Patent ID: 6169495
Filing Date: 2001-01-02
Classification: B61L,G08G

Abstract:
A vehicle traffic control system covering an area in which a plurality of vehicles travel along a plurality of roads and/or tracks which intersect at various locations, comprising: a possible course determination apparatus for generating course settings each of which is a combination of one vehicle's possible course and other vehicles' possible courses which may be taken in the future in said area and for determining possible course patterns of said course settings; a course determination apparatus for selecting possible course patterns with less conflict, said conflict being defined as a phenomenon that one vehicle's course crosses another vehicle's course at a common intersection at substantially the same time, and for determining one of the selected possible course patterns as a course pattern, said course pattern comprising course settings to be taken by the vehicles located within said area to avoid conflict; a position detection apparatus for detecting present positions of vehicles, including a vehicle-under-control, by devices installed on said vehicles or provided externally of said vehicles, said vehicle-under-control being a vehicle located within said area and yielding to said course pattern determined by said course determination apparatus; a destination detection apparatus detecting destinations for vehicles, including said vehicle-under-control, through input by passengers of the vehicles or through estimation based on movements of the vehicles; and a course calculation apparatus determining courses of vehicles, including said vehicle-under-control, on the basis of detected present positions and destinations and speeds to be adopted on respective roads and/or tracks, wherein said possible course determination apparatus generates said course settings on the basis of the courses determined by said course calculation apparatus.