How do Smart Traffic Lights Work?
Smart traffic lights optimize traffic flow and enhance road safety through adaptive signal timing, predictive analytics, V2X communication, and pedestrian/cyclist detection.
Adaptive Signal Timing: By automatically detecting traffic flow, it replaces fixed, repetitive timers and adjusts the duration of the green light to meet demand.
Predictive Analytics: Artificial intelligence filters and analyzes stored traffic data to predict similar traffic spikes in advance.
V2X Communication: Including core communication modes such as V2V, V2I, V2P, and V2N, the system enables beyond-line-of-sight detection, provides early warnings of potential hazards 3–5 seconds in advance, and improves traffic efficiency.
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Here, we will show you automatic traffic light management and how it works.
Smart traffic lights’ features include the following:
Reduced congestion: Vehicle wait times and traffic queues at intersections have decreased significantly, with overall traffic efficiency improving by more than 30%.
Improved safety: By accurately identifying pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles and integrating with traffic management systems to issue fines for violations, we can reduce the incidence of traffic accidents.
Emergency vehicle priority: Ambulances, police cars, and other emergency vehicles can be identified promptly, resulting in faster response times.
Lower emissions: Reduces exhaust emissions and fuel consumption, making it environmentally friendly.
JACKWIN offers a wide range of automated remote traffic lights to help you quickly deploy traffic control equipment and prevent traffic accidents.
Traffic Light Management
JACKWIN traffic light management addresses the issues of how to configure traffic lights, how their signal colors should change, and how they are controlled.
How to set up: Smart traffic lights provide a theoretical basis for subsequent traffic signal installation and timing by utilizing signal phase design, traffic flow channelization, and timing parameter calculations.
How to make changes: Extend the green light or shorten the red light by using single-point signal control, coordinated control between main lines and zones, and special priority control to determine the transition time.
Who is in charge: This refers to the physical infrastructure for smart traffic light management. Smart traffic lights are primarily managed through traffic detectors, signal control systems, and installation and maintenance measures.
Adaptive Signal Control Technology
JACKWIN adaptive signal control technology follows a rigorous “perception – transmission – computation – execution” logic.
Data Collection
We use geomagnetic sensors, high-definition video detectors, millimeter-wave radar, and other devices to capture real-time traffic flow data.
Data Transmission
We transmit the collected traffic data in real time to local traffic signal controllers via fiber-optic and 5G communication networks.
Optimization Algorithm
Our system’s built-in algorithms calculate the optimal traffic signal timing scheme in real time, with results generated in milliseconds.
Traffic Signal Control
Under the optimized plan, our traffic light phases and durations have been adjusted, and the system provides real-time feedback on performance to enable self-optimization.
Traffic Signal Synchronization
Traffic signal synchronization helps vehicles pass through multiple intersections without encountering red lights by coordinating traffic signals on major roads or within a specific area through precise calculations and synchronized operation.
- Offset: When a vehicle is traveling through a stretch of road with multiple traffic lights, the system precisely calculates the time difference based on the distance between intersections and the vehicle’s average speed, ensuring that vehicles released at the upstream intersection arrive at the downstream intersection just as the light turns green.
- Common Cycle: At each intersection involved in the coordination, a uniform signal cycle duration is followed, ensuring orderly system operation.
- Diverse Coordination Patterns: Traffic signal coordination modes are classified as synchronized, alternating, and progressive. The synchronized mode is suitable for closely spaced intersections; the alternating mode is suitable for moderately spaced intersections; and the progressive mode is the most common coordination mode for arterial roads.
- Dynamic Synchronization: Modern intelligent traffic synchronization systems can ensure that vehicles enjoy a smooth, uninterrupted flow of green lights during morning and evening rush hours as well as off-peak periods.
Sensored Traffic Lights
Sensors are a core component of smart traffic lights, enabling them to monitor road conditions in real time.
Video & Image Sensors
Sensors detect video and images, typically through cameras mounted on traffic signal poles. The advantages include relatively easy installation and maintenance, as well as a wide field of view. The disadvantage is that they are highly susceptible to weather conditions and lighting conditions, such as at night, in fog or smog, or during heavy rain.
Radar Sensors
Radar sensors use radio waves to accurately measure distance, speed, and angle. Their advantages include strong penetration capabilities, immunity to lighting conditions, and extremely high measurement accuracy. Their disadvantage is that they cannot recognize colors or text.
Smart Traffic Lights with Detectors
Inductive Loop Detectors
If you see rectangular cutouts in the road, those are the most classic and widely used examples of traditional induction technology: induction loops. These systems primarily use copper coils buried beneath the asphalt pavement; when a vehicle passes over them, the change in inductance triggers a signal. Its primary function is to detect and count vehicles. As a result, it is relatively inexpensive and highly reliable at counting stationary vehicles. However, it has the drawbacks of high maintenance costs, susceptibility to damage from road subsidence or snow removal operations, and a limited detection range.
Infrared Sensors
Infrared sensors are categorized into photoelectric infrared sensors and infrared thermal imaging sensors. The current trend is toward multi-sensor fusion, which enables the simultaneous detection of color and heat, thereby achieving comprehensive traffic monitoring with no blind spots. The advantages include strong environmental adaptability, the ability to install and maintain the sensors without damaging the road surface, detection accuracy exceeding 96%, and lower costs.
Semi-Actuated Traffic Signal vs Fully Actuated Traffic Signal
JACKWIN semi-actuated traffic signals place detectors on minor roads and are suitable for intersections where a major road meets a minor road with very little traffic.
Advantages: Ensures that the main road remains clear, reducing traffic delays; low hardware investment and maintenance costs. Since no detectors are installed on the main road, the system is not affected by detector malfunctions.
Disadvantages: Side roads are easily affected by traffic volume, require ongoing equipment maintenance, and cannot handle sudden spikes in traffic volume on main roads.
JACKWIN fully actuated traffic signals are equipped with detectors at all entrances and exits. Our signals are suitable for intersections where traffic volumes are comparable in all directions and subject to significant fluctuations.
Advantages: High traffic efficiency, eliminates empty runs, adapts to randomly changing demands across different times of the day and in various directions, and features a high degree of intelligence.
Disadvantages: High construction and maintenance costs; during periods of extreme traffic congestion, the system reverts to time-based control.
