U.S. patent application number 16/995770 was filed with the patent office on 2020-12-03 for method and apparatus for controlling a roadway resource.
The applicant listed for this patent is AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.. Invention is credited to Brian S. Amento, Matti A. Hiltunen, Kaustubh Joshi, David P. Kormann, Rajesh Krishna Panta, Kermit Hal Purdy, Thomas M. Smith, Alex Varshavsky, Svetlana Yarosh.
Application Number | 20200380633 16/995770 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005021644 |
Filed Date | 2020-12-03 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200380633 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Amento; Brian S. ; et
al. |
December 3, 2020 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING A ROADWAY RESOURCE
Abstract
A method and computer-readable storage device and apparatus for
controlling a roadway resource are disclosed. For example, the
method receives from a device associated with a vehicle a request
to reach a target destination by a target arrival time and a
maximum payment amount to reach the target destination by the
target arrival time. The method next determining a route to the
target destination and determines a roadway resource along the
route that is controllable. The method then sends an instruction to
the device associated with the vehicle, where the instruction
indicates to navigate the vehicle along the route and controls the
roadway resource to enable the vehicle to reach the target
destination by the target arrival time.
Inventors: |
Amento; Brian S.; (Morris
Plains, NJ) ; Hiltunen; Matti A.; (Morristown,
NJ) ; Joshi; Kaustubh; (Scotch Plains, NJ) ;
Kormann; David P.; (Morristown, NJ) ; Panta; Rajesh
Krishna; (Bridgewater, NJ) ; Purdy; Kermit Hal;
(Bernardsville, NJ) ; Smith; Thomas M.;
(Westfield, NJ) ; Varshavsky; Alex; (East Hanover,
NJ) ; Yarosh; Svetlana; (Morristown, NJ) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. |
Atlanta |
GA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005021644 |
Appl. No.: |
16/995770 |
Filed: |
August 17, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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14133408 |
Dec 18, 2013 |
10748229 |
|
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16995770 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 20/145 20130101;
G01C 21/3461 20130101; G06Q 50/30 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 50/30 20060101
G06Q050/30; G06Q 20/14 20060101 G06Q020/14; G01C 21/34 20060101
G01C021/34 |
Claims
1. A method for controlling a roadway resource, the method
comprising: receiving, by a processor from a device associated with
a vehicle, a request to reach a target destination by a target
arrival time; determining, by the processor, a route to the target
destination; determining, by the processor, the roadway resource
along the route; sending an instruction, by the processor, to the
device associated with the vehicle, wherein the instruction
indicates to navigate the vehicle along the route; and controlling,
by the processor, the roadway resource to enable the vehicle to
reach the target destination by the target arrival time, wherein
the roadway resource comprises at least one traffic light, and
wherein the controlling comprises controlling a timing of the at
least one traffic light in presenting a green signal.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: tracking a movement
of the vehicle along the route.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one traffic light
comprises a plurality of traffic lights.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the controlling the roadway
resource comprises presenting the green signal in a direction in
which the vehicle is travelling as the vehicle approaches each of
the plurality of traffic lights.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the roadway resource further
comprises a selected lane of a road.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the controlling the roadway
resource further comprises increasing a toll fee for the selected
lane to reduce a number of vehicles travelling in the selected
lane.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: sending a further
instruction to the device associated with the vehicle, wherein the
further instruction indicates to navigate the vehicle in the
selected lane.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the roadway resource further
comprises a reversible lane.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the controlling the roadway
resource further comprises directing a flow of traffic in the
reversible lane in a direction in which the vehicle is travelling
along the route.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein the reversible lane is a
reversible lane of a tunnel.
11. The method of claim 8, wherein the reversible lane is a
reversible lane of a bridge.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a maximum
payment amount that a user associated with the vehicle is willing
to pay to reach the target destination by the target arrival
time.
13. The method of claim 1, further comprising: calculating a cost
for controlling the roadway resource; and calculating an estimated
cost to reach the target destination by the target arrival time
using the route that is determined and including the cost for
controlling the roadway resource.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: presenting the
estimated cost to the device associated with the vehicle.
15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: notifying the
device associated with the vehicle of the estimated cost is greater
than a maximum payment amount that a user associated with the
vehicle is willing to pay to reach the target destination by the
target arrival time.
16. The method of claim 1, further comprising: gathering traffic
data proximate to the roadway resource; and determining whether an
adjustment to the control of the roadway resource needs to be made
based upon the traffic data.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the traffic data indicates that
another vehicle requires an adjustment to the control of the
roadway resource.
18. The method of claim 1, wherein the route is selected from a
plurality of candidate routes, wherein the route is a lowest cost
route of the plurality of candidate routes.
19. A computer-readable storage device storing instructions which,
when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform
operations for controlling a roadway resource, the operations
comprising: receiving, from a device associated with a vehicle, a
request to reach a target destination by a target arrival time;
determining a route to the target destination; determining the
roadway resource along the route; sending an instruction to the
device associated with the vehicle, wherein the instruction
indicates to navigate the vehicle along the route; and controlling
the roadway resource to enable the vehicle to reach the target
destination by the target arrival time, wherein the roadway
resource comprises at least one traffic light, and wherein the
controlling comprises controlling a timing of the at least one
traffic light in presenting a green signal.
