Method for controlling traffic signals to give signal priority to a vehicle

• US 8,742,945 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2008
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ab Tryggit
• Original Assignee: Ab Tryggit
• Inventors: Brynielsson, Thore
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US12/450,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20100045484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,268 Days
• Field of Search: 340/906, 340/907, 701/468, 701/515
• 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

A method for controlling traffic signals to give signal priority to a vehicle travelling along a planned route, which is divided into sections. The method comprises the steps of receiving a report from the vehicle which comprises at least the next few sections along the planned route, determining whether the reports contain at least one section on both sides of an intersection, and, if this is the case, controlling the traffic light at the intersection to give priority to the route through the intersection, for the vehicle to enjoy signal priority treatment. According to the invention, a signal priority method is provided which allows the planned route of the vehicle to be predicted well in advance. The possibility of advance planning is obtained by describing the planned route of the vehicle in terms of predefined sections of the route.

Claims

1. A method for controlling traffic signals to give signal priority to a vehicle travelling along a planned route, which is divided into a plurality of sections, the vehicle being equipped with a communication unit for communication to a stationary system comprising at least one control unit associated with an intersection and arranged to control at least one traffic signal at said intersection, comprising:

receiving, in said control unit, a report from the communication unit of the vehicle, said report including information indicative of one or more sections of the plurality of sections along said planned route,

determining whether said one or more sections include sections on different sides of the intersection associated with the control unit, and

controlling, based on a result of the determining, said at least one traffic signal associated with said intersection to give signal priority to said vehicle traveling along the planned route.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said report further comprises information indicative of a position of the vehicle.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising determining, based on the position of the vehicle, whether the vehicle is located within a distance from said intersection, and then controlling said at least one traffic signal.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein a navigating system coupled to the vehicle calculates the planned route, defines a subset of said plurality of sections included along said planned route, and generates information to guide the vehicle along said sections included along said planned route.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said subset of said plurality of sections does not include all of the plurality of sections along said planned route.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said communication to the stationary system, provided by said communication unit, is adapted to a current section of the plurality of sections along which the vehicle is currently travelling.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein contents of the report received from the vehicle are adapted to a current section of the plurality of sections along which the vehicle is currently travelling.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein controlling said at least one traffic signal comprises directing existing traffic away from the planned route.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the report comprises information indicating all remaining sections of the plurality of sections along the planned route.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein controlling said at least one traffic signal comprises preventing new traffic from entering the planned route.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the report received from the vehicle only comprises sections of the plurality of sections that are included within a limited distance relative to the vehicle.

12. A method for managing traffic, comprising:

receiving information from a vehicle indicative of a plurality of sections along a planned route;

determining, based on the received information, whether a first section and a second section of the plurality of sections are located on different sides of an intersection; and

controlling, based on a result of the determining, at least one traffic signal associated with said intersection to give signal priority to the vehicle over other traffic as the vehicle travels along said planned route.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the information is received directly from the vehicle through a wireless communication link.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the at least one traffic signal is located at the intersection.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein controlling the at least one traffic signal is performed based on at least one condition.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the at least one condition corresponds to a distance between the vehicle and the intersection.

17. A traffic control system, comprising:

an interface to a traffic signal associated with an intersection; and

a controller coupled to the interface and configured to receive a report corresponding to one or more sections along a planned route of a vehicle, the controller further configured to determine whether the report includes information indicative of at least two of the sections on different sides of the intersection, wherein;

if the report includes said information, the controller sends a signal through the interface to control the traffic signal to give signal priority to said vehicle travelling along said planned route.