Image processing based traffic flow control system and method

• US 9,165,461 B1
• Filed: 05/06/2015
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Fortress, LLC
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Fortress, LLC
• Inventors: Chu, Kevin Hwading
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US14/705,728
• Time in Patent Office: 167 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/96, 340/907, 340/928, 340/989, 702/175, 702/182, 382/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/012 from other sources than vehicle or roadside beacons, e.g. mobile networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0145 for active traffic flow control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/02 using treadles built into the road pads or other sensitive devices responsive to passage of vehicles E01F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/065 by counting the vehicles in a section of the road or in a parking area, i.e. comparing incoming count with outgoing count
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/08 according to detected number or speed of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/081 Plural intersections under common control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/087 Override of traffic control, e.g. by signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/095 Traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096 provided with indicators in which a mark progresses showing the time elapsed, e.g. of green phase
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/137 the indicator being in the form of a map

Abstract

A traffic flow control system that includes a display device, an image acquisition module, an user interactive device, and a server having a processor. The processor is configured to obtain, by a data aggregation module, at least one of a first, second, third, fourth set of data, compute, by a computation module, a travel score for a travel direction of an intersection by weighing each of the first, second, third, and the fourth set of data with respect to one another, determine whether the travel score is a highest travel score of the intersection, and, if the travel score is the highest travel score of the intersection, enable traffic flow in the travel direction using the display device.

Claims

1. A traffic flow control system comprising:

a display device;

an image acquisition module;

a user interactive device; and

a server having a processor, the processor is configured to;

obtain, by a data aggregation module, at least one of a first set of data from a first type computing device, a second set of data from a second type computing device, a third set of data from the image acquisition module, a fourth set of data from the user interactive device, and a combination thereof,

compute, by a computation module, a travel score for a travel direction of an intersection by weighing each of the first set of data, the second set of data, the third set of data, and the fourth set of data with respect to one another,

determine whether the travel score is a highest travel score of the intersection, and

if the travel score is the highest travel score of the intersection, enable traffic flow in the travel direction using the display device,

wherein;

a data entry of the first set of data comprises a count of mobile devices for the direction of travel, and

a data entry of the third set of data comprises a count of vehicles for the travel direction and a count of pedestrians in a detection zone of the image acquisition module, and

wherein the count of the pedestrians in the detection zone is compared to the count of mobile devices to adjust the weighing.

2. The traffic flow control system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether a restriction is placed on the travel direction before the enable and after the determine determines that the travel score is the highest travel score of the intersection.

3. The traffic flow control system according to claim 2, wherein:

if no restriction is placed on the travel direction, the processor is configured to determine whether a special vehicle is present, and

if the restriction is placed on the travel direction, the processor is configured to restrict the traffic flow in the travel direction.

4. The traffic flow control system according to claim 3, wherein, if no special vehicle is present, the processor is configured to enable the traffic flow in the travel direction using the display device.

5. The traffic flow control system according to claim 1, wherein, if the travel score is not the highest, the processor is configured to determine whether a predetermined time has elapsed for the travel direction.

6. The traffic flow control system according to claim 5, wherein, if the predetermined time has elapsed, the processor is configured to determine whether a restriction is placed on the travel direction.

7. The traffic flow control system according to claim 6, wherein:

if no restriction is placed on the travel direction, the processor is configured to determine whether a special vehicle is present, and

if the restriction is placed on the travel direction, the processor is configured to restrict the traffic flow in the travel direction.

8. The traffic flow control system according to claim 7, wherein, if no special vehicle is present, the processor is configured to enable the traffic flow in the travel direction using the display device.

9. The traffic flow control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first type computing device is a smart phone,

the second type computing device is a global positioning system, and

the image acquisition module is a video camera.

10. The traffic flow control system according to claim 1, wherein the third set of data is obtained from a sensor module associated with the travel direction.

11. The traffic flow control system according to claim 10, wherein the sensor module is buried beneath a ground associated with the travel direction.

12. The traffic flow control system according to claim 3, wherein the special vehicle is an ambulance, a fire truck, or a police car.

13. The traffic flow control system according to claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to rank all travel scores of the intersection and create a traffic flow cycle to enable traffic flows in different directions based on rankings of the travel scores.

19. The traffic flow control system according to claim 1, wherein:

a data entry of the second set of data comprises a count of global positioning systems for the travel direction, and

a data entry of the fourth set of data comprises a binary input.

14. A traffic flow control method comprising:

(a) obtaining at least one of a first set of data, a second set of data, a third set of data, a fourth set of data, and a combination thereof;

(b) computing a travel score for a travel direction of an intersection by weighing each of the first set of data, the second set of data, the third set of data, and the fourth set of data with respect to one another;

(c) determining whether the travel score is a highest travel score of the intersection;

(d) determining whether a restriction is placed on the travel direction; and

(f) enabling traffic flow in the travel direction if;

(i) the determining in (c) determines that the travel score is the highest travel score of the intersection and the determining in (d) determines that no restriction is placed on the travel direction, or

(ii) the determining in (c) determines that the travel score is not the highest travel score of the intersection, a predetermined time has elapsed, and the determining in (d) determines that no restriction is placed on the travel direction,

wherein;

a data entry of the first set of data comprises a count of mobile devices for the direction of travel, and

a data entry of the third set of data comprises a count of vehicles for the travel direction and a count of pedestrians in a detection zone of an image acquisition module, and

wherein the count of the pedestrians in the detection zone of the image acquisition module is compared to the count of mobile devices to adjust the weighing in (b).

15. The traffic flow control method according to claim 14 further comprising ranking all travel scores of the intersection and creating a traffic flow cycle for (f) to enable traffic flows in different travel directions based on rankings of the travel scores.

16. The traffic flow control method according to claim 14, wherein the special vehicle is an ambulance, a fire truck, or a police car.

18. The traffic flow control method according to claim 14 further comprising, after the determining in (d) and before the enabling in (f), (e) determining whether a special vehicle is present.

20. The traffic flow control method according to claim 14, wherein:

a data entry of the second set of data comprises a count of global positioning systems for the travel direction, and

a data entry of the fourth set of data comprises a binary input.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable program code, which when executed by a computer processor, enables the computer processor to:

(a) obtain at least one of a first set of data, a second set of data, a third set of data, a fourth set of data, and a combination thereof;

(b) compute a travel score for a travel direction of an intersection by weighing each of the first set of data, the second set of data, the third set of data, and the fourth set of data with respect to one another;

(c) determine whether the travel score is a highest travel score of the intersection;

(d) determine whether a restriction is placed on the travel direction;

(f) enable traffic flow in the travel direction if;

(i) the determine in (c) determines that the travel score is the highest travel score of the intersection and the determine in (d) determines that no restriction is placed on the travel direction, or

(ii) the determine in (c) determines that the travel score is not the highest travel score of the intersection, a predetermined time has elapsed, and the determine in (d) determines that no restriction is placed on the travel direction; and

(g) rank all travel scores of the intersection and create a traffic flow cycle for (f) to enable traffic flows in different travel directions based on rankings of the travel scores,

wherein;

a data entry of the first set of data comprises a count of smart phones for the direction of travel,

a data entry of the second set of data comprises a count of global positioning systems for the travel direction,

a data entry of the third set of data comprises a count of vehicles for the travel direction and a count of pedestrians in a detection zone of an image acquisition module,

a data entry of the fourth set of data comprises a binary input, and

the count of the pedestrians in the detection zone of the image acquisition module is compared to the count of smart phones to adjust the weighing in (b).