Traffic Control Device for Anomaly Detection in Mixed Vehicle Flows

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Solution Overview

Problem

The integration of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, as well as electric vehicles, poses safety and operational challenges in urban areas, particularly at intersections, due to the difficulty in managing charge levels and potential breakdowns, which can lead to stranded vehicles and increased safety risks, complicating traffic signal management and responsibility.

Innovation Solution

A traffic control system that utilizes a combination of sensors, wireless communication, and data fusion to detect and assess road user types, including autonomous vehicles, and triggers adaptive signaling and warnings through Car-to-Infrastructure (C2I) technology to manage risk and maintain traffic safety, even in the presence of anomalies like vehicle breakdowns.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If autonomous vehicles and vehicles with electric drives are integrated into traffic, then vehicle mix and modernization are improved, but safety risk and operational reliability deteriorate due to breakdowns and charge depletion

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevehicle mixVSAvoidsafety risk
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The control device performs preliminary detection of autonomous vehicles and electric vehicles in the traffic section before critical failures occur. By continuously monitoring vehicle status and position, the system identifies vehicles with low charge or technical defects early, allowing preventive measures to be taken before breakdowns affect traffic safety.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system establishes continuous feedback loops between sensors, receiving devices, and the control device. Road user data including charge status and vehicle health information are continuously received, merged with sensor data, and fed back to the control device for real-time adjustment of signaling and traffic management, enabling dynamic response to changing vehicle conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Device complexity

If traditional traffic signal control is used, then infrastructure complexity is minimized, but traffic safety and responsiveness to anomalies deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinfrastructure complexityVSAvoidtraffic safety
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The control device serves multiple functions: it controls traditional traffic signals, detects road users including autonomous vehicles, receives wireless vehicle status data, merges sensor and communication data, detects anomalies in vehicle presence, and triggers adaptive signaling. This multi-functional approach consolidates complexity into a single intelligent control unit rather than requiring separate systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The control device acts as an intermediary between infrastructure sensors and vehicle systems. It receives road user data from vehicles via wireless communication, combines this with data from infrastructure sensors, and based on the merged information, controls traffic signals and provides warnings to road users, mediating between different data sources and control actions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If real-time data fusion and anomaly detection are implemented, then traffic safety is improved, but device complexity and data processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetraffic safetyVSAvoiddata processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The data processing function is segmented into distinct modules: a receiving device for wireless vehicle data, sensor devices for infrastructure data, a merging device for combining data streams, and an anomaly detection device for analyzing merged data. This segmentation allows each component to handle specific data processing tasks independently, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive monitoring capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3182394B1Control device and control method for monitoring and controlling a traffic section
Publication Date: 2023.12.06 SWARCO TRAFFIC SYST
  • EP3182394B1 patent drawingFigure 1
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  • EP3182394B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

According to the present invention, a control device for monitoring a traffic section is provided, comprising a sensor device that scans the traffic section, a receiver that wirelessly receives traffic participant data from traffic participants, wherein the traffic participant data of each traffic participant includes position data of the respective traffic participant and information related to the position data regarding a traffic participant type of the respective traffic participant, a merging device that merges the position data of the respective traffic participant and scanning information from the sensor device to form fusion data of the respective traffic participant, and a locking device that determines, based on the fusion data of the respective traffic participants and the information regarding the traffic participant type of the respective traffic participants,whether an anomaly exists in the presence history of a road user of a predetermined road user type in the traffic segment.