One-Way Loop Mosaicking for Continuous Traffic Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current intersection designs, including signalized and 3D separation methods, still face challenges in achieving optimal safety and capacity while introducing inefficiencies such as vehicle stopping and increased pollution, and are not fully compatible with autonomous driving technologies.
Innovation Solution
A new transportation design that eliminates traditional intersections by mosaicking variously sized and shaped one-way loops in two dimensions, reducing crossing and diverging conflicts, and allowing vehicles to travel continuously without stopping, thereby enhancing safety and capacity while being compatible with existing infrastructure and autonomous systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional signalized intersections are used to manage traffic, then traffic flow can be controlled, but vehicle stopping and waiting time increases, reducing road capacity and increasing pollution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the traditional intersection concept entirely, replacing it with continuous one-way loops. By removing intersections, the system eliminates the need for stopping and waiting at traffic signals, thereby maintaining reliable traffic control through loop geometry while maximizing road capacity and reducing pollution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional grid intersections to a multi-dimensional loop mosaic system. Vehicles move through overlapping one-way loops in different directions and layers, allowing continuous motion without stopping at intersection points, thus resolving the contradiction between control and capacity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional intersections with multiple directions are used, then route flexibility is provided, but crossing conflicts increase, reducing safety
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the traditional intersection into multiple separate one-way loops, each with a single direction of travel. This segmentation eliminates crossing conflicts between opposite-direction vehicles while maintaining route flexibility through the mosaic arrangement of loops that can be combined in various configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of allowing multiple directions to converge at a single intersection point, the patent inverts the approach by having all traffic flow in one direction per loop. Safety is improved by eliminating head-on and crossing conflicts, while flexibility is maintained through the ability to choose different loop combinations for various destinations.
3Reliability
If 3D separation methods are used to eliminate intersections, then safety is improved, but infrastructure complexity and construction cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses 2D loop mosaicking instead of 3D separation, achieving safety through planar geometric arrangement rather than vertical stacking. Multiple one-way loops overlap and interconnect in two dimensions, eliminating the need for complex bridges, tunnels, and elevated structures while maintaining safety through unidirectional flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The one-way loops serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide safe unidirectional traffic flow, enable route flexibility through various loop combinations, and can be implemented using existing 2D road surfaces without requiring complex 3D infrastructure construction.
4Reliability
If one-way loops are mosaicked to eliminate intersections, then crossing conflicts are reduced and safety is improved, but route directness may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the route selection dynamic by allowing vehicles to choose different combinations of one-way loops based on destination and current position. While individual loops may require traveling through additional segments compared to direct intersection crossing, the overall system optimizes total travel distance through intelligent routing across the loop mosaic.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides new transportation design methods and a system that can improve road capacity, throughput, and travel safety as well as facilitate the current and future development of autonomous driving. The new methods and system basically eliminate all potential stopping, slowing down, and traditional crossing intersections in traffic. By mosaicking variously sized and shaped one-way loops in two-dimension and a myriad of ways and levels, the new design and system generally reduce possibilities of road accidents and utilization, reduce city pollution and improve energy efficiency, as well as encourage ride sharing and public transportation. The new design can always be compatible with existing streets and support progressive construction in phases at a controllable cost so it is practical in implementation.