A Physics-Based Finite-State Abstraction for Traffic Congestion Control

Abstract

This paper offers a finite-state abstraction of traffic coordination and congestion in a network of interconnected roads (NOIR). By applying mass conservation, we model traffic coordination as a Markov process. Model Predictive Control (MPC) is applied to control traffic congestion through the boundary of the traffic network. The optimal boundary inflow is assigned as the solution of a constrained quadratic programming problem. Additionally, the movement phases commanded by traffic signals are determined using receding horizon optimization. In simulation, we show how traffic congestion can be successfully controlled through optimizing boundary inflow and movement phases at traffic network junctions.

arXiv comment7 pages, 5 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1912.00565