Video based adaptive road traffic signaling

TLDR: A video based adaptive traffic signaling scheme for reducing waiting period of vehicles at road junctions without detecting or tracking vehicles is proposed and found to be a much faster and effective control strategy.

Abstract: The ability to exert real time, adaptive control, of the transportation process is the core of an intelligent traffic system. We propose a video based adaptive traffic signaling scheme for reducing waiting period of vehicles at road junctions without detecting or tracking vehicles. The traffic signal timing parameters at a given intersection are adjusted automatically as functions of the local traffic conditions. The video sequences recorded at junctions are used for generating Spatial Interest Points (SIP) and Spatio-Temporal Interest Points (STIP). The traffic congestion at the junction is estimated using SIP and STIP. The decision rules are based on a definitive analogy between road traffic and computer data traffic wherein road vehicles are compared with data packets on the network. The system is similar in approach to the technique of Weighted Round Robin (WRR) queuing, a scheduling discipline used in data communication networks. Local traffic information is used to adjust the phase split keeping the cycle time constant. Two methods have been proposed. The first method, Optimal Weight Calculator (OWC), minimizes traffic at an intersection by determining the optimal phase splits or weights. The second method, Fair Weight Calculator (FWC), calculates weights relative to the road with minimum traffic to bring more fairness. After applying the respective algorithms mathematically on varying traffic conditions, OWC was found to be more equitable in the allocation of green time which is suitable for highly weight-sensitive junctions. For traffic with road priorities, FWC was found to be a much faster and effective control strategy.