Traffic control system, controller and method for directing vehicle behavior at a defined spatial location

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10926876-B2
Application number	US-201816169545-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2018
Priority date	Oct 24, 2018
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

A traffic control system, a controller and an associated method are provided to direct a vehicle to slow or, in some instances, stop at a defined spatial location along the roadway. In the context of a controller, the controller includes at least one processor and memory including computer program code with the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the controller to receive information indicative of at least one characteristic of the behavior of the vehicle as the vehicle approaches a defined location. Based on the information, the controller is caused to compare the behavior of the vehicle to a defined criterion and, in response, to cause an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) to maintain a hovering position in which the UAV hovers above the roadway so as to be within the path of travel of the vehicle on the roadway.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. A controller configured to direct a vehicle to slow at a defined spatial location along a roadway, wherein the controller comprises at least one processor and memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the controller to perform at least the following:
receiving information indicative of at least one characteristic of a behavior of the vehicle as the vehicle approaches the defined spatial location, wherein the information is indicative of at least one of a speed of the vehicle or a distance to the vehicle from the defined spatial location;
based on the information, comparing the behavior of the vehicle to a defined criterion, wherein the defined criterion comprises at least one of a speed limit associated with the defined spatial location or a defined distance to the vehicle from the defined spatial location; and
in response to comparing the behavior of the vehicle to the defined criterion, causing an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) to maintain a hovering position in which the UAV hovers above the roadway at the defined spatial location so as to be within the path of travel of the vehicle on the roadway.

2. A controller according to claim 1 , wherein in an instance in which the information is indicative of the speed of the vehicle, the controller is configured to compare the behavior of the vehicle to the defined criterion by determining whether the speed of the vehicle is less than the speed limit associated with the defined spatial location, wherein the controller is configured to cause the UAV to maintain the hovering position by causing the UAV to maintain the hovering position within the path of travel of the vehicle in response to determining that the speed of the vehicle is greater than the speed limit, and wherein the controller is further configured to cause the UAV to fly out of the path of travel of the vehicle in response to determining that that the speed of the vehicle is less than the speed limit.

3. A controller according to claim 1 , wherein in an instance in which the information is indicative of the distance to the vehicle from the defined spatial location, the controller is configured to compare the behavior of the vehicle to the defined criterion by determining whether the distance to the vehicle from the defined spatial location is less than the defined distance, wherein the controller is configured to cause the UAV to maintain the hovering position by causing the UAV to maintain the hovering position within the path of travel of the vehicle in response to determining that the distance to the vehicle from the defined spatial location is greater than the defined distance, and wherein the controller is further configured to cause the UAV to fly out of the path of travel of the vehicle in response to determining that that the distance to the vehicle from the defined spatial location is less than the defined distance.

4. A controller according to claim 1 wherein the memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the controller to cause an image of the vehicle to be captured.

5. A controller according to claim 4 wherein the information is indicative of the speed of the vehicle, wherein the controller is configured to cause the image to be captured by causing the image to be captured in response to determining that the speed of the vehicle exceeds a determined threshold.

6. A controller according to claim 1 wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the controller to cause the UAV to fly from a rest position to the hovering position in response to an indication that the vehicle is approaching the defined spatial location along the roadway.

7. A controller according to claim 6 wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the controller to cause the UAV to fly out of the path of travel of the vehicle and to return to the rest position in response to comparing the behavior of the vehicle to the defined criterion.

8. A method for directing a vehicle to slow at a defined spatial location along a roadway, wherein the method comprises:
receiving information indicative of at least one characteristic of a behavior of the vehicle as the vehicle approaches the defined spatial location, wherein the information is indicative of at least one of a speed of the vehicle or a distance to the vehicle from the defined spatial location;
based on the information, comparing the behavior of the vehicle to a defined criterion, wherein the defined criterion comprises at least one of a speed limit associated with the defined spatial location or a defined distance to the vehicle from the defined spatial location; and
in response to comparing the behavior of the vehicle to the defined criterion, causing an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) to maintain a hovering position in which the UAV hovers above the roadway at the defined spatial location so as to be within a path of travel of the vehicle on the roadway.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein in an instance in which the information is indicative of the speed of the vehicle, comparing the behavior of the vehicle to the defined criterion comprises determining whether the speed of the vehicle is less than the speed limit associated with the defined spatial location, wherein causing the UAV to maintain the hovering position comprises causing the UAV to maintain the hovering position within the path of travel of the vehicle in response to determining that the speed of the vehicle is greater than the speed limit, and wherein the method further comprises causing the UAV to fly out of the path of travel of the vehicle in response to determining that that the speed of the vehicle is less than the speed limit.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein determining whether the speed of the vehicle is less than the speed limit comprises determining whether the speed of the vehicle is less than the speed limit during a defined time period, and wherein causing the UAV to maintain the hovering position within the path of travel of the vehicle comprises causing the UAV to maintain the hovering position within the path of travel of the vehicle in response to determining that the speed of the vehicle is greater than the speed limit within the defined time period.

11. A method according to claim 8 wherein in an instance in which the information is indicative of the distance to the vehicle from the defined spatial location, comparing the behavior of the vehicle to the defined criterion by determining whether the distance to the vehicle from the defined spatial location is less than the defined distance, wherein causing the UAV to maintain the hovering position comprises causing the UAV to maintain the hovering position within the path of travel of the vehicle in response to determining that the distance to the vehicle from the defined spatial location is greater than the defined distance, and wherein the method further comprises causing the UAV to fly out of the path of travel of the vehicle in response to determining that that the distance to the vehicle from the defined spatial location is less than the defined distance.

12. A method according to claim 8 further comprising causing an image of the vehicle to be captured in response to determining that the speed of the vehicle exceeds a determined threshold.

13. A method according to claim 8 further comprising causing the UAV to fly from a rest position to the hovering position in response to an indicat

Assignees

• Here Global Bv

Inventors

• Kozak Frank

Classifications

• B64U2201/10

  autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS] · CPC title

• B64U2101/00

  UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications · CPC title

• G08G5/57

  for unmanned aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/55

  for a single aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/26 Primary

  Transmission of traffic-related information between aircraft and ground stations · CPC title