Abstract
Almost
all the populated countries especially under developed countries are facing
traffic problem in their major big city Maiduguri in Borno State. There are
number of possible solutions as widening the roads, make overheads, and make
different routes to same destination etc but these all require healthy
resources. There is a requirement to optimize the current road model by
properly allocating the time to traffic signals. Researchers have proposed
different simulation models and used various approaches to optimize the traffic
light signals. In this project work has provided information about the traffic
light simulator that is implemented using Visual Studio 2008 in C#. It also
illustrated the genetic algorithm (GA) approach that will have used to optimize
the traffic light signals using the simulator. Result shows that our simulator
works better and GA provides better results as it matures.
Table of Contents
Contents
Page
Title
page - - - - - - - - -
Certification - - - - - - - - - ii
Dedication - - - - - - - - - iii
Acknowledgement - - - - - - - - iv
List
of Figures - - - - - - - - - - v
List
of Tables- - - - - - - - - - vi
Table
of contents - - - - - - - - vii
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Introduction
and Background of the Study - - - - - - 1
1.2 Statement of the
Problem - - - - - - - 3
1.3 Objectives
of the Study - - - - - - - 4
1.4 Scope of the Study - - - - - - - - 4
1.5 Significance of the Study - - - - - - - 4
1.6
Operational Definition of Terms - - - - - - 5
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE
REVIEW
2.1 Introduction - - - - - - - - - 6
2.2 Review of
Related Work on Traffic Signals - - - - - 6
2.3 Standards of
Traffic Signal - - - - - - - 9
2.4 Lane Control
- - - - - - - - - 11
2.5 Types of
Traffic Signal - - - - - - - 12
CHAPTER
THREE
METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction - - - - - - - - - 15
3.2 Research Methodology - - - - - - - 15
3.3 Source Codes - - - - - - - - - 15
3.4 Advantage of the New System - - - - - - 15
3.5 Documentation/User Guide - - - - - - - 16
3.6 System Review and Maintenance - - - - - - - 16
3.7 Problem of the Existing System - - - - - - 17
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS
AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Introduction
- - - - - - - - - 18
4.2 Choice of
Programming Language - - - - - - 18
4.3 System
Design - - - - - - - 18
4.4 Program
Implementation - - - - - - - 21
4.5 Software Testing and Integration - - - - - - 21
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY,
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1.1
Summary - - - - - - - - - 23
5.2
Conclusion - - - - - - - - - 23
5.3
Recommendations - - - - - - - - 24
References - - - - - - - - - 25
Appendix (Source Code) - - - - - - - - 27
List of Figures
Figures Page
Fig. 4.1 Animated Vehicles Designed - - - - - - 19
Fig. 4.2 Animated
Four Way Traffic Light Interface Design - - - - 19
Fig 4.3: Program Control Flow Chart
- - - - - - - 20
Fig. 4.4: Main System
implementation window - - - - - 21
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Introduction and Background
of the Study
Managing vehicles traffic
congestion at highway junctions on urban roads have been a major challenge to
many cities. On most cases, it resulted into a deadlock where no vehicle moves.
Many cities used human to control such congestion but with limited capability.
As a result, its impact on immediate community include air pollution, noise
pollution, and heat generation, other effect include delay in reaching your
destination, and many more. Many cities are now using traffic lights at highway
junctions that are already programmed to coordinate vehicles movements Traffic
lights are important component and difficulty in the urban road network, caused
by an exceeded usage of road capacity. There is no doubt that time separation
of traffic conflicts using traffic signals is one of the most powerful tools
for urban traffic control available to city authorities. Their correct design
and operation can improve both traffic performance and the safety of all road
users (TRL, 2018).
The world’s first traffic light
came into being before the automobile was in use, and traffic consisted only of
pedestrians, buggies, and wagons. Installed at an intersection in London in
1868, it was a revolving lantern with red and green signals. Red meant
"stop" and green meant "caution." The lantern, illuminated
by gas, was turned by means of a lever at its base so that the appropriate
light faced traffic. On January 2, 1869, this crude traffic light exploded,
injuring the policeman who was operating it. After the coming of automobiles,
the situation got even worse. Police Officer William L. Potts of Detroit,
Michigan, decided to do something about the problem. What he had in mind was
figuring out a way to adapt railroad signals for street use. The railroads were
already utilizing automatic controls. But railroad traffic traveled along
parallel lines. Street traffic traveled at right angles. Potts used red, amber,
and green railroad lights and about thirty-seven dollars’ worth of wire and
electrical controls to make the world’s first 4-way three color traffic light.
It was installed in 1920 on the corner of Woodward and Michigan Avenues in
Detroit. Within a year, Detroit had installed a total of fifteen of the new
automatic lights. At about the same time, Garrett Morgan of Cleveland, Ohio realized
the need to control the flow of traffic. A gifted inventor and reportedly the
first African American to own an automobile in Cleveland, Ohio, he invented the
electric automatic traffic light. Though it looked more like the semaphore
signals you see at train crossings today. Many others had obtained US Patents
for Traffic Signals, some as early as 1918. But Morgan's Patent was purchased
by General Electric Corporation and provided the protection they needed to
begin building a monopoly on traffic light manufacture (Pietrasik, 2018).