20. An apparatus for controlling a roadway resource, the apparatus
comprising: a processor; and a computer-readable storage device
storing a instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause
the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
receiving, from a device associated with a vehicle, a request to
reach a target destination by a target arrival time; determining a
route to the target destination; determining the roadway resource
along the route; sending an instruction to the device associated
with the vehicle, wherein the instruction indicates to navigate the
vehicle along the route; and controlling the roadway resource to
enable the vehicle to reach the target destination by the target
arrival time, wherein the roadway resource comprises at least one
traffic light, and wherein the controlling comprises controlling a
timing of the at least one traffic light in presenting a green
signal.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 14/133,408, filed on Dec. 18, 2013, now U.S.
Pat. No. 10,748,229, which is herein incorporated by reference in
its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Traffic congestion is a major waste of time, money and
resources, and contributes to additional pollution with no
corresponding societal benefit. For instance, in the United States
it is estimated that 2.9 billion gallons of fuel are wasted each
year, translating to $121 billion in lost time and fuel costs, and
5.6 billion pounds of additional carbon dioxide emissions. This
corresponds to a per-commuter loss of $818 and an extra 380 pounds
of carbon dioxide emitted. In addition, the average commuter spends
38 hours per year, almost an entire work week, sitting in traffic.
To address these and other problems, various approaches to traffic
management have been deployed, e.g., high occupancy vehicle (HOV)
lanes and the like.
SUMMARY
[0003] In one embodiment, the present disclosure describes a
method, computer readable storage device and apparatus for
controlling a roadway resource. For example, the method receives
from a device associated with a vehicle a request to reach a target
destination by a target arrival time and a maximum payment amount
to reach the target destination by the target arrival time. The
method next determining a route to the target destination and
determines a roadway resource along the route that is controllable.
The method then sends an instruction to the device associated with
the vehicle, where the instruction indicates to navigate the
vehicle along the route and controls the roadway resource to enable
the vehicle to reach the target destination by the target arrival
time.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] The teachings of the present disclosure can be readily
understood by considering the following detailed description in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network related to the
present disclosure;
[0006] FIG. 2A illustrates one example of controlling a roadway
resource, according to embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0007] FIG. 2B illustrates another example of controlling a roadway
resource, according to embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0008] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of a method for controlling a
roadway resource, according to embodiments of the present
disclosure; and
[0009] FIG. 4 illustrates a high-level block diagram of a
general-purpose computer suitable for use in performing the
functions, methods and algorithms described herein.
[0010] To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals
have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements
that are common to the figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] The present disclosure broadly describes a method,
computer-readable storage device and apparatus for controlling a
roadway resource. For example, in one embodiment, a user may incur
a fee to control adaptive traffic lights, or other roadway
resources, to ensure that he or she reaches a target destination in
a desired or target time. For instance, before a trip is taken the
user may input the destination and a desired/target arrival time.
Responsive to the user inputs, the system may calculate a route and
the associated cost to charge the user. In one embodiment, the
calculation may be based upon the number of traffic lights to
control, the current traffic condition, the current time of day,
requests from other users and other conditions. Although the
present disclosure is discussed below in the context of exemplary
dedicated short range communication (DSRC) networks and cellular
access networks, the present disclosure is not so limited. Namely,
the present disclosure can be applied to various types of
communication networks using various types of communication
protocols, e.g., a combination of any one or more of: wired and
wireless local area network (LANs), wide area networks (WANs),
various types of cellular networks, e.g., general packet radio
service (GPRS) networks, uniform terrestrial radio access networks
(UTRANs), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) networks,
Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks, and the like, satellite
networks, the Internet in general and so forth.
[0012] To aid in understanding the present disclosure, FIG. 1
illustrates an exemplary network 100 related to the present
disclosure. In one illustrative embodiment, the network 100
comprises a core network 140, a cellular access network 130 and a
dedicated short range communication (DSRC) network 110. In one
embodiment, cellular access network 130 may comprise a Universal
Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), or an evolved Universal
Terrestrial Radio Access Network (eUTRAN) and the base station 135
may comprise a NodeB or an evolved NodeB (eNodeB). In one example,
the core network 140 comprises an Evolved Packet Core (EPC)
network. In another embodiment, core network 140 comprises an IP
network and/or the Internet in general. In still another example,
the cellular access network 130 may comprise a basic service set
and the base station 130 may comprise a base transceiver station
(BTS). In other words, cellular access network 130 may comprise a
second generation (2G) network, a third generation (3G) network, a
fourth generation (4G) network and/or a Long Term Evolution (LTE)
network, and so forth.
[0013] In one embodiment, the network 100 also includes a satellite
portion with a satellite uplink 151 and satellite 152. In one
embodiment, the cellular access network 130, the core network 140,
the DSRC network 110 and/or the satellite portion may be operated
by different service providers, the same service provider ora
combination thereof. For example, DSRC network 110 may be operated
by a governmental entity or a private entity managing a
transportation region on behalf of a governmental entity. On the
other hand, cellular access network and/or core network may be
operated by a telecommunications network service provider. In one
embodiment, the satellite portion of the network 100 may be
operated by the same or a different telecommunications service
provider as that of the cellular access network 130 and/or core
network 140. Various interconnections between DSRC network 110,
cellular access network 130, core network 140 and other components
are shown. In accordance with the present disclosure, it is
contemplated that various communication devices may utilize any one
or a combination of such networks and interfaces in order to
communicate with one another.
