Statement of the Problem

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 there at the other intersection still you wait for the traffic lights to cycle through whatever holding time it has pre-programmed until it is your turn for the light to turn green and away you go (under the speed limit, of course). Suppose that there existed 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 Design

1. The design must be completed by the end of the spring semester 2006.
2. The design must be able to detect traffic density and velocity.
3. From the gathered information. The system will be able to determine the best combination of traffic signals to ensure an uninterrupted flow of traffic as much as possible.
4. The design will be able to detect a vehicle from a predetermined distance away from the intersection. Using the gathered information from sensors along its path, the system will determine the proper state of the light with a high probability of maintaining smooth traffic flow.
5. Possibly make allowances for emergency vehicles to take priority in traffic flow.

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.