Traffic control system

A vehicle guidance system for guiding a vehicle on a road to a bypath road, comprising:

• target traffic setting means for setting target traffic of the bypath road;
• real-time traffic measuring means for measuring the traffic of said bypath road in real-time;
• traffic estimating means for estimating the traffic of said bypath road by using said real-time traffic;
• instruction means for supplying an instruction to a vehicle to avoid traffic congestion of said road;
• and
• guidance control means for controlling said instruction means so as to reduce a difference between said target traffic and said real-time traffic.

A vehicle instructing and controlling system for controlling traffic, comprising:

• instruction means for supplying a traffic instruction to indicate a route to a vehicle;
• real-time traffic measuring means for measuring traffic of a road in real-time;
• a simulator external to said vehicle for estimating a vehicle wait time by using said instruction supplied by said instruction means and said real-time traffic;
• and
• a controller for controlling said instruction means so as to reduce a sum of said estimated wait times multiplied by predetermined weighted coefficients for said vehicle.

A traffic control system, comprising:

• means for receiving parameters of traffic signals on a road;
• traffic measuring means for measuring traffic in real-time;
• a simulator for estimating traffic by using the parameters of said traffic signals and said real-time traffic;
• calculating means for calculating a difference between said estimated traffic and, actual traffic at the time corresponding to said estimated traffic;
• instruction means for providing an indication of a road point at which said difference becomes equal to or larger than a predetermined value;
• and
• display means responsive to an instruction by said instruction means for displaying said road point and an indication of an occurrence of an accident at said road point.

A traffic control system, comprising:

• traffic difference calculating means for calculating a difference between integrated traffic at opposite ends of a road section having traffic measuring means at the opposite ends;
• intermediate inflow/outflow traffic calculating means for calculating an intermediate inflow/outflow traffic going into or coming from another road section connected to an intermediate point of said road section exclusive of said traffic measuring points, by using said integrated traffic difference;
• and
• control means for suppressing said inflow traffic of a branch road within said road section.

A traffic control system comprising:

• means for detecting outflow traffic to one road whose traffic is to be controlled, from an intersection having three or more roads;
• means for detecting inflow traffic to said one road from each of other roads different from said one road, to thereby control the inflow traffic;
• means for setting allowable traffic of said one road to be controlled based on the detected inflow traffic;
• means, connected to said outflow traffic detecting means and said setting means, for comparing said outflow traffic with said allowable traffic, and sensing an occurrence of a saturated traffic condition of said one road to be controlled;
• and
• suppressing means, connected to said comparing and sensing means and responsive to an occurrence of said saturated traffic condition, for suppressing said inflow traffic to said one road from at least one of said other roads,
• wherein said suppressing means suppresses said inflow traffic to said one road from said at least one other road, at an intersection upstream of said intersection, to increase the number of intersections at which said inflow traffic is suppressed and to expand a traffic control area.

A traffic control system comprising:

• means for detecting overflow traffic to one road whose traffic is to be controlled, from an intersection having three or more roads;
• means for detecting inflow traffic to said one road from each of other roads different from said one road to be controlled;
• means for setting allowable traffic of said one road to be controlled based on the detected inflow traffic;
• means connected to said outflow traffic detecting means and said setting means, for comparing said outflow traffic with said allowable traffic, and estimating an occurrence of a saturated traffic condition of said one road to be controlled;
• and
• means connected to said estimating means and responsive to an estimation of an occurrence of said saturated traffic condition, for suppressing said inflow traffic to said one road from at least one of said other roads,
• wherein said suppressing means suppresses said inflow traffic to said one road from said at least one other road, at an intersection upstream of said intersection, to increase the number of intersections at which said inflow traffic is suppressed and to expand a traffic control area.

A traffic control system, comprising:

• means for detecting outflow traffic to one road whose traffic is to be controlled and traffic of at least two bypath roads, said one road and said at least two bypath roads constituting a traffic control area;
• means for setting allowable traffic of said one road to be controlled;
• means for setting target traffic of said at least two bypath roads;
• first means connected to said detecting means and said allowable traffic setting means, for comparing said outflow traffic to said one road to be controlled with said allowable traffic, and sensing an occurrence of a saturated traffic condition of said one road to be controlled;
• indication means connected to said first comparing and sensing means and responsive to an occurrence of said saturated traffic condition, for indicating one of said at least two bypath roads to vehicles going toward said one road to be controlled;
• second means connected to said detecting means and said allowable traffic setting means, for comparing actual traffic of said indicated bypath road with said target traffic, and sensing an occurrence of a saturated traffic condition of said indicated bypath road;
• and
• indication controlling means connected to said second comparing and sensing means and said indication means and responsive to an output from said second sensing means, for prompting said indication means to indicate another bypath road of said at least two bypath roads.

A traffic control system, comprising:

• means for detecting outflow traffic to one road whose traffic is to be controlled and traffic of at least two bypath roads, said one road and said at least two bypath roads constituting a traffic control area;
• means for setting allowable traffic of said one road to be controlled;
• means for setting target traffic of said at least two bypath roads;
• first means connected to said detecting means and said allowable traffic setting means, for comparing said outflow traffic to said one road to be controlled with said allowable traffic, and estimating an occurrence of a saturated traffic condition of said one road to be controlled;
• indication means connected to said first detecting and estimating means and responsive to an occurrence of said saturated traffic condition, for indicating one of said at least two bypath roads to vehicles going toward said one road to be controlled;
• second means connected to said detecting means and said allowable traffic setting means, for comparing the actual traffic of said indicated bypath road with said target traffic, and estimating an occurrence of a saturated traffic condition of said indicated bypath road;
• and
• indication controlling means connected to said second comparing and estimating means and said indication means and responsive to an output from said second comparing and estimating means, for prompting said indication means to indicate another bypath road of said at least two bypath roads.

A traffic control system having indication means for an operator's usage, comprising:

• road information storing means for storing information of a road map and a capacity of respective roads on said road map;
• traffic measuring means for measuring traffic of said respective roads;
• traffic increase/decrease quantity calculating means for calculating a traffic increase/decrease quantity between predetermined points, by using said measured traffic;
• road traffic calculating means for calculating traffic of a predetermined road, by using said traffic increase/decrease quantity;
• area determining means for determining an area which is an area for congestionless traffic, by using said calculated traffic and said road capacity while maintaining said traffic increase/decrease quantity to a proper value;
• and
• means for prompting said indication means to indicate the area for congestionless traffic.