KR101349543B1 - Apparatus and method for controlling of signal light - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a traffic light control device and a control method thereof. The traffic light control device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a pedestrian information obtaining part including at least one among the pedestrian state information, pedestrian density information, and pedestrian speed information for one or more pedestrians located within a predetermined detection area of a crosswalk using a sensor; a walking time calculation part which calculates a walking time required to cross the street at the crosswalk using the obtained pedestrian information; and a control part which controls a traffic light of the crosswalk using the calculated walking time. Therefore, pedestrians stably crosses the street at the crosswalk by setting a variable walking time of a pedestrian traffic light using the state, density, and speed information of the pedestrians crossing the crosswalk. [Reference numerals] (210) Pedestrian information obtaining part; (220) Walking time calculation part; (230) Traffic light control part

Description

Traffic light control device and its control method {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING OF SIGNAL LIGHT}

The present invention relates to a traffic light control apparatus and a control method thereof, and more particularly, a technology capable of varying a signal of a pedestrian traffic light using characteristics of a pedestrian is disclosed.

Traffic lights are installed in the crosswalks for vehicle driving and pedestrians' safety walking. The conventional pedestrian traffic lights are periodically turned on or off regardless of the presence of pedestrians. Therefore, even when there are no pedestrians crossing the pedestrian crossing, the vehicle must stop for waiting for the signal. Therefore, unnecessary fuel loss occurs during the waiting for the signal and the traffic is not smoothly driven due to the delay of the vehicle. There was a time-consuming problem.

Currently, the Highway Capacity Manual (US-HCM) calculates pedestrian signal time using variables of pedestrian density and atmospheric width as variables. However, even at the same density, the crossing signal time varies greatly according to the classification of pedestrian traffic. Such classification of pedestrian traffic flows can be classified in detail according to the characteristics of pedestrians, but the general categories include disabled people, the elderly, pregnant women, and infants. Therefore, the necessity of the technology to increase the safety of pedestrians by controlling the traffic light by calculating the crossing signal time reflecting the characteristics of the pedestrians.

The background technology of the present invention is disclosed in Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0982724 (registered on September 10, 2010).

Technical problem to be solved by the present invention, traffic light control device and the control that can be pedestrian crossing the crosswalk by setting a variable walking time of the pedestrian traffic light using the state, density, speed information of the crosswalk pedestrian To provide a method.

Traffic light control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the pedestrian including at least one of the pedestrian status information, pedestrian density information and pedestrian speed information for one or more pedestrians located within the preset detection area of the crosswalk using a sensor. A pedestrian information obtaining unit obtaining information, a walking time calculating unit calculating a walking time required for the pedestrian to cross the pedestrian crossing using the obtained pedestrian information, and the pedestrian crossing using the calculated walking time. It includes a traffic light control unit for controlling the traffic light.

The pedestrian information acquisition unit may acquire pedestrian state information including at least one of a gender, an age, and a disability of the pedestrian entering the detection area.

The walking time calculating unit may calculate a walking time for each information, and the traffic light control unit may control the traffic light using the maximum walking time among the calculated walking times.

In addition, the walking time calculator may calculate an extension time g _{i , t} added to a preset walking allowance time of the walking time according to the pedestrian speed information by using the following equation:

Here, L is the length of the crosswalk, L _s is the length of the detection area, V _{i , t} is the average walking speed of the pedestrian included in the detection area (i).

In addition, the traffic light control unit, after displaying a walking allowance signal on the traffic light of the crosswalk, compares the remaining time of the walking allowance signal and the walking time according to the pedestrian information entering into the detection area, the residual of the walking allowance signal You can change the time.

The traffic light control unit may further include a pedestrian whose maximum walking time is calculated in each of the first pedestrian group moving from one side of the crosswalk to the other side and the second pedestrian group moving in the opposite direction to the first pedestrian group. The time of the walking permission signal for each group may be set differently according to the distance ratio of the intersection points.

