KR100883193B1 - Traffic controller for emergency vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a traffic control device which causes a traffic light to turn blue when an emergency vehicle is close to a traffic light. In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is installed in an emergency vehicle that is operated when an emergency occurs, the emergency signal generator for wirelessly transmitting an emergency signal, and installed near the traffic signal and receive the emergency signal when the emergency vehicle approaches. And an emergency signal receiver for generating a first signal in response to the received emergency signal, and installed near the emergency signal receiver to receive the first signal and to receive the traffic signal in response to the received first signal. An emergency light controller for changing the color indicating the passage, wherein the emergency signal receiver, Receiving unit for receiving a signal transmitted from the emergency signal generator; A strength measuring unit connected to the receiving unit and measuring an intensity of a signal input to the receiving unit and comparing the result with a reference value and outputting a result; A signal determiner connected to the intensity measurer and configured to receive an output of the intensity measurer and determine a magnitude of a signal input to the receiver; And an output unit configured to receive an output of the signal determination unit and transmit the output to the emergency signal controller.

Description

Traffic controller for emergency vehicle

1 is a block diagram of a traffic control apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which the traffic control device of FIG. 1 is installed on a road.

3 is a block diagram of the emergency signal generator shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of one of the plurality of emergency signal receivers shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the emergency light controller shown in FIG. 1.

The present invention relates to a traffic control device, and more particularly to a traffic control device for an emergency vehicle.

Where people live, there is always an urgent situation involving human life. Especially in cities where there are many people, this emergency situation can only happen frequently. When an emergency situation occurs, an emergency vehicle such as a fire engine, an 119 ambulance, a tow truck, etc. move out to a place where an emergency situation occurs. At this time, the emergency vehicle must travel the road as soon as possible to arrive at the emergency occurrence place. . However, when the emergency vehicle is traveling on the road, it is not a problem when there are few vehicles on the road. However, when there are many vehicles, the emergency vehicle is much disturbed due to the many vehicles, and the road driving time is delayed a lot. In particular, when there are a lot of vehicle movements such as commute time and holidays, the emergency vehicle is further disturbed when driving, and therefore it is impossible for the emergency vehicle to arrive at the emergency place quickly.

In addition, there are traffic lights on the roads that hinder the running of emergency vehicles. When the emergency vehicle travels on the road, if there are few vehicles, the emergency vehicle can run by ignoring the traffic light to some extent. However, since the traffic light is red in many states, many vehicles cannot stand by the traffic light and must be in a waiting state, which causes the emergency vehicle to not drive and wait until the traffic light turns blue. As a result, the emergency vehicle arrives late at the emergency site, which can endanger a person's life or result in massive damage to property.

As such, the smooth communication of emergency vehicles is directly related to the property and life of the people. However, the current traffic control flow is in a state of rapid lack of rapid control according to emergency disasters and accidents.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, to provide a traffic control device for turning the traffic light blue when the emergency vehicle is close to the traffic light.

The present invention to achieve the above object,

A traffic control device for controlling an operation of a traffic light, the traffic control device comprising: an emergency signal generator installed in an emergency vehicle operated when an emergency situation occurs and transmitting an emergency signal wirelessly; An emergency signal receiver installed near the traffic light and receiving the emergency signal when the emergency vehicle approaches and generating a first signal in response to the received emergency signal; And an emergency signal controller installed near the emergency signal receiver to receive the first signal and change the traffic light to a color indicating the passage of the vehicle in response to the received first signal. The receiver may include a receiver configured to receive a signal transmitted from the emergency signal generator; A strength measuring unit connected to the receiving unit and measuring an intensity of a signal input to the receiving unit and comparing the result with a reference value and outputting a result; A signal determiner connected to the intensity measurer and configured to receive an output of the intensity measurer and determine a magnitude of a signal input to the receiver; And an output unit configured to receive an output of the signal determination unit and transmit the output to the emergency signal controller.

Preferably, the emergency signal generator is a signal generator for generating the emergency signal at the request of the user, a transmitter electrically connected to the signal generator and modulating and outputting the output signal of the signal generator, and the transmitter And an antenna configured to emit a modulated emergency signal transmitted from the transmitter into the air, wherein the antenna is a directional antenna for transmitting the emergency signal toward the emergency signal receiver.

