Video traffic monitoring and signaling apparatus
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system for traffic monitoring and signaling, wherein a conventional signal lamp includes a housing and a light source located within a space formed by the housing, the system comprising:
- a traffic signal head having at least one lamps receiving space that is open to one side, the lamp receiving space configured to receive a conventional signal lamp; and
a signal lamp comprising a video traffic monitoring system and a light source, the video traffic monitoring system comprising an image sensor configured to provide an image of one or more traffic lanes facing the signal head; and
wherein the signal lamp including the video traffic monitoring system is received within the lamps space.
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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.
7 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A system for traffic monitoring and signaling, wherein a conventional signal lamp includes a housing and a light source located within a space formed by the housing, the system comprising:
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a traffic signal head having at least one lamps receiving space that is open to one side, the lamp receiving space configured to receive a conventional signal lamp; and a signal lamp comprising a video traffic monitoring system and a light source, the video traffic monitoring system comprising an image sensor configured to provide an image of one or more traffic lanes facing the signal head; and wherein the signal lamp including the video traffic monitoring system is received within the lamps space. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25)
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21. A system for traffic monitoring and signaling, the system comprising:
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a traffic signal head having at least first and second substantially similar lamp receiving spaces that are each open to one side; a first signal lamp comprising a first housing, a first lens, a video traffic monitoring system and a first light source, the video traffic monitoring system comprising an image sensor configured to provide an image of one or more traffic lanes facing the signal head, the first light source and video traffic monitoring system located within a space defined by the first housing and the first lens; a conventional signal lamp comprising a second housing, a second lens and a second light source wherein the second light source is located within a space defined by the second housing and the second lens; wherein each of the first and second housings includes an external surface and each of the external surfaces is substantially identical and each housing is received in one of the first and second lamp receiving spaces with the lenses substantially closing the lamp receiving space openings.
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22. A system for traffic monitoring and signaling, the system comprising:
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a traffic signal head having first, second and third substantially similar lamp receiving spaces that are each open to one side; first, second and third signal lamps receives within the first, second and third lamp receiving spaces, each signal lamp including a light source located within a housing wherein each of the housings includes an external surface and each of the external surfaces is substantially identical; and a video traffic monitoring system located within one of the signal lamp housings, the video traffic monitoring system comprising an image sensor configured to provide an image of one or more traffic lanes facing the signal head.
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26. A system for traffic monitoring and signaling, wherein a traffic signal head includes at least one lamp receiving space that is open to one side, the lamp receiving space configured to receive a conventional signal lamp, the conventional signal lamp including a housing and a light source located within a space formed by the housing, the system comprising:
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a signal lamp comprising a video traffic monitoring system and a light source, the video traffic monitoring system comprising an image sensor configured to provide an image of one or more traffic lanes facing the signal head; a signal lamp housing including an open side, the video traffic monitoring system and the light source being positioned within the signal lamp housing; a lamp lens that substantially closes the open side of the signal lamp housing, the image sensor arranged to obtain the image of the one or more traffic lanes through the lamp lens; and wherein the signal lamp housing, including the video traffic monitoring system and the light source, is mechanically swappable with the conventional signal lamp.
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27. A method for traffic monitoring, wherein a conventional signal lamp includes a housing and a light source located within a signal lamp space in a traffic signal head, the method comprising:
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providing a signal lamp comprising a video traffic monitoring system and a light source, the video traffic monitoring system comprising an image sensor configured to provide an image of one or more traffic lanes facing the signal head, the signal lamp including the video traffic monitoring system and the light source configured to be received within the space configured for the conventional signal lamp; detecting, by the image sensor, one or more vehicles in one or more lanes facing the traffic signal head; and transmitting an indicator of whether a vehicle is present in the one or more lanes.
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Specification