A traffic light control method according to another embodiment of the present invention includes at least one of pedestrian status information, pedestrian density information, and pedestrian speed information on one or more pedestrians located within a preset detection area of a crosswalk using a sensor. Obtaining pedestrian information, calculating pedestrian time required for the pedestrian to cross the pedestrian crossing using the obtained pedestrian information, and controlling traffic lights of the pedestrian crossing using the calculated walking time. It includes a step.

Accordingly, the pedestrian can safely cross the crosswalk by setting a variable walking time of the pedestrian traffic light using the state, density, and speed information of the crosswalk pedestrian. In addition, in the case of a pair of pedestrian traffic lights facing each other, it is possible to reduce the traffic congestion due to the extension of the pedestrian signal time by setting the pedestrian signals differently.

1 is a block diagram of a traffic light control system including a traffic light control device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a configuration diagram of a traffic light control device according to FIG. 1;
3 is a flowchart of a traffic light control method of the traffic light control device according to FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an exemplary view for explaining that a walking permission signal is set differently according to a walking speed of a pedestrian group in the traffic light control method according to FIG. 3.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terms used are terms selected in consideration of the functions in the embodiments, and the meaning of the terms may vary depending on the user, the intention or the precedent of the operator, and the like. Therefore, the meaning of the terms used in the following embodiments is defined according to the definition when specifically defined in this specification, and unless otherwise defined, it should be interpreted in a sense generally recognized by those skilled in the art.

1 is a block diagram of a traffic light control system including a traffic light control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a traffic light control system including a traffic light control device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a traffic light 10, a crosswalk 20, a detection area 30, a sensor 40, and a traffic light control device 200. ).

The traffic light 10 is a device installed on a road to instruct a traffic vehicle or a person to stop, detour, or proceed by flashing red, green, yellow and green arrow signs. ) Includes a pedestrian traffic light indicating the user's signal. In this case, in the pedestrian traffic light 10, the green light indicates a walking allowance signal in the crosswalk 20, and the red light indicates a walking prohibition signal in the crosswalk 20. In addition, the pedestrian traffic light 10 may display the remaining time with respect to the walking allowable time numerically when the green light is turned on.

On the other hand, the crosswalk 20 means a zone provided for the pedestrian crossing by road signs or road markings in accordance with the Road Traffic Law. In this case, the width and length of the crosswalk 20 may be set differently according to the situation of each road.

Meanwhile, the detection area 30 is an area for searching for a user who uses the crosswalk 20, and may be set as a pedestrian waiting area within a predetermined area from an entry area of the crosswalk 20. In addition, the detection area 30 can also be set as an area in the crosswalk 20. In this case, the detection area 30 may be provided with a sensor 40 for detecting the pressure of the ground. In addition, the detection area 30 may be set in plurality, or may be set on both sides of the crosswalk 20, respectively.

On the other hand, the sensor 40 senses the motion information of the pedestrian in the crosswalk 20 or the detection area 30. For example, the sensor 40 may be a proximity sensor, an infrared sensor, or an imaging device. As described above, the user's motion information may be acquired using a pressure sensor in the detection area 30. In addition, the pedestrian may be distinguished by extracting a feature from the image of the pedestrian in the detection area 30 using the imaging apparatus to determine the gender, age, and disability of the pedestrian.

On the other hand, the traffic light control device 200 may be formed integrally with or separate from the traffic light. The traffic light control apparatus 200 may perform wired or wireless communication with the sensor 40, calculate a walking time of a pedestrian using the pedestrian information obtained from the sensor 40, and use the calculated walking time to provide a flashing signal of a traffic light. To control. Hereinafter, the traffic light control apparatus 200 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

2 is a configuration diagram of the traffic light control device according to FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a traffic light control method of the traffic light control device according to FIG. 2.

2 and 3, the traffic light control apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a pedestrian information obtaining unit 210, a walking time calculating unit 220, and a traffic light control unit 230.

First, the pedestrian information acquisition unit 210 acquires pedestrian information including at least one of pedestrian status information, pedestrian density information, and pedestrian speed information on one or more pedestrians located within a preset detection area of a crosswalk using a sensor. (S310).

