Monitoring management and presentation of preemption control data of centrally managed traffic signals

• US 8,344,908 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2009
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Traffic Technologies LLC (Vontier Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Global Traffic Technologies LLC (Vontier Corp.)
• Inventors: Johnson, David Randal
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US12/576,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20110084854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 340/909, 340/910, 340/916, 340/917, 340/919, 340/924, 340/906, 701/300, 701/301
• US Class Current: 340/906
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/087 Override of traffic control, e.g. by signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle

Abstract

Managing traffic signal preemption data accumulated at a plurality of intersections. In one approach a method includes reading the preemption data stored at each of the intersections. The preemption data includes for each preemption request an emitter code, and a date and a time the preemption request was submitted. The preemption data read from the intersections are stored in a database, and each emitter code is associated with a vehicle name in the database. Selected preemption data and associated vehicle names are read from the database in response to user input, and the selected preemption data and associated vehicle names are displayed. The database further stores data identifying the intersection from which the preemption data was read.

Claims

1. A method for managing traffic signal preemption data accumulated at a plurality of intersections, comprising:

reading the preemption data stored by respective preemption controllers at the intersections, wherein the preemption data includes, for each preemption request, an emitter code, and a date and a time the preemption request was submitted by an emitter to the respective preemption controller;

storing the preemption data read from the intersections in a database;

associating each emitter code with a vehicle name in the database;

in response to a first user command identifying one or more emitter codes and an agency having one or more vehicles with one or more emitters that generate the one or more emitter codes, respectively, storing data in the database for each of the one or more emitter codes indicating the codes are associated with the agency;

reading selected preemption data and vehicle names from the database in response to a second user command; and

in the preemption data read from the database, counting for each emitter code in the preemption data, a total number of preemption requests having the emitter code; and

displaying the vehicle names, total numbers of preemption requests for the associated emitter codes, and agencies associated with the emitter codes;

wherein the reading of preemption data from the intersections, storing, associating, reading of preemption data from the database, and displaying are performed with a programmed computer; and

wherein storing the preemption data includes storing data identifying the intersection from which preemption data was read.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in the preemption data read from the database, counting for each emitter code in the preemption data, a total number of preemption requests having the emitter code; and

displaying vehicle names associated with one or more emitter codes having the greatest total number of counted preemption requests.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

counting, for at least one emitter code in the stored preemption data, a total number of preemption requests having the emitter code and occurring between a first date and a second date; and

displaying vehicle names associated with one or more emitter codes having the greatest total number of counted preemption requests.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in the preemption data read from the database, counting for each emitter code in the preemption data, a total number of preemption requests having the emitter code; and

displaying for each emitter code having a total number of preemption requests equal to zero, the associated vehicle name.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the preemption data stored at each of the intersections is logged by a preemption controller having a controller identifier;

associating each controller identifier with an intersection name in the database;

in the preemption data read from the database, counting for each controller identifier in the preemption data, a total number of preemption requests having the controller identifier; and

displaying intersection names and total numbers of preemption requests ordered by the total number of preemption requests of the associated controller identifier.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in the preemption data read from the database, counting for each intersection channel of each controller identifier in the preemption data, a total number of preemption requests for the intersection channel; and

displaying in association with each intersection name, the total number of preemption requests for each intersection channel of the associated controller identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a third user command indicating one or more intersections of the plurality of intersections and a jurisdiction, storing data in the database for each of the one or more intersections indicating the intersection is associated with the jurisdiction; and

in response to a fourth user command;

determining a set of intersections that are associated with the jurisdiction; and

displaying the set of intersections.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a third user command indicating a date and one or more intersections of the plurality of intersections, storing data in the database indicating preemption data is to be retrieved from the one or more intersections on the date; and

wherein, the reading of the preemption data stored by the preemption controllers at each of the intersections, the storing of the preemption data read from the intersections in the database, and the associating step are performed on the date.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the preemption data for each preemption request further includes a value indicating an IR light intensity level detected at the respective intersection.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a third user command;

reading a set of preemption data corresponding to preemption requests of one or more intersections of the plurality of intersections from the database; and

displaying preemption requests of the set that are not associated with a vehicle name.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the preemption data for each of one or more of the preemption requests further includes:

a start time indicating a time at which a traffic signal changed to green for the preemption request and a stop time indicating a time at which the traffic signal changed from green for the preemption request.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a third user command;

reading a set of stored preemption data corresponding to preemption requests with a date between a first date and a second date;

determining intersections of the plurality of intersections that are not associated with preemption requests of the set; and

displaying data indicative of the determined intersections.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the preemption data further includes approach data indicating a direction of travel of a vehicle having an emitter from which a preemption request was received.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the preemption data further includes, for each preemption request, data indicating green phases of a traffic signal of the intersection, the method further comprising associating a set of expected green phases with each approach of one or more intersections of the plurality of intersections in the database.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the preemption data stored by each of the preemption controllers at each of the intersections for each preemption request submitted by an emitter to the preemption controller further includes data indicating whether the preemption request was authorized.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to storing the preemption data read from the intersections, reading a first tracked variable from the database, wherein the first tracked variable is equal to the number of preemption requests stored in the database matching a set of search criteria;

determining a second tracked variable, wherein the second tracked variable is equal to the number of preemption requests in the preemption data read from the intersections matching the set of search criteria;

determining an updated value from the first and second tracked variables; and

updating the first tracked variable in the database with the updated value.

17. A system for managing traffic signal preemption data stored at a plurality of intersections by respective preemption controllers, comprising:

a processor,

a memory arrangement coupled to the processor, wherein the memory arrangement is configured with instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform the operations of;

reading the preemption data stored at each of the intersections, wherein the preemption data includes for each preemption request an emitter code, and a date and a time the preemption request was submitted by an emitter to the respective preemption controller at the intersection;

storing the preemption data read from the intersections in a database;

associating each emitter code with a vehicle name in the database;

in response to a first user command identifying one or more emitter codes and an agency having one or more vehicles with one or more emitters that generate the one or more emitter codes, respectively, storing data in the database for each of the one or more emitter codes indicating the codes are associated with the agency;

reading selected preemption data and vehicle names from the database in response to a second user command; and

displaying the vehicle names, total numbers of preemption requests for the associated emitter codes, and agencies associated with the emitter codes; and

wherein storing the preemption data includes storing data identifying the intersection from which preemption data was read.

18. A computer-readable medium, comprising:

a non-transitory storage device configured with processor executable instructions for managing traffic signal preemption data accumulated at a plurality of intersections, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the operations of;

reading the preemption data stored by respective preemption controllers at the intersections, wherein the preemption data includes for each preemption request an emitter code, and a date and a time the preemption request was submitted by an emitter to the respective preemption controller;

storing the preemption data read from the intersections in a database;

associating each emitter code with a vehicle name in the database;

in response to a first user command identifying one or more emitter codes and an agency having one or more vehicles with one or more emitters that generate the one or more emitter codes, respectively, storing data in the database for each of the one or more emitter codes indicating the codes are associated with the agency;

reading selected preemption data and vehicle names from the database in response to a second user command;

in the preemption data read from the database, counting for each emitter code in the preemption data, a total number of preemption requests having the emitter code;

displaying vehicle names, total numbers of preemption requests for the associated emitter codes, and agencies associated with the emitter codes; and

wherein storing the preemption data includes storing data identifying the intersection from which preemption data was read.