Method and System for Collecting Traffice Data, Monitoring Traffic, and Automated Enforcement at a Centralized Station

• US 20110109479A1
• Filed: 01/14/2011
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Mobility, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Teffer, Dean, Sherwood, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 8,344,909 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/910
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/01 Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled G08G1/07 - G08G1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/08 according to detected number or speed of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/087 Override of traffic control, e.g. by signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle

Abstract

A distributed individual vehicle information capture method for capturing individual vehicle data at traffic intersections and transmitting the data to a central station for storage and processing is provided. The method includes capturing individual vehicle information at a plurality of intersections (122) and transmitting the individual vehicle information from the intersections to a central station (124). Consequently, the individual vehicle information is available to be stored and processed by a device at the central station (126). Traffic intersection equipment for capturing individual vehicle data at traffic intersections and transmitting the data to a central station for storage and processing is also disclosed. The equipment includes a traffic detection device (159) for capturing individual vehicle data at an intersection (158) and a network connection to a central station (174). The traffic detection device (159) is operably configured to transmit to the central station (174) the individual vehicle information.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method comprising:

receiving information related to an individual vehicle at a remote detection zone by a processor at a central station, where the individual vehicle is associated with the first remote detection zone, and the first remote detection zone is one of a plurality of remote detection zones from each of which information related to individual vehicles is received at the central station;

storing the received information related to the individual vehicle at the central station; and

making the stored information related to the individual vehicle available to internal or external applications.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the received information related to an individual vehicle includes at least one of individual vehicle speed and individual vehicle classification.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the received information related to an individual vehicle includes at least one of individual vehicle violation detection and individual vehicle time-stamped position.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the information related to the individual vehicle includes individual vehicle contact closure information.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving data from vehicle detection sensors and a traffic signal at the remote detection zone.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising creating a record of the individual vehicle'"'"'s travel up to and through an intersection.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising predicting a path of travel of the individual vehicle travel up to and through an intersection.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising at the central station, determining if a traffic violation is likely to occur.

29. The method of claim 21, further comprising at the central station, determining if a safety hazard is likely to occur.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein at least one image of the individual vehicle is also stored and made available to internal or external applications.

31. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor at a central station, information related to a first vehicle approaching an intersection and an emergency vehicle approaching the intersection;

receiving, by the processor at the central station, traffic signal status for the intersection and a status of the emergency vehicle;

predicting a violation by the first vehicle based on the traffic signal status and the information related to the first vehicle; and

communicating the predicted violation to the emergency vehicle.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising analyzing the traffic signal status in conjunction with the information related to the first vehicle and the emergency vehicle.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the violation is a red light violation.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the information related to the first vehicle includes detections events of the first vehicle travelling through a first detection zone.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the information related to the emergency vehicle includes detections events of the emergency vehicle travelling through a second detection zone.

37. The method of claim 31, further comprising predicting travel paths of the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

38. The method of claim 31, wherein the violation is a red light violation.

39. The method of claim 31, wherein the information related to the first vehicle includes detections events of the first vehicle travelling through a first detection zone.

40. The method of claim 31, wherein the prediction is based on the location, travel path, speed, or acceleration of the first vehicle.

36. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor at a central station, information related to a first vehicle approaching an intersection and a second vehicle approaching the intersection;

receiving, by the processor at the central station, traffic signal status for the intersection and a status of the emergency vehicle;

predicting a violation by the first vehicle based on the traffic signal status and the information related to the first vehicle; and

delaying a planned change of status of a traffic signal based on the predicted violation