed, on a physical layer, by a plurality of vehicles travelling along a plurality of road sections of the road network and a plurality of road points located at said road sections of the road network, comprising:

a packet switched control network on a traffic control layer in which the packet traffic including a plurality of packets being routed along a plurality of packet routing links is controlled by a plurality of packet control units located at said packet routing links;

wherein said packet switched control network on the traffic control layer is configured in such a way that;

said packet routing links correspond to said road sections;

said packet control units correspond to said road points; and

each of said packets routed along a respective packet routing link corresponds to or simulates at least one of said vehicles travelling on a corresponding road section;

wherein said packet control units are adapted to control the packets on a respective packet routing link in the traffic control layer to correspond to or simulate a respective vehicle on a corresponding road section on the physical layer.

2. A system according to claim 1, comprising:

a traffic signalling layer including one or more traffic information units which are adapted to collect traffic information about the traffic on the physical layer and to provide said traffic information to the traffic control layer or to a service/application layer.

3. A system according claim 2 further comprising:

a communication layer including a communication network for providing communications at least between the traffic control layer and the traffic signalling layer.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein

said communication layer comprises a GPRS (General Purpose Radio System) network or a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephone Network) network.

5. A system according to claim 2, wherein said packet control units are adapted to generate, delete, or route said packets on the packet routing links dependent on said traffic information.

6. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a services/application layer including at least one server, wherein said traffic control layer provides packet traffic information about the packet traffic to said at least one server.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein said at least one server is adapted to generate statistical information about the vehicle traffic on the physical layer on the basis of said provided packet traffic information.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein said packet control units are adapted to control the packets in the packet switched control network in accordance with a predetermined control method;

said traffic signalling layer comprises one or more traffic guidance units which are adapted to control the traffic on the physical layer by outputting traffic guidance information dependent on respective traffic guidance unit control information;

wherein said packet control units are adapted to provide said traffic guidance unit control information to said traffic guidance units in accordance with said predetermined packet control method.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein said traffic information units or said traffic guidance units are arranged at said road points or inside a vehicle.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein said traffic control layer is adapted to receive vehicle location information of the location of the vehicles and vehicle identification information identifying said respective vehicle or information based on said vehicle identification information.

11. A system according to 10, wherein said vehicle identification information or said information based on said vehicle identification information is provided by said traffic information units of the traffic signalling layer.

12. A system according to 10, further comprising:

a services/application layer including at least one server, wherein said traffic control layer provides packet traffic information about the packet traffic to said at least one server,

wherein said information based on said vehicle identification information is provided by said service/application layer.

13. A system according to claim 6, wherein said traffic control layer provides said packet identification information of the packets on specific packet routing links of the packet switched control network to the services/application layer.

14. A system according to claim 3,

wherein said communication layer is further adapted to provide communications between the traffic signalling layer and the service/application layer.

15. A system according to claim 12, wherein said service/application layer determines on the basis of said vehicle identification information vehicle-specific information of the identified wherein said service/application layer provides said vehicle-specific information to the traffic control layer.

16. A system according to claim 6, wherein said services/application layer provides packet control unit control information to the traffic control layer.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein said service/application layer determines on the basis of vehicle identification information vehicle-specific information of the identified vehicles, wherein said service application layer provides said vehicle-specific information to the traffic control layer, and

wherein said services/application layer provides said packet control unit control information to the traffic control layer on the basis of the vehicle-specific information.

18. A system according to claim 16, wherein said services/application layer receives from said traffic control layer packet traffic information, processes said packet traffic information in accordance with a predetermined processing process and provides corresponding packet control unit control information to the packet control units.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein said packet control unit control information is a header information for the packets or a configuration information for configuring the packet switched control network.

20. A system according to claim 16, wherein said traffic control layer receives vehicle destination information indicating at least one desired vehicle destination.

21. A system according to claim 16, wherein said service/application layer receives vehicle destination information indicating at least one desired vehicle destination and forwards to said traffic control layer said vehicle destination information or processes said vehicle destination information and forwards corresponding packet destination information to said traffic control layer.

22. A system according to claim 21, wherein

said traffic control layer inserts packet destination information corresponding to said vehicle destination information in a packet corresponding to the vehicle desiring to travel to said at least one desired vehicle destination;

routes said packet in the packet switched control network to the packet destination indicated by said packet destination information; and

outputs corresponding traffic guidance unit control information to at least one of said traffic guidance units.

23. A system according to claim 22, wherein said traffic control layer simulates the vehicle traffic by routing the packets in the packet switched control network for a predetermined time interval in accordance with said vehicle destination information.

24. A system according to claim 20, wherein said service application layer, during the simulation, receives packet traffic information about the packet traffic on the packet routing links, determines the occurrence of packet traffic conditions and forwards said packet control unit control information to control the packet control units for avoiding bad packet traffic conditions.

25. A system according to claim 2, wherein

said packet control units are adapted to control the packets in the packet switched control network in accordance with a predetermined control method;

and further comprising a traffic signalling layer comprises one or more traffic guidance units which are adapted to control the traffic on the physical layer by outputting traffic guidance information dependent on respective traffic guidance unit control information;

said packet control units are adapted to provide said traffic guidance unit control information to said traffic guidance units in accordance with said predetermined packet control method; and

said traffic guidance units of said traffic signalling layer receive said traffic guidance unit control information corresponding to said packet control unit control information as determined by said service application layer.

26. A system according to claim 6, wherein

a traffic signalling layer including one or more traffic information units which are adapted to collect traffic information about the traffic on the physical layer and to provide said traffic information to the traffic control layer or to a service/application layer:

said packet control units are adapted to control the packets in the packet switched control network in accordance with a predetermined control method;

said traffic signalling layer comprises one or more traffic guidance units which are adapted to control the traffic on the physical layer by outputting traffic guidance information dependent on respective traffic guidance unit control information;

said packet control units are adapted to provide said traffic guidance unit control information to said traffic guidance units in accordance with said predetermined packet control method; and

said traffic information units or said traffic guidance units are arranged at said road points or inside a vehicle.

27. A system according to claim 10,

wherein a services/application layer includes at least one server;

wherein said traffic control layer provides packet traffic information about the packet traffic to said at least one server; and

wherein said traffic control layer provides said packet traffic identification information of the packets on specific packet routing links of the packet switched control network to the service application layer.

28. A system according to claim 10, wherein a communication layer includes a communication network for providing communications at least between the traffic control layer and a traffic signalling layer;

a services/application layer includes at least one server, wherein said traffic control layer provides packet traffic information about the packet traffic to said at least one server; and

said communication layer is further adapted to provide communications between the traffic signalling layer and the service/application layer.

29. A method for managing in a road network the vehicle traffic which is formed, on a physical layer, by a plurality of vehicle travelling along a plurality of road sections of the road network and a plurality of road points located at said road section of the road network, comprising:

configuring a packet switched control network on a traffic control layer including a plurality of packet routing links and a plurality of packet control units located at said packet routing links such that said packet routing links correspond to said road sections and said packet control units correspond to said road points, and

controlling said packet control units for routing each of said packets along said respective packet routing links such that they correspond to or simulate at least one of said vehicles travelling on one of said corresponding road sections.

30. A computer program product comprising a computer-useable storage medium having computer-readable code therein including:

code to configure a packet switched control network on a traffic control layer including a plurality of packet routing links and a plurality of packet control units located at said packet routing links such that said packet routing links correspond to road sections and said packet control units correspond to road points, and

code to control said packet control units for routing packets along said respective packet routing links such that they correspond to or simulate at least one vehicle travelling on one of said corresponding road sections.