Adaptively controlling traffic movements for driver safety
A camera whose field of view includes an intersection of thoroughfares captures images and/or video of the intersection. Based on the captured images and/or video, a computer system surveys vehicular traffic through the intersection visible and defines both a risk zone of the intersection and a safe zone associated with the intersection. The computer system identifies that an at-risk vehicle is present in the risk zone and automatically modifying a timing of a traffic signal indicator to allow the at-risk vehicle to pass through the risk zone into the safe zone, for example by extending a green or yellow light.
1. A method of adaptively controlling traffic movements for driver safety, the method comprising:
capturing visual data of an intersection of a plurality of thoroughfares using a camera, wherein:
the intersection is beyond stop lines for all directions of traffic,
the camera is at a fixed location at the intersection,
the camera is an omnidirectional camera, and
a field of view of the camera at the fixed location includes at least a portion of the intersection;
defining a risk zone and a safe zone associated with the intersection based on the visual data;
surveying vehicular traffic through the intersection visible in the visual data, wherein the risk zone is within the intersection;
identifying that an at-risk vehicle is present in the risk zone based on:
timing of a traffic signal indicator, and
the visual data from the camera; and
modifying a timing of the traffic signal indicator to change its color to allow the identified at-risk vehicle to pass through the risk zone into the safe zone.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the timing of the traffic signal indicator to allow the vehicle to pass through the risk zone into the safe zone includes extending a period of time during which the traffic signal indicator outputs a green light.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the timing of the traffic signal indicator to allow the vehicle to pass through the risk zone into the safe zone includes extending a period of time during which the traffic signal indicator outputs a yellow light.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the timing of the traffic signal indicator to allow the vehicle to pass through the risk zone into the safe zone includes extending a period of time during which the traffic signal indicator outputs a red light.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the traffic signal indicator is directed toward vehicular traffic coming from a same one of the plurality of thoroughfares as the at-risk vehicle.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the traffic signal indicator is directed toward vehicular traffic coming from a different one of the plurality of thoroughfares than the at-risk vehicle.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the risk zone of the intersection includes an area where at least a subset of the plurality of thoroughfares intersect.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the risk zone of the intersection includes a center and an area around the center, wherein the area around the center includes a plurality of paths of the vehicular traffic through the intersection visible in the visual data, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of paths intersect.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the safe zone associated with the intersection includes one or more thoroughfare areas of the plurality of thoroughfares, wherein the one or more thoroughfare areas extend outward from the intersection.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the safe zone associated with the intersection includes a designated area at a periphery of an area where a subset of the plurality of thoroughfares intersect.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the safe zone associated with the intersection includes one or more designated areas extending outward from the risk zone, wherein each of the one or more designated areas includes one or more paths along which one or more vehicles in the safe zone travel, the one or more paths parallel to each other.
12. A system for safe adaptive traffic control, the system comprising:
a camera connector coupled to a camera, wherein:
the camera connector receives visual media data of an intersection of a plurality of thoroughfares from the camera,
a field of view of the camera includes at least a portion of the intersection,
the camera is at a fixed location at the intersection,
the camera is an omnidirectional camera, and
the intersection is beyond stop lines for all directions of traffic; and
a memory that stores instructions;
a processor that executed the instructions, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor:
defines a risk zone and a safe zone associated with the intersection based on the visual data,
surveys vehicular traffic through the intersection visible in the visual data, and
identifies that an at-risk vehicle is present in the risk zone based on:
timing of a traffic signal indicator, and
the visual data from the camera; and
a traffic signal indicator connector couples to the traffic signal indicator, wherein:
the risk zone is within the intersection, and
the traffic signal indicator connector modifies a timing of the traffic signal indicator to change its color to allow the identified at-risk vehicle to pass through the risk zone into the safe zone.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the traffic signal indicator modifies the timing of the traffic signal indicator by extending a period of time during which the traffic signal indicator outputs a green light.
14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the traffic signal indicator modifies the timing of the traffic signal indicator by extending a period of time during which the traffic signal indicator outputs a yellow light.
15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the traffic signal indicator modifies the timing of the traffic signal indicator by extending a period of time during which the traffic signal indicator outputs a red light.
16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the risk zone includes an area where the plurality of thoroughfares intersect, and wherein the safe zone includes one or more designated areas extending outward from the risk zone.
17. The system of claim 12 , wherein the camera connector is wirelessly coupled to the camera and the traffic signal indicator connector is wirelessly coupled to the traffic signal indicator.
18. A method of safe adaptive traffic control, the method comprising:
capturing visual data of an intersection of a plurality of thoroughfares using a camera;
identifying that a vehicle present in the intersection is at-risk due to a timing of a traffic signal indicator, the identification based on the visual data; and
modifying the timing of the traffic signal indicator to allow the vehicle to safely pass through the intersection.