GB2555775A

GB2555775A - System for city traffic management

Info

Publication number: GB2555775A
Application number: GB1614336.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Reginald Hallas Bell Malcolm
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-08-22
Filing date: 2016-08-22
Publication date: 2018-05-16
Also published as: GB201614336D0

Abstract

A city-wide network controls or monitor road vehicles, which may be in communication with the network, for example through a satellite navigation (GPS) system. The system also controls traffic signals. Vehicles not connected to the system may be permitted to enter the city at low traffic times and monitored by in-road sensors or cameras. A charge may be levied for this. The system may also monitor car park capacity such that vehicles are directed to optimal parking spaces based on their destination and/or public transport links to their destination. Charges may be levied for this. The system may provide information on traffic conditions and queues to drivers in the vehicles, as well as suggesting alternative routes. Traffic may be organised into convoys, wherein the lead vehicle in a convoy may assume control of the other vehicles. The network may assume control of vehicles and use them to block roads in emergencies. Traffic lanes may be managed, such that lanes can be switched on or off, or their directions reversed.

Description

(71) Applicant(s):

Malcolm Reginald Hallas Bell 9 Foxhill Green, WEETWOOD, Leeds, LS16 5PQ, United Kingdom (72) Inventor(s):

Malcolm Reginald Hallas Bell (56) Documents Cited:

GB 2552029 A WO 1994/011853 A1 US 20140063196 A1 (58) Field of Search:

INT CL G08G Other: WPI, EPODOC

GB 2492623 A US 20150219463 A1 (74) Agent and/or Address for Service:

Malcolm Reginald Hallas Bell 9 Foxhill Green, WEETWOOD, Leeds, LS16 5PQ, United Kingdom (54) Title of the Invention: System for city traffic management Abstract Title: City-wide traffic management network (57) A city-wide network controls or monitor road vehicles, which may be in communication with the network, for example through a satellite navigation (GPS) system. The system also controls traffic signals. Vehicles not connected to the system may be permitted to enter the city at low traffic times and monitored by in-road sensors or cameras. A charge may be levied for this. The system may also monitor car park capacity such that vehicles are directed to optimal parking spaces based on their destination and/or public transport links to their destination. Charges may be levied for this. The system may provide information on traffic conditions and queues to drivers in the vehicles, as well as suggesting alternative routes. Traffic may be organised into convoys, wherein the lead vehicle in a convoy may assume control of the other vehicles. The network may assume control of vehicles and use them to block roads in emergencies. Traffic lanes may be managed, such that lanes can be switched on or off, or their directions reversed.

SYSTEM FOR CITY TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

Technical Field

The present system proposed relates to the management of traffic lights and traffic flow control in towns and cities. It comprises linking route planning, real time navigation and vehicle positioning systems and driver/passenger information systems, beginning with those already incorporated in current road vehicles, and in versions leading up to systems for autonomous or robot vehicles with and though city based computer control of traffic lights and other traffic management and information systems in order to optimise flow, reduce stationary down time and minimise pollution and accidents. This is to be the next generation of traffic congestion management.

It might be argued that the fully integrated signalling and train tracking and control system of railways is a precedent. There is a post invention parallel that is becomes apparent but for road vehicles there are significant and important differences that have prevented this being an obvious step. This invention is taking traffic control to a completely new level of flexibility and response for different reasons not only of collision avoidance but of flow optimisation, pollution control, congestions reduction, parking facilitation and new types of integration with public transport, an essential difference being that the city management system is iterative between vehicle and city controller computers and constantly updates and revises with driver options.

BACKGROUND ART

There are already global positioning systems in many road vehicles either as portable, add-on, instruments or increasingly embedded systems. Also new vehicles are being built with brake and steering control to prevent vehicles being too close or failing to respond fast enough to braking of the vehicle in front. Steering and drive control is also being used as a parking aid. All of these are the preliminary stages of completely autonomous or robot vehicles with actual, or essentially equivalent to, driverless operation.

In contrast to the sophistication of in vehicle computer information systems most modern cities still use manual or pre-programmed traffic light control systems which can only respond to average and pre-set programmes regardless of actual traffic flow changes and overall city flow activity. They are unable to respond immediately to sudden traffic flow conditions or is circumstances. Most traffic light installations at junctions, although not all, are independent installations working in isolation from others nearby or in sequence and rarely in relationship of user controlled road crossings (Pelican etc). It is unfair to be critical of these systems up until this time. To move to a high efficiency state they need the data of what traffic is in the city, where is, where it plans to go and how that data is changing in real time and vitally, how it is projected to change over the next few hours.

