The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 13, 2001
Filed:
Sep. 15, 1999
Jerome H. Lemelson, late of Incline Village, NV (US);
Robert D. Pedersen, Dallas, TX (US);
Steven R. Pedersen, Dallas, TX (US);
Other;
Abstract
A system and method for controlling traffic and traffic lights and selectively distributing warning messages to motorists is described. Traffic information is obtained from various traffic information units. The traffic information units have intelligent controllers. The traffic information is transmitted to at least one central controller. The central controller is used to determine congestion parameters and warning information. The congestion parameters and the warning information are transmitted from the central controller to the intelligent controllers. The intelligent controllers are used to determine appropriate action based on the congestion parameters and the warning information. Fuzzy logic is used to determine optimum traffic light phase split based on the traffic information from the traffic information units. The optimum traffic light phase split is determined for each of the intelligent controllers. Fuzzy logic controllers are used to execute fuzzy logic inference rules from a fuzzy rule base in determining the congestion parameters and the warning information and the appropriate action. Input variables and output variables are defined as members of fuzzy sets having degrees of membership determined by membership functions. The fuzzy rule base is used to define a fuzzy inference system wherein the fuzzy rule base is based on expert knowledge for system control based on observed values of control variables. The input variables are used to define the membership functions used by the fuzzy rule base. A reasoning mechanism is used to execute the fuzzy rule base and the fuzzy inference system. The membership functions are used to convert the input variables to output variables that define the control variables. Membership functions may be a fuzzy membership for traffic flow or for traffic light phase split. The input variables may be a level of avoidance variable, a length of warning radius variable, or a distance to dangerous situation variable. The output variables may be an output danger index or a radius of concern parameter. Global Positioning System technology is used by the system and method in order to track moving vehicles and signs and be able to communicate with them.