[0014] In one embodiment, the internal communications of the DSRC
network 110 may use a 75 MHz frequency band around 5.925 GHz
assigned by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) of the
United States for Intelligent Transportation Systems, or DSRC
networks. In general, DSRC networks enable wireless
vehicle-to-vehicle communications and vehicle-to-infrastructure
communications. DSRC networks have been proposed for transmitting
safety and road condition information to vehicles, to warn of
traffic and weather, to sense nearby vehicles (e.g., blind spot
detection), and so forth. In this regard, DSRC networks contemplate
an on-board unit (OBU) for DSRC enabled vehicles to transmit, as
well as to receive and display messages.
[0015] Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 1, DSRC network 110 may
interconnect and control a number of infrastructure elements, also
referred to herein as roadway resources, which include roadside
units (RSUs) 112, traffic lights 114A-114C, as well as bridge 116.
Other infrastructure elements that are not specifically illustrated
in FIG. 1 may also comprise part of the DSRC network 110, e.g., a
tunnel, a restricted access gate, and so forth. DSRC network 110
also includes at least one server 115 for managing infrastructure
elements, for communicating with other elements and for controlling
other aspects of the DSRC network 110. For example, any one or more
of the functions described herein with respect to the DSRC network
110 may be performed by server 115, a plurality of servers of DSRC
network 110 and/or a plurality of servers deployed in a distributed
environment (e.g., in a "cloud-based" environment). For instance,
DSRC network 110/server 115 may control the timing of traffic
lights 114A-114C, may coordinate the timing of two or more of
traffic lights 114A-114C in a synchronized manner, may control an
access signal to a reversible lane on bridge 116, and so forth.
Henceforth, for illustrative purposes, various embodiments of the
present disclosure are described in connection with steps,
functions and/or operations performed by or facilitated by server
115.
[0016] Notably, server 115 may change the normal operating state of
one or more roadway resources due to various conditions. For
example, a traffic manager may be aware that a professional
sporting event at a large stadium is about to end. Thus, server 115
may receive an instruction to alter the timing of one or more of
traffic lights 114A-1140 in order to better move the traffic out
and away from the stadium. In one particular embodiment, the DSRC
network 110 may control one or more roadway resources based upon a
user's request to reach a destination by a desired time and in
response to a willingness of the user to pay an appropriate fee to
assist the user in meeting the desired time. This type of scenario
is described in greater detail below.
[0017] In addition, each vehicle 120A-120C illustrated in FIG. 1
may be equipped with an associated on-board unit (OBU) for
communicating with the server 115. For example, a traffic
controller may provide server 115 with a warning that there is a
roadway hazard, e.g., an icing condition, reported at the
intersection of traffic light 114A. Accordingly, the server 115 may
broadcast a warning message via one or more of the RSUs 112 near
the intersection. In turn, the warning may be received by the OBU
of any vehicle approaching the intersection to warn or instruct the
driver to slow down and/or take other precautions. For example, the
OBU may receive the message and present the text of the message on
an in-vehicle display. Alternatively or in addition, the OBU may
read the message via text-to-speech conversion. In one embodiment,
the OBU of each of vehicles 120A-120C comprises a navigation unit,
or is connected to an associated navigation unit. For example, the
OBU may include a global positioning system (GPS) navigation unit
that enables the driver to input a destination, and which
determines the current location, calculates one or more routes to
the destination, and assists the driver in navigating a selected
route.
[0018] In one embodiment, the OBU of each of vehicles 120A-1200 may
communicate with DSRC network 110 and/or server 115, e.g., via one
or more of the RSUs 112, to request navigation assistance. In
particular, in one example the driver of vehicle 120A may be
leaving for work and has an important meeting in only 20 minutes.
The trip usually takes 30 minutes due to the fact that one must
negotiate through a significant amount of traffic that includes a
number of traffic lights along the normal route. However, the
driver knows that when it is not rush hour, that the drive only
takes approximately 15 minutes. In this case, the driver is willing
to pay a significant fee to enable the driver to arrive on time.
Accordingly, the driver of vehicle 120A may input a request to the
OBU/navigation unit, indicating the office as the destination and
indicating a willingness to pay up to $100 to make the trip in less
than 20 minutes. The OBU may convey this to server 115. Server 115
may then determine based upon current traffic conditions, the
distance and type of road, the speed limit, a number of traffic
lights and so forth between the starting point and the destination,
whether the requested/target arrival time is a possibility. In this
regard, it should be noted that a target arrival time is not
limited to specifying an exact time or specific time duration, but
may also include a request to reach the destination as soon as
possible. For example, the server 115 may determine one or more
candidate routes to the destination. The server 115 may then select
one of the routes that presents a lowest cost/least time solution.
In one embodiment, the DSRC network 100 may then determine whether
there are controllable roadway resources along the route that can
be altered to assist the user in further reducing the anticipated
travel time. For example, if there are 12 traffic lights along the
route, the DSRC network 100 may determine that by controlling five
of the lights to ensure green lights when the vehicle 120A
approaches, this will be sufficient to help vehicle 120A arrive in
less than 20 minutes. In one embodiment, server 115 then calculates
a cost to charge the user based upon the number roadway resources
(e.g., traffic lights, lift bridges over waterways and the like)
that need to be controlled, the current traffic conditions, the
current time of day and other conditions. If the cost is less than
or equal to the maximum that the user is willing to pay, then the
server 115 may transmit a message to the OBU to begin navigation.
