Ticket-Based Traffic Flow Control for IoV Intersections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current traffic light control systems are not completely safe and yield low throughput, contributing to a significant number of car crashes and fatalities at intersections.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system for ticket-based traffic flow control, where vehicles request and are allocated tickets to use intersections based on factors like location, time, speed, acceleration, and priority, allowing synchronized entry and exit to improve safety, throughput, and fairness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If current traffic light control systems are used, then the system is simple to operate, but safety is compromised and throughput is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments traffic flow control into discrete ticket-based authorization units. Each vehicle receives a unique ticket with specific entry and exit conditions, allowing individual vehicle trajectories to be managed independently while maintaining overall system safety and throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating and assigning tickets to vehicles before they reach the intersection. This advance authorization process ensures safety constraints are met while optimizing throughput by preparing vehicle clearance sequences in advance.
2Productivity
If vehicles are allowed to enter the intersection freely, then throughput increases, but collision risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where vehicles report their status (entry, exit, position) to the traffic flow controller. This real-time feedback allows the system to dynamically adjust ticket assignments and authorization, maintaining high throughput while preventing collisions through continuous monitoring and control.
Solution Approach 2:
The ticket system acts as an intermediary between vehicle requests and intersection access. The traffic flow controller mediates all entry and exit decisions, coordinating vehicle movements to maximize throughput while eliminating collision risks through centralized control.
3Reliability
If strict traffic light timing is enforced, then collision risk is reduced, but wait time for vehicles increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic ticket assignment that adapts to real-time traffic conditions. Instead of fixed timing schedules, the system dynamically adjusts vehicle authorization based on current traffic flow, reducing wait times while maintaining collision prevention through continuous coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes control parameters from fixed time-based traffic light schedules to flexible vehicle-based ticket assignments. This parameter transformation allows the system to maintain safety while significantly reducing vehicle wait times by optimizing each vehicle's passage through the intersection.
4Reliability
If a centralized ticket-based control system is implemented, then safety and throughput improve, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal ticket-based control framework that can be applied to intersections of various configurations and traffic patterns. The same core ticket assignment and validation mechanism handles different vehicle types, intersection geometries, and traffic conditions, managing complexity through a unified multi-functional system.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method of controlling vehicle traffic through an intersection comprising: receiving a request, by one or more processors of a traffic flow controller and from each of a plurality of vehicles, to use the intersection; allocating, by the one or more processors and to a first subset of the plurality of vehicles, a first ticket to use the intersection; allocating, by the one or more processors and to a second subset of the plurality of vehicles, a second ticket to use the intersection; authorizing, by the one or more processors, the first subset of the plurality of vehicles to use the intersection; determining, by the one or more processors, that all vehicles of the first subset of the plurality of vehicles have cleared the intersection; and authorizing, by the one or more processors, the second subset of the plurality of vehicles to use the intersection.