Have you ever driven down a road late at night and noticed it was easy for you to get through plenty of green lights? The reason might be because you were driving down a road with hardly any traffic on it, thus giving you the increased likelihood to get through some green lights. It all comes as those lights monitoring what was happening in the area and noticed that there were hardly any vehicles coming around, thus giving you the right of way all along.
Such a trip like this is an example of how smart traffic lights work. Such lights identify city traffic conditions and adjust themselves based on who is coming or what vehicles are waiting to move along. Such lights are easy to travel through. The technology which keeps such lights running makes a real difference.
How These Lights Work
A controller is responsible for programming smart traffic lights. The controller uses a detection system that analyzes traffic that comes along on the road. The controller reviews traffic based on motions and how fast the vehicles are traveling.
Sometimes the detection system uses a series of sensors that identify pressure on the road. Such devices identify how fast pressure comes along and how intense it is.
Today’s controllers operate with advanced systems that allow several of them to link up to each other at a time. These link up on a singular grid and typically require wireless connections. A Wi-Fi network may be used for some signals although the setup typically varies based on what the city can access.
Two Detection Points
Two separate detection points often work in a smart traffic light setup. First, a sensor near a crosswalk or intersection reviews vehicles as they come into an area. The sensor identifies when a vehicle is waiting, thus reducing the time that light would be red.
Second, a detection point is added to the light itself with a small camera focused on a spot in the road. It reviews the motion to determine when cars are coming. In some cases it identifies larger public transit vehicles and changes the lights to its favor; this would require identifying the significant weight or mass that such a vehicle has.
The key is the Communication
The communication functions in a detection system are critical to giving it the power needed to route traffic. As multiple sensors operate, the lights change quickly and without disruption. Individual sensors interact with each other by linking data on how much traffic might be in an area based on what cars are found. This, in turn, reduces traffic time as the roads are properly routed.
Additional sensors may be applied to analyze weather conditions. Such sensors assist in reviewing the roads by looking at how much pressure is in the air, the precipitation in a spot, and how it might impact travel conditions. The general effort in identifying conditions and how people travel is critical to the success of any monitoring system.
What Benefits Come From Such Lights?
Smart traffic lights are designed to improve how well traffic runs in cities. With smart lights, traffic can be routed based on how busy the roads are. Some lights might be green for a longer period to allow tight traffic spaces to be cleared up, for instance. They might also be green for a while if there are no other vehicles coming around certain spots.
Also, these lights keep pollution from being a threat. With less idling involved, the vehicles on the road will not produce emissions that stick around city streets. This keeps the air a little cleaner.
Also, public transit services may benefit from smart traffic lights. Signals may identify buses or other large vehicles used for public transportation purposes. The signals are then changed in favor of such sustainable forms of transportation. This ensures potentially cleaner services run faster and also get to their stops on time. Some fine-tuning is often required to make sure services work well with such a system.
Smart traffic lights are designed to work well for many travel needs. These lights improve how people get around town and keep the air in a spot comfortable and safe.
