NL1017925C2 - Regulated pedestrian crossing over highway has for each traffic direction traffic light installation for road traffic and pedestrians and video detector for detection of pedestrians waiting to cross - Google Patents

Abstract

The regulated pedestrian crossing over a highway has for each traffic direction a traffic light installation for road traffic (4,5) and pedestrians (8,9) and a video detector (10) for detection of pedestrians waiting to cross. An optical indicator informs waiting pedestrians of the time they have to wait before crossing. The pedestrian lights are so regulated that they show green alone when there are pedestrians still waiting. Lights (11,12) are provided in the road surface on either side of the complete length of the crossing (6) and all illuminate when it is safe to cross. At the termination of the time necessary to cross, they fade one by one in the walking direction of the crossing pedestrians.

Description

Regular pedestrian crossing

The present invention relates to a controlled crossing point, in particular for pedestrians, over a roadway which is provided with a traffic light installation for traffic and for pedestrian traffic for waiting or crossing pedestrian traffic for each driving direction of the roadway.

Such crossings places for slower traffic, in general pedestrians, are generally used. However, the current regular crossings do not suffice in all respects. The main objection is often that its capacity is not fully utilized, resulting in unnecessary loss of time for both traffic and pedestrians, which can lead to annoyance and impulsive behavior. 10 Furthermore, the existing crossings offer too little comfort, especially for pedestrians, both while waiting and when crossing.

Furthermore, crossing pedestrians often experience an unsafe feeling when crossing the road, which in particular encourages uncertain behavior for elderly pedestrians. The credibility of the regulated traffic lights at a crossing point also leaves something to be desired by some road users.

An object of the present invention is to obviate all these drawbacks, and the object of the invention is therefore in particular to provide controlled crossings that reduce unnecessary time and capacity loss within traffic light controls to an acceptable minimum. Another object is to provide such a crossing, which offers pedestrians more comfort, both while waiting and when crossing. Yet another object is to provide such a crossing, the safety of which is experienced for, and as such experienced by, the crossing pedestrians, and moreover the credibility and acceptance of the traffic light control has increased.

These and other purposes are achieved with the controlled pedestrian crossing according to the invention by a combination of the following features: - a video detector for detecting any pedestrian arriving and waiting for the crossing, and - an optical indicator for the waiting inform pedestrians of the remaining waiting time.

With the help of the video detector, pedestrians waiting for the crossing are automatically detected.

-2-

With the help of the optical indicator waiting pedestrians are informed of the remaining waiting time.

According to a further characteristic, the pedestrian lights of the crossing point are arranged such that they only show green to the pedestrians when there are still waiting pedestrians.

Preferably, according to a further elaboration of the present invention, the safe phase for the pedestrians to clear the crossing place freely for the pedestrians is displayed.

According to the invention, crossing pedestrians with green pedestrian light are also visibly informed of the remaining safe crossing time.

For the regulated pedestrian crossing, the regulation can be adjusted in such a way that the duration of the pedestrian and evacuation phase is always adjusted to the current requirement.

According to a further characteristic, the crossing point is preferably provided with a series of roadside lights arranged in one line along each side along the entire length of the crossing point, which lights start to burn safely at the signal, and upon the expiration of the necessary for crossing time out one by one in the relevant walking direction of the crossing pedestrians.

The present invention and its operation will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing.

A regular pedestrian crossing in a bird's eye view is shown in the figure. The roadway 1 with lanes 2, 3 separated by a broken line for right-fast traffic (see the arrows) is provided above each driving direction with a usual traffic light 4, 5 placed on posts. These traffic lights can also stand next to the road instead of hanging above them; they are equipped with three colored light-emitting lamps: the bottom green, the middle yellow and the top red.

The crossing point 6, which is designed as a pedestrian crossing in the present example, has an arrangement section 7 on each side of the sidewalk for arriving and waiting pedestrians. The crossing point is provided with a pedestrian light 8,9 for each crossing direction. These lights are also mounted on a pole and are each equipped with three lamps: the top red, the middle green, and the bottom in the form of an optically operating indicator.

;> r '' l · Λ * · '.

-3-

At least one video detector 10 is placed above the crossing location on one of the posts, which video detector is aimed at the crossing location and can oversee it as a whole, including and in particular the two set-up compartments 7. In the case of a wider road or street, or in the case of the presence of a central reservation, more than one video detector may be required, which then also mutually cooperate in order to ensure the presence of pedestrians on the two set-up compartments 7 and subsequently on the to determine the crossing point 6 yourself.

Along each side of the crossing point 6 a series of roadside lights 11,12 is arranged along its entire length, all of which light up at the "green light" signal, and one by one at the end of the time required for crossing over in the relevant walking direction (see arrows) of the pedestrians still crossing then go out.

Of course, these road surface lights 11, 12 can extinguish in the same direction on both sides of the crossing, instead of extinguishing in opposite directions.

The operation of the outlined controlled pedestrian crossing according to the invention is as follows: If a pedestrian arrives at the crossing 20 during red light for the through traffic, his / her presence on the parking area 7 is automatically detected by the video detector 10. As soon as this pedestrian stops after an adjustable number of seconds, a green request is automatically placed for the pedestrian. Passing pedestrians may not lead to a green application. If the video detector is defective, green is requested continuously. If desired, the green application can be made known with a ratchet ticker.

- As soon as the green application has been submitted, the indicator gives an indication to the waiting pedestrian (s) of the remaining waiting or red time. In the present embodiment, this waiting time predictor is arranged under the green pedestrian light on the opposite side of the crossing. It may preferably consist of rows of LEDs, which symbolize an hourglass shape and extinguish from top to bottom, as the remaining red or waiting time decreases.

- As soon as red pedestrian traffic no longer detects waiting pedestrians (for example as a result of red light negation), the green application is withdrawn and the hourglass light goes out.

-4- - At the end of the red phase the hourglass light is switched off and the red pedestrian light goes out. At the same time, the green pedestrian light is switched on and all green marker lights 11 and 12 come on. This line of lights arranged in the road surface 5 at a mutual distance of 50 to 150 cm is clearly visible from all directions, both for the stationary traffic and for the crossing pedestrians.

The green phase for the pedestrians lasts until the video detector detects that there are no more waiting pedestrians, with a minimum duration of 2 seconds and a maximum adjustable according to local conditions. Immediately after that, a green flashing phase for pedestrians of 2 seconds follows. If desired, the green plus green flashing phase can be communicated with a ratchet ticker.

From the start of the evacuation phase, the marker lights placed along the crossing extinguish, on the right-hand side of the crossing, one by one in the walking direction of the evacuating pedestrians. The row of lights on the other side go out in the opposite direction. The video detector determines the walking speed of the slowest pedestrian from the start red. The speed at which the lights of both lines go out is adjusted to the walking speed of the last pedestrian crossing, but is in any case at most 1.2 m / s.

Claims (6)

A controlled pedestrian crossing, over a roadway which is provided with a traffic light installation for road traffic 5 and pedestrian traffic lights for waiting or crossing pedestrian traffic for each driving direction of the roadway, characterized by the combination of: - a video detector for detecting the presence of each pedestrian arriving and waiting for the crossing, and 10. an optical indicator to inform the waiting pedestrian (s) of the remaining waiting time. 2. Crossing point as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the pedestrian lights are controlled such that they only show green when there are still waiting pedestrians. 3. Crossing point as claimed in claim 1 and / or 2, characterized in that the safe phase for the pedestrians to evacuate the crossing is displayed visibly for the pedestrians. 4. Crossing point according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that crossing pedestrians with green pedestrian light are also visibly informed of the remaining safe crossing time. Controlled pedestrian crossing point according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control is adjusted in such a way that the duration of the pedestrian and evacuation phase is always adjusted to the current requirement. 6. A crossing point according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by lights arranged in one line along each side along the entire length of the crossing point in the road surface, which all light up when the 'safe crossing' signal is lit, and at the end of the front extinguish the required time one by one in the relevant walking direction of the crossing pedestrians.