Otherwise the user may be notified that the trip cannot be
completed in the time requested and/or at the price the user is
willing to pay.
[0019] In addition, in one embodiment server 115 may continue to
convey instructions to the vehicle 120A to assist in navigating the
route. For instance, messages and/or instructions from server 115
may supersede or supplement instructions from the on-board
navigation system. In one example, the instructions from server 115
may be transmitted to the OBU of vehicle 120A via RSUs 112. In
another example, the instructions may be transmitted from server
115 to the OBU of vehicle 120A via cellular access network 120. For
instance, where coverage of the DRSC network 110 is weak or
non-existent, cellular access network 130 and base station 135 may
supplement the coverage to ensure that instructions reach vehicle
120A.
[0020] In one embodiment, server 115 may attempt to clear one or
more lanes on a road to assist vehicle 120A in meeting the arrival
time. In other words, a lane of a road or a portion of a lane of a
road may also be considered to be a controllable roadway resource.
Thus, as an example, server 115 may broadcast messages via one or
more of RSUs 112 that indicate to other vehicles on the road that
travel in the left lane in a region near vehicle 120A is not
permitted. Similarly, server 115 may indicate that travel in the
left lane will temporarily cost $1.00 per mile to discourage other
drivers from entering the lane, but so as to not completely
prohibit the use of the left lane. For example, there may be other
drivers on the road who are also willing to pay an extra fee to
maintain the privilege of using the left lane. However, the price
may be high enough to reduce the traffic in the left lane such that
vehicle 120A may safely travel at a speed which will likely allow
vehicle 120A to reach the destination on time. These and other
exemplary scenarios are described in greater detail below in
connection with FIG. 2B.
[0021] It should also be noted that in some circumstances it may be
necessary or helpful to the DSRC network 110/server 115 to have a
lane-level accurate view of the traffic and road conditions.
Accordingly, in one embodiment, server 115 may track vehicles' OBUs
via RSUs 112. For instance, in addition to broadcasting and or
transmitting messages from server 115 to vehicles, RSUs 112 may
also interrogate OBUs of passing vehicles to determine a level of
traffic, to determine which specific vehicles are travelling on the
road, e.g., for toll charging purposes, and so forth. However, it
may not be feasible to determine lane-level vehicle positioning
using only RSUs 112. In particular, it may be expensive to deploy
and maintain a large number of RSUs 112, especially where separate
RSUs may be required for each lane and for many miles of
roadway.
[0022] Thus, in one embodiment the present network 100 also
includes satellite infrastructure, e.g., satellite uplink 151 and
satellite 152. In particular satellite 152 may broadcast GPS
information that may be received by OBUs of vehicles 120A-120C.
However, in one embodiment satellite 152 and the OBU of each
vehicle 120A-1200 may be also equipped for differential GPS (DGPS)
and/or real-time kinematic (RTK) location sensing. For example,
DGPS uses the differential of the phase of a signal from the
GPS/satellite signal to determine position within far greater
accuracy. Real-time kinematics (RTK) further enhances the accuracy
by employing a fixed ground-based reference receiver. For instance,
as a satellite moves, the position of the reference receiver
remains the same and is able to determine the movement of the
satellite. This information is then provided by the ground-based
reference receiver to a moving DGPS receiver to assist in the
location determination. In particular, the user of DGPS in
combination with RTK enables location sensing within a few
centimeters accuracy.
[0023] Returning to the present example, any one or more of RSUs
112 may comprise a reference receiver. Alternatively or in
addition, base station 135 may comprise a reference receiver.
Accordingly, the OBU of each of vehicles 120A-1200 may resolve its
position with high accuracy via any one or more of: DSRC
communications from RSUs 112, DGPS signals from satellite 152, DGPS
signals from satellite 152 in combination with RTK information from
a reference receiver, and so forth. In particular, in one
embodiment DGPS/RTK information may be used in conjunction with
direct positioning information from RSUs 112 to provide redundancy
and/or to provide coverage in areas where there is little to no
infrastructure of DSRC network 110. However, in another embodiment,
an OBU may solely use DGPS and/or DGPS/RTK information to determine
vehicle position. In any case, the OBU of each of vehicles
120A-120C may then report a determined vehicle position to the DSRC
network 110/server 115. For instance, an OBU may report location
via DSRC messaging to RSUs 112 and/or via cellular communications
with base station 135/cellular access network 130.
[0024] Accordingly, the DSRC network 110/server 115 may determine
traffic and vehicle location information through several avenues.
Equipped with a view of the traffic, server 115 may then control
one or more roadway resources to reduce traffic, reroute traffic to
avoid accidents, to assist users, such as the driver of vehicle
120A as described above, and so forth. In addition, server 115 may
also track roadway usage by various vehicles to compute toll/usage
charges, to determine moving violations, and for various other
purposes. To illustrate, in the above example, server 115 may track
the location of vehicle 120A to determine when it is approaching
traffic light 114A in order to control the light at the relevant
time when vehicle 120A will pass. For example, the normal operation
of traffic light 114A may only need to be altered for one light
cycle to allow vehicle 120A to pass. Thus, it may be least
disruptive to other traffic to anticipate with high accuracy when
vehicle 120A will approach and to alter the traffic light function
for only as short a time period as necessary.
[0025] As further illustrated in FIG. 1, core network 140 also
includes a server 145 which may perform the same or similar
functions to server 115 in DSRC network 110. For example, DSRC
network 110 may comprise just one portion of a region through which
vehicle 120A may travel on a trip. For example, the route for the
driver of vehicle 120A from home to work may cross bridge 116 from
one state to another. The route may also traverse local roads,
county roads, state roads, roads and infrastructure of a regional
entity (e.g., an interstate agency, such as the Port Authority of
New York and New Jersey), and so forth. Thus, in one example a
telecommunications service provider, e.g., the operator of core
network 140 and/or cellular access network 130 may implement
functions of any one or more of the embodiments described
herein.
[0026] For example, server 145 may determine a route for the driver
of vehicle 120A to reach the desired destination (work) at the
desired arrival time. The server 145 may also determine one or more
traffic management regions traversed by the route, associated DSRC
network(s) managing the infrastructure/roadway resources along the
route, and so forth. The server 145 may then transmit instructions
or requests to one or more DSRC networks to control one or more
roadway resources in each network to assist the driver of vehicle
120A to meet the desired arrival time. Server 145 may also
coordinate the apportionment of toll charging and billing of the
vehicle 120A among the different entities managing and/or owning
the infrastructure along the route.
[0027] The above network 100 is described to provide an
illustrative environment in which embodiments of the present
disclosure may be employed. In other words, the network 100 is
merely illustrative of one network configuration that is suitable
for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Thus, the
present disclosure may also include any other different network
configurations that are suitable for implementing embodiments of
the present disclosure. For example, cellular access network 130
may comprise a wide area network (WAN), a series of LANs and so
forth. Similarly, as illustrated in FIG. 1, DSRC network 110 may
interconnect infrastructure elements in the 5.9 GHz DSRC band.
However, the present disclosure is not limited to any specific
protocol, such as DSRC, or any particular communication medium,
e.g., the particular 5.9 GHz frequency band. For example,
communications between OBUs and RSUs may involve radio frequency
identification (RFID) interrogation, or other forms of wireless
communication. In addition, DSRC network 110 may include wired
portions for connecting infrastructure elements to each other, to
server 115 and so forth. In a further example, the satellite
portion of network 100 may be omitted entirely, with positioning
information determined by RSUs and/or base station 135. In still
another example, the OBU of a vehicle may instead comprise a
cellular telephone, a smart phone or other portable device which is
removable from the vehicle and which supports additional functions
besides DSRC messaging. Thus, networks including the above
modifications and/or various additional modifications of the same
or a similar nature are all included within the scope of the
present disclosure.
[0028] To further aid in understanding the present disclosure, FIG.
2A illustrates an example of controlling a roadway resource, e.g.,
a lane of a roadway, in accordance with the present disclosure. For
example, FIG. 2A illustrates a portion of a roadway 280 with three
lanes and a number of associated roadside units (RSUs) 212. In the
present example, the driver of vehicle 220 has requested assistance
to meet a destination at a particular time. For example, a
navigation assistance system, e.g., a DSRC network, a server and
the like as illustrated in FIG. 1 and described above, may be
controlling various roadway resources on behalf of the driver to
enable the vehicle 220 to reach the destination on time. As
illustrated in FIG. 2A, the system may select to clear a portion of
lane 3 of the roadway 280 for vehicle 220. For instance, the system
may select to temporarily increase the fee for using a portion of
lane 3, the left-most lane of roadway 280, to $10.00. In one
embodiment, the system may transmit this pricing information to all
vehicles 221 on the roadway 280 via one or more RSUs 212.
[0029] Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 2A, most of the vehicles 221
have chosen to remain in lanes 1 and 2, which are free. A single
other vehicle has chosen to remain in lane 3. However, lane 3 has
substantially been cleared for vehicle 220. In one embodiment, the
system may also transmit a message to vehicle 220, e.g., to the
on-board unit (OBU) of vehicle 220 to instruct the driver that lane
3 has been specifically cleared for his or her use and that the
vehicle 220 should be navigated into lane 3. Notably, in one
example, the system may continue to monitor the level of traffic in
lane 3. If, for instance, the traffic does not decrease
sufficiently, the system may further raise the cost to encourage
more vehicles to leave lane 3. In another example, the system may
encourage other drivers to not drive in the lane 3 by offering a
reward to the other drivers to refrain from travelling in lane 3.
In one example, the system may determine lane-level traffic
information by detecting vehicle positions through sensing of
vehicle OBUs by the RSUs 212. In another example, the system may
determine lane-level traffic information through DGPS and/or
DGPS/RTK-derived location reports from the OBUs of various vehicles
221.
[0030] FIG. 2B illustrates another example of controlling a roadway
resource, e.g., a traffic light 214 at an intersection in a traffic
management region 282, according to the present disclosure. In the
present example, the driver of vehicle 220 has requested assistance
to meet a destination at a particular time. For example, a
navigation assistance system, e.g., a DSRC network, a server and
the like as illustrated in FIG. 1 and described above, may be
controlling various roadway resources on behalf of the driver to
enable the vehicle 220 to reach the destination on time. As
illustrated in FIG. 2B, the system may select to alter the normal
traffic light timing or cycle of traffic light 214 to assist
vehicle 220. For example, the traffic light 214 may be operating
according to a normal pattern and be presenting a green light to
vehicles 221 and 222 along roadway 286. However, the system may
detect that vehicle 220 is now approaching the traffic light 214,
e.g., vehicle 220 is within one block, is within 400 meters, and so
forth. In one embodiment, the system may detect the
position/location of vehicle 220, as well as the velocity and/or
trajectory of vehicle 220 by interrogating vehicle 220's OBU with
one or more RSUs 212. In another embodiment, the system may
determine location and/or trajectory through DGPS and/or
DGPS/RTK-derived location reports from the OBU of vehicle 220.
