Control of traffic signal due to obstructed view

• US 8,633,833 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2012
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Allen, James D., Davis, Teresa L., Hanthorn, Douglas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUNNINGS, TRAVIS R
• Application Number:
  US13/455,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20130285840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 340/907, 340/923, 340/925
• US Class Current: 340/923
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/07 Controlling traffic signals

Abstract

Traffic signal timing may be altered as a function of determining occluded signal viewing. More particularly, processing units may determine that a view of a traffic signal by a person is obstructed by a large vehicle located on a first ingress path to a roadway intersection with a second ingress path. The traffic signal controls the right of way of the first ingress path, and the person with the obstructed view is travelling along the first ingress path toward the intersection and is located behind the large vehicle relative to a view sightline of the person to the traffic signal. In response to the occluded view determination, a transition of the traffic signal may be delayed from a current visual display of a proceed signal to a subsequent visual display of a stop signal, until an end of a delay period.

Claims

1. A method for altering traffic signal timing as a function of occluded signal viewing, the method comprising:

determining via a processing unit that a view of a traffic signal by a person is obstructed by a large vehicle located on a first ingress path to a roadway intersection with a second ingress path, wherein the traffic signal controls the right of way of the first ingress path, and wherein the person is travelling along the first ingress path toward the intersection and is located behind the large vehicle relative to a view sightline of the person to the traffic signal;

in response to the occluded view determination, delaying a transition of the traffic signal for a delay period from a current visual display of a proceed signal to the person to a subsequent visual display of a stop signal to the person, wherein the current proceed signal visually conveys via the view sightline to the person that the person has right of way through the intersection, and wherein the subsequent stop signal visually conveys via the view sightline to the person that the person must stop from proceeding into or through the intersection; and

transitioning the traffic signal from visually displaying the proceed signal to visually displaying the stop signal to the person via the view sightline at an end of the delay period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first ingress path is a first roadway lane of vehicular traffic, wherein the person is operating a vehicle on the first roadway lane, and wherein the large vehicle is taller than a height of the person while operating the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle operated by the person is an automobile or a bicycle;

and

wherein the large vehicle is a truck or a bus.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first ingress path is a first roadway lane of vehicular traffic comprising an adjacent sidewalk;

wherein the second ingress path is a second roadway;

wherein the person is a pedestrian located on a sidewalk adjacent to the large vehicle;

wherein the sidewalk provides ingress to the intersection via a crosswalk across the second roadway; and

wherein the step of delaying the transition of the traffic signal comprises delaying the transition of the traffic signal until the person crosses the second roadway via the crosswalk.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a delay amount from at least one predetermined delay amount;

wherein the delaying the transition of the traffic signal comprises generating the delay period by adding the selected predetermined delay amount to a transition period used by a current signal schedule of the traffic signal; and

wherein the end of the selected delay period is an elapse of the generated delay period.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of selecting the delay amount comprises selecting a delay amount that is estimated to enable the person to complete a travel through the intersection.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one delay amount comprises a plurality of delay amounts that are each estimated to enable different pedestrians or vehicles to compete the travel through the intersection;

and

the method further comprising selecting a longest of the delay amounts.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of delaying the transition of the traffic signal comprises initiating a delay in a transition that is scheduled in a transition period used by a current signal schedule of the traffic signal, in response to a real-time determination that the view of the traffic signal by the person via the view sightline is obstructed by the large vehicle located on the first ingress path, wherein the person is travelling along the first ingress path toward the intersection and is located behind the large vehicle relative to the traffic signal;

and

wherein the transitioning the traffic signal from visually displaying the proceed signal to visually displaying the stop signal to the person via the view sightline at an end of the delay period is in response to a real-time determination that the view of the traffic signal by the person via the view sightline no longer is obstructed by the large vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining via the processing unit that the view of the traffic signal by the person is obstructed by the large vehicle located on the first ingress path is responsive to signals received by the a sensor located along the view sightline of the person to the traffic signal.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a service provider installing program code on the processing unit via a tangible computer-readable storage medium, wherein program instructions of the program code when executing on the processing unit cause the processing unit to perform each of the steps of determining that the view of the traffic signal by the person is obstructed by the large vehicle, delaying the transition of the traffic signal for the delay period, and transitioning the traffic signal from visually displaying the proceed signal to visually displaying the stop signal to the person via the view sightline at an end of the delay period.

