Cognitive traffic signal control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9965951-B1
Application number	US-201715412153-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 23, 2017
Priority date	Jan 23, 2017
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

In an approach for adapting traffic signal timing, a computer receives a streaming video for one or more paths of a first intersection. The computer identifies traffic within the received streaming video. The computer calculates traffic flow for the one or more paths of the first intersection based on the identified traffic. The computer determines whether a change in a state of a traffic signal for the first intersection should occur based at least in part on the identified traffic and the determined traffic flow with respect to predefined objectives. Responsive to determining the change in the state of the traffic signal for the first intersection should occur, the computer calculates a change to a traffic signal timing based on the determined change in the state of the traffic signal. The computer initiates an adaptation to the traffic signal timing based on the determined change to the traffic signal timing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for adapting traffic signal timing, the method comprising:
receiving, by one or more computer processors, streaming video for one or more paths of a first intersection;
identifying, by one or more computer processors, traffic within the received streaming video;
calculating, by one or more computer processors, traffic flow for the one or more paths of the first intersection based on the identified traffic;
determining, by one or more computer processors, whether a change in a state of a traffic signal for the first intersection should occur based at least in part on the identified traffic and the calculated traffic flow with respect to predefined objectives;
responsive to determining that the change in the state of the traffic signal for the first intersection should occur, calculating, by one or more computer processors, a change to a traffic signal timing based on the determined change in the state of the traffic signal for the first intersection; and
initiating, by one or more computer processors, an adaptation to the traffic signal timing based on the calculated change to the traffic signal timing.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
collecting, by one or more computer processors, sensor data associated with the first intersection;
evaluating, by one or more computer processors, the collected sensor data with respect to the predefined objectives; and
determining, by one or more computer processors, additional changes to the calculated traffic signal timing based on the evaluated collected sensor data.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the collected sensor data associated with the first intersection includes one or more of the following:
weather sensor data that identifies at least a temperature associated with the first intersection;
vehicle sensor data that identifies at least information associated with braking and traction control systems associated with the first intersection; and
data for a second intersection that identifies a traffic flow from the second intersection in which the traffic flow from the second intersection moves into the first intersection.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the traffic within the received streaming video further comprises:
identifying, by one or more computer processors, vehicles within the received streaming video; and
identifying, by one or more computer processors, a type of each individual vehicle within the identified vehicles.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the traffic within the received streaming video further comprises:
identifying, by one or more computer processors, pedestrians within the received streaming video; and
identifying, by one or more computer processors, a type of each individual pedestrian within the identified pedestrians.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether a change in the state of a traffic signal for the first intersection should occur based at least in part on the identified traffic and the calculated traffic flow with respect to predefined objectives further comprises:
evaluating, by one or more computer processors, the identified traffic with respect to the predefined objectives; and
evaluating, by one or more computer processors, the determined traffic flow with respect to the predefined objectives.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the change to the traffic signal timing based on the determined state of the traffic signal for the first intersection further comprises:
comparing, by one or more computer processors, the determined state of the traffic signal for the first intersection to a current state of the traffic signal;
determining, by one or more computer processors, whether the determined state of the traffic signal for the first intersection and the current state of the traffic signal for the first intersection are different based on the comparison; and
responsive to determining the determined state of the traffic signal for the first intersection and the current state of the traffic signal for the first intersection are different, updating, by one or more computer processors, the current state of the traffic signal for the first intersection with the determined state for the first intersection.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the traffic flow for the one or more paths of the first intersection based on the identified traffic further comprises:
tracking, by one or more computer processors, movement of the identified traffic along the one or more paths of the first intersection;
calculating, by one or more computer processors, a set of throughput statistics for each of the one or more paths of the first intersection based on the tracked movement of the identified traffic; and
calculating, by one or more computer processors, an amount of traffic to pass through the first intersection based at least in part on the calculated set of throughput statistics and the identified traffic.

9. A computer program product for adapting traffic signal timing, the computer program product comprising:
one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising:
program instructions to receive streaming video for one or more paths of a first intersection;
program instructions to identify traffic within the received streaming video;
program instructions to calculate traffic flow for the one or more paths of the first intersection based on the identified traffic;
program instructions to determine whether a change in a state of a traffic signal for the first intersection should occur based at least in part on the identified traffic and the calculated traffic flow with respect to predefined objectives;
responsive to determining that the change in the state of the traffic signal for the first intersection should occur, program instructions to calculate a change to a traffic signal timing based on the determined change in the state of the traffic signal for the first intersection; and
program instructions to initiate an adaptation to the traffic signal timing based on the calculated change to the traffic signal timing.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 , further comprising program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, to:
collect sensor data associated with the first intersection;
evaluate the collected sensor data with respect to the predefined objectives; and
determine additional changes to the calculated traffic signal timing based on the evaluated collected sensor data.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein the collected sensor data associated with the first intersection includes one or more of the following:
weather sensor data that identifies at least a temperature associated with the first intersection;
vehicle sensor data that identifies at least information associated with braking and traction control systems associated with the first intersection; and
data for a second intersection that identifies a traffic flow from the second intersection in which the traffic flow from the second intersection moves into the first intersection.

12. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein to identify the traffic within the received streaming video further comprises program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, to:
identify vehicles within the received streaming video; and
identify a type of each individual vehicle within the identified vehicles.

13. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein to identify the traffic withi

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Gallagher John B
• Gorman Bradley M
• Gough Cody S
• Hobson Stephen J
• Zanjani Mohammad B

Classifications

• G08G1/081 Primary

  Plural intersections under common control · CPC title

• G08G1/0141

  for traffic information dissemination · CPC title

• G08G1/0145 Primary

  for active traffic flow control · CPC title

• G08G1/065

  by counting the vehicles in a section of the road or in a parking area, i.e. comparing incoming count with outgoing count · CPC title

• G08G1/08

  according to detected number or speed of vehicles · CPC title