Method and system for detecting traffic information

Abstract

A traffic information sensor system includes an image acquisition device to generate video images of a traffic scene. The system also includes an image detection device to extract traffic information from the video images in connection with the lane position information of the traffic scene. The system also includes an information transfer device to transmit the extracted traffic information instead of the video images to a traffic management center. A traffic information detection method and system is also described.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, like reference symbols refer to like devices.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a prior art traffic information detection system;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting a traffic information sensor system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 depicts a traffic information detection method executed by the traffic information sensor system of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting a traffic information sensor system having a lane localization module to detect and obtain traffic lane position information from the video images acquired by the sensor system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, wherein the lane localization module includes an activity map generation sub-module and a lane discrimination sub-module;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the operation of the activity map generation sub-module of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the operation of the lane discrimination sub-module of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a traffic information sensor system having a vehicle counting module to count the number of vehicles within any of the video images acquired by the sensor system in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the operation of the vehicle counting module of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a traffic information sensor system having an average vehicle speed calculation module in accordance with a still yet another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a traffic information sensor system having a lane localization module and a vehicle counting module in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a traffic information sensor system having lane localization module and an average vehicle speed calculation module in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a traffic information detection system using the traffic information sensor system in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A traffic information sensor system, comprising: an image acquisition device to generate video images of a traffic scene;an image detection device to extract traffic information from the video images in connection with lane position information of the traffic scene; andan information transfer device to transmit the extracted traffic information instead of the video images to a traffic management center.

2. The traffic information sensor system of claim 1, wherein the image detection device further comprises a lane localization module to detect and obtain the traffic lane position information from the video images.

3. The traffic information sensor system of claim 2, wherein the lane localization module further comprises an activity map generation sub-module to generate an activity map by accumulating changes among the video images; anda lane discrimination module to obtain the lane position information by detecting local maximum and minimum values in the activity map.

4. The traffic information sensor system of claim 2, wherein the image detection device further comprises a vehicle counting module to count the number of vehicles within an interested lane, as part of the traffic information, of the traffic scene by arranging a plurality of virtual lines at different positions on the lane, anddetecting the number of vehicles passing the virtual lines by detecting pixel changes at the virtual lines in the video images in order to obtain the vehicle count of the lane.

5. The traffic information sensor system of claim 4, wherein the pixel changes at the virtual line are determined by calculating an average value of several frames of images as an initial background of the lane and comparing the detected images with the initial background.

6. The traffic information sensor system of claim 4, wherein during night time, vehicles passing the virtual line are detected by detecting pixels whose luminance is higher than a predetermined threshold in the virtual line.

7. The traffic information sensor system of claim 2, wherein the image detection device further comprises an average vehicle speed calculation module to calculate average vehicle speed within an interested lane of the traffic information by arranging a virtual line on the lane, anddetecting the time vehicles take to pass the virtual line by detecting pixel changes at the virtual line in the video images in order to obtain the average vehicle speed.

8. The traffic information sensor system of claim 7, wherein the pixel changes at the virtual line are determined by calculating an average value of several frames of images as an initial background of the lane and comparing the detected images with the initial background.

9. The traffic information sensor system of claim 7, wherein during night time, vehicles passing the virtual line are detected by detecting pixels whose luminance is higher than a predetermined threshold in the virtual line.

10. A traffic information detection system, comprising: A plurality of traffic information sensors, each comprising: an image acquisition device to generate video images of a traffic scene;an image detection device to extract traffic information from the video images in connection with lane position information of the traffic scene; andan information transfer device to transmit the extracted traffic information instead of the video images;a communications network connected to the information transfer device of each of the sensors to transmit the extracted traffic information to a traffic management center.

11. The traffic information detection system of claim 10, wherein the image detection device further comprises a lane localization module to detect and obtain the traffic lane position information from the video images.

12. The traffic information detection system of claim 11, wherein the lane localization module further comprises an activity map generation sub-module to generate an activity map by accumulating changes among the video images; anda lane discrimination module to obtain the lane position information by detecting local maximum and minimum values in the activity map.

13. The traffic information detection system of claim 11, wherein the image detection device further comprises a vehicle counting module to count the number of vehicles within an interested lane, as part of the traffic information, of the traffic scene by arranging a plurality of virtual lines at different positions on the lane, anddetecting the number of vehicles passing the virtual lines by detecting pixel changes at the virtual lines in the video images in order to obtain the vehicle count of the lane.

14. The traffic information detection system of claim 13, wherein the pixel changes at the virtual line are determined by calculating an average value of several frames of images as an initial background of the lane and comparing the detected images with the initial background.

15. The traffic information detection system of claim 13, wherein during night time, vehicles passing the virtual line are detected by detecting pixels whose luminance is higher than a predetermined threshold in the virtual line.

16. The traffic information detection system of claim 11, wherein the image detection device further comprises an average vehicle speed calculation module to calculate average vehicle speed within an interested lane of the traffic information by arranging a virtual line on the lane, anddetecting the time vehicles take to pass the virtual line by detecting pixel changes at the virtual line in the video images in order to obtain the average vehicle speed.

17. The traffic information detection system of claim 16, wherein the pixel changes at the virtual line are determined by calculating an average value of several frames of images as an initial background of the lane and comparing the detected images with the initial background.

18. The traffic information detection system of claim 16, wherein during night time, vehicles passing the virtual line are detected by detecting pixels whose luminance is higher than a predetermined threshold in the virtual line.

19. A traffic information detection system, comprising: generating video images of a traffic scene;extracting traffic information from the video images in connection with lane position information of the traffic scene; andtransmit the extracted traffic information instead of the video images to a traffic management center.