[0031] Thus, the system is able to calculate an anticipated arrival
time for vehicle 220 to arrive at traffic light 214. As such, if
the system anticipates that light 214 would normally be red in the
direction of roadway 285 when the vehicle 220 is calculated to
arrive, the system may alter, in advance, the light timing of
traffic light 214 to ensure that the traffic light is green for
vehicle 220. For example, the system may transmit an instruction to
traffic light 214 to alter the light pattern as desired. In
addition, the system may hold the traffic light 214 green in the
direction of roadway 285 until it has determined that vehicle 220
is clear of the intersection. For instance, the system may transmit
a further instruction to traffic light 214 to resume a normal
cycle.
[0032] It should be noted that in one embodiment the driver of
vehicle 220 is not the only driver who has requested assistance to
reach a destination at a desired time. For example, the drivers of
vehicles 221 and 222 may also be navigating routes that are
controlled by the system, e.g., by a DSRC network. As illustrated
in FIG. 2B, vehicles 220, 221 and 222 are all approaching traffic
light 214 at substantially the same time. Thus, the system cannot
control traffic light 214 favorably for all parties. Accordingly,
in one embodiment, the system may select to control traffic light
214 favorably for vehicles 221 and 222, while making up time along
the projected route for vehicle 220 in some other way. For
instance, in an ideal scenario, the system might pre-calculate all
routes in advance and arbitrate the control of different roadway
resources to optimize the arrival time for all managed
vehicles.
[0033] In another embodiment, the system may determine the maximum
prices that the respective drivers are willing to pay and grant
priority to one direction of travel or another based upon
competitive bidding. For example, in one embodiment the system may
aggregate the maximum amount that different drivers are willing to
pay and grant priority to one particular direction of travel based
upon a maximum collective amount which drivers who are travelling
in that direction are willing to pay versus drivers traveling in a
perpendicular direction at a crossing direction. For example, the
driver of vehicle 220 may indicate a willingness to pay up to $100
to reach his destination on time. The driver of vehicle 221 may
also indicate a willingness to pay $100 to reach her destination on
time. In addition, the driver of vehicle 222 may indicate a
willingness to pay $75. However, since vehicle 221 and 222 appear
to be converging on traffic light 214 at the same time, their
interests align in having traffic light 214 present a green light
in the direction of roadway 286. Thus, the system may aggregate the
maximum price that the driver of vehicle 221 is willing to pay with
the maximum that the driver of vehicle 222 is willing to pay to
arrive at a collective maximum of $175.
[0034] Vehicle 220 is also converging on the traffic light 214 at
the same time, but from a perpendicular direction. Since he has
only indicated a willingness to pay up to $100, vehicles 221 and
222 may be granted priority. However, it should be noted that a
relatively greater charge may be made to vehicles 221 and 222 for
the privilege. For example, the system may provide cost estimates
not to exceed the maximum a driver is willing to pay prior to
offering a route. However, the actual price charged may increase
over the estimate based upon various conditions, e.g., converging
on an intersection with other managed vehicles as just described.
On the other hand, the actual price charged may also decrease from
the estimate due to actual road conditions, e.g., an unusual
clearing in traffic which results in there being no need to alter
operations of any roadway resources.
[0035] It should be noted that the foregoing examples presented in
connection with FIGS. 2A and 2B are provided for illustrative
purposes only, and not by way of limitation. Thus, those skilled in
the art will realize that other, further and different embodiments
for controlling a roadway resource may be devised in accordance
with the present disclosure. For instance, in just one additional
example, a controllable roadway resource may comprise a reversible
lane of a bridge or a tunnel. Thus, the system may control traffic
lights on either side of the bridge or tunnel to allow traffic to
flow on the reversible lane in one direction or another.
Accordingly, in one embodiment the system may alter the flow of
traffic on a reversible lane or hold the access to a reversible
lane in a particular direction for a managed vehicle that is paying
for navigation assistance and the management of roadway resources.
In another scenario, the system may completely restrict access to a
lane of a bridge or a tunnel to clear the lane for a managed
vehicle. In another embodiment, the system may select which
direction to allow a reversible lane to flow based upon aggregated
maximum prices that drivers travelling in the opposite directions
are willing to pay. In yet another embodiment, the roadway resource
may comprise a drawbridge or lift bridge. Thus, the system may
control the drawbridge to ensure that it is down when a managed
vehicle approaches. For instance, if the drawbridge has a regular
opening schedule, the system may indicate to the bridge or to a
bridge operator to not raise the bridge as scheduled. Alternatively
or in addition, the system may indicate to the bridge or a bridge
operator that requests from vessels to open the bridge should be
denied or postponed until the managed vehicle passes.
