Traffic monitoring system and traffic monitoring method in which a traffic control center configured a three dimensional traffic image

• US 9,564,047 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2014
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Foxconn Interconnect Technology Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Wu, Wei-Feng
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Burgdorf, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US14/560,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20150254976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 340/937, 340/905, 340/907, 340/910, 340/933, 340/988, 340/995.15, 382/104, 701/117, 701/118, 701/119
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0116 from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0125 Traffic data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors

Abstract

A traffic monitoring system includes a plurality of road monitoring devices and a traffic control center electronically coupled to the road monitoring devices. Each road monitoring device has specific transmittable position information stored therein. The traffic control center has stored transmittable images of a plurality of vehicle types and stored transmittable images of the plurality of roads to be monitored. When one or more vehicles passes one of the road monitoring devices, the road monitoring device receives a vehicle identification code from each vehicle, calculates position information of each vehicle and transmits the road monitoring device position information, each vehicle identification code and the vehicle position information for each vehicle to the traffic control center. The traffic control center configures a three dimensional traffic image from all of the vehicle images of the one or more vehicles passing the one of the road monitoring devices.

Claims

1. A traffic monitoring system for monitoring traffic on a plurality of roads, comprising:

one or more road monitoring devices, each road monitoring device positioned along a road and each road monitoring device having specific transmittable position information stored therein; and

a traffic control center electronically coupled to the one or more road monitoring devices, the traffic control center having stored transmittable three dimensional images of a plurality of vehicle types and stored transmittable three dimensional images of the plurality of roads to be monitored;

wherein, when one or more vehicles passes one of the plurality of road monitoring devices, the road monitoring device receives a vehicle identification code from each vehicle identifying the specific vehicle, the vehicle identification code being transmitted from a vehicle terminal device mounted in each vehicle;

wherein, when the road monitoring device receives each specific vehicle identification code, the road monitoring device calculates position information of each vehicle and transmits the road monitoring device position information, each vehicle identification code and the calculated vehicle position information for each vehicle to the traffic control center;

wherein, the traffic control center calls out one or more stored images each with the vehicle type corresponding to each of the one or more vehicles specified by the one or more vehicle identification codes, calls out a particular image of the road corresponding to the road monitoring device position, and configures a three dimensional vehicle image of each vehicle to be respectively positioned in the particular monitored road image based on the stored images of the one or more vehicle types, the one or more stored images of the monitored roads, and the position information of each vehicle;

wherein, the traffic control center configures a three dimensional traffic image of the road at the road monitoring device position from all of the vehicle type images of the one or more vehicles passing the particular one of the plurality of the road monitoring devices.

2. The traffic monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the traffic control center is capable of transmitting a signal of the three dimensional traffic image to a vehicle terminal device.

3. The traffic monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein,

each vehicle terminal device comprises a vehicle central processing unit (CPU) module, and a vehicle infrared signal transmitting module, a vehicle storage module, a vehicle global position system (GPS) module electrically connected to the vehicle CPU module;

the vehicle GPS module is configured to acquire a GPS time synchronize with a road monitoring device.

4. The traffic monitoring system as claimed in claim 3, wherein,

each vehicle terminal device further comprises a vehicle infrared signal transmitting module and a vehicle display module electrically connected to the vehicle CPU module;

the vehicle storage module is configured to store the vehicle identification code, images of the plurality of vehicle types and images of the plurality of roads to be monitored.

5. The traffic monitoring system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the vehicle storage module is selected from a hard disk, a flash memory, and a memory card.

6. The traffic monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein,

each road monitoring device comprises a CPU module, an infrared signal transmitting module, an infrared signal receiving module, a storage module, and a GPS module electrically connected to the CPU module;

position information is stored in the storage module, and the GPS module is configured to acquire a GPS time.

7. The traffic monitoring system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the storage module is selected from a hard disk, a flash memory, and a memory card.

8. The traffic monitoring system as claimed in claim 6, wherein,

the infrared signal receiving module comprises a receiving chip and a receiving hole opposite to the receiving chip;

the receiving hole is arranged coaxially with a central axis of the receiving chip; and

the receiving chip is configured to receive a signal transmitted from the vehicle infrared signal transmit module via the receiving hole.

9. The traffic monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein,

the traffic control center comprises a CPU, and a storage device and a display device electrically connected to the CPU;

the plurality of images of types of vehicles and roads to be monitored are stored as three dimensional imaged in the storage device.

10. The traffic monitoring system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the storage device is selected from a hard disk, a flash memory, and a memory card.