Therefore it is proposed that these two methods should be directly linked though a city based computer control system(s) and using many of the methods currently used in database searches (internet search engine type methods) and flow and other system change modelling techniques (not dissimilar to weather modelling) traffic entering or in cities can be controlled in a flow optimised and road utilisation optimised method to substantially reduce congestion

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The purpose of the invention is to close the loop between vehicles and traffic control to create a fully integrated, real time, iterative, control that responds immediately to changes in traffic flow and loading at all times.

The invention is to combine the computer navigation systems available in road vehicles with city based control computers to manage the whole traffic flow in cities as an integrated whole instead of the two independent and often conflicting systems in contemporary practise. It is also to reduce the input required from drivers and take more control into computer systems to prevent driver error, driver aggression and inappropriate action including jumping traffic lights, using wrong lanes and speeding.

By active management based on fact based data about traffic flow and location, public service vehicles (buses, trams etc) can be given faster flow facility at junctions without undue hindrance of other traffic and the present use of Bus Lanes can be abandoned freeing up more road lane space for all other transport. An important embodiment of the invention is that buses may be embedded in convoys of other vehicles such that the convoy must stop en masse with the bus/tram at designated passenger pick-up points. This includes even those in front of the bus/tram, but this stop will be compensated at the next junction when any convoy containing a bus/tram will be given early priority for all vehicles in the identified convoy. When a convoy with a public transport vehicle has passed the lane it was using the lane will be made fully available to other transport and convoys. This releases a substantial increase in road capacity.

By creating convoys of, typically but not necessarily, up to ten vehicles they can in be run in almost none stop flows through many series of lights and junctions using sequentially switched lights in synchrony with the convoy flow, even if the convoy has a slow running vehicle for some reason. This reduces pollution by eliminating energy wastage in stop start and from brake dust.

Predictive parking will eliminate traffic looping searching for parking places and consequently traffic density will reduce.

The intelligence built into the city controller and close control of vehicles will mean that tidal flow can be safely and efficiently implemented. For example on a three lane section of road two lanes can be used for entry into the city in the evening and one lane out and the opposite in the afternoon/evening. Whilst this is attempted in several cities it has many dangers from drivers misunderstanding or simply failing to observe signs. Similarly it has to be at fixed times and cannot respond to traffic special circumstances. However with close control and communication with the vehicles the city controller can switch on and off the tidal flow according to demand and conditions and all vehicles will be mandated by the controller having the ability to directly control vehicles and so prevent accidents when such changes are made. This applies also to lane closures for road works and other conditions.

INVENTION DESCRIPTION AND ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The basis of the Smart City idea is that the real time true and predicted (from monitoring approaching traffic) flow of vehicles should be integrated with the traffic light management system. If there is a surge in traffic then the lights will change sequence to manage it. If there is a lull from one direction or another the lights will change priority to allow other directions to benefit. If the city control system can know where vehicles are trying to go and eventually park then the management system can adjust accordingly. There will be no need for vehicles to stand at junctions when none are attempting to enter from the side. Lights in a series of junctions can be synchronously, sequentially switched to allow groups or convoys (sets of vehicles in groups of five or more perhaps) to be managed as single entities as they approach and leave the junctions without them needing to slow or stop and so be flowed in even and unbroken blocks. The lights will not change until each convoy has fully cleared the junction.

There are several new technological tools available now to make this possible.

The first preferred embodiment is to use the GPS (global positioning system) familiar to most vehicle operators either as add-on instruments in vehicles or as already build into the vehicle. Using these instruments the driver can enter the destination required and the GPS device plans a route based on its internal mapping system. Hence it is now possible for this data to be passed to an external planning and control system in a city such that this city controller can manage flow and route availability on the basis, not of historic means as is the current practise, but on real time and true predicted data. Further, this city controller can feed back to the GPS system alternative optional or mandatory route changes according to road loading or obstructions.

An alternative embodiment to using the satellite based navigation system is to use ground based positioning and navigation derived from existing wireless installations around a city or developing mobile telephone masts or nodes or from new dedicated mast or hot-spot fixed installations.

Second is that most new vehicles now have proximity sensor sensors built in such the minimum running space between vehicles can be controlled by electronic override of brakes and accelerator/drive control methods to prevent collision. These will allow vehicles to brought into close groups or convoys of between, say five and ten, vehicles and be managed by the city controller as a single entity for significant parts of the journey.

Third is the internet and wireless equivalent systems now implemented across all/most cities and towns. These can be used for traffic light management without extensive cabling and road works as well as vehicle tracking as described already. Any fixed city wireless node system can also be used.

