Apparatus and program for controlling traffic signal in road construction section

• US 8,130,119 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2009
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Mase, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US12/385,422
• Publication Number:
  US 20090256722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 340/907, 340/905, 340/934, 340/990, 340/988, 340/995.13, 701/210
• US Class Current: 340/907
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/07 Controlling traffic signals
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0955 transportable

Abstract

A traffic signal control apparatus acquires position information and travel condition information from vehicles around a construction section of a road in wireless communication, and determines a traffic congestion condition at the positions of those vehicles based on the acquired information. The traffic signal control apparatus then controls traffic signals set up on ends of the construction section in a manner that eases the traffic congestion condition around the construction section based on the determination result of the traffic congestion condition.

Claims

1. A traffic congestion easing system including a traffic signal control apparatus that controls traffic signals disposed on both ends of a construction section and a construction detector disposed in a vehicle, comprising:

a traffic signal control apparatus having;

a communicator configured to transmit position information of a construction section to a vehicle in a proximity of the construction section;

a vehicle information acquisition unit for acquiring, from the vehicle in the proximity of the construction section, information regarding a vehicle position and a travel condition of the vehicle through wireless communication;

a determination unit for determining a congestion condition at the position indicated in the information regarding the vehicle position that is acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit based on the information regarding the travel condition of the vehicle that is acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit; and

a control unit for controlling a signaling condition of the traffic signals based on a determination result of the determination unit so as to ease a traffic congestion around the construction section, wherein

the travel condition of the vehicle acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit includes approach direction information indicating whether the vehicle approaches straight to the construction section or by turning towards the construction section,

the determination unit determines the congestion condition around the construction section based on the approach direction information,

the construction detector generates the approach direction information based on the position information transmitted from the signal control apparatus, and transmits, to the vehicle, information including the generated approach direction information as well as the information regarding,the vehicle position and travel condition of the vehicle.

2. The traffic congestion easing system of claim 1, wherein

the vehicle information acquisition unit acquires vehicle speed information as the information regarding the travel condition of the vehicle, and

the determination unit determines whether or not the traffic congestion at a position that is indicated in the information regarding the vehicle position based on the vehicle speed information.

3. The traffic congestion easing system of claim 1, wherein

the vehicle information acquisition unit acquires a stop time of the vehicle as the information regarding the travel condition of the vehicle.

4. The traffic congestion easing system of claim 1, wherein

the control unit takes a road environment around the construction section into consideration for controlling the signaling condition of the traffic signals.

5. The traffic congestion easing system of claim 1,

wherein the determination unit further determines whether or not the congestion condition around the construction section is congested in a particular direction based on the information from each of the vehicles in the proximity of the construction section received through wireless communication.

6. The traffic congestion easing system of claim 1,

wherein the determination unit

(i) includes, as adding to the congestion condition:

vehicles having approach direction information indicating that the vehicles are turning from a same side of a traffic signal toward the construction section,

vehicles having approach direction information indicating that the vehicles are approaching straight through the traffic signal toward the construction section, and

(ii) excludes, as not adding to the congestion condition;

vehicles having approach direction information indicating that the vehicles are turning from the same side of the traffic signal away from the construction section.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program product having computer-executable instructions, when executing causing a computer to perform steps of a method for easing traffic congestion in a system including a traffic signal control apparatus that controls traffic signals disposed on both ends of a construction section and a construction detector disposed in a vehicle, the method comprising:

transmitting position information of a construction section to a vehicle in a proximity of the construction section;

providing a vehicle information acquisition unit for acquiring, from the vehicle in the proximity of the construction section, information regarding a vehicle position and a travel condition of the vehicle through wireless communication;

providing a determination unit for determining a congestion condition at the position indicated in the information regarding the vehicle position that is acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit based on the information regarding the travel condition of the vehicle that is acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit; and

providing a control unit for controlling a signaling condition of the traffic signals based on a determination result of the determination unit so as to ease a traffic congestion around the construction section, wherein

the travel condition of the vehicle acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit includes approach direction information indicating whether the vehicle approaches straight to the construction section or by turning towards the construction section,

the determination unit determines the congestion condition around the construction section based on the approach direction information,

the construction detector generates the approach direction information based on the position information transmitted from the signal control apparatus, and transmits, to the vehicle, information including the generated approach direction information as well as the information regarding the vehicle position and travel condition of the vehicle.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7,

wherein the determination unit further determines whether or not the congestion condition around the construction section is congested in a particular direction based on the information from each of the vehicles in the proximity of the construction section received through wireless communication.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8,

wherein the determination unit

(i) includes, as adding to the congestion condition:

vehicles having approach direction information indicating that the vehicles are turning from a same side of a traffic signal toward the construction section,

vehicles having approach direction information indicating that the vehicles are approaching straight through the traffic signal toward the construction section, and

(ii) excludes, as not adding to the congestion condition;

vehicles having approach direction information indicating that the vehicles are turning from the same side of the traffic signal away from the construction section.