11. A traffic monitoring method comprising:

storing transmittable three dimensional images of a plurality of vehicle types and transmittable three dimensional images of a plurality of roads to be monitored at a traffic control center;

for each vehicle of a plurality of vehicles passing a particular one of a plurality of road monitoring devices;

receiving a vehicle identification code transmitted from a vehicle terminal device mounted on the vehicle and calculating a vehicle position information by the particular road monitoring device positioned along a road;

transmitting the vehicle position information, the vehicle identification code, and the position information of the particular road monitoring device to the traffic control center by the particular road monitoring device;

calling out stored images corresponding to the vehicle type of the vehicle and the road at the particular road monitoring device position along the road according to the vehicle identification code and the position information of the particular road monitoring device;

configuring a three dimensional vehicle image of the vehicle and the vehicle position based on the stored image of the vehicle type, the stored image of the monitored road at the particular road monitoring device position along the road, and the position information of the vehicle by the traffic control center; and

configuring a three dimensional traffic image from all of the vehicle images of the plurality of vehicles passing the particular road monitoring device.

12. The traffic monitoring method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising transmitting a signal of the configured three dimensional traffic image to each vehicle by the traffic control center.

13. The traffic monitoring method as claimed in claim 11, wherein,

each vehicle terminal device comprises a vehicle CPU module, and a vehicle infrared signal transmitting module, a vehicle storage module, a vehicle GPS module electrically connected to the vehicle CPU module;

the vehicle GPS module is configured to acquire a GPS time synchronize with the particular road monitoring device.

14. The traffic monitoring method as claimed in claim 13, wherein,

each vehicle terminal device further comprises a vehicle infrared signal transmitting module and a vehicle display module electrically connected to the vehicle CPU module;

the vehicle storage module is configured to store the vehicle identification code, images of the plurality of vehicle types and images of the plurality of roads to be monitored.

15. The traffic monitoring method as claimed in claim 11, wherein,

each road monitoring device comprises a CPU module, an infrared signal transmitting module, an infrared signal receiving module, a storage module, and a GPS module electrically connected to the CPU module;

position information is stored in the storage module; and

the GPS module is configured to acquire a GPS time.

16. The traffic monitoring method as claimed in claim 15, wherein,

the infrared signal receiving module comprises a receiving chip and a receiving hole opposite to the receiving chip;

the receiving hole is arranged coaxially with a central axis of the receiving chip;

the receiving chip is configured to receive a signal transmitted from the vehicle infrared signal transmit module via the receiving hole.

17. The traffic monitoring method as claimed in claim 16, wherein,

the signal transmitted by the vehicle terminal device passes through the receiving hole at an angle ⊖

between the vehicle and the road monitoring device, and then reaches to the receiving chip at a receiving point;

a first distance of L1 between the receiving point and the central axis is calculated, and a second distance of L2 between the receiving chip and the receiving hole is calculated;

the angle ⊖

is calculated by ⊖

=arctan(LI/L2).

18. The traffic monitoring method as claimed in claim 11, wherein a distance between a vehicle and a road monitoring device is calculated by measuring a differential time between a signal transmitting time when the vehicle transmits a signal to the road monitoring device and a signal receiving time when the road monitoring device receives the signal transmitted by the vehicle.

19. The traffic monitoring method as claimed in claim 11, wherein, the traffic control center comprises a CPU, and a storage device and a display device electrically connected to the CPU;

the plurality of images of types of vehicles and roads to be monitored are stored as three dimensional imaged in the storage device.

20. A traffic monitoring system for monitoring traffic on a plurality of roads, comprising:

one or more road monitoring devices, each road monitoring device positioned along a road and each road monitoring device having specific transmittable position information stored therein; and

a traffic control center electronically coupled to the one or more road monitoring devices, the traffic control center having stored transmittable three dimensional images of a plurality of vehicle types and stored transmittable three dimensional images of the plurality of roads to be monitored;

wherein, when one or more vehicles passes one of the plurality of road monitoring devices, the road monitoring device receives a vehicle identification code from each vehicle identifying the specific vehicle, the vehicle identification code being transmitted from a vehicle terminal device mounted in each vehicle;

wherein, when the road monitoring device receives each specific vehicle identification code, the road monitoring device calculates position information of each vehicle and transmits the road monitoring device position information, each vehicle identification code and the calculated vehicle position information for each vehicle to the traffic control center;

wherein, the traffic control center configures a three dimensional vehicle image of each vehicle to be respectively positioned in a particular monitored road image based on the stored images of the plurality of vehicle types and the stored images of the plurality of monitored roads;

wherein, the traffic control center configures a three dimensional traffic image of the road at the road monitoring device position from all of the vehicle type images of the one or more vehicles passing the particular one of the plurality of road monitoring devices;

wherein each road monitoring device comprises a central processing unit (CPU) module, an infrared signal transmitting module, an infrared signal receiving module, a storage module, and a global position system (GPS) module electrically connected to the CPU module;

the position information is stored in the storage module, the GPS module is configured to acquire a GPS time; and

wherein the infrared signal receiving module comprises a receiving chip and a receiving hole opposite to the receiving chip, the receiving hole is arranged coaxially with a central axis of the receiving chip, and the receiving chip is configured to receive a signal transmitted from the vehicle infrared signal transmit module via the receiving hole.