Fourth is the very low cost of high speed, high memory intensive, computing hardware. This allows the immense amount of data and very high speed calculation required to make this system practical.

Fifth is the rapid emergence of autonomous or robot vehicle driving systems otherwise called driverless.

Sixth are the vehicles fitted with parking systems in which the car steers and brakes itself into parking places. The controls over steering, drive and braking can be taken over by the city management system for road positioning, accident prevention and misdemeanour prevention.

A novelty of this patent application includes that all these be brought in small steps allowing public familiarity to be be built and vehicles to increment the necessary technology in various combinations to make a fully integrated flow process emerge over time. A key part of this being the continual information traffic between vehicles and the city controller with drivers being fully updated and given options. This constant feedback capability is an essential novelty in this patent.

The basis is that a city will have a central control computer package that is connected by fixed link (optical or copper cables) or by wireless connection to all the traffic lights in the city. Vehicles coming into a city will log in to the city controller and by wireless link, probably using the internet but a local wireless intra-net method may become preferred over time to offer wider local bandwidth with less downtime risk. Vehicles will give their location and target destination using gps or similar location technology. This will add to the data from thousands of other vehicles approaching the city. From this the controller computer will know when and where high traffic density is already building and will be able to predict where that flow is heading. It will consequently know where and when the demand for car parking is going to arise.

On this basis the central controller will be able to match the light sequences with demand and so using flow optimising mathematics will be able to maximise road utilisation and minimise traffic waiting time at junctions and minimise traffic flow fragmentation. Further it will be able to pre-allocate parking to direct traffic accordingly by advising individual vehicles and managing junctions accordingly. In the event of traffic blockage and overloading traffic can be redirected via their gps systems and traffic lights can again be managed to optimise flow. For autonomous vehicles this can be done automatically.

Another novel advantage of this invention is for parking management. Parking can be charged directly from an owner's or driver's bank card or prepaid account on a literally minute by minute time basis. When a vehicle parks it can begin to be charged until it leaves the space. This will allow the introduction of short stay parking outside shops or similar facilities that many drivers want to use for just a few minutes where such locations before this invention often result in users staying for longer periods, even all day and so damaging retail business and retail high street efficient usage.

As part of modern city planning it is proposed that many bus and public transport systems will have small dedicated car parks associated with them. These are effectively mini (small) park-and-ride parks also referred to as Distributed Park-and Ride. Drivers can request or be recommended to use such parks and take the public transport. Integrating the real time charging for parking as described with transport usage directly charged will both encourage public transport use plus reduce bus/tram entry time because a ticket will have already been bought. This system will also prevent misuse of the mini or distributed park-and-ride parks by others not using the bus/tram system. This will be done by monitoring the location of vehicles by gps or equivalent tracking or camera number plate recognition and matching that to parking approvals issued.

The invention is for all vehicles within a wide outer boundary of a city to be required to feed in the data from its navigation and tracking system into the city controller so that the controller knows not only where vehicles currently are but where they intend to go. This will be done in the preferred embodiment for the in-vehicle computer navigation system to log into the city system automatically and record the critical information about the location, route, vehicle type and destination of the vehicle. Method of payment or prepaid account data for parking and congested area entry can be part of the information required including authorisation for the system to take payment as appropriate. There might be legal and private limitations on the mandatory nature of this process so, in other embodiments, data may be requested by the city control system on detecting the presence of a vehicle and the driver/operator may choose what information to release. It may be that refusal to release key data such as destination may result in refusal to allow the vehicle to proceed much further and it will be directed to a park-and-ride or equivalent site and the driver and passengers then proceed by public transport. This addresses the needs of some people who require confidentiality and privacy of movement.

Another embodiment of the system, and developments of it as vehicle technology progresses, will in time have the ability to take full and direct control of vehicles and manage road positioning, grouping, and routing. Similarly speed and rates of acceleration and braking can be matched to prevailing conditions and restrained, or increased, according safe and appropriate travel needs. Included in this will be automatic stopping of vehicles at red lights regardless of driver intention and limitation of vehicle speed. Random and unexpected driver behaviour will be reduced almost to zero and accidents minimised. Bicycle and pedestrian tracking and sensing methods can and will be implemented in the system using either, or a combination of, cameras and proximity sensing.

An optional capability will be for the system to take control of vehicles in the event of criminal or terrorist activity and so use vehicles as road blocks. Additionally to bring vehicles to the side of the road and pause them to let emergency vehicles pass unimpeded.

