Extension of a signal control method using a phase model into multiple phases each for a traveling direction

Abstract

A coupled system of phase oscillators is proposed for a signal control of an urban traffic network. An area-wide control is given by a network of autonomous systems, which exchange local information without any central monitoring system. Each signal is modeled by a simple phase oscillator with a periodic motion, and pair-wise interactions with the adjacent signals control its offset to attain a desired value. The interaction strength depends on a traffic flow density between the corresponding pair of adjacent signals. In this paper, the method is extended into a signal with multiple phases each for a traveling direction, especially for right turn traffic. The computer experiment by a traffic simulator is given using the extended method, and the average travel time is shown to be effectively decreased compared with the other offset values.