Method, apparatus and computer program product for traffic lane and signal control identification and traffic flow management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10074272-B2
Application number	US-201514980410-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2015
Priority date	Dec 28, 2015
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

A method is provided for traffic lane and traffic signal control identification and traffic flow management. Methods may identify traffic lights controlling lane movements, cataloging the information through analysis of traffic light signal phase and timing, and analyzing traffic movement through an intersection during specific periods of time. In particular, example methods may include identifying each of a plurality of paths through an intersection; identifying states of one or more traffic lights controlling traffic through the intersection; determining vehicle throughput data for the intersection through a predetermined number of cycles of the one or more traffic lights; and matching the vehicle throughput data to each of the plurality of paths of the intersection. The method may optionally include identifying times of movement and times of non-movement of vehicles across the intersection for each of the plurality of paths.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least perform:
identify each of a plurality of paths through an intersection;
identify states of one or more traffic lights controlling traffic through the intersection;
determine vehicle throughput data for the intersection through a predetermined number of cycles of the one or more traffic lights;
match the vehicle throughput data to each of the plurality of paths of the intersection;
correlate, by the processor, each path through the intersection with one or more of the one or more traffic lights based on the vehicle throughput data and the states of the one or more traffic lights;
store the correlated paths through the intersection and the associated one or more of the one or more traffic lights including a respective state;
catalog the correlated paths through the intersections and the associated one or more traffic lights including a respective associated state as traffic flow examples;
generate a model of the intersection based on the cataloged correlated paths through the intersection;
generate a traffic flow model for the intersection using the correlated paths and associated traffic lights; and
implement a traffic light control strategy derived from the traffic flow model for the intersection to increase the vehicle throughput of the intersection.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is further configured to:
identify times of movement and times of non-movement of vehicles across the intersection for each of the plurality of paths.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein causing the apparatus to match vehicle throughput data to each of the plurality of paths of the intersection comprises causing the apparatus to generate paths for each vehicle of the vehicle throughput of the intersection using vehicle probe data.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein vehicle probe data comprises two or more of:
timestamp information;
vehicle speed information;
vehicle position information; or
vehicle heading information.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the vehicle probe data comprises the vehicle heading information and wherein causing the apparatus to generate paths for each vehicle of the vehicle throughput of the intersection comprises causing the apparatus to:
retrieve vehicle probe data;
sort vehicle data by timestamp; and
match the vehicle heading information to one of the plurality of paths through the intersection.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the vehicle probe data further comprises two or more of:
longitude;
latitude;
altitude; or
vehicle identification.

7. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the apparatus is further configured to generate a model of the intersection including all available paths and each traffic light state that corresponds with permitting vehicle traffic along a respective path.

8. A method comprising:
identifying each of a plurality of paths through an intersection;
identifying states of one or more traffic lights controlling traffic through the intersection;
determining vehicle throughput data for the intersection through a predetermined number of cycles of the one or more traffic lights;
matching the vehicle throughput data to each of the plurality of paths of the intersection;
correlating, by a processor, each path through the intersection with one or more of the one or more traffic lights based on the vehicle throughput data and the states of the one or more traffic lights;
storing the correlated paths through the intersection and the associated one or more of the one or more traffic lights including a respective state in a memory;
cataloging the correlated paths through the intersections and the associated one or more traffic lights including a respective associated state as traffic flow examples:
generating a model of the intersection based on the cataloged correlated paths through the intersection;
generating a traffic flow model for the intersection using the correlated paths and associated traffic lights; and
implementing a traffic light control strategy derived from the traffic flow model for the intersection to increase the vehicle throughput of the intersection.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising: identifying times of movement and times of non-movement of vehicles across the intersection for each of the plurality of paths.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein matching vehicle throughput to each of the plurality of paths of the intersection comprises generating paths for each vehicle of the vehicle throughput of the intersection using vehicle probe data.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein vehicle probe data comprises two or more of:
timestamp information;
vehicle speed information;
vehicle position information; or
vehicle heading information.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the vehicle probe data comprises the vehicle heading information and wherein generating paths for each vehicle of the vehicle throughput of the intersection comprises:
retrieving vehicle probe data;
sorting vehicle data by timestamp; and
matching the vehicle heading information to one of the plurality of paths through the intersection.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the vehicle probe data further comprises two or more of:
longitude;
latitude;
altitude; or
vehicle identification.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising generating a model of the intersection including all available paths and each traffic light state that corresponds with permitting vehicle traffic along a respective path.

15. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions comprising:
program code instructions for identifying each of a plurality of paths through an intersection;
program code instructions for identifying states of one or more traffic lights controlling traffic through the intersection;
program code instructions for determining vehicle throughput data for the intersection through a predetermined number of cycles of the one or more traffic lights;
program code instructions for matching the vehicle throughput data to each of the plurality of paths of the intersection;
program code instructions for correlating each path through the intersection with one or more of the one or more traffic lights based on the vehicle throughput data and the states of the one or more traffic lights;
program code instructions for storing the correlated paths through the intersection and the associated one or more of the one or more traffic lights including a respective state;
program code instructions for cataloging the correlated paths through the intersections and the associated one or more traffic lights including a respective associated state as traffic flow examples;
program code instructions for generating a model of the intersection based on the cataloged correlated paths through the intersection;
program code instructions for generating a traffic flow model for the intersection using the correlated paths and associated traffic lights; and
program code instructions for implementing a traffic light control strategy derived from the traffic flow model for the intersection to increase the vehicle throughput of the intersection.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 ,

Assignees

• Here Global Bv

Inventors

• Bernhardt Bruce
• Xu Jingwei

Classifications

• G08G1/0112

  from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD] · CPC title

• G08G1/0125

  Traffic data processing · CPC title

• G08G1/0129

  for creating historical data or processing based on historical data · CPC title

• G08G1/0145 Primary

  for active traffic flow control · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title