11. A system, comprising:

a processing unit in communication with a computer readable memory and a tangible computer-readable storage medium;

wherein the processing unit is in communication with a sensor and with a traffic signal, and when executing program instructions stored on the tangible computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory;

determines via signals from the sensor that a view of the traffic signal by a person is obstructed by a large vehicle located on a first ingress path to a roadway intersection with a second ingress path, wherein the traffic signal controls the right of way of the first ingress path, and wherein the person is travelling along the first ingress path toward the intersection and is located behind the large vehicle relative to a view sightline of the person to the traffic signal;

in response to the occluded view determination, delays a transition of the traffic signal for a delay period from a current visual display of a proceed signal to the person to a subsequent visual display of a stop signal to the person, wherein the current proceed signal visually conveys via the view sightline to the person that the person has right of way through the intersection, and wherein the subsequent stop signal visually conveys via the view sightline to the person that the person must stop from proceeding into or through the intersection; and

signals the traffic signal to transition from visually displaying the proceed signal to visually displaying the stop signal to the person via the view sightline at an end of the delay period.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory, determines that the view of the traffic signal by the person is obstructed by the large vehicle located on the first ingress path in response to signals received by a sensor located along the view sightline of the person to the traffic signal.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first ingress path is a first roadway lane of vehicular traffic, wherein the person is operating a vehicle on the first roadway lane, and wherein the large vehicle is taller than a height of the person while operating the vehicle.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first ingress path is a first roadway lane of vehicular traffic comprising an adjacent sidewalk;

wherein the second ingress path is a second roadway;

wherein the person is a pedestrian located on the sidewalk and adjacent to the large vehicle;

wherein the sidewalk provides ingress to the intersection via a crosswalk across the second roadway; and

wherein the processing unit, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory, delays the transition of the traffic signal until the person crosses the second roadway via the crosswalk.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory, further:

selects a delay amount from at least one predetermined delay amount;

delays the transition of the traffic signal by generating the delay period by adding the selected predetermined delay amount to a transition period used by a current signal schedule of the traffic signal; and

ends the selected delay period at an elapse of the generated delay period.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory, further:

delays the transition of the traffic signal by initiating a delay in a transition that is scheduled in a transition period used by a current signal schedule of the traffic signal, in response to a real-time sensor determination that the view of the traffic signal by the person via the view sightline is obstructed by the large vehicle located on the first ingress path, wherein the person is travelling along the first ingress path toward the intersection and is located behind the large vehicle relative to the traffic signal; and

transitions the traffic signal from visually displaying the proceed signal to visually displaying the stop signal to the person via the view sightline at an end of the delay period in response to a real-time sensor determination that the view of the traffic signal by the person via the view sightline no longer is obstructed by the large vehicle.

17. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer readable tangible storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer processing unit, cause the computer processing unit to;

determine via signals from the sensor that a view of the traffic signal by a person is obstructed by a large vehicle located on a first ingress path to a roadway intersection with a second ingress path, wherein the traffic signal controls the right of way of the first ingress path, and wherein the person is travelling along the first ingress path toward the intersection and is located behind the large vehicle relative to a view sightline of the person to the traffic signal;

in response to the occluded view determination, delay a transition of the traffic signal for a delay period from a current visual display of a proceed signal to the person to a subsequent visual display of a stop signal to the person, wherein the current proceed signal visually conveys via the view sightline to the person that the person has right of way through the intersection, and wherein the subsequent stop signal visually conveys via the view sightline to the person that the person must stop from proceeding into or through the intersection; and

signal the traffic signal to transition from visually displaying the proceed signal to visually displaying the stop signal to the person via the view sightline at an end of the delay period.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to determine that the view of the traffic signal by the person is obstructed by the large vehicle located on the first ingress path in response to signals received by a sensor located along the view sightline of the person to the traffic signal.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to:

select a delay amount from at least one predetermined delay amount;

delay the transition of the traffic signal by generating the delay period by adding the selected predetermined delay amount to a transition period used by a current signal schedule of the traffic signal; and

end the selected delay period at an elapse of the generated delay period.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to:

delay the transition of the traffic signal by initiating a delay in a transition that is scheduled in a transition period used by a current signal schedule of the traffic signal, in response to a real-time sensor determination that the view of the traffic signal by the person via the view sightline is obstructed by the large vehicle located on the first ingress path, wherein the person is travelling along the first ingress path toward the intersection and is located behind the large vehicle relative to the traffic signal; and

transition the traffic signal from visually displaying the proceed signal to visually displaying the stop signal to the person via the view sightline at an end of the delay period in response to a real-time sensor determination that the view of the traffic signal by the person via the view sightline no longer is obstructed by the large vehicle.