The Design of Traffic Lights Fuzzy Controller Based on PLC

Zhaoxiang Zeng

Shisheng Zhang

Electron and electrical engineering Dept

ZiBo Vocational Institute
ZiBo, China
ZZX2828585@126.com

Electron and electrical engineering Dept

ZiBo Vocational Institute
ZiBo, China
zsszdm@163.com

get the traffic of each direction, and calculate the traffic ratio
of north-souths traffic to east-wests traffic.

AbstractThis traffic lights with fuzzy controller is designed

based on PLC, assigned the traffic character of cross, fuzzy
handled the traffic, apply the merit of PLC enough, according to
traffic control standard. This controller can decrease the delay
time of a vehicle through a cross, increase the ability of vehicle,
display the traffic and the rate of break rules and regulations in
the terminal, made it possible to adapt control for traffic signal
and intelligent management.

B. The Design and Analysis Algorithms of Fuzzy Control

Fuzzy control is to consider mens long experience as
Control Strategy, and convert it to the language that machine
can identify for automatic control. In this system input and
output variables has been changed into domain elements and
numerical factors, and define fuzzy subsets.

Keywords- PLC; traffic lights; fuzzy control;

I.

C. Select M Domain
As {10
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100}.It
can be randomized into 5 fuzzy subsets: very few, few,
medium, many, more many. Its numerical factor K1=0.5. The
sub-function of traffic ratio G and cycle T is similar to
M.

INTRODUCTION

It is obvious that the vehicle become more important in

modern society, and traffic light installed at traffic crossing is the
important equipment for traffic orders. There are four
development stages of traffic control system: static time control,
dynamic time control, fuzzy control and computer network
control. There are many techniques used effectively in traffic
service, control and management, such as, information

D. Select

G Domain

technique
data communications
sensing technique
electronic control technology
automatic control theory
operational research artificial intelligence and so on.

As { 0.6, 0.8, 1, 1.2, 1.6}. It can be randomized into 5

fuzzy subsets: very few, few, medium, many, more many. Its
numerical factor K2=0.5.

In the light of the characteristics of urban crossroad

transit, this paper introduces the fuzzy control system making
the most advanced Technology of PLC, effectively imitating
the thought of experienced traffic policeman, enhanced the
capacity of intersection, easy to implemented traffic adaptive
control and intelligent management.

E. Select TDomain
As { 30, 40, 50, 60, 70}. It can be randomized into 5
fuzzy subsets: very short, short, medium, long, very long. Its
numerical factor K3=0.5.

II.

F. Fuzzy Control Figure

Depend on the numbers of input and output variables, control
requirement and accuracy, the fuzzy control data was
established, the fuzzy control table of cross traffic fuzzy
control system was formed as table 1.

FUZZY CONTROLLER DESIGNING IDEA

A. System Analysis
First, it is identified that how many input and output
variables, how to get the traffic flow volume and moving
violation. For single cross, it is more important to get the best
signal cycle and the split of cross direction. The signal cycle
should be shorted but less than 30 seