Central Traffic Control Computer Predicting Emergency Vehicle Routes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for prioritizing emergency vehicle routes through traffic control systems require complex and costly equipment, including radio transmitters and receivers, and often necessitate significant computing power and database management in emergency vehicles, which can be cumbersome and expensive.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a central traffic control computer to predict and influence traffic light signals along a vehicle's route based on its current position and travel direction, creating a 'green cloud' by switching adjacent traffic lights to clear the path, allowing emergency vehicles to navigate through congested areas efficiently without equipping every vehicle with advanced hardware.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If emergency vehicles are equipped with radio transmitters and navigation receivers to communicate with traffic control systems, then the ability to prioritize emergency vehicle routes is improved, but the equipment complexity and expense increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the computing and database functions from the emergency vehicle to the traffic control system. The traffic control computer assumes responsibility for receiving position data, determining the predicted route, identifying affected traffic lights, and controlling their operation. This extraction eliminates the need for complex onboard computers and databases in emergency vehicles, resolving the contradiction between route prioritization capability and equipment complexity.
2Productivity
If emergency vehicles are equipped with computers and databases to manage traffic light coordination, then route optimization capability is improved, but the computing power requirements and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the computationally intensive functions of route prediction, traffic light identification, and coordination control from the emergency vehicle and relocates them to the traffic control computer. The emergency vehicle only needs to transmit position data and receive control signals, eliminating the need for onboard computers and databases while maintaining full route optimization capability through the centralized traffic control system.
3Speed
If traffic lights are controlled individually at each intersection for emergency vehicles, then local response time is improved, but the coordination across multiple intersections becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control of multiple traffic lights across different intersections into a single coordinated system managed by the traffic control computer. The computer receives the emergency vehicle's position data, predicts the route, identifies all affected traffic lights along the path, and controls them in a coordinated manner based on the predicted arrival times. This unified approach maintains fast local response at each intersection while eliminating the complexity of inter-ion coordination through centralized control.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for influencing a traffic control system with a traffic control computer (3) that controls a plurality (4) of traffic signal systems in a road network (5) for the purpose of priority control for at least one emergency vehicle (2) with right of way, wherein the influencing of the traffic control system is based on current position data and a direction vector (R') of the at least one emergency vehicle (2) in order to accelerate its journey on a predicted route,The system comprises the following steps: a) providing position data of a destination (Z) for the at least one emergency vehicle (2); b) providing the current position data and the data of the current direction vector (R') of the at least one emergency vehicle (2); c) predicting a route for the at least one emergency vehicle (2) from its current position to the position of the destination (Z), taking into account the direction of travel chosen by the driver of the emergency vehicle (2) as represented by the direction vector (R'); d) influencing the traffic signal systems relating to a predicted direction of travel (R) on the predicted route in such a way that the respective traffic signal system releases traffic in the direction of the predicted route before or at the predicted arrival of the at least one emergency vehicle (2), and is characterized bythat in a step d') carried out in or before step d), further traffic signal systems in the vicinity of the traffic signal systems located in front of the emergency vehicle (2), relating to the predicted direction of travel (R) on the predicted route, are switched in such a way that in a driving corridor for the at least one emergency vehicle on the carriageway of the predicted route, vehicles of cross traffic or vehicles on the carriageway of the predicted route can leave the driving corridor and no vehicles can enter the driving corridor until the at least one emergency vehicle (2) reaches this point.