Traffic control agency deployment and signal optimization for event planning

• US 9,342,982 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2013
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hampapur, Arun, He, Qing, Liu, Xuan, Xing, Songhua
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US14/020,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20150073686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 701711-122
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0145 for active traffic flow control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/07 Controlling traffic signals

Abstract

Embodiments relate to traffic control resource planning. An aspect includes receiving information about available routes in a transportation network and receiving an estimate of a traffic demand in the transportation network. Traffic control planning is performed and it may include: simulating a traffic flow based on the available routes and the traffic demand; applying a model that varies traffic control agent (TCA) placement and traffic signal settings in the transportation network to minimize a cost associated with the traffic flow, the cost including a TCA deployment cost and a traffic delay cost; and outputting a traffic control plan based on the applying, the traffic control plan including a TCA placement and traffic signal setting plan.

Claims

1. A method of traffic control resource planning, the method comprising:

receiving information about available routes in a transportation network;

receiving an estimate of a traffic demand in the transportation network;

performing traffic control planning, the performing including;

simulating a traffic flow based on the available routes and the traffic demand;

applying a model that varies traffic control agent (TCA) placement and traffic signal settings in the transportation network to minimize a cost associated with the traffic flow, the cost including a TCA deployment cost and a traffic delay cost; and

outputting a traffic control plan based on the applying, the traffic control plan including a TCA placement and traffic signal setting plan;

monitoring, via a camera, an actual traffic flow on one or more of the available routes; and

updating the traffic control plan based on the monitoring.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the traffic demand is determined based on a planned event.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the traffic demand is determined based on an unplanned event.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the traffic flow includes vehicular traffic and pedestrian traffic.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transportation network includes vehicular roadways and pedestrian roadways.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of TCAs available for TCA placement is fixed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the TCA placement takes into account TCA shift constraints.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the model is further applied to quantitatively predict a difference in the cost between the traffic control plan and a second traffic control plan.

9. A computer program product for traffic control resource planning, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a computer to implement;

receiving information about available routes in a transportation network;

receiving an estimate of a traffic demand in the transportation network; and

performing traffic control planning, the performing including;

simulating a traffic flow based on the available routes and the traffic demand;

applying a model that varies traffic control agent (TCA) placement and traffic signal settings in the transportation network to minimize a cost associated with the traffic flow, the cost including a TCA deployment cost and a traffic delay cost; and

outputting a traffic control plan based on the applying, the traffic control plan including a TCA placement and traffic signal setting plan;

monitoring, via a camera, an actual traffic flow on one or more of the available routes; and

updating the traffic control plan based on the monitoring.