The pedestrian information acquisition unit 210 may acquire pedestrian state information including at least one of a gender, an age, and a disability of a pedestrian entering into the detection area by using an image device. For example, by analyzing the image acquired through the imaging device to extract the height of the pedestrian in the detection area, it can be used to distinguish whether the pedestrian is a child or an adult using the standard key information stored in the DB 215. In addition, pedestrians using assistive devices such as wheels and canes in the pedestrian image may be classified as an elderly person.

In addition, the pedestrian information acquisition unit 210 may acquire density information of the pedestrian located in the detection area by using an imaging device or a pressure sensor. The pedestrian density information is defined as occupied space per person (m ² / person), and the pedestrian density can be obtained using the number of pedestrians identified in the preset detection area and the area (m ² ) of the detection area. For example, the number of pedestrians in the detection area may be obtained by extracting the number of human-shaped objects by analyzing the image acquired through the imaging apparatus. In addition, the pedestrian density information can be obtained using the load in the detection area obtained using the pressure sensor.

In addition, the pedestrian information acquisition unit 210 may acquire walking speed information of the pedestrian located in the detection area by using an imaging device or a pressure sensor. For example, a pedestrian can obtain a walking speed of a pedestrian by using image information or pressure information of a plurality of detection areas. That is, the walking speed information can be obtained using the time taken for the pedestrian identified in the detection area A to move to another detection area B and the distance between the detection area A and the detection area B. In this case, the detection area A and the detection area B may be formed inside or outside the crosswalk.

Next, the walking time calculating unit 220 calculates the walking time required for the pedestrian to cross the crosswalk using the pedestrian information obtained from the walking information obtaining unit (S320). For example, when the pedestrian state information is used among the pedestrian information, the walking time may be calculated by using the walking time information per unit distance and the distance information of the crosswalk according to the preset pedestrian state. In this case, the DB 215 may store the walking time information per unit distance according to the sex, age, and the presence of a pedestrian of the pedestrian, and the walking time is the maximum walking of the pedestrian group including the pedestrian walking time or a plurality of pedestrians. It can be set to time.

On the other hand, when using the pedestrian density information of the pedestrian information, it is possible to obtain a walking time using the extended time information according to the preset pedestrian density. That is, the extension time according to the pedestrian density may be set differently according to the location of the crosswalk, and the final walking time may be obtained by adding the extension time information to the preset crossover time to the crosswalk traffic light. Here, the extension time information means a time exceeding a crossing allowable signal time of the preset crosswalk.

On the other hand, when using the pedestrian speed information of the pedestrian information, it is possible to obtain a walking time by using the preset pedestrian speed information and pedestrian distance information. Here, the pedestrian speed information may use the walking speed set according to the pedestrian state and the walking speed information set according to the pedestrian density, in addition to the walking speed information measured for the pedestrian passing through the plurality of preset detection areas.

In addition, when calculating the walking time according to the pedestrian speed information, the walking time calculator 220 may calculate the extension time g _{i , t} added to the preset walking allowance time using the following Equation 1. .

In Equation 1, L is the length of the crosswalk, L _s is the length of the detection area, V _{i , t} is the average walking speed of the pedestrian included in the detection area (i). In this case, the detection area i may be set in plural in the crosswalk. For example, when detection area A, detection area B, and detection area C are set, the walking speed of the pedestrian or pedestrian group from detection area A to detection area B and the pedestrian or pedestrian group from detection area B to detection area C An average of walking speeds may be obtained to extend or shorten the time of the preset walking allowance signal.

In addition, the extension time may be calculated for each walking allowable time period, and the extension time may not be calculated when no pedestrian is detected from the detection area in the period.

The walking time calculator 220 may calculate a walking time by combining a plurality of pieces of information of pedestrian information. For example, the walking time may be calculated by combining the pedestrian state information and the pedestrian density information. In this case, the walking time G _Φ can be obtained by using Equation 2 below.