[0036] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of a method 300 for
controlling a roadway resource. In one embodiment, the method 300
is performed by a server deployed in a DSRC network or other
network, such as illustrated in FIG. 1. Alternatively, or in
addition, the steps, functions, or operations of method 300 may be
performed by a computing device or system 400, and/or processor 402
as described in connection with FIG. 4 below.
[0037] Method 300 starts in step 302 and proceeds to step 310. In
step 310, method 300 receives from a device associated with a
vehicle a request to reach a desired destination by a desired
arrival time. For example, a driver of the vehicle may have an
appointment or reservation that he does not want to miss.
Accordingly, the driver may enter the destination and arrival time
information in an on-board unit (OBU) or navigation system which
may transmit a request message to method at step 310. In one
example, the method 300 receives the message via DSRC network
and/or via a cellular network.
[0038] At step 320, the method 300 determines a route to the
desired destination. For example, the method 300 may determine the
current location of the vehicle and calculate one or more routes to
the desired destination. In one embodiment, the vehicle may
determine its own location via the device associated with the
vehicle and report the location to the method 300. In one
embodiment, the device associated with the vehicle may calculate a
location precisely using differential GPS (DGPS) and/or real-time
kinematic (RTK) processing. For example, the device associated with
the vehicle may be configured to receive DGPS signals from a
satellite transmitter. In another embodiment, the method 300 may
determine the current location of the vehicle using one or more
roadside units (RSUs) of a dedicated short range communication
(DSRC network). In one embodiment, at step 320 the method 300
selects a least time and/or lowest cost route to the destination
from a set of candidate routes.
[0039] At step 330, the method 300 determines a roadway resource
along the route that is controllable. For example, the method 300
may determine that one or more traffic lights, lanes of a road,
bridge, tunnel or other thoroughfare, and the like, may be
controlled to assist the vehicle in reaching the desired
destination at the desired time. For instance, the method 300 may
determine that there are one or more traffic lights that can
potentially be controlled between the current location of the
vehicle and the desired destination along the selected route. In
addition, the method 300 may determine that by guaranteeing one or
more of the traffic lights will be favorable to the vehicle as the
vehicle passes, the trip from the origin to the destination can be
achieved in the desired time. In such case, the method 300 may
determine that the selected route is a viable route.
[0040] In one embodiment, at step 330 the method 300 may further
prompt the device associated with the vehicle for a maximum amount
the user is willing to pay to reach the destination by the desired
time. At step 330, the method 300 may further calculate a cost to
charge for controlling the roadway resource and an estimated cost
to reach the desired destination by the desired time. For example,
the method 300 may calculate an estimated cost to charge the user
based upon the number of roadway resources to control, the cost to
control each roadway resource, the current traffic, time of day and
other conditions. In one embodiment, if the estimated cost is less
than the maximum amount the user is willing to pay, the method 300
may then transmit the estimated cost to the device associated with
the vehicle. For example, the method 300 may send a message to the
device associated with the vehicle over a DSRC network and/or via a
cellular network. In another embodiment, if the estimated cost
exceeds the amount the user is willing to pay, the method 300 may
transmit a notification which may also include the estimated amount
and/or an option for the user to respond with an indication that he
or she is willing to pay at least the estimated amount.
[0041] At step 340, the method 300 sends an instruction to the
device associated with the vehicle for navigating the vehicle along
the route. For example, the method 300 may transmit information
pertaining to the selected route such that the device associated
with the vehicle may assist the driver in navigating the route. In
one embodiment, the method sends the instruction via a message over
a DSRC network and/or via a cellular network.
[0042] At step 350, the method 300 controls the roadway resource to
enable the vehicle to reach the desired destination by the desired
arrival time. It should be noted that the method 300 may control
the controllable resource through various communication channels
such as a DSRC network, a wired or wireless wide area network and
so forth. For example, as mentioned above the method 300 may
determine that by controlling one or more traffic lights along the
route, the vehicle should be able to arrive by the desired time.
Thus, at step 350, the method may control at least one of the
traffic lights to guarantee that it is favorable to the vehicle as
it approaches. For instance, the method 300 may present a green
light in a direction in which the vehicle is travelling as it
approaches the light.
[0043] In one embodiment, the method 300 further tracks a movement
of the vehicle along the route. For example, the method 300 may use
the tracking information to anticipate when the vehicle will
approach the traffic light or other roadway resource. In one
embodiment, the vehicle may determine its own location via the
device associated with the vehicle and report the location to the
method 300. In one embodiment, the device associated with the
vehicle may calculate a location precisely using differential GPS
(DGPS) and/or real-time kinematic (RTK) processing. For example,
the device associated with the vehicle may be configured to receive
DGPS signals from a satellite transmitter. In another embodiment,
the method 300 may determine the current location of the vehicle
using one or more roadside units (RSUs) of a dedicated short range
communication (DSRC network).
[0044] In one example, the controllable roadway resource comprises
a traffic light. However, in another example, the controllable
roadway resource comprises a selected lane of a road. As such, in
one example step 350 may comprise increasing a toll fee for the
selected lane, e.g., to reduce the number of vehicles travelling in
the selected lane. In addition, the method 300 may also send a
further instruction to the device associated with the vehicle
indicating to navigate the vehicle in the selected lane. For
example, the method 300 may convey the instruction via a message
over a DSRC network and/or via a cellular network to the device
associated with the vehicle. In turn, the device associated with
the vehicle may then display or read out the message to assist the
user in navigating into the selected lane. For instance, the
message may indicate to the user/driver that the lane has been
cleared specifically for his or her use. In still another
embodiment, the roadway resource that is controllable comprises a
reversible lane, e.g., of a bridge or a tunnel. Thus, in one
example step 350 may comprise directing a flow of traffic in the
reversible lane in a direction in which the vehicle is travelling
along the route.
