Autonomous Roadway Manager for Traffic Coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous transports face safety concerns and traffic management challenges, such as pedestrian safety and traffic congestion, which existing technologies have not adequately addressed.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes a computing device and sensors to identify transports on a roadway, determine traffic levels, assign a roadway manager, control movement, and generate indicators to direct other transports, as well as detect and respond to pedestrians and their gestures to ensure safe passage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If autonomous transports operate without drivers to improve efficiency, then productivity increases, but safety concerns worsen due to pedestrian and traffic management challenges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a roadway manager as an intermediary autonomous transport that mediates between multiple transports and pedestrians. This manager coordinates traffic flow, manages right-of-way assignments, and communicates with all road users to ensure safety while maintaining efficiency. The manager acts as a central control point that resolves conflicts without requiring human intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where the roadway manager monitors the positions, speeds, and intentions of all transports and pedestrians in real-time. Based on this feedback, the manager dynamically adjusts traffic flow instructions, speed recommendations, and right-of-way assignments to prevent accidents while optimizing throughput.
2Reliability
If traditional traffic management is used to ensure safety, then reliability improves, but traffic surges cause slowdowns and lost time
Solution Approach 1:
The roadway manager implements dynamic traffic management that adapts to real-time conditions. Instead of static traffic rules, the system continuously adjusts right-of-way assignments, speed limits, and flow control based on current traffic density, pedestrian presence, and incident conditions. This dynamic approach maintains safety while optimizing traffic flow to minimize delays.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by predicting potential traffic conflicts and resolving them before they occur. The roadway manager anticipates pedestrian crossings, potential collisions, and traffic surges, then proactively adjusts traffic flow and provides advance warnings to transports to prevent slowdowns and maintain safety.
3Productivity
If a roadway manager is assigned to manage traffic flow, then traffic efficiency improves, but device complexity increases due to coordination requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The roadway manager is designed as a universal platform that handles multiple functions: traffic flow control, pedestrian safety management, collision avoidance coordination, and communication with diverse transport types. By consolidating these functions into a single multi-functional system, the patent reduces overall system complexity compared to having separate specialized systems for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses virtual representations and digital models of transports, pedestrians, and roadway conditions to manage traffic flow. Instead of direct complex physical coordination, the roadway manager operates on copied digital data, simplifying the control process while maintaining accurate representation of the physical system for decision-making.
4Reliability
If the roadway manager continuously monitors and directs all transports to ensure safety, then reliability improves, but use of energy increases due to constant communication and control
Solution Approach 1:
The roadway manager implements periodic monitoring and communication cycles rather than continuous operation. The system updates traffic flow instructions, safety warnings, and coordination messages at optimized intervals based on traffic conditions, maintaining safety while reducing unnecessary energy consumption from constant communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies monitoring and control actions selectively based on risk levels and traffic conditions. Instead of full continuous monitoring of all parameters, the roadway manager focuses computational and communication resources on critical safety issues and high-traffic areas, achieving adequate safety monitoring with reduced energy expenditure.
Data Source
AI summary
An example operation may include one or more of identifying transports operating on a roadway, determining a degree of transport traffic based on the identified transports, when the degree of transport traffic has exceeded a traffic level, assigning one or more of the identified transports as a roadway manager, controlling movement of the roadway manager, and generating a roadway indicator on the roadway manager to direct the identified transports.