Method for predicting the remaining duration of a
signal aspect of at least one
signal group (303, 305) of a
traffic signal system (301), wherein the
traffic signal system (301) is controlled based on a
signal program which specifies several phases (401, 407) for a
cycle time and a separate phase permission range for each of the several phases (401, 407), wherein for immediately successive phases (401, 407) the associated phase permission ranges (503, 505) seamlessly connect or overlap, so that the phase permission ranges (503, 505) cover the entire
cycle time (607), wherein a
phase transition between two immediately successive phases (401, 407) is specified by means of a phase sequence plan (405), wherein the signal aspect is specified by a currently running phase (401) of the signal program.comprising the following steps: Determining (101) a
minimum phase remaining time and a
maximum phase remaining time of the currently running phase (401) for a
current cycle time point (717) of the
cycle time (607) based on the phase permission range (503) of the currently running phase (401) and on the phase permission range (505) of the phase (407) that immediately follows the currently running phase (401); Determining (103) a minimum and a maximum remaining time of the signal aspect of the signal group (303, 305) for the
current cycle time point (717) based on the
minimum phase remaining time, on the
maximum phase remaining time and on the respective phase sequence plan (405) that specifies the
phase transition between the currently running phase (401) and the immediately following phase (407), wherein, in the case that the respective phase sequence plan (405),which specifies the
phase transition between the currently running phase (401) and the immediately following phase (407) for the signal group (303, 305), does not specify a change in the signal aspect, successively searches for a change in the signal aspect of the signal group (303, 305) in phase sequence plans that follow the respective phase sequence plan (405) until a change is found in one of the following phase sequence plans, whereby the steps of determining (101) a minimum remaining
phase duration and a maximum remaining
phase duration for the
current cycle time point (717) of the cycle time (607) are repeated for each of the phases until the signal aspect changes, wherein a first sum of all determined minimum remaining phase durations is calculated and wherein a second sum of all determined maximum remaining phase durations is calculated, wherein the minimum remaining
phase duration of the signal aspect of the signal group (303,305) is determined based on the first sum and on the phase sequence plan in which the change of the signal aspect was found, and wherein the maximum remaining duration of the signal aspect of the signal group (303, 305) is determined based on the second sum and on the phase sequence plan in which the change of the signal aspect was found.