Traffic is increasing at a rapid
pace on the roads proportional to the increase in population. According to
Warberg et al., (2018), in 2002, 750
million Euros loss has been reported in Greater Copenhagen due to traffic
problem. Different approaches can be used to minimize the traffic problem such
as public transport can be improved, existing communication mechanisms can be expanded
or using the present available roads, by proper handling of the signal times.
The first two approaches require many resources as money, labor, area etc. They
seem very difficult to achieve in many places due to lack of resources. But the
third approach looks a better choice to adopt in these circumstances.
Researcher has proposed different strategies to provide a mechanism to properly
set the traffic signal parameters. People are using cars or other vehicles that
basically use roads as media; for moving to their destination; is increasing
day by day. Current analysis of big cities shows that the number of cars on the
roads is increasing tremendously and the available resources are limited.
Proper handling of traffic seems to be the market demand (Ashfaq et al., 2012).
According to Wiering et al., (2014), intelligent optimization
algorithms are the necessity of an optimal control of traffic light signals.
Traffic light problem is a well-known optimization problem from a decade or so.
Traffic congestions can be minimized by proper handling of traffic light
(Nugrahani, 2016).
They may be helpful in enhancing
the capacity of the roads and traffic flow too. Several intelligent algorithms
are proposed for achieving this purpose as fuzzy logic, swarm algorithms as
particle swarm optimization (PSO) or ant colony optimization (ACO),
reinforcement learning, genetic algorithm etc. Simulations made for analyzing
different problems are thought to be powerful tools for analyzing complex
problem that change with situation as in traffic light problem; the amount of
traffic changes randomly (Hanna and Ruwanpura, 2013).
The technology behind the design
may vary from place to place, but the fact remains that in all cases an
electronic (logic) circuit is made to control a power circuit. The electronic
logic circuit is normally composed of the basic digital components of
electronic design which includes oscillators, timers, counters, decoders,
microprocessors, etcetera, while the power circuit includes the lamps and the driver’s
circuits. The digital circuit is designed to give an output commensurate to the
design choice. The power supply unit is designed to generate a steady supply
voltage which is used to power the logic circuit. The output consists of a
series of lamps which are expected to light in a particular sequence depending
on the design. By the logic circuit design, the lamps are made to come up in a
particular sequence depending on the design with each colour meaning different
motional status of the vehicles in that column.
1.2
Statement
of the Problem
Traffic
lights were designed to organize the way in which people and cars utilize an
intersection, reducing accidents and encouraging the flow of traffic. However,
many problems have been found in the traffic light system, from decreasing one
type of accident while significantly increasing another to adding traffic to
residential streets. As a result, many areas began to experience congestion on
one street during hours of heavy traffic, making traffic delays another
disadvantage of traffic light. Diverted Congestion to avoid congestion, drivers
will use alternative routes, usually residential streets.
1.3 Objectives
of the Study The
objectives of the study are to:
i. develop a four-highway junction
traffic light simulation
ii. implement
the (i) above using (Visual Basic
.net and blender animator)
iii. test
the software using unit testing, integration testing and system testing
1.4 Scope of the Study
The entire system was built using
an electronic circuit using digital components and a few linear components such
that a digital output is raised to control the traffic at cross (+) junction
using lamps rather light emitting diodes LEDS. At the input is an Astable
Multivibrator (AMV) built using 555 timers that provides the intelligence clock
signal that determines the timing based on what the time sequence generator
interprets from the clock (10 ten-decade counter). This traffic light is made
with the help of counter IC, which is mainly used for Sequential Circuits. We
can also call it as Sequential Traffic Lights. Sequential Circuits are used to
count the numbers in the series. Coming to the working principle of Traffic
Lights, the main IC is 4017 counter IC which is used to glow the Red, yellow
and green LED respectively. 555 timer acts as a pulse generator providing an
input to the 4017 counter IC. Timing of glow of certain lights totally depends
upon the 555 timer’s pulse, which we can control via the Potentiometer so if
you want to change the time of glow, you can do so by varying the
potentiometer, having the responsibility for the timing.
1.5 Significance of
the Study
The primary purpose of the traffic
light is to attain the safest and most efficient overall traffic flow possible.
When properly timed, a traffic signal increases the traffic handling capacity
of an intersection, and when installed under conditions that justify its use, a
signal is a valuable device for improving the safety and efficiency of both
pedestrian and vehicular traffic. In particular, signals may reduce certain
types of accidents, most notably, right-angle (broadside) collisions.
1.6
Operational
Definition of Terms
Highway: a highway is a main
road, especially
one that connects towns or cities.
Traffic Light: a set of automatically operated coloured lights, typically red, amber,
and green, for controlling traffic at road junctions, pedestrian crossings, and
roundabouts.
Simulation:
a simulation imitates the operation of real-world processes or systems with the
use of models. The model represents the key behaviours and characteristics of
the selected process or system while the simulation represents how the model
evolves under different conditions over time.
Visual Basic (VB): is
an event-driven programming language and environment from Microsoft that
provides a graphical user interface (GUI) which allows programmers to modify
code by simply dragging and dropping objects and defining their behavior and
appearance.
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