Managing vehicles on a road network

• US 8,914,225 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2012
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Slingshot IOT LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sainath, Tara N., Caskey, Sasha P., Kanevsky, Dimitri, Kozloski, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEUNG, Calvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHUDY, ANGELINA M
• Application Number:
  US13/705,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20140156176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/93, 701/96, 701/117, 701/119, 701/118, 701/120, 701/121
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G06G 7/76 for traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]

Abstract

A system and method for managing vehicles on a road network can include a processor that performs operations including accessing a matrix of vehicle parameters of a plurality of communicating vehicles on the road network and representing the plurality of communicating vehicles in a graph with a plurality of nodes corresponding to the plurality of communicating vehicles and edges corresponding to the vehicle parameters. The system and method can include partitioning, with a processing device, the graph to reduce disruptions to the road network below a threshold level to support safe and efficient traffic flow and assigning one or more exclusion zones within the road network to each partition of the graph by associating the vehicle parameters for each vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for managing vehicles on a road network, the method comprising:

accessing a matrix of vehicle performance parameters of a plurality of communicating vehicles on the road network;

representing the plurality of communicating vehicles in a graph with a plurality of nodes corresponding to the plurality of communicating vehicles and edges corresponding to the vehicle performance parameters;

partitioning, with a processing device, the graph to reduce disruptions to the road network below a threshold level to support safe and efficient traffic flow;

assigning one or more exclusion zones within the road network to each partition of the graph by associating the vehicle performance parameters for each vehicle;

establishing, based on analysis of the vehicle performance parameters of the plurality of communicating vehicles, a set of security requirements for additional vehicles to join the plurality of communicating vehicles on the road network;

identifying geographical boundaries of the road network;

establishing a policy prohibiting vehicles that are unable to pass the set of security requirements from entering the geographical boundaries of the road network; and

wirelessly communicating, with a processing device, between a central computing facility and at least one of the plurality of communicating vehicles to enforce the one or more exclusion zones.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing device is a remote server in communication with the plurality of communicating vehicles.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing device comprises one or more communication devices forming an ad hoc network providing communication access among the plurality of communicating vehicles.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising a list of inputs forming the matrix of vehicle parameters used by at least two communicating vehicles on the road network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the list of inputs comprises one or more of a model vehicle, a current location coordinate, a destination location coordinate, a determined speed, a determined minimum distance between vehicles, a determined wind drag factor, an engine parameter, a braking parameter, a communication bandwidth parameter, an environmental condition, and a governmental regulation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method wirelessly communicates with warnings, alerts and fines to vehicles within the one or more exclusion zones that fail to support at least one interface among the matrix of vehicle parameters required to enter and remain in a roadway network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method wirelessly communicates with a fine to one or more vehicles within the one or more exclusion zones that fail to support at least one interface for a predetermined time limit that is exceeded.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the partitioning comprises applying a graph partition algorithm to the graph.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of managing the plurality of communicating vehicles autonomously by enforcing the one or more exclusions.

10. A method for managing vehicles on a road network, the method comprising:

accessing a matrix of vehicle parameters of a plurality of communicating vehicles on the road network;

representing the plurality of communicating vehicles in a graph with a plurality of nodes corresponding to the plurality of communicating vehicles and edges corresponding to the vehicle parameters;

partitioning, with a processing device, the graph to reduce disruptions to the road network below a threshold level to support safe and efficient traffic flow;

assigning one or more exclusion zones within the road network to each partition of the graph by associating the vehicle parameters for each vehicle;

establishing, based on analysis of the vehicle parameters of the plurality of communicating vehicles, a set of security requirements for additional vehicles to join the plurality of communicating vehicles on the road network, wherein the set of security requirements includes determining whether a vehicle attempting to communicate with another vehicle on the road network supports interfaces used by the another vehicle on the road network;

identifying geographical boundaries of the road network; and

determining whether the road network should be made geographically isolated based on criteria set by interfaces parameters upon which the road network is built, a size of the road network, and a risk factor computed derived from the interface parameters,

wherein the method wirelessly communicates with warnings, alerts and fines to vehicles within the one or more exclusion zones that fail to support at least one interface among the matrix of vehicle parameters required to enter and remain in the road network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the processing device is a remote server in communication with the plurality of communicating vehicles.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the processing device comprises one or more communication devices forming an ad hoc network providing communication access among the plurality of communicating vehicles.

13. The method of claim 10, comprising a list of inputs forming the matrix of vehicle parameters used by at least two communicating vehicles on the road network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the list of inputs comprises one or more of a model vehicle, a current location coordinate, a destination location coordinate, a determined speed, a determined minimum distance between vehicles, a determined wind drag factor, an engine parameter, a braking parameter, a communication bandwidth parameter, an environmental condition, and a governmental regulation.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the partitioning comprises applying a graph partition algorithm to the graph.

16. The method of claim 10, comprising the step of managing the plurality of communicating vehicles autonomously by enforcing the one or more exclusions.