Identification and control of traffic at one or more traffic junctions

• US 10,115,304 B1
• Filed: 12/14/2017
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Epperlein, Jonathan, Marecek, Jakub, Nair, Rahul
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Curtis
• Application Number:
  US15/842,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20180315307A1
• Time in Patent Office: 320 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/08 according to detected number or speed of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/082 Controlling the time between beginning of the same phase of a cycle at adjacent intersections
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/083 Controlling the allocation of time between phases of a cycle

Abstract

Techniques for autonomously optimizing traffic flow amongst one or more traffic junctions are provided. In one example, a computer-implemented method can comprise generating, by a system operatively coupled to a processor, a piece-wise sinusoidal representation of traffic arrival at a first traffic junction. The computer-implemented method can also comprise determining, by the system, an offset a parameter of one or more traffic junctions based on the piece-wise sinusoidal representation and a polynomial objective.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

generating, by a system operatively coupled to a processor, a piece-wise sinusoidal representation of traffic arrival at a traffic junction;

determining, by the system, a parameter of one or more traffic junctions based on the piece-wise sinusoidal representation and a polynomial objective, wherein the determining comprises;

determining a first parameter that is a time of a start of a phase sequence at a first traffic junction and determining a second parameter that is a time of a start of a phase sequence at a second traffic junction, wherein a difference between the first parameter and the second parameter is an offset to vary; and

generating, by the system, a multi-variate polynomial describing an average queue length of a defined traffic type from a plurality of traffic types at the traffic junction based on the piece-wise sinusoidal representation of the traffic arrival for the plurality of traffic types.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the system, the parameter to minimize the polynomial objective, utilizing the multi-variate polynomial describing average queue length of traffic at the traffic junction, wherein the polynomial objective distinguishes between the defined traffic type and a second defined traffic type from the plurality of traffic types.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the defined traffic type is a traffic type selected from a group consisting of a car, a bicycle, a tram, a taxi a bus, a trolley, and a train.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the defined traffic type comprises an emergency vehicle.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the defined traffic type comprises a bike.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the polynomial objective is a user-provided polynomial objective, and a difference between the first parameter and the second parameter is an offset to vary.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the generating, by the system, the multi-variate polynomial describing an average queue length of a defined traffic type from a plurality of traffic types at the traffic junction is further based on one or more priority schemes.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the generating, by the system, the multi-variate polynomial describing an average queue length of a defined traffic type from a plurality of traffic types at the traffic junction is further based on information collected from one or more traffic junction devices.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the system, a first direction from which traffic arrives to the first traffic junction and determining, by the system, a second direction from which traffic arrives to the second traffic junction, wherein the determining the first direction and the second direction is facilitated via inductive-loop detectors of the system.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the system, a first direction from which traffic arrives to the first traffic junction and determining, by the system, a second direction from which traffic arrives to the second traffic junction, wherein the determining the first direction and the second direction is facilitated via tape switches of the system.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the system, a first direction from which traffic arrives to the first traffic junction and determining, by the system, a second direction from which traffic arrives to the second traffic junction, wherein the determining the first direction and the second direction is facilitated via via seismic devices of the system.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the system, a first direction from which traffic arrives to the first traffic junction and determining, by the system, a second direction from which traffic arrives to the second traffic junction, wherein the determining the first direction and the second direction is facilitated via microwave radar devices of the system.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the system, a first direction from which traffic arrives to the first traffic junction and determining, by the system, a second direction from which traffic arrives to the second traffic junction, wherein the determining the first direction and the second direction is facilitated via over-route sensors of the system.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the system, a first direction from which traffic arrives to the first traffic junction and determining, by the system, a second direction from which traffic arrives to the second traffic junction, wherein the determining the first direction and the second direction is facilitated via in-route sensors of the system.