Traffic Control Unit Express Lane Planning for Emergency Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Emergency vehicles in intelligent transportation systems face delays due to ineffective warning notifications, as other vehicles do not respond promptly to avoid them, especially in congested conditions, affecting the efficiency of their emergency tasks.
Innovation Solution
An express lane planning method and traffic control unit system that coordinates with on-board units and center service units to identify and reserve a dedicated lane for emergency vehicles, ensuring other vehicles can uniformly avoid the lane, allowing the emergency vehicle to travel at full speed by sending timely indication messages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If emergency vehicles broadcast warning messages (CAM/DENM) to indicate their presence, then other vehicles can receive notification, but other vehicles still cannot quickly make effective response especially in congested conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-planning express lanes for emergency vehicles before they arrive at intersections or congested areas. The traffic control unit proactively reserves lanes and coordinates with other vehicles in advance, rather than relying on reactive warning messages. This preliminary coordination enables other vehicles to prepare for avoidance maneuvers ahead of time, significantly reducing response time especially in congested conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a traffic control unit as an intermediary between the emergency vehicle and other vehicles. This intermediary actively coordinates lane changes, manages traffic flow, and communicates with both the emergency vehicle and surrounding vehicles to organize avoidance maneuvers. The traffic control unit serves as a mediator that transforms the emergency vehicle's presence into an organized traffic adjustment, enabling faster and more effective responses from other vehicles.
2Productivity
If emergency vehicles travel without speed or route restrictions during emergency tasks, then emergency response efficiency improves, but traffic safety and order may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by creating dedicated express lanes specifically for emergency vehicles at critical locations such as intersections and congested areas. Rather than allowing unrestricted travel throughout the entire roadway, the emergency vehicle receives special privileges only in specific localized areas where express lanes are established. This localized approach maintains emergency response efficiency while preserving traffic safety in areas where express lane privileges do not apply.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making lane assignments and traffic control measures adaptable and changeable based on real-time conditions. The traffic control unit dynamically adjusts lane configurations, speed limits, and traffic signals according to the emergency vehicle's location, speed, and the current traffic state. This dynamic control allows the system to optimize emergency response efficiency while maintaining safety through continuous adaptation to changing circumstances.
3Speed
If non-emergency vehicles make individual avoidance responses to emergency vehicles, then emergency vehicle passage is facilitated, but chaotic and useless avoidance occurs reducing overall efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges individual avoidance actions into a coordinated collective response. The traffic control unit consolidates the avoidance maneuvers of multiple non-emergency vehicles into a unified plan, assigning specific lanes and timing to each vehicle. Instead of independent reactive avoidance that creates chaos, the system combines individual actions into a synchronized traffic adjustment, thereby facilitating emergency vehicle passage while maintaining overall traffic flow efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the traffic control unit continuously monitors the positions and speeds of both emergency and non-emergency vehicles. This real-time feedback enables the system to adjust lane assignments and control signals dynamically, ensuring that avoidance maneuvers are coordinated effectively. The feedback loop prevents chaotic responses by continuously adapting the traffic control strategy based on actual vehicle behavior, thereby maintaining overall traffic efficiency.
Data Source
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AI summary
An express lane planning method and a unit are provided. The method includes: obtaining, by a traffic control unit, an express lane scheduling request (201), an identifier of an emergency vehicle, a moment t0 at which the emergency vehicle arrives at a first road controlled by the traffic control unit, and a moment t1 at which the emergency vehicle travels away from the first road (202); determining, by the traffic control unit, an express lane from at least one lane (203); sending, by the traffic control unit, a second indication message to a non-emergency vehicle on the first road, to instruct the non-emergency vehicle not to occupy the express lane in a time period from t0 to t1 (204); and sending, by the traffic control unit, a first indication message to the emergency vehicle based on the identifier of the emergency vehicle, to instruct the emergency vehicle to travel on the express lane in the time period from t0 to t1 (205). In this way, a travel time of the emergency vehicle is reduced, and execution efficiency of performing an emergency task by the emergency vehicle is improved.