Traffic congestion measuring method and apparatus and image processing method and apparatus
US6075874A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 11, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jun 13, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 11, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG08G1/04
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The present invention measures traffic congestion by utilizing a video camera to capture images of vehicles travelling on a road and analyzing sample points that are assigned to different aspects of the images. For example, presence and movement sample points correspond to the expected location and motion of the vehicles respectively. The sample points adjacent to one another form either movement or congestion blocks. The blocks that have a ratio of movement sample points to all other sample points within the block greater than a predetermined level are movement blocks. The remaining presence sample points in the images signify congestion sample points and form congestion blocks. Congestion blocks have a ratio of congestion sample points to all other sample points within the block greater than a predetermined level. Therefore, the state of traffic congestion is measured based upon the resultant movement and congestion blocks.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.