Method for monitoring the condition of traffic for a traffic network comprising effective narrow points

• US 6,813,555 B1
• Filed: 07/19/2002
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Kerner, Boris
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thu V.
• Application Number:
  US10/088,024
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/118-120, 701/26-27, 340/905, 340/988, 340/911, 180/167
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/004 Predictors, e.g. intraframe, interframe coding
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions

Abstract

In a method for monitoring traffic conditions in a traffic network with effective bottlenecks, the traffic state is classified, taking account of recorded measured traffic data for one or more traffic parameters, including information on the traffic intensity or the average vehicle speed, into in each case one of a plurality of state phases which comprise at least the state phases of free traffic and synchronized traffic. In the case of an edge at an effective bottleneck, between downstream free traffic and upstream synchronized traffic, the traffic state upstream thereof is classified as a pattern, representative of the respective bottleneck, of dense traffic which includes one or more different consecutive upstream, of different state phase composition; and an associated profile of the traffic parameters is taken into account for the state phase determination.

Claims

1. Method for monitoring a traffic state in a traffic network which may incur one or more effective bottlenecks, said method comprising:

recording measured traffic data for at least one traffic parameter, including at least one of information on traffic intensity and average vehicle speed;

based on the recorded information, classifying the traffic state into one of a plurality of state phases including at least the state phases of “

free traffic” and

“

synchronized traffic”

;

wherein,

when an edge fixed at an effective bottleneck of the traffic network is detected between downstream free traffic and upstream synchronized traffic, the traffic state upstream of said bottleneck is classified as conforming to pattern of dense traffic that is representative of the bottleneck, which pattern includes one or more different consecutive upstream regions of different state phase composition; and

an associated profile of the traffic parameters is taken into account in classifying the state phase determination.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

when an individual pattern of dense traffic arising initially at an effective bottleneck in a particular route section reaches a next preceding effective bottleneck in an upstream direction, classifying a traffic state in this particular route section as conforming to an overarching pattern, which overarching pattern is representative of included effective bottlenecks of dense traffic which, like a respective individual pattern, includes one or more different consecutive upstream regions of different state phase composition; and

an associated profile of the traffic parameters is taken into account in classifying the traffic state phase.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein:

for the traffic network, as a function of vehicle flows, determinations are made regarding i) a location and temporal sequence in which overarching patterns occur, ii) a temporal and spatial sequence in which regions of “

synchronized traffic”

, “

pinch region” and

“

moving widespread congestion”

occur in each overarching pattern; and

iii) whether overlaps of said regions take place; and

for a particular overlap, temporal and spatial characteristics of congestion regions through regions of synchronized traffic or pinch regions are predicted.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

a pattern assigned to an effective bottleneck, or an overarching pattern common to a plurality of effective bottlenecks, of dense traffic with a time-dependent and location-dependent traffic parameter profile, is empirically determined from recorded measured traffic data and stored in a manner which can be called up.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein:

for a particular bottleneck, as a function of vehicle influx, a determination is made whether the pattern comprises one of three pattern variants, being i) only a region of synchronized traffic, ii) a region of synchronized traffic and a pinch region adjoining upstream, or iii) a region of synchronized traffic, a pinch region adjoining upstream and a region of moving widespread congestion adjoining farther upstream;

associated edge positions are determined between the respective different state phases; and

each of the three pattern variants is assigned a corresponding time-dependent and location-dependent profile comprising information regarding at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of average vehicle speed, traffic flow, and the traffic density.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein a temporal evolution is currently estimated, and predicted for future points in time, for at least one traffic condition selected from the group consisting of edge positions of the regions of a respective pattern of dense traffic, edge positions of congestion regions inside various overarching patterns, and occurrence of a new overarching pattern.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein travel time for respective individual or overarching patterns of dense traffic are currently estimated or predicted for future points in time.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein:

current vehicle influx data is detected for respective individual or overarching patterns of dense traffic;

current data indicative of positions of the edges between the pattern regions are determined;

the current data are used to select a best-fitting pattern profile from among stored pattern profiles; and

the selected pattern profile is used as a basis for predicting a future traffic state in the relevant route region.

9. A method for traffic state monitoring in a traffic network in which effective bottlenecks may occur, said method comprising:

for each of a plurality of varying values of traffic influx to a particular effective bottleneck, determining a temporal/spatial profile for at least one pattern of dense traffic that is representative of the particular effective bottleneck, said profile including traffic parameters in a region upstream of the particular effective bottleneck;

storing said at least one pattern in a memory;

when a downstream edge between downstream free traffic and an upstream dense traffic phase is detected at said particular effective bottleneck, selecting a best fitting pattern from among said stored patterns, based on at least traffic influx to the particular effective bottleneck; and

predicting a temporal/spatial profile of traffic parameters for the particular effective bottleneck using traffic parameter information associated with the selected pattern.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said selecting of a best fitting pattern comprises:

determining position of an upstream edge of said dense traffic phase;

determining traffic influx to at least one of said upstream edge and said downstream edge; and

using determined edge position and traffic influx information as input data, selecting from the stored patterns, a pattern which best fits said input data.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said predicting comprises:

using determined position of said upstream edge, said selected pattern and said traffic influx information, predicting further development of said pattern.