Traffic flow control system, traffic flow control program, traffic flow control method, and traveling controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022284809-A1
Application number	US-202017636434-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 15, 2020
Priority date	Aug 22, 2019
Publication date	Sep 8, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

In a traffic flow control system, communication is performed with a travel control device of a moving body passing through a transportation route and the traffic flow of the transportation route is controlled. The traffic control system includes an entry authority management unit and a communication unit. In a transportation route divided into virtual areas, the entry authority management unit manages entry authority for each area, managing tokens in a number that corresponds to the area, and guiding entry of the moving body to the area by attaching entry authority to a token and delivering the resulting token to the travel control device. The communication unit communicates the entry authority and tokens to the travel control device.

First claim

1 . A traffic flow control system configured to control a traffic flow of a traffic path by communicating with a traveling controller of a moving body that travels on the traveling path, the traffic flow control system comprising:
an entering right control unit configured, in the traveling path divided into virtual areas, to control an entering right for each of the areas, to control tokens the number of which corresponds to the number of the areas, and configured to guide entering of the moving body into the area by attaching the entering right to the token and by giving the token to the traveling control device; and a communication unit configured to perform communication of the entering right and the token between the communication unit and the traveling controller.

2 . The traffic flow control system according to claim 1 , wherein the entering right control unit is configured to receive a return of the entering right from a side of the moving body that enters the area by exercising the entering right into the area, and is configured to receive a token that the side of the moving body possesses as a token that reserves the entering right to the area to which the moving body enters next (hereinafter referred to as “next area”) (hereinafter referred to as “the token with the reservation right”).

3 . The traffic flow control system according to claim 2 , wherein the entering right control unit is configured to give the entering right of the next area that is reserved by the token with the reservation right to the side of the moving body.

4 . The traffic flow control system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the entering right control unit and the communication unit are configured to be dispersed in a group of entering right control terminals that are respectively in charge of the areas, and in a case where the other token is transferred in a situation where one of the entering right control terminals possesses the token, the tokens other than the token with the reservation right are configured to be transferred to the other entering right control terminals.

5 . The traffic flow control system according to claim 2 , comprising:
an entering right control server configured to be implemented with functions of the entering right control server and connected to a network; and a communication system connected to the network and configured to be implemented with a function of the communication unit.

6 . The traffic flow control system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the traveling pass is an intersection, and the area is at least divided in a circumferential direction about an intersecting center of the traveling pass.

7 . The traffic flow control system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the traveling pass is a merging flow path where a side path merges with a main road, and the area is divided into at least a merging area where the side road and the main road merge, and a main road behind area configured to approach the merging area from the main road.

8 . A traffic flow control program wherein a computer system is configured to function as the traffic flow control system according to claim 2 .

9 . A traffic flow control method of controlling a traffic flow of a traffic path by communicating with a traveling controller of a moving body that travels on the traveling path, the traffic flow control method using:
an entering right control unit configured, in the traveling pass divided into virtual areas, to control an entering right for each of the areas, to control tokens the number of which corresponds to the number of the areas, and configured to guide entering of the moving body into the area by attaching the entering right to the token and by giving the token to the traveling control device; and a communication unit configured to perform communication of the entering right and the token between the communication unit and the traveling controller.

10 . A traffic control device configured to control moving of a moving body that travels on a traffic path by performing communication with a traffic flow control system that is configured to control a traffic flow of the traveling path, the traffic control device comprising:
a movable body communication unit configured to perform communication with the traffic flow communication control system; and a moving body control unit configured to perform a control of the moving body that intends to enter an area formed by dividing the traffic path so as to prevent the moving body from entering the area until an entering right to the area is given to the moving body from the traffic flow control system.

Assignees

• Hitachi Ltd

Inventors

• Katsuta Keiichi
• Takahashi Junya
• Ogata Takehito
• Tanaka Wataru
• Mizuochi Mariko
• Maki Kentaroh

Classifications

• G06Q10/0633

  Workflow analysis · CPC title

• G08G1/08 Primary

  according to detected number or speed of vehicles · CPC title

• G08G1/091

  Traffic information broadcasting (broadcasting communication H04H) · CPC title

• G08G1/096725

  where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control · CPC title

• G08G1/096783 Primary

  where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element · CPC title