Intelligent system for managing vehicular traffic flow

• US 7,755,510 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2007
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mergex Traffic Systems Company
• Original Assignee: Mergex Traffic Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Bilimoria, Yaz, Gomes, Gabriel
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Brian A
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMSON, SARA B
• Application Number:
  US11/676,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20080180281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,241 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932, 340/907, 701/96
• US Class Current: 340/932
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/08 according to detected number or speed of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/095 Traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

A novel vehicular traffic management system that requires no special equipment in any vehicle is disclosed. More specifically, the novel system may be used when approaching a lane closure or lane reduction. The system comprises sequencing signaling devices along the roadway and a central controller. The controller commands the signaling devices to flash (or signal) according to a calculated trajectory. Vehicles traveling along side the signaling devices can pace their speed with cues from the signaling devices. Through this pacing, the system can position the vehicles such that they can merge safely and efficiently. The system can be expanded to merge more than just two lanes. Further refinements to the system include external connections that may include GPS tracking and Internet down/uploading. A feasibility condition/determination can be used with the system to make the system even more robust and efficient.

Claims

1. A vehicular traffic system for a merge zone, the merge zone comprising a secondary lane merging into a primary lane, the vehicular traffic system comprising:

a series of primary lane signaling devices constructed to direct consecutive vehicles traveling in the primary lane along a primary lane trajectory constructed to open a gap between the consecutive vehicles traveling in the primary lane until a time when the gap between the consecutive vehicles traveling in the primary lane reaches a minimum maneuver distance sufficient for merging a vehicle traveling in the secondary lane; and

a series of secondary lane signaling devices constructed to direct the vehicle traveling in the secondary lane along a secondary lane trajectory constructed to position the vehicle traveling in the secondary lane at a midpoint between the consecutive vehicles traveling in the primary lane at the same time that the gap between the consecutive vehicles traveling in the primary lane reaches the minimum maneuver distance sufficient for merging the vehicle traveling in the secondary lane.

2. The vehicular traffic system of claim 1, the series of primary signaling devices and the series of secondary signaling devices comprising at least one of a visible light, a light emitting diode, an incandescent light, and a visual graphic display.

3. The vehicular traffic system of claim 1, the series of primary lane signaling devices communicating with a central controller by one of a physical connection and a wireless connection.

4. The vehicular traffic system of claim 1, the series of secondary lane signaling devices communicating with a central controller by one of a physical connection and a wireless connection.

5. The vehicular traffic system of claim 1 further comprising the primary lane trajectory constructed to maintain the gap between the consecutive vehicles traveling in the primary lane at the minimum maneuver distance beyond the time when the gap reaches the minimum maneuver distance.

6. A method for merging traffic in a merge zone, the merge zone comprising a secondary lane merging into a primary lane, the method comprising steps of:

receiving variables of traffic entering the merge zone;

calculating a feasibility condition from the variables;

determining from the calculated feasibility condition when it is feasible to merge the traffic;

constructing a primary lane trajectory and a secondary lane trajectory when the calculated feasibility condition indicates that merging the traffic is feasible;

sending the primary lane trajectory to a series of primary lane signaling devices to open a gap between consecutive vehicles traveling in the primary lane until a time when the gap between the consecutive vehicles traveling in the primary lane reaches a minimum maneuver distance sufficient for merging a vehicle traveling in the secondary lane; and

sending the secondary lane trajectory to a series of secondary lane signaling devices to position the vehicle traveling in the secondary lane at a midpoint between the consecutive vehicles traveling in the primary lane at the same time that the gap between the consecutive vehicles traveling in the primary lane reaches the minimum maneuver distance sufficient for merging the vehicle traveling in the secondary lane.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising sending commands to the series of primary lane signaling devices and the series of secondary lane signaling devices to cue cautionary signals when the feasibility condition indicates that merging the traffic is not feasible.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving the variables from at least one of a speed sensor, a Global Positioning System (GPS), a computer network, and the Internet.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising performing at least one of the steps by a central controller.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising the feasibility condition calculated to indicate that merging the traffic is feasible when s<