In Equation 2, G _ini is a pedestrian that the reaction time, _min G represents a group minimum crossing time, more time is set to G _p. Here, the additional time G _p may be obtained by using Equation 3 below reflecting the pedestrian state information.

In Equation 3, G _{p , i} represents an additional time according to the pedestrian state (i), W _i represents a weight according to the pedestrian state (i). That is, the additional time G _p may set different weights according to the pedestrian state.

Next, the traffic light control unit 230 controls the traffic light of the crosswalk using the walking time calculated by the walking time calculating unit 220 (S330). That is, the traffic light control unit 230 displays the walking allowance signal (green light) on the traffic light of the crosswalk, and compares the walking time according to the pedestrian information entering the detection area with the remaining time of the walking allowance signal, The remaining time can be varied. This is because the remaining time of the walking allowance signal is set on the basis of the pedestrian waiting before the start of the walking allowance signal, so as to extend the remaining time of the walking allowance signal to ensure the safety of the pedestrian entering after the start of the walking allowance signal.

In addition, the traffic light control unit 230 may be a pedestrian whose maximum walk time is calculated in each of the first pedestrian group moving from one side of the crosswalk and the second pedestrian group moving in the opposite direction to the first pedestrian group. The time of the walking permission signal for each group may be set differently according to the distance ratio of intersection points. This is to set pedestrian signals differently between pedestrian groups moving in opposite directions with crosswalks.

Hereinafter, the control of the pedestrian traffic light will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary view for explaining that a walking permission signal is set differently according to a walking speed of a pedestrian group in the traffic light control method according to FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 4, the first pedestrian group and the second pedestrian group crossing the crosswalk cross each other and move in opposite directions. In this case, the pedestrian signal may be set differently by using _a distance ratio (L _a : L _b ) with respect to the point where the pedestrians A and B having the maximum walking time intersect in each group. For example, if the pedestrian traffic light for the first pedestrian group is called the first pedestrian traffic light and the pedestrian traffic light for the second pedestrian group is the second pedestrian traffic light, the first pedestrian traffic light and the second pedestrian traffic light are the The time can be set differently.

More specifically, when comparing the distance ratio (L _a : L _b ) to the point of intersection between the pedestrians (A, B) having the maximum walking time in each group, L _a is L _b It can be seen that it is shorter. This indicates that the crosswalk crossing time of the first pedestrian group is shorter than the crosswalk crossing time of the second pedestrian group. Therefore, the walking permission signal of the first pedestrian traffic light may be set shorter than the walking permission signal of the second pedestrian traffic light.

For example, at time t ₁ , the first pedestrian traffic light has a remaining walking allowable time of 4 seconds and the second pedestrian traffic light has a remaining walking allowable time of 7 seconds. Subsequently, at time t ₂ , the first pedestrian traffic light is set to a walking prohibition signal (red light) with a remaining walking allowable time of 0 seconds, and the second pedestrian traffic light is set to 2 seconds for a remaining walking allowable time.

That is, according to the walking time of the pedestrian, the remaining time of the walking permission signal of the first pedestrian traffic light and the second pedestrian traffic light may not be extended in the same manner but may be variably set. Therefore, the right turn vehicles may pass through the crosswalk where the pedestrian has already completed walking. This is to reduce traffic congestion in accordance with the extension of the walking allowable signal time for pedestrian traffic lights.

Meanwhile, embodiments of the present invention can be implemented by computer readable codes on a computer readable recording medium. A computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording apparatuses in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored.

Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device and the like, and also a carrier wave (for example, transmission via the Internet) . In addition, the computer-readable recording medium may be distributed over network-connected computer systems so that computer readable codes can be stored and executed in a distributed manner. And functional programs, codes, and code segments for implementing the present invention can be easily deduced by programmers skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.

As described above, according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the pedestrian can safely cross the crosswalk by setting a variable walking time of the pedestrian traffic light using the state, density, and speed information of the crosswalk. In addition, in the case of a pair of pedestrian traffic lights facing each other, it is possible to reduce the traffic congestion due to the extension of the pedestrian signal time by setting the pedestrian signals differently.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, Therefore, the present invention should be construed as a description of the claims which are intended to cover obvious variations that can be derived from the described embodiments.

