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. The proposed control method is applicable to a rather general traffic flow including a loop road, a one-way road, left or right turn traffic at an intersection and any number of roads at an intersection. The results of computer simulations on several traffic flow patterns and conditions in a system of 2×2 signals are shown both with a macro model described by a flow density and with a micro model considering the dynamics of an individual car. Statistics such as an average travel time show that the effective control is achieved adaptively by the proposed method compared with several simple offsets in most conditions.