ν

τ and

when

$\stackrel{\_}{x}><br><br>\max <br><br>\left\{\frac{{\mathrm{\tau <br><br>}}^2<br><br>\left({\stackrel{\_}{\mathrm{\upsilon <br><br>}}}^2-{\mathrm{\upsilon <br><br>}}_o^2\right)}{4<br><br>\left(\stackrel{\_}{\mathrm{\upsilon <br><br>}}<br><br>\mathrm{\tau <br><br>}-\stackrel{\_}{s}\right)},\frac{{\left(\stackrel{\_}{s}+\frac{1}{2}<br><br>\widehat{\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}}<br><br><br><br>{\mathrm{\tau <br><br>}}^2\right)}^2-{\left({\mathrm{\upsilon <br><br>}}_o<br><br>\mathrm{\tau <br><br>}\right)}^2}{2<br><br>\widehat{\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}}<br><br><br><br>{\mathrm{\tau <br><br>}}^2}\right\}$

where

t;

time

x(t);

vehicle position

ν

(t);

vehicle speed

α

(t);

vehicle acceleration

s(t);

intervehicle spacing

L;

Vehicle length

ν

;

maximum speed

α

;

maximum acceleration

τ

;

seconds between each vehicle entering the merge zone

ν

_o;

initial speed of entering vehicles

S;

desired intervehicle spacing

x;

length of the positioning region

t_s;

time at which the intervehicle spacing reaches ss(t_s)= s

t_x;

time at which the vehicle leaves the positioning region x (t_x)= x

t_ν

;

time at which the vehicle reaches maximum speed ν

(t_ν

)= ν

and {circumflex over (α

)} is a function of the maximum acceleration.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising {circumflex over (α

)} defined by

$\hat{a}=\mathrm{\Phi <br><br>}<br><br>\left(\sqrt{1+\frac{2<br><br>\stackrel{\_}{a}}{\mathrm{\Phi <br><br>}}}-1\right)<br><br><br><br>\mathrm{\Phi <br><br>}=\frac{{\left(\stackrel{\_}{\mathrm{\upsilon <br><br>}}-{\mathrm{\upsilon <br><br>}}_o\right)}^2}{4<br><br>\left(L+\stackrel{\_}{s}\right)}.$

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising calculating a final vehicle speed ν

(t_s) and a final vehicle position x(t_s) from

$\mathrm{\upsilon <br><br>}<br><br>\left(t_s\right)={\mathrm{\upsilon <br><br>}}_o+\frac{\stackrel{\_}{s}-{\mathrm{\upsilon <br><br>}}_o<br><br>\mathrm{\tau <br><br>}}{\mathrm{\tau <br><br>}}+\frac{\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}<br><br><br><br>\mathrm{\tau <br><br>}}{2}$ $x<br><br>\left(t_s\right)=\frac{{\mathrm{\tau <br><br>}}^2}{8}<br><br>\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}+\frac{\stackrel{\_}{s}}{2}+\frac{{\stackrel{\_}{s}}^2-{\left({\mathrm{\upsilon <br><br>}}_o<br><br>\mathrm{\tau <br><br>}\right)}^2}{2<br><br><br><br>{\mathrm{\tau <br><br>}}^2}<br><br>\frac{1}{\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}}$

for a primary lane acceleration α

defined by

$\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}=\min <br><br>\left\{\frac{2}{{\mathrm{\tau <br><br>}}^2}<br><br>\sqrt{{\stackrel{\_}{s}}^2-{\left({\mathrm{\upsilon <br><br>}}_o<br><br>\mathrm{\tau <br><br>}\right)}^2},<br><br>\frac{2}{\mathrm{\tau <br><br>}}<br><br>\left(\stackrel{\_}{\mathrm{\upsilon <br><br>}}-\frac{\stackrel{\_}{s}}{\mathrm{\tau <br><br>}}\right),<br><br>\stackrel{\_}{\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}}-\frac{2<br><br>\left(L+\stackrel{\_}{s}\right)}{t_s^2}\right\}.$

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising calculating secondary lane accelerations α

⁺ and α

⁻

defined as

α

⁺=α

+2(L+ s)/t_s²

and α

⁻

=α

<

2(L+ s)/t_s².

14. The method of claim 6, the variables comprising one or more of vehicle entry speed, vehicle maximum speed, maximum vehicle acceleration, desired intervehicle spacing, time between each vehicle entering the merge zone, and length of merge zone.