10: traffic light
20: crosswalk
30: detection area
40: sensor
200: traffic light control device
210: pedestrian information acquisition unit
215: DB
220: walk time calculation unit
230: traffic light control unit

Claims (12)

A pedestrian information acquisition unit which acquires pedestrian information including at least one of pedestrian status information, pedestrian density information, and pedestrian speed information on one or more pedestrians located within a preset detection area of the crosswalk using a sensor;
A walking time calculator configured to calculate a walking time for the pedestrian to cross the crosswalk using the obtained pedestrian information; And
It includes a traffic light control unit for controlling the traffic light of the crosswalk using the calculated walking time,
The traffic light control unit,
After the walking permission signal is displayed on the traffic light of the crosswalk, the walking time in each group of the first pedestrian group moving from one side of the crosswalk to the other side and the second pedestrian group moving in the opposite direction to the first pedestrian group A traffic light control device for setting the time of the walking allowable signal differently for each group according to the distance ratio of the point at which the maximum pedestrian crosses. The method of claim 1,
The pedestrian information acquisition unit,
Traffic light control device for acquiring pedestrian status information including at least one of the gender, age and disability of the pedestrian entering the detection area. The method of claim 1,
The walk time calculation unit,
Calculate the walking time for each information,
The traffic light control unit,
Traffic light control device for controlling the traffic light using the maximum walking time of each of the calculated walking time. The method of claim 1,
The walk time calculation unit,
Traffic light control device for calculating the extended time (g _{i , t} ) added to the preset walking allowance time of the walking time according to the pedestrian speed information using the following equation:

Here, L is the length of the crosswalk, L _s is the length of the detection area, V _{i , t} is the average walking speed of the pedestrian included in the detection area (i). The method of claim 1,
The traffic light control unit,
A traffic light control device for varying the remaining time of the walking permission signal by comparing the remaining time of the walking permission signal with the walking time according to the pedestrian information entering into the detection area after displaying the walking permission signal on the traffic light of the crosswalk. . delete In the traffic light control method using a traffic light control device,
Obtaining pedestrian information including at least one of pedestrian status information, pedestrian density information, and pedestrian speed information on one or more pedestrians located within a preset detection area of the crosswalk using a sensor;
Calculating a walking time required for the pedestrian to cross the crosswalk using the obtained pedestrian information; And
Controlling the traffic light of the crosswalk using the calculated walking time,
Controlling the traffic light,
After the walking permission signal is displayed on the traffic light of the crosswalk, the walking time in each group of the first pedestrian group moving from one side of the crosswalk to the other side and the second pedestrian group moving in the opposite direction to the first pedestrian group The traffic light control method of setting the time of the said walking permission signal for each group differently according to the distance ratio of the point where this maximum computed pedestrian crosses. The method of claim 7, wherein
Acquiring the pedestrian information,
Traffic light control method for acquiring pedestrian status information including at least one of the gender, age, and disability of the pedestrian entering the detection area. The method of claim 7, wherein
Computing the walking time,
Calculate the walking time for each information,
Controlling the traffic light,
Traffic light control method for controlling the traffic light using the maximum walking time of each of the calculated walking time. The method of claim 7, wherein
Computing the walking time,
Traffic light control method for calculating the extended time (g _{i , t} ) added to the preset walking allowance time of the walking time according to the pedestrian speed information using the following equation:

Here, L is the length of the crosswalk, L _s is the length of the detection area, V _{i , t} is the average walking speed of the pedestrian included in the detection area (i). The method of claim 7, wherein
Controlling the traffic light,
A traffic light control method for varying the remaining time of the walking permission signal by comparing the remaining time of the walking permission signal with the walking time according to the pedestrian information entering into the detection area after displaying the walking permission signal on the traffic light of the crosswalk. . delete

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