Communications: electrical – Traffic control indicator – Portable
Patent
1993-11-18
2000-09-26
Wu, Daniel J.
Communications: electrical
Traffic control indicator
Portable
340923, 340933, 701117, G08G 1095
Patent
active
06124807&
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This application is a 371 of PCT/EP93/00815 filed on Apr. 2, 1993.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process and an apparatus for regulating traffic.
2. Background Information
Portable light signal equipment is already known which is used for regulating traffic at restricted points or as a replacement for defective stationary equipment. Frequently, it is observed that moveable traffic lights of this kind--which are required at building sites, for example--are frequently not optimally adapted to the traffic flow, for reasons of time, and as a result cause unnecessary delays to much of the traffic, particularly when the traffic flow is fluctuating.
Of the conventional portable light signalling equipment there is equipment without any feedback system which operates with extremely accurate quartz oscillators as the time base. The stop, go and clearance times are strictly programmed and are usually only very broadly adapted to the actual traffic and are invariable in their daily operation.
Centrally controlled and monitored equipment with passive light signalling equipment allows the signal to be set by feedback. However, they do require expensive cables the size of which has to be adapted to the power to be transmitted (including the current supply to the lights).
From DE-A-1813336 an apparatus for controlling two traffic lights is known, in which axle counters are provided which will switch the apparatus over by means of counters whenever there is a coincidence between two counting circuits, i.e. when the number of the counted vehicles leaving the restricted area has reached the number of the vehicles which entered this area. However, there is the problem that these numbers are different if vehicles remain in the restricted area or enter the restricted area from this point. In this case, the equipment has to be switched off. Moreover, this equipment does not provide separate go and clearance times.
In a process for adapting the function of traffic lights to the traffic flow, as known from FR-A-2359451, the green phases of a traffic light apparatus are adapted to the number of vehicles passing, the phases being extended as the number of vehicles passing the equipment during one phase increases. However, once again, no distinction is made between go and clearance times.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has the objective of making it possible to regulate the traffic throughput, particularly at restricted points, even better, using a process of the kind described hereinbefore. In particular, it sets out to provide optimum clearance times which should be achieved in a short time. The light signalling equipment should if possible be easy and safe to operate even by untrained personnel.
The invention includes the finding that, with a process of this kind, the clearance time has to be determined separately from the duration of the go times since the clearance time, unlike the go times, is not directly dependent on the amount of traffic but primarily on the geometric length of the restricted area through which the traffic has to pass and the driving speed of the drivers involved. By contrast, larger amounts of traffic may even involve shorter clearance times. (The "clearance time" is the period after the end of a green phase which the vehicles within the restricted area will take to leave this area.) According to the invention, the clearance time actually required is determined from the time shift between the progress of the sensor signals at the entry and exit points or the signal patterns derived therefrom. The restricted area is detected as a dead time component affected by disruptions, the sensor signal at entry being the undelayed signal and the sensor signal at exit being the delayed signal. The desired clearance time is derived from the delay time of the dead time component thus determined, corresponding to the transit time.
Preferably, the transit time of vehicles is measured over a measured distance along the blocked-off stretch and the clearance time
REFERENCES:
patent: 2933716 (1960-04-01), Soderberg
patent: 3529286 (1970-09-01), Wapner
patent: 3833881 (1974-09-01), Debinger et al.
patent: 4390951 (1983-06-01), Marcy
patent: 5252969 (1993-10-01), Kishi
Heckeroth Rudiger
Petzold Bernd
Kinberg Robert
Voehringer Albert E.
Voorhees Catherine M.
Wu Daniel J.
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