Preferably, the emergency traffic light controller changes the straight traffic light to blue when only the straight traffic light is provided in the traffic light, and changes the left turn traffic light to blue when only the left traffic light is provided in the traffic light. When the traffic light is provided with the straight traffic light and the left turn traffic lights together, the straight traffic light and the left turn traffic lights are simultaneously changed to blue.

Preferably, the emergency signal is a signal of a low frequency band, the emergency signal receiver is provided by the number of the traffic lights, and the emergency signal receiver is attached to the outside of the traffic lights.

Preferably, the first signal transmitted from the emergency signal receiver is transmitted wirelessly, and the emergency light controller receives the first signal wirelessly.

Preferably, the emergency signal controller is electrically connected to the traffic light, and when the emergency vehicle approaches, the traffic light is changed to blue by receiving an output signal of the emergency light controller, and the traffic light is normally changed. It is further provided with a normal traffic light controller that operates by itself.

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Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements.

1 is a block diagram of a traffic control device 101 according to the present invention, Figure 2 shows a state in which the traffic control device 101 of Figure 1 is installed on the road. The traffic control device 101 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. 1 and 2, the traffic control device 101 includes an emergency signal generator 111, a plurality of emergency signal receivers 121a to 121d, an emergency signal controller 125, a normal traffic light controller 131, and a plurality of emergency signal generators 111a to 121d. Traffic light blocks 141a to 141d.

The emergency signal generator 111 generates an emergency signal. The emergency signal is emitted to the air through an antenna 113 connected to the emergency signal generator 111. The emergency signal generator 111 is installed in an emergency vehicle 211, for example, a fire engine, an 119 ambulance, an ambulance of a hospital, a tow truck, a police car, etc., and the antenna 113 is provided with a plurality of emergency signal receivers. It is provided outside the emergency vehicle 211, in particular in the upper part of the emergency vehicle 211 so as to communicate with the 121a to 121d smoothly. The emergency signal generator 111 operates only when the emergency vehicle 211 runs. The emergency signal generator 111 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3.

The plurality of emergency signal receivers 121a to 121d include a plurality of antennas 123a to 123d and receive emergency signals transmitted from the emergency signal generator 111 through the plurality of antennas 123a to 123d. . When the emergency signal is received, the plurality of emergency signal receivers 121a to 121d respectively generate a first signal and transmit the first signal to the antenna 127 of the emergency signal controller 121 through the plurality of antennas 123a to 123d. do. The plurality of emergency signal receivers 121a to 121d continue to transmit the first signal while the emergency signal is received. The antennas 123a to 123d of the plurality of emergency signal receivers 121a to 121d are located near the traffic light blocks 141a to 141d positioned to face the emergency vehicle 211 approaching thereto, for example, the traffic light block. It is preferable to provide outside of 141a-141d. As described above, the antennas 123a to 123d of the plurality of emergency signal receivers 121a to 121d are installed outside the traffic light blocks 141a to 141d, so that the installation is easy and the installation cost is low. The plurality of emergency signal receivers 121a to 121d are provided as many as the number of traffic light blocks, and therefore, only one emergency signal receiver is provided where only one traffic light block is installed depending on the road conditions. The receivers 121a to 121d will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4.

The emergency signal controller 125 receives a first signal transmitted from the plurality of emergency signal receivers 121a to 121d, outputs a second signal in response to the first signal, and transmits the second signal to the normal signal controller 131. . The emergency light controller 125 includes an antenna 127 and receives the first signal through the antenna 127. The emergency light controller 125 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the plurality of emergency signal receivers 121a to 121d, and is preferably wirelessly connected to save installation costs. The emergency signal controller 125 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5.

