Method and system for collecting traffic data, monitoring traffic, and automated enforcement at a centralized station

• US 7,893,846 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2010
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• 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 W., Sherwood, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood; Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US12/693,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20100117865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: 340/937, 116/63.R, 116/213, 701/117, 345/2.1, 345/2.2, 345/2.3
• 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. 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;

scheduling an image to be captured of at least one vehicle at the first remote detection zone by the processor at the central station based on the information related to the individual vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the central station, automatically processing the information related to the individual vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the information related to the individual vehicle at the central station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information related to the individual vehicle includes acceleration information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting a captured image of the individual vehicle by the processor at the central station.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a captured image, at the central station and responsive the scheduling, of the individual vehicle at the first remote detection zone.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving individual vehicle contact closure data related to the individual vehicle at the central station.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising at the central station, receiving individual vehicle speed data related to the individual vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving individual vehicle classification data related to the individual vehicle at the central station.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving individual vehicle violation detection data at the central station related to the individual vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving individual vehicle time-stamped position data related to the individual vehicle at the central station.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a control signal based on the individual vehicle information from the central station to equipment located proximate to at least one of the plurality of remote detection zones.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving and automatically processing, by the processor at the central station, information related to a first traffic signal located proximate to the first remote detection zone.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the information related to the first traffic signal includes one or more state change events.

15. A computer-readable medium storing computer-implementable instructions for activities 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;

scheduling an image to be captured of at least one vehicle at the first remote detection zone by the processor at the central station based on the information related to the individual vehicle.

16. A system comprising:

a network device at a central station connected to communicate with a plurality of traffic control computers located at a plurality of remote detection zones;

a processor at the central station, connected to the network device and adapted for scheduling capturing of at least one image of an individual vehicle at a first remote detection zone of the plurality of remote detection zones in response to automatic processing of information related to the individual vehicle, the individual vehicle associated with the first remote detection zone.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a traffic detection device adapted for providing, to the central station processor, the information related to the individual vehicle.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a plurality of vehicle detection sensors adapted for providing, to the central station processor, the information related to the individual vehicle.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising a vehicle detection processor adapted for providing, to the central station processor, individual vehicle contact closure information.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

an image capture device adapted for providing, to the central station processor, the at least one image of the individual vehicle.

21. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

an enforcement device adapted for providing, to the central station processor, the at least one image of the individual vehicle.

22. The system of claim 16, further comprising traffic equipment located proximate to the first remote detection zone and controlled by the central station processor.