Requirements Specification

Background

We've all had the experience of driving along a road and there is an intersection up and coming. The light is still green but once you arrive at the intersection of course the light turns red and you must stop. Even if there is no one at the intersection still you wait for the traffic lights to cycle through what ever holding time it has pre-programmed until it is your turn. The light turns green and away you go (under the speed limit, of course).

Suppose that there exists a system that could detect the density and velocity of the traffic that converged on an intersection. That the information gathered would then be used to determine the time it took for a traffic light to cycle. So, if you were less than half a minute out from the intersection with no one coming in the other direction, the system would determine that the light on your road would stay green and the opposite road would stay red. Thereby this system will ensure a happy driver and a smoother flow of traffic.

The Deliverables

One prototype will be delivered which will be scalable from remote control cars up to actual cars. A deployable field of sensors will relay information to a central processing system that will process our traffic flow and adjust the traffic lights accordingly.

1. One working prototype will be delivered, possibly two if resources allow it. The scale of the prototype will be to that of remote control toy vehicles.
2. Prototype will consist of one adapted traffic intersection built to scale. One traffic control unit, multiple sensor nets which will be able to determine traffic flow from four directions.
3. Installation manual.
4. Technical reference manual which will include the system specifications, tolerances of allowable operation, block diagram, and functional description of block diagram.
5. Schematic diagrams, Finite state machine diagrams, and circuit descriptions.

Special Exceptions

1. The green light must stay long enough for at least one vehicle to traverse the intersection.
2. The duration of the yellow lights will be determined by the characteristics of the traffic within the sensor array.

Principle of Operation

An existing intersection can be augmented with the adaptive traffic control system with limited complexity to install the modification. The existing control system might not need to be removed. The systems traffic algorithm must ensure that secondary roads are not denied use of the intersection because of heavy traffic on the primary road.

Cost

The prototype must be completed using less than $500 however the RC vehicles will be purchased by the team members personally if the budget does not allow for it. The cost of a deployable system for that of a city is to be determined.