Predictive Traffic Control System for Dynamic Toll Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current traffic control systems fail to maintain service quality in toll-ways as they only respond to existing congestion, leading to unstable traffic distribution and decreased service quality, especially in high-occupancy vehicle lanes or high-occupancy toll lanes.
Innovation Solution
A traffic control system that predicts traffic states on multiple paths and adjusts vehicle distribution and tolls dynamically to ensure that each path meets a predetermined service level, using a predictive model and sensitivity model to optimize traffic flow and reduce congestion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If current traffic state is only reported and vehicles are guided to detour by changing passage toll, then traffic information is provided to drivers, but traffic volume flaps between selectable paths and traffic situation becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by predicting future traffic states before congestion actually occurs. The prediction unit forecasts traffic conditions at future time points, and the control unit adjusts passage tolls in advance based on these predictions, preventing congestion before it happens rather than reacting to current conditions. This proactive approach stabilizes traffic distribution by avoiding the feedback loop that causes hunting between paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring current traffic states, comparing them with predicted future states, and adjusting passage tolls based on the difference. The control unit uses the predicted traffic state information to dynamically modify tolls, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains stable traffic distribution by anticipating and preventing congestion rather than merely responding to it.
2Ease of operation
If guidance is performed after congestion occurs based on current traffic state, then vehicles are directed to avoid congestion, but service quality deteriorates and vehicles continue to flow into congested areas until congestion actually occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by predicting future traffic states before congestion actually occurs. The prediction unit forecasts traffic conditions at future time points, and the control unit adjusts passage tolls in advance based on these predictions, preventing congestion before it happens rather than reacting to current conditions. This proactive approach stabilizes traffic distribution by avoiding the feedback loop that causes hunting between paths.
3Productivity
If passage toll is discounted to guide vehicles to detour, then traffic dispersion is encouraged, but traffic volume fluctuates between main road and detour causing instability
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by predicting future traffic states before congestion actually occurs. The prediction unit forecasts traffic conditions at future time points, and the control unit adjusts passage tolls in advance based on these predictions, preventing congestion before it happens rather than reacting to current conditions. This proactive approach stabilizes traffic distribution by avoiding the feedback loop that causes hunting between paths.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a traffic control system being capable of maintaining service quality provided by a toll-way. A traffic control system 1 includes a prediction unit 210 and a control unit 230. The prediction unit 210 predicts a traffic state on one path among a plurality of paths from a first location to a second location. The control unit 230 controls, when the traffic state predicted on the one path does not satisfy a predetermined service level, distributed numbers of vehicles among the plurality of paths on the first location in such a way that the traffic state on the one path satisfies the predetermined service level.