Video traffic monitoring and signaling apparatus

• US 20080088478A1
• Filed: 03/27/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cognex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cognex Corporation
• Inventors: Shillman, Robert, Schatz, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,018,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/928
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/08 according to detected number or speed of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/095 Traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

A traffic signal head having a signal lamp or signal ball with an embedded video monitoring system can be provided to perform vehicle detection to inform an intelligent traffic control system. Video monitoring of traffic lanes facing the signal head can be analyzed by such a system to emulate inductive loop signals that are input signals to traffic control systems.

Claims

1. A system for traffic monitoring and signaling, the system comprising:

a traffic signal head having one or more lamps; and

a video traffic monitoring system incorporated into one of the one or more lamps, the video traffic monitoring system comprising an image sensor configured to provide an image of one or more traffic lanes facing the signal head.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the video traffic monitoring system further comprises of a lens operatively interconnected with the image sensor, the lens having optical parameters to enable the image sensor to capture an image of a vehicle license plate.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the video traffic monitoring system further comprises of an image processor configured to perform image analysis.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a communications module configured to transmit information from the video traffic monitoring system to a control module.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the information comprises an indicator of whether a vehicle is present in one or more of the one or more traffic lanes.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the indicator is sufficient to replace a signal output by a inductive loop detector.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein the information is transmitted using a signal overlaid onto a power line to one of the one or more lamps.

8. The system of claim 4 wherein the information is transmitted using frequency shift keying modulation.

9. The system of claim 4 wherein the information is transmitted using frequency modulation radio signals.

10. The system of claim 4 wherein the control module is configured to, in response to receipt of information from the video traffic monitoring system, activate one of the one or more lights.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the video traffic monitoring system is further configured to detect emergency strobe lights.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the image sensor is further configured to differentiate among differing colors of emergency strobe lights.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the video traffic monitoring system is further configured to retain one or more images of one or more of the one or more traffic lanes.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the one or more images are stored in a central server.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more lamps incorporating the video traffic monitoring system are plug-compatible with conventional traffic signal lamps.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more lamps incorporating the video traffic monitoring system are mechanically compatible with conventional traffic signal lamps.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of transmitting an indicator of whether a vehicle is present in one or more of the lanes further comprises the step of transmitting the indicator over a power line.

17. A system for traffic monitoring and signaling, the system comprising:

a traffic signal head having one or more lamps, the traffic signal head comprising means for providing an image of one or more traffic lanes facing the traffic signal head.

18. The system of claim 17 further comprising means for transmitting information from the video traffic monitoring system to means for activating one of the one or more lamps.

19. A method for traffic monitoring and signaling, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an image sensor integrated into one or more lamps of a traffic signal head;

detecting, by the image sensor, one or more vehicles in one or more lanes facing the traffic signal head;

transmitting an indicator of whether a vehicle is present in the lane; and

activating, in accordance with a timed sequence, one of the one or more lamps.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of detecting, by the image sensor, flashing strobe lights.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of, in response to detecting flashing strobe lights, activating one of the one or more lamps to give priority to a lane having a vehicle comprising flashing strobe lights.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising the steps of:

obtaining one or more images of a vehicle in one or more of the one or more lanes facing the traffic signal head; and

determining, from the one or more images, whether the vehicle entered an intersection during a red light cycle.