The normal traffic light controller 131 is wired to the emergency traffic light controller 125 and the plurality of traffic light blocks 141a to 141d. The normal traffic light controller 131 and the emergency traffic light controller 125 are installed in close proximity to each other, so that connection lines connecting each other are shortened to prevent noise from entering. The normal traffic light controller 131 receives the second signal transmitted from the emergency traffic light controller 121 and instructs the traffic of the traffic light provided in the corresponding traffic light block among the plurality of traffic light blocks 141a to 141d. Color, for example blue. That is, the color of the traffic light indicating the straight ahead and the left turn, the traffic light indicating only the straight ahead, or the traffic light only showing the left turn is blue if the color is red, blue is maintained for a predetermined time. As such, the normal traffic light controller 131 normally operates the traffic light by itself, and when the emergency vehicle 211 approaches, receives the output signal of the emergency light controller 125 and receives the traffic light blocks 141a through. 141d) is forcibly changed to blue. The normal traffic light controller 131 and the emergency traffic light controller 125 are installed near the traffic light blocks 141a to 141d, that is, near the crossing 221.

The plurality of traffic light blocks 141a to 141d are installed at the crossings 221 to indicate whether all vehicles including the emergency vehicle 211 have passed. A traffic light block installed on a straight road indicates driving and stopping straight, a traffic light block installed on a left turning road indicates a driving and stopping left, and a traffic light block installed to a left and a straight road connects a left and straight driving and Indicates a stop.

The emergency signal transmitted from the emergency signal generator 111 to the plurality of emergency signal receivers 121a to 121d may be a predetermined distance, for example, 10 to 70 [m] in front of the antenna connected to the emergency signal receiver to which the emergency vehicle 211 is corresponding. Preferably located at a distance to reach the antenna of the corresponding emergency signal receiver. When the emergency vehicle 211 deviates from the corresponding emergency signal receiver by the predetermined distance, the emergency signal does not reach the corresponding emergency signal receiver. That is, when the emergency vehicle 211 approaches a predetermined distance (70 meters) in front of the corresponding emergency signal receiver, the corresponding traffic light turns blue (if it is blue, it remains the same) and continues in that state. If the emergency vehicle 211 is kept out of a predetermined distance (10 meters) in front of the corresponding emergency signal receiver, the corresponding traffic light block operates normally under the control of the normal traffic light controller 131.

As described above, the traffic control apparatus 101 according to the present invention is not limited by the color of the traffic lights provided in the emergency traffic 211 to the plurality of traffic light blocks 141a to 141d, but the plurality of traffic light blocks ( 141a through 141d) are allowed to pass through quickly. Particularly, even when many vehicles are waiting where the plurality of traffic light blocks 141a to 141d are installed, when the emergency vehicle 211 approaches, the corresponding traffic light turns blue and thus the emergency vehicle 211 is connected to many vehicles. Together they pass through there quickly. Therefore, the emergency vehicle 211 can travel quickly without delay where the plurality of traffic light blocks 141a to 141d are installed.

When the emergency vehicle 211 approaches, when the plurality of traffic light blocks 141a to 141d includes only the straight traffic light, the straight traffic light is changed / maintained to blue, and when only the left traffic light is provided, the left turn traffic light is blue. In the case where both the straight signal and the left turn signal are provided, both the straight signal and the left turn signal are simultaneously changed / maintained in blue.

3 is a block diagram of the emergency signal generator 111 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 3, the emergency signal generator 111 may include a switch 311, a keypad 321, a signal generator 331, a transmitter 341, an antenna 113, an alarm 351, and a power supply 361. Equipped.

The switch 311 is electrically connected to the signal generator 331. The switch 311 may be configured in various forms. The switch 311 is preferably configured manually. Thus, it is possible for the user to turn on or off the switch 311. When the switch 311 is turned on, a predetermined signal is transmitted from the switch 311 to the signal generator 331, and when the switch 311 is turned off, no signal is transmitted from the switch 311 to the signal generator 331. Do not.

The keypad 321 is electrically connected to the signal generator 331. Keypad 321 has various keys. Therefore, the user can input data such as a password or an authentication number to the signal generator 331 using the keypad 321. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the emergency signal generator 111 from being installed and used in a general vehicle other than the emergency vehicle (211 of FIG. 2).

The signal generator 331 generates an emergency signal. That is, when the switch 311 is turned on, the signal generator 331 generates an emergency signal and transmits it to the transmitter 341. The emergency signal is preferably composed of a signal of a low frequency band. In this way, the emergency signal is constituted by a signal of a low frequency band, so that other radio communication is not affected.

The transmitter 341 modulates a signal output from the signal generator 331 and transmits the modulated signal to the antenna 113.

