Detection and enforcement of failure-to-yield in an emergency vehicle preemption system

• US 7,248,149 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2004
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology, E-Views Safety Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology, E-Views Safety Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Bachelder, Aaron, Wickline, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu; Julie Bichngoc
• Application Number:
  US10/960,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20050116838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/425.5
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/087 Override of traffic control, e.g. by signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle

Abstract

An intersection controlled by an intersection controller receives trigger signals from on-coming emergency vehicles responding to an emergency call. The intersection controller initiates surveillance of the intersection via cameras installed at the intersection in response to a received trigger signal. The surveillance may begin immediately upon receipt of the trigger signal from an emergency vehicle, or may wait until the intersection controller determines that the signaling emergency vehicle is in the field of view of the cameras at the intersection. Portions of the captured images are tagged by the intersection controller based on tag signals transmitted by the vehicle or based on detected traffic patterns that indicate a potential traffic violation. The captured images are downloaded to a processing facility that analyzes the images and automatically issues citations for captured traffic violations.

Claims

1. A system for detecting and enforcing violation of traffic laws, the system comprising:

a transmitter wirelessly transmitting a trigger signal;

at least one image capture device capturing a plurality of images within a view area of the image capture device;

a controller unit in communication with the transmitter and the image capture device, the controller unit receiving the trigger signal and in response, transmitting an image capture command to the image capture device for initiating capture of the plurality of images, the controller unit further tagging a portion of the captured images, the tagged portion including images associated with a violation of a traffic law; and

a processing unit receiving the captured images and analyzing the tagged portion of the captured images, the processing unit automatically issuing a citation for the violation of the traffic law associated with the tagged portion.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller unit controls traffic flow at a street intersection.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller unit preempts traffic signals at the intersection in response to the trigger signal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the view area of the image capture device includes at least a portion of a street intersection.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the violation of the traffic law is a failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is included in a vehicle, and the trigger includes position information of the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the controller unit determines a start of a surveillance period based on the position information, and transmits the image capture command at the start of the surveillance period.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the start of the surveillance period corresponds to an estimated arrival time of the vehicle at a surveillance zone.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the surveillance zone is defined by the view area of the image capture device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the tagging of the portion of the captured images is in response to receipt of a second signal from the transmitter.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the tagging of the portion of the captured images is in response to a determination that a potential traffic violation exists based on data output by a traffic loop detector.

12. In a system for detecting and enforcing violation of traffic laws, a controller unit in communication with a vehicle and an image capture device, the controller unit comprising:

a receiver wirelessly receiving a trigger signal from the vehicle;

means for determining, based on the trigger signal, whether the vehicle is in a predetermined surveillance zone;

means for actuating the image capture device in response to a determination that the vehicle is in the predetermined surveillance zone;

means for tagging a portion of the captured images, the tagged portion including images associated with a violation of a traffic law;

a data store storing the captured images; and

means for transmitting the stored images to a processing unit, the processing unit analyzing the tagged portion of the captured images and automatically issuing a citation for the violation of the traffic law associated with the tagged portion.

13. The controller unit of claim 12 further comprising means for preempting traffic signals at a street intersection in response to the trigger signal.

14. The controller unit of claim 12, wherein the surveillance zone includes a view area of the image capture device.

15. The controller unit of claim 12, wherein the violation of the traffic law is a failure to yield to the vehicle.

16. The controller unit of claim 12, wherein the trigger includes position information of the vehicle.

17. The controller unit of claim 12, wherein the means for tagging tags a portion of the captured images in response to receipt of a second signal from the transmitter.

18. The controller unit of claim 12 further including a traffic loop detector, wherein the means for tagging tags a portion of the captured images in response to a determination that a potential traffic violation exists based data output by the traffic loop detector.

19. A computer-implemented method for detecting and enforcing violation of traffic laws, the method comprising:

wirelessly receiving a trigger signal from a vehicle;

determining, based on the trigger signal, whether the vehicle is in a predetermined surveillance zone;

actuating the image capture device in response to a determination that the vehicle is in the predetermined surveillance zone;

tagging a portion of the captured images, the tagged portion including images associated with a violation of a traffic law;

storing the captured images; and

transmitting the stored images to a processing unit, the processing unit analyzing the tagged portion of the captured images and automatically issuing a citation for the violation of the traffic law associated with the tagged portion.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising preempting traffic signals at a street intersection in response to the trigger signal.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the surveillance zone includes a view area of the image capture device.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the violation of the traffic law is a failure to yield to the vehicle.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the trigger includes position information of the vehicle.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the tagging includes tagging a portion of the captured images in response to receipt of a second signal from the transmitter.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the tagging includes tagging a portion of the captured images in response to a determination that a potential traffic violation exists based data output by the traffic loop detector.