Method and system for a traffic management network

• US 9,154,982 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2012
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iteris Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Trafficcast International Incorporated
• Inventors: Chan, Peter, Ho, Roland, Liu, Yunfeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Application Number:
  US13/584,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20120307676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/36 Devices characterised by the use of optical means, e.g. using infrared, visible, or ultraviolet light G01P3/68 takes precedence; gyrometers using the Sagnac effect, i.e. rotation-induced shifts between counter-rotating electromagnetic beams G01C19/64
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/08 Locating faults in cables, transmission lines, or networks
• 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 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/00 Arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter synchronisation of generators of electric oscillations or pulses H03L7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

A system for collecting traffic information that includes at least one first mobile node; at least one second mobile node; at least one data collection node; and a central processing station. At least one packet is transmitted between the first mobile node and the second node. The data collection node includes a packet search analyzer to determine an identifier that identifiers the first mobile node or the second mobile node from the at least one packet. The central processing station is linked to the data collection node and communicates traffic information associated with the identifier.

Claims

1. A system for collecting traffic data, comprising:

a first stationary data collection node comprising;

a first networking communications module connected to a first processor;

a first radio-frequency front end configured to;

scan on non-pairing channels for data packets; and

intercept a first data packet from an undiscoverable source from one of the non-pairing channels;

a first cellular communications module connected to the first processor;

a second stationary data collection node comprising;

a second networking communications module connected to a second processor;

a second radio-frequency front end configured to;

scan on non-pairing channels for data packets; and

intercept a second data packet from the undiscoverable source from one of the non-pairing channels;

a second cellular communications module connected to the second processor;

wherein the first and second data packets each comprise an access code, wherein each access code comprises a preamble and sync word, wherein each sync word comprises an encoded word, a lower address part, and a barker code;

a central processing station linked to at least one of the first stationary data collection node and the second stationary data collection node via the cellular communications module comprising a packet search analyzer, wherein the packet search analyzer is configured to determine a first identifier from the first data packet and a second identifier from the second data packet, wherein the identifiers comprise the lower address part, wherein the identifiers identify the undiscoverable source, and wherein the central processing station is configured to determine traffic information by matching the first identifier and the second identifier.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first data packet or the second data packet is a bluetooth packet.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the packet search analyzer is further configured to:

determine if the access code includes a valid preamble; and

determine if the sync word includes a valid barker code.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the packet search analyzer is further configured to validate the sync word in the data packet if both the preamble and barker code are valid.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the packet search analyzer is further configured to validate the sync word in at least one of the first data packet and the second data packet by reconstructing a sync word from the lower address part and barker code of the sync word.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the traffic information comprises a time stamp.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the central processing station is configured to calculate at least one of a speed associated with the identifier, a directionality associated with the identifier, and a travel time associated with the identifier.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising an application server configured to determine traffic congestion of a road based on at least one the calculated speed, the calculated directionality, and the traffic travel time.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the application server is configured to generate a traffic display indicating at least one of levels of congestion on the road, speed of traffic on the road, and travel time on the road.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising an application server configured to:

receive the identifier and a node location;

match the identifier to a user identifier; and

associate the user identifier with the node location.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a display configured to indicate a location of an object based on the user identifier and the node location.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the central processing station is configured to determine a lane collection associated with a vehicle based upon a received signal strength indicator of the at least one of the first data packet and the second data packet.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the network is a wireless mesh based network.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one of a speed associated with the identifier, a directionality associated with the identifier, and a travel time associated with the identifier is determined by using multiple signal strength measurements.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the central processing station is configured to use the at least one of a speed associated with the identifier, a directionality associated with the identifier, and a travel time to determine if the identifier is connected with a vehicle or a pedestrian.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the wireless mesh based network is a cellular packet-based network.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the wireless mesh based network is a mesh-cellular packet-based network.