Because the system in a preferred embodiment will have a data collection range extended well outside the city boundary, along feeder routes for many miles, large increments of incoming traffic for major events or just as a consequence of some other upstream blockage now cleared (e.g. an accident) the system can plan and prepare to receive and manage this influx reducing major back logs building in the suburb regions and on major radial feeder routes or ring roads. This will be done by significant traffic priority being given at entry points and also by mandatory traffic redirection into parallel and alternative routes.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

The claims for this patent are: 1.0 That all surface vehicles including cycles, motor cycles, cars, vans, buses, trolley vehicles, trams, train trams, lorries or any other road transport can be connected to, monitored by and controlled by a single or integrated group of computers which in turn are connected to and control all or some of the traffic control junction and pedestrian crossing traffic lights (red/amber/green or similar light sequencing devices). The result being the whole city and its transport systems and vehicles using it are functionally a single integrated whole.
2.0 As claim on and including that all City Traffic lights should be actively controlled, event by event (every switch of the light sequence) from a central computerised controller or group of such computers.
3.0 As claim one and that every vehicle entering the city fitted with a satellite global positioning system or equivalent ground derived tracking and route planning system, can or must according to local needs log into the controller to report present location, destination and nature of vehicle (car, lorry, bus etc). The controller will use this data to track the progress, location and changes to route of any or all vehicles so connected into the controller.
4.0 Any and all of the above claims including the continual updating of traffic status in the roads ahead being a continual part of the city controller feedback system.
5.0 As claim one and additionally that at off-peak traffic periods anonymous traffic entry may optionally be permitted and road embedded tracking may be used to assist light management accordingly. Cameras may also be used.
6.0 It may be mandatory for all nominated vehicle types to connect to a controller or they will be refused entry further into the town/city. A charge for such entry may be levied either electronically or at cash points. Refused vehicles will be directed to appropriate parking or can request an exit route.
7.0 That the controller will be linked to parking sites to keep a live record of available space.
8.0 Vehicles connected will be notified of parking options either optimally close to target destination or of parking near bus or other public transport system where the vehicle can be left and the passengers can change transport mode.
9.0 Parking space can be reserved. A fee may optionally charged. Reservation may expire according to the operation system.
10.0 The system will be integrated with parking in mini or distributed Parkand-Ride locations along the route where vehicles might be directed and the passenger encouraged to use the related public transport method. Payment may be through the already logged in payment system for the vehicle.Charging for parking may be in very small incremental steps, say one minute, to encourage rapid turnover of parking places and to prevent unwelcome use of short stay parking by other users. This to permit and encourage high street parking for brief shopping activity.
11.0 That the controller will optimise the routes of the vehicles and the sequencing of the lights such that road usage is maximised and traffic flow is optimised. Route and road usage is defined as at no time should traffic flowing one way at junctions be stationary when there is no traffic entering the stream from other directions.
12.0 That the controller will report to each vehicle the traffic signal status ahead, how long to signal change. Blockages and hold-ups will similarly be reported.
13.0 Alternative routes will be recommended for driver acceptance. There will be an option for some route changes to be mandatory for whatever reason.
14.0 The controller will have the ability to organise the traffic into appropriate convoys and keep them in such groups for as long as it takes to get them to their various destinations. Drivers will informed of convoy size and their position in it. Convoys may typically be of five to ten vehicles.
15.0 A lead vehicle may be nominated by the system to take control of convoys and convoy members may optionally hand control to the lead vehicle or chose to drop out of the convoy. The lead vehicles may be either human driver operated or a fully automated robot vehicle. The latter would be a preferred option for error reduction.
16.0 The controller will communicate with the vehicles by visual numerical data and images and icons displayed on the in-vehicle displays and also verbally using pre-recorded or synthesised voice reproduction methods. Images may be photographs, live transmission, video or computer generated display.
17.0 Convoys containing public service vehicles will be managed as a block all of which must stop when the bus stops, even if the bus is behind the leading vehicles but such stops will be compensated when the complete convoy will be given priority at the next light controlled junction(s).

5
18.0 All or any of the above claims apply to an option for the city control computer to take control of vehicles and use them to close off roads in the event of terrorist or criminal activity.
19.0 The city controller will have the ability to switch on and off traffic lanes and where appropriate to reverse flow in some lanes for tidal flow io according to the time of day, for example two inward flowing and one out in the morning and the reverse in the evening. There are many possible variations on this theme, the important aspect being that in this system where vehicle are under close management then accidents arising from driver error going in the wrong direction are almost entirely eliminated

15 either by the city controller managing the vehicles directly or by very conspicuously displaying and sounding a warning in the vehicle and as a minimum bringing it to rest but coming generations of vehicles can be steered remotely to a safe lane.

Intellectual

Property

Office

Application No: GB 1614336.4