The Future Development of Traffic Signals

and the Impact of Autonomous

Vehicles

Graeme Pattison

• Brief history of signals• Where technology is now• The Autonomous Vehicle situation• Current signal developments• Signal ITS developments• What the future may bring

Traffic signals are used to improve traffic flow

And to improve road safety

Conflict points at a simple intersection

The first road traffic signals and J P Knight

Public education for road safety 1868

a

Lester Wire, with his two color traffic signal

http://designobserver.com/feature/red-light-green-light--the-invention-of--the-traffic-signal/8627/

An acetylene gas light beacon USA

Sydney’s first traffic signals at Kent and Market Sts 1933

The Electromatic ControllerNeon tube timer with cam and relays

A pedestrian ‘PJ” signal controller – designed in-house

Sydney’s CBD VC4 controller also designed in-house

VC4 controller programming using plug in links

The AWA Unitac controller – valves, uniselectors, relays and happy technicians

The world’s first microprocessor based controller – DMT/Philips 1974

The signal lantern design has changed little in 80 years

Victoria Rd Gladesville showing a concrete

mast arm

Melbourne’s 1928 clock face style traffic signals

The first signals push button

There were many design types before signals became standardised

Early NSW vehicle detector using a rubber tube embedded in the pavement and a pressure switch

SCATS creator Arthur Sims

Proposed holographic signal

An actual traffic signal using projection onto a water curtain – SHT SoftStop

Eurokey for WALK time extension GreenMan Plus for elderly, Singapore

Krabi Thailand

Intelligent Lantern innovations

Adding timing displays

Yet more lantern concepts

http://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/17/interactive-dancing-traffic-lights-installation-smart-car-lisbon/

Animated Lanterns

Smartphone Signal Apps

Autonomous Vehicle communication links

Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle to Infrastructure (VTI) concept

V2V, V2I and Traffic Control Centre

Early Vehicle to Vehicle Communications (V2V)

http://www.sae.org/misc/pdfs/automated_driving.pdf

Google autonomous vehicle operation

Identifying what’s at the intersection

Planning the route

Anticipating every movement

Covering signs, signals, vehicles, bikes, pedestrians, topography

http://e2e.ti.com/blogs_/b/tilive/archive/2015/03/17/lidar-cameras-radars-action-the-road-to-autonomous-vehicles?keyMatch=vehicle%20sensors&tisearch=Search-EN-Everything

Many sensor systems are required

An early Australian one horsepower autonomous vehicle

A wide angle multi-approach video vehicle detector(GridSmart)

Combined video and thermal detector for vehicles and pedestrians

Every driver is acting autonomously

Vehicles operating autonomously may not be efficientArc de Triomphe, Paris

Slot based intersection control

Signal priority for sale

The CITI Project(Cooperative Intelligent Transport Initiative)

Australia’s first cooperative ITS deploymentNSW Centre for Road Safety, NICTA

• Seven signal sites• 200 heavy vehicles• 50 light vehicles• 10 buses• 1 level crossing• V2V and V2I

• Red traffic signal alerts• Speed Limit warnings• Collision warnings• Heavy braking alerts

New system announced for over 100 trucks and 100 intersections on Parramatta Rd, Pennant Hills Rd and King Georges Rd

SPaT(Signal Phase and Timing)

Communicates signals information to approaching vehiclesIncreases “Time Horizon” by providing coming phase changes

before signal display changes

Demonstration video http://youtu.be/wznpUv2PucQ

SCATS development for vehicle priority

The award winning Queensland Vehicle Priority & Pre-emption System

Demonstration of long distance on-road truck platooning (Rotterdam, April 2016)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-xOEJb4LEU

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