The antenna 113 may be configured in various forms, but it is preferable to configure the antenna 113 as a directional antenna. Directional antennas emit radio waves only in certain directions. The antenna 113 propagates a signal transmitted from the transmitter 341 to the air. As such, since the antenna 113 is configured as a directional antenna, the emergency signal emitted from the emergency signal generator 111 is transmitted only to the antenna of the corresponding emergency signal receiver, and is not transmitted to the antenna of the other emergency signal receiver. Accordingly, the traffic flow in the direction in which the emergency vehicle (211 of FIG. 2) is intended to travel is smooth, and the traffic of other vehicles is not disturbed.

The alarm 351 receives a signal transmitted from the signal generator 331 and issues an alarm. That is, the alarm 351 emits a siren sound or a warning light as an alarm to notify others of an emergency. The alarm 351 may be directly connected to the emergency vehicle 211 of FIG. 2 without being connected to the signal generator 331.

The power supply unit 361 supplies a power supply voltage to the signal generator 331. The power supply 361 may be configured as a storage battery, or may be operated by receiving power from an emergency vehicle (211 of FIG. 2) provided with an emergency signal generator 111.

4 is a block diagram of one of the emergency signal receivers 121a to 121d shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 4, the emergency signal receiver 121a includes an antenna 123a, a receiver 411, a strength measuring unit 421, a signal determining unit 431, and an output unit 441.

The antenna 123a is installed outside the traffic light block 141a of FIG. 2 and includes a receiving antenna and a transmitting antenna. The receiving antenna of the antenna 123a receives an emergency signal transmitted from the emergency signal generator 111 and is preferably configured as a directional antenna. The transmitting antenna of the antenna 123a is electrically connected to the output unit 441, and transmits a first signal generated from the emergency signal receiver 121a to the emergency signal controller 125.

The receiver 411 is electrically connected to the antenna 123a. The receiver 411 receives a signal transmitted from the antenna 123a and demodulates it and outputs it. The receiver 411 may amplify and output the demodulated signal.

The strength measuring unit 421 is electrically connected to the receiving unit 411. The strength measuring unit 421 measures the strength of the emergency signal transmitted from the receiving unit 411 and outputs the result. That is, the intensity measuring unit 421 outputs a high level signal when the intensity of the signal transmitted from the receiving unit 411 exceeds a reference value, for example, 1 [dB], and transmits the signal from the receiving unit 411. When the strength of the signal is less than the reference value, a low level signal is output.

The signal determiner 431 is electrically connected to the strength measurer 421. The signal determiner 431 determines whether the output signal of the intensity measurer 421 is high level or low level, and outputs a first signal according to the result. That is, the signal determining unit 431 outputs a first signal when the output signal of the intensity measuring unit 421 is high level, and does not output the first signal when the output signal of the intensity measuring unit 421 is low level. .

The output unit 441 is electrically connected to the signal determination unit 431. The output unit 441 amplifies the first signal transmitted from the signal determination unit 431 and transmits the first signal to the emergency signal controller 131 through the transmission antenna of the antenna 123a.

5 is a block diagram of the emergency light controller 125 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 5, the emergency signal lamp controller 125 includes an antenna 127, a receiver 511, a direction checker 521, a traffic light selector 531, and an output 541.

The antenna 127 receives first signals transmitted from the antennas 123a to 123d of FIG. 1 in the plurality of emergency signal receivers 121a to 121d of FIG. 1. As such, the antenna 127 is configured as an omni directional antenna because it must receive signals transmitted from the plurality of antennas 123a to 123d.

The receiver 511 is electrically connected to the antenna 127. The receiver 511 receives the first signal transmitted from the antenna 127 and demodulates it and outputs it. The receiver 511 may amplify and output the demodulated signal.

The direction confirming unit 521 receives a signal output from the receiving unit 511 and indicates which emergency signal receiver the first signal is transmitted from, that is, from which direction the emergency vehicle 211 of FIG. 2 is traveling. Figure out. Since the plurality of emergency signal receivers 121a to 121d are each assigned a number indicating a location, for example, an IP number, the direction confirming unit 521 may be configured to include a first signal transmitted from the plurality of emergency signal receivers 121a to 121d. When receiving, it is possible to determine which emergency signal is transmitted from the receiver. By knowing the position of the emergency signal receiver 121a to 121d transmitting the first signal, it is possible to know the direction in which the emergency vehicle 211 of FIG. 2 is traveling, and the corresponding traffic light turns blue. The emergency vehicle 211 of FIG. 2 may perform smooth road driving.

The traffic light selector 531 is electrically connected to the direction checker 521. The traffic light selector 531 receives the output signal of the direction check unit, selects a corresponding traffic light block among the plurality of traffic light blocks (141a to 141d in FIG. 1), and selects a traffic light provided in the corresponding traffic light block. The normal traffic light controller (131 in FIG. 1) is instructed to change to blue or to remain for a predetermined time as it is currently blue.

The output unit 541 is electrically connected to the traffic light selector 531 and the normal traffic light controller (131 of FIG. 1). The output unit 541 amplifies the output signal of the traffic light selector 531 and transmits the amplified signal to the normal traffic light controller 131 of FIG. 1.

As described above, the traffic control apparatus 101 according to the present invention changes the traffic lights provided in the traffic light blocks 141a to 141d to blue when the emergency vehicle 211 approaches, so that the emergency vehicle 211 receives traffic. The traffic light blocks 141a to 141d can be quickly passed through.

Therefore, the time for which the emergency vehicle 211 is delayed due to the interference of the vehicle in the place where the traffic light blocks 141a to 141d are installed is shortened. This results in protecting people's lives or reducing property damage.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, this is merely exemplary, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Claims (11)

In the traffic control device for controlling the operation of traffic lights, An emergency signal generator installed in an emergency vehicle running when an emergency situation occurs and transmitting an emergency signal wirelessly; An emergency signal receiver installed near the traffic light and receiving the emergency signal when the emergency vehicle approaches and generating a first signal in response to the received emergency signal; And An emergency signal controller installed near the emergency signal receiver to receive the first signal and change the traffic light to a color indicating the passage of the vehicle in response to the received first signal; The emergency signal receiver A receiver which receives a signal transmitted from the emergency signal generator; A strength measuring unit connected to the receiving unit and measuring an intensity of a signal input to the receiving unit and comparing the result with a reference value and outputting a result; A signal determining unit connected to the intensity measuring unit and outputting the first signal when the output signal of the intensity measuring unit is at a high level and not outputting the first signal when the output signal of the intensity measuring unit is at a low level; And an output unit configured to receive an output of the signal determination unit and transmit the output to the emergency signal controller. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency signal generator A signal generator for generating the emergency signal according to a user's request; A transmitter electrically connected to the signal generator and configured to modulate an output signal of the signal generator; And And an antenna electrically connected to the transmitter, the antenna configured to launch a modulated emergency signal transmitted from the transmitter into the air. The method of claim 2, wherein the antenna And a directional antenna for transmitting the emergency signal toward the emergency signal receiver. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency light controller When the traffic light is provided with only the straight traffic light, the straight traffic light is changed to blue, when the traffic light is provided with only the left turn traffic light, the left turn traffic light is changed to blue, and the traffic light and the straight traffic light and the left turn traffic light When provided together with the traffic control device characterized in that for changing the straight traffic light and the left turn signal at the same time blue. The traffic control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the emergency signal transmitted from the emergency signal generator is a signal of a low frequency band. The traffic control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the emergency signal receiver is provided as many as the number of traffic lights. The traffic control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the emergency signal receiver is attached to the outside of the traffic light. The traffic control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first signal transmitted from the emergency signal receiver is wirelessly transmitted, and the emergency light controller receives the first signal wirelessly. According to claim 1, It is electrically connected to the emergency traffic light controller and the traffic light, and when the emergency vehicle approaching receives the output signal of the emergency light controller to change the traffic light to blue, the traffic light in normal Traffic control apparatus further comprises a normal traffic light controller for operating itself. According to claim 1, The emergency light controller, Another receiver for receiving the first signal; A direction check unit which receives the first signal through the other receiver and checks a driving direction of the emergency vehicle; And And a traffic light adjusting unit electrically connected to the direction checking unit and changing the color of the traffic light to blue in response to an output signal of the direction checking unit. 11. The traffic control device according to claim 10, wherein the receiver, the direction checker, and the traffic light adjuster are installed near the traffic light.

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