Accident detection system and method for accident detection

• US 8,903,636 B1
• Filed: 12/02/2013
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Abdualrahman Abdullah Mohammad Al Kandari, Imad Fakhri Alshaikhli
• Original Assignee: Abdualrahman Abdullah Mohammad Al Kandari, Imad Fakhri Alshaikhli
• Inventors: Al Kandari, Abdualrahman Abdullah Mohammad, Alshaikhli, Imad Fakhri
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): LANG, MICHAEL DEAN
• Application Number:
  US14/094,524
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• Field of Search: 701/118
• US Class Current: 701/118
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0116 from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0145 for active traffic flow control

Abstract

The accident detection system is a smart system which uses fuzzy (probabilistic) logic to determine an approximate location of an accident or other traffic impediment based on sensors, such as wired or wireless sensors, scanning, detecting, and reporting the traffic flow across a number of traffic lanes and a cross-section of a roadway. The sensors in the accident detection system detect an area where traffic appears impeded based on the calculation of moving vehicles in nearby lanes or areas in a proximate location to the area where traffic appears impeded. The accident detection system utilizes a series of strategically placed sensors connected through the wireless or wired sensor network, which detects vehicles in real time to acquire data such as an impediment in traffic flow, such as an accident, an inoperative vehicle, and similar traffic disturbances.

Claims

1. A method for detecting an impediment by an accident detection system, comprising:

providing a plurality of sensors associated with zones of a roadway, wherein each of the zones of the roadway is contiguous to its respective sensor and opposed to each other, each of the sensors detects a number of vehicles and the time it takes the vehicles to move through its respective corresponding zone of a roadway and transmits data signals of the number of vehicles and time detected;

providing a plurality vehicle control signals, each of the vehicle control signals being in communication with only its associated sensor;

providing at least one computer implemented device, the at least one computer implemented device including a processor and a program stored in a memory, the program directing the at least one computer implemented device to perform the following including;

i) receiving the traffic data from the plurality of sensors;

ii) determining traffic flow data corresponding to the transmitted data signals;

iii) determining whether at least one traffic flow impediment exists in an area of a roadway by determining traffic flow for at least one specified area of the roadway based on the traffic flow data in the at least one corresponding zone of the roadway divided by the data received from the plurality of vehicle control signals, wherein the determination is compared to a predetermined norm of traffic flow;

iv) determining whether at least one traffic flow impediment exists in an area of a roadway by determining traffic flow for at least one specified area of the roadway based on the number of lanes and length of the roadway divided by the length of the vehicle and distance between each vehicle on the roadway; and

v) determining whether at least one traffic flow impediment exists in an area of a roadway by determining traffic flow for at least one specified area of the roadway based on items i)-iv),

scanning by each of the sensors its respective zone of a roadway to detect a number of vehicles moving in at least one corresponding zone of the roadway;

receiving by each of the sensors scanning its respective zone of the roadway data regarding the number of vehicles moving in at least one corresponding zone of the roadway, wherein the receiving data includes control signal data from its respective vehicle control signal;

transmitting data signals corresponding to the number of vehicles in the at least one corresponding zone of the roadway detected by the at least one sensor to at least one processor;

determining by the at least one processor traffic flow data based on the transmitted data signals corresponding to the number of vehicles in the at least one corresponding zone of the roadway;

determining by the at least one processor whether a traffic flow impediment exists in an area of the roadway by determining traffic flow for at least one specified area of the roadway based on the traffic flow data in the at least one corresponding zone of the roadway;

determining by at least one intermediate processor or a master processor in a traffic management system whether a traffic flow impediment exists based on the traffic flow data; and

adjusting by the at least one intermediate processor or the master processor in the traffic management system the traffic flow in at least one roadway when it is determined a traffic flow impediment exists in the area of the roadway to decrease traffic congestion based on the traffic flow data;

whereby the method for detecting is fully automated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one intermediate processor or the master processor in the traffic management system determines whether a traffic flow impediment exists based on one or more factors affecting traffic flow including one or more of a gap filling time, cross ratio data, zone weight, a time of day, a day of the week, and a month of the year.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one intermediate processor or the master processor in the traffic management system determines whether a traffic flow impediment exists based on one or more factors affecting traffic flow including one or more of a gap filling time, cross ratio data, zone weight, a time of day, a day of the week, and a month of the year.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by a master processor from at least one intermediate processor in a traffic management system data regarding a traffic flow impediment in the area of the roadway based on the traffic flow data; and

adjusting by the master processor in the traffic management system the traffic flow in at least one roadway when it is determined a traffic flow impediment exists in the area of the roadway to decrease traffic congestion based on the traffic flow data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the intermediate processor in the traffic management system determines whether a traffic flow impediment exists in the area of the roadway based on one or more factors affecting traffic flow including one or more of a gap filling time, cross ratio data, zone weight, a time of day, a day of the week, and a month of the year.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor determines whether a traffic flow impediment exists based on one or more factors affecting traffic flow including one or more of a gap filling time, cross ratio data, zone weight, a time of day, a day of the week, and a month of the year.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the traffic flow data by at least one master processor in a traffic management system, the master processor in the traffic management system determining whether the traffic flow impediment exists in the area of the roadway, the master processor in the traffic management system being distinct and separate from the at least one processor determining the traffic flow data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one wireless sensor to wirelessly communicate the data regarding the number of vehicles detected.

9. A computer implemented accident detection system, the system comprising:

a plurality of sensors associated with zones of a roadway, wherein each of the zones of the roadway is contiguous to its respective sensor and opposed to each other, each of the sensors detects a number of vehicles and the time it takes the vehicles to move through its respective corresponding zone of a roadway and transmits data signals of the number of vehicles and time detected;

a plurality vehicle control signals, each of the vehicle control signals being in communication with only its associated sensor; and

at least one computer implemented device, the at least one computer implemented device including a processor and a program stored in a memory, the program directing the at least one computer implemented device to perform the following including;

vi) receiving the traffic data from the plurality of sensors;

vii) determining traffic flow data corresponding to the transmitted data signals;

viii) determining whether at least one traffic flow impediment exists in an area of a roadway by determining traffic flow for at least one specified area of the roadway based on the traffic flow data in the at least one corresponding zone of the roadway divided by the data received from the plurality of vehicle control signals, wherein the determination is compared to a predetermined norm of traffic flow;

ix) determining whether at least one traffic flow impediment exists in an area of a roadway by determining traffic flow for at least one specified area of the roadway based on the number of lanes and length of the roadway divided by the length of the vehicle and distance between each vehicle on the roadway;

x) determining whether at least one traffic flow impediment exists in an area of a roadway by determining traffic flow for at least one specified area of the roadway based on items i)-iv), and

xi) adjusting the traffic flow in at least one roadway when it is determined a traffic flow impediment exists in the area of the roadway to decrease traffic congestion based on the traffic flow data;

wherein the system is fully automated.

10. The computer implemented accident detection system of claim 9, wherein the at least one computer implemented device includes a first computer implemented device and a second computer implemented device, the first computer implemented device determines whether a traffic flow impediment exists based on the traffic flow data and the second computer implemented device adjusts the traffic flow in at least one roadway when it is determined a traffic flow impediment exists in the area of the roadway to decrease traffic congestion based on the traffic flow data.

11. The computer implemented accident detection system of claim 10, wherein the second computer implemented device includes a master processor and is distinct and separate from the first computer implemented device that includes an intermediate processor.

12. The computer implemented accident detection system of claim 9, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one wireless sensor to wirelessly communicate the data regarding the number of vehicles detected.