[0045] Following step 350, the method 300 may proceed to step 395
where the method ends, or may proceed to optional step 360. At
optional step 360, the method 300 may gather traffic data proximate
to the roadway resource and determine whether an adjustment to the
control of the roadway resource needs to be made based upon the
traffic data. For example, the method 300 may also be assisting
another vehicle in reaching a desired destination at a desired time
and may detect that the two vehicles will now be approaching the
same roadway resource at the same time. In addition, the method may
detect that the two vehicles may have two different requirements
for the roadway resource. For instance, the method 300 may
determine that if a traffic light is green for one of the vehicles,
it will be red for the other vehicle, and vice versa. As such, the
method 300 may determine which vehicle should have priority at the
roadway resource and control the roadway resource accordingly. For
instance, the method 300 may grant priority to the vehicle of the
user that is willing to incur the greater cost. In one embodiment,
if one of the vehicles is negatively impacted, the method 300 may
select an additional roadway resource along the route for that
vehicle to make up lost time.
[0046] Following either of steps 350-360, the method 300 proceeds
to step 395 where the method ends.
[0047] In addition, although not specifically specified, one or
more steps, functions or operations of the method 300 may include a
storing, displaying and/or outputting step as required for a
particular application. In other words, any data, records, fields,
and/or intermediate results discussed in the method can be stored,
displayed and/or outputted either on the device executing the
method or to another device, as required for a particular
application.
[0048] Furthermore, steps, blocks, functions or operations in FIG.
3 that recite a determining operation or involve a decision do not
necessarily require that both branches of the determining operation
be practiced. In other words, one of the branches of the
determining operation can be deemed as an optional step.
Furthermore, steps, blocks, functions or operations of the above
described method can be combined, separated, and/or performed in a
different order from that described above, without departing from
the example embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0049] FIG. 4 depicts a high-level block diagram of a
general-purpose computer suitable for use in performing the
functions described herein. As depicted in FIG. 4, the system 400
comprises one or more hardware processor elements 402 (e.g., a
central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, or a multi-core
processor), a memory 404, e.g., random access memory (RAM) and/or
read only memory (ROM), a module 405 for controlling a roadway
resource, and various input/output devices 406 (e.g., storage
devices, including but not limited to, a tape drive, a floppy
drive, a hard disk drive or a compact disk drive, a receiver (e.g.,
having one or more network interfaces), a transmitter (e.g., having
one or more network interfaces), a speaker, a display, a speech
synthesizer, an output port, an input port and a user input device
(such as a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a microphone and the
like)). Although only one processor element is shown, it should be
noted that the general-purpose computer may employ a plurality of
processor elements. Furthermore, although only one general-purpose
computer is shown in the figure, if the method(s) as discussed
above is implemented in a distributed or parallel manner for a
particular illustrative example, i.e., the steps of the above
method(s) or the entire method(s) are implemented across multiple
or parallel general-purpose computers, then the general-purpose
computer of this figure is intended to represent each of those
multiple general-purpose computers. Furthermore, one or more
hardware processors can be utilized in supporting a virtualized or
shared computing environment. The virtualized computing environment
may support one or more virtual machines representing computers,
servers, or other computing devices. In such virtualized virtual
machines, hardware components such as hardware processors and
computer-readable storage devices may be virtualized or logically
represented.
[0050] It should be noted that the present disclosure can be
implemented in software and/or in a combination of software and
hardware, e.g., using application specific integrated circuits
(ASIC), a programmable logic array (PLA), including a
field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a state machine deployed
on a hardware device, a general purpose computer or any other
hardware equivalents, e.g., computer readable instructions
pertaining to the method(s) discussed above can be used to
configure a hardware processor to perform the steps, functions
and/or operations of the above disclosed method(s). In one
embodiment, instructions and data for the present module or process
405 for controlling a roadway resource (e.g., a software program
comprising computer-executable instructions) can be loaded into
memory 404 and executed by hardware processor element 402 to
implement the steps, functions or operations as discussed above in
connection with the exemplary method 300. Furthermore, when a
hardware processor executes instructions to perform "operations",
this could include the hardware processor performing the operations
directly and/or facilitating, directing, or cooperating with
another hardware device or component (e.g., a co-processor and the
like) to perform the operations.
[0051] The processor executing the computer readable or software
instructions relating to the above described method(s) can be
perceived as a programmed processor or a specialized processor. As
such, the present module 405 for controlling a roadway resource
(including associated data structures) of the present disclosure
can be stored on a tangible or physical (broadly non-transitory)
computer-readable storage device or medium, e.g., volatile memory,
non-volatile memory, ROM memory, RAM memory, magnetic or optical
drive, device or diskette and the like. More specifically, the
computer-readable storage device may comprise any physical devices
that provide the ability to store information such as data and/or
instructions to be accessed by a processor or a computing device
such as a computer or an application server.
[0052] While various embodiments have been described above, it
should be understood that they have been presented by way of
example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of a
preferred embodiment should not be limited by any of the
above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only
in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *