Traffic control system with road tariff depending on the congestion level

• US 7,818,204 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2002
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PEMA Preserving The Environment Matters Association
• Original Assignee: PEMA Preserving The Environment Matters Association
• Inventors: Solomon, Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): EPSTEIN, BRIAN M
• Application Number:
  US10/469,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20040119609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,148 Days
• Field of Search: 705/13, 705/417, 705/1, 340/95, 340/603, 703/6
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A vehicular traffic control server includes monitoring means, tariff adjusting means in communication with the monitoring means, and notifying means in communication with the tariff adjusting means. The monitoring means is configured to monitor at least one traffic congestion parameter of a roadway having a road tariff. The tariff adjusting means is configured to adjust the road tariff in accordance with the monitored traffic congestion parameter. The notifying means is configured to notify at least one motorist of the adjusted road tariff.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

monitoring at least one traffic congestion parameter of a roadway, the roadway including a plurality of road segments each having a respective road tariff and a respective air quality sensor, the congestion parameter comprising air quality, and the monitoring step comprising a traffic control server periodically receiving air quality measurements for each said road segment from the air quality sensors;

the traffic control server dynamically adjusting the road tariff for one of the plurality of road segments in accordance with the associated air quality measurement wherein the adjusting comprises increasing the road tariff for the one road segment in accordance with a decrease in the associated air quality, thus yielding an adjusted road tariff;

the traffic control server receiving from a wireless positioning transceiver associated with a vehicle traveling on the roadway an indication of a current position thereof; and

based on the received current position indication, the traffic control server transmitting to the wireless positioning transceiver the adjusted road tariff as the vehicle approaches the one road segment, the wireless positioning transceiver including one of a display and a speaker for providing a notification of the adjusted road tariff as the vehicle approaches the one road segment.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring step comprises determining traffic volume for one road segment, an wherein the adjusting comprises calculating the road tariff for the one road segment from the associated determined traffic volume and the associated air quality measurement, the road tariff calculating comprising dynamically increasing the road tariff for the one road segment in accordance with an increase in the associated traffic volume.

3. A vehicular traffic control server comprising:

monitoring means configured to monitor at least one traffic congestion parameter of a roadway, the roadway including a plurality of road segments each having a respective road tariff and a respective air quality sensor, one of the congestion parameters comprising air quality, the monitoring means being configured to periodically receive from the air quality sensors measurements of the air quality for each said road segment;

tariff adjusting means in communication with the monitoring means for dynamically adjusting the road tariff for one of the road segments in accordance with the associated air quality measurement, the tariff adjusting means being configured to dynamically adjust the road tariff by dynamically increasing the road tariff for the one road segment in accordance with a decrease in the associated air quality, thus yielding an adjusted road tariff; and

notifying means in communication with the tariff adjusting means and being configured to receive from a wireless positioning transceiver associated with a vehicle traveling on the roadway an indication of a current position thereof and, based on the received current position indication, to transmit to the wireless positioning transceiver the adjusted road tariff as the vehicle approaches the one road segment.

4. The control server according to claim 3, wherein another one of the congestion parameters comprises traffic volume, the monitoring means is configured to determine the traffic volume for the one road segment, and the tariff adjusting means is further configured to dynamically increase the road tariff for the one road segment in accordance with an increase in the associated traffic volume.

5. The control server according to claim 4, wherein the tariff adjusting means comprises a tariff database of tariff data records, each said tariff data record being associated with a respective road segment and identifying the associated adjusted road tariff, and the tariff adjusting means is configured to update each said tariff data record with the associated calculated road tariff.

6. The control server according to claim 3, wherein the wireless positioning transceiver includes a user interface configured for providing a user indication of the adjusted road tariff.

7. A method comprising the steps of:

monitoring at least one traffic congestion parameter of a roadway, the roadway including a plurality of road segments each having a respective road tariff, the monitoring step comprising a traffic control server periodically receiving congestion indications for each said road segment;

the traffic control server dynamically adjusting the road tariff for one of the plurality of road segments in accordance with the associated congestion indication when the adjusting comprises increasing the road tariff for the one road segment in accordance with an increase in the associated traffic congestion, thus yielding an adjusted road tariff;

the traffic control server receiving from a wireless positioning transceiver associated with a vehicle traveling on the roadway an indication of a current position thereof; and

based on the received current position indication, the traffic control server transmitting to the wireless positioning transceiver the adjusted road tariff as the vehicle approaches the one road segment, the wireless positioning transceiver including one of a display and a speaker for providing a notification of the adjusted road tariff as the vehicle approaches the one road segment.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the congestion indication comprises traffic volume, the monitoring step comprises determining the traffic volume for the one road segment, and the tariff adjusting step comprises calculating the road tariff for the one road segment from the associated determined traffic volume, the road tariff calculating comprising dynamically increasing the road tariff for each said road segment in accordance with an increase in the associated traffic volume.

9. A vehicular traffic control server comprising:

monitoring means configured to monitor at least one traffic congestion parameter of a roadway, the roadway including a plurality of road segments each having a respective road tariff, the monitoring means being configured to periodically receive data representing the traffic congestion for each said road segment;

tariff adjusting means in communication with the monitoring means for dynamically adjusting the road tariff for one of the road segments in accordance with the associated traffic congestion data, the tariff adjusting means being configured to dynamically increase the road tariff for the one road segment in accordance with an increase in the associated traffic congestion, thus yielding an adjusted road tariff; and

notifying means in communication with the tariff adjusting means and being configured to receive from a wireless positioning transceiver associated with a vehicle traveling on the roadway an indication of a current position thereof and, based on the received current position indication, to transmit to the wireless positioning transceiver the adjusted road tariff as the vehicle approaches the one road segment.

10. The control server according to claim 9, wherein the at least one parameter comprises traffic volume, the monitoring means is configured to determine the traffic volume for the one road segment, and the tariff adjusting means is further configured to dynamically increase the road tariff for the one road segment in accordance with an increase in the associated traffic volume.