Lighting Network Traffic Sensing via Vehicle Wireless Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional traffic management systems are expensive to install and maintain, provide limited granularity and accuracy in traffic flow information, and rely on costly infrastructure that can only be deployed at a few strategic locations, leading to inaccurate traffic data that exacerbates congestion issues.
Innovation Solution
Utilize outdoor lighting networks in urban environments to gather dense, real-time traffic information by deploying lighting units as listening posts for wireless signals from vehicles, aggregating and analyzing this data to improve traffic management and reduce infrastructure costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional traffic infrastructure (sensors under roadway, roadside cameras, toll collection booths) is installed to measure traffic flow, then traffic information can be collected, but installation and maintenance costs become excessively high
Solution Approach 1:
The outdoor lighting units are designed to perform multiple functions: providing illumination and collecting traffic information. By integrating wireless communication receivers and processors into existing lighting infrastructure, the system eliminates the need for separate dedicated traffic sensing equipment, thereby reducing installation and maintenance costs while maintaining measurement capability
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting units utilize their existing position along roadways and their built-in wireless communication capabilities to automatically detect and report traffic information. The system leverages the inherent functionality of the lighting infrastructure rather than requiring additional active components specifically for traffic monitoring
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional traffic infrastructure is deployed at only a few strategic locations, then installation cost is reduced, but the granularity and accuracy of traffic flow information becomes limited
Solution Approach 1:
By making the lighting units multi-functional, the system can deploy measurement capabilities at numerous locations throughout the urban environment without adding dedicated infrastructure at each point. The existing lighting network becomes a distributed array of traffic sensors, providing high granularity information at low marginal cost
3Ease of manufacture
If mobile phone tracking is used to collect traffic information, then infrastructure cost is reduced, but accuracy and availability depend on mobile phone service coverage
Solution Approach 1:
The outdoor lighting units act as intermediary devices that directly detect wireless signals from vehicles using dedicated receivers. This intermediate layer provides more reliable and accurate traffic information compared to mobile phone tracking, as the lighting units are specifically positioned along roadways and use appropriate detection technology rather than relying on general-purpose mobile networks
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances the granularity and accuracy of traffic flow information, reduces installation and maintenance costs, and enables intelligent traffic management applications such as congestion pricing, dynamic traffic light sequencing, and vehicle tracking without the need for additional infrastructure.
Implementation Method 1
lighting units (LUs) act as listening posts for signals emitted from devices in the urban environment. For example, the signals may be radio frequency signals emitted from automobiles.
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(b)
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
A lighting network (100) and methods therefore are disclosed. The lighting network (100) includes a plurality of lighting units (LU0 - LU10) each including a wireless receiver (12) arranged to obtain a wireless signal from an object (30) to be tracked and a communication interface (14). The lighting network (100) also includes a control unit (20) including a communication unit (22) that is arranged to communicate with at least one of the plurality of lighting units (LU0 - LU10) to obtain tracking data based upon the wireless signal. The tracking data is processed by the control unit (20) using a topology table (Fig. 1 b). The topology table (Fig. 1 b) is based upon the geographic locations of the plurality of lighting units and mapping data.