Adaptive traffic light cycle time controller using microcontrollers and crwodsource data of Google APIs for developing countries

Abstract

Controlling of traffic signals optimally helps in avoiding traffic jams as vehicle volume density changes on temporally short and spatially small scales. Nowadays, due to embedded system development with the rising standards of computational technology, condense electronics boards as well as software packages, system can be developed for controlling cycle time in real time. At present, the traffic control systems in India lack intelligence and act as an open-loop control system, with no feedback or sensing network, due to the high costs involved. This paper aims to improve the traffic control system by integrating different technologies to provide intelligent feedback to the existing network with congestion status adapting to the changing traffic density patterns. The system presented in this paper aims to sense real-time traffic congestion around the traffic light using Google API crowdsource data and hence avoids infrastructure cost of sensors. Subsequently, it manipulates the signal timing by triggering and conveying information to the timer control system. Generic information processing and communication hardware system designed in this paper has been tested and found to be functional for a pilot run in real time. Both simulation and hardware trials show the transmission of required information with an average time delay of 1.2 seconds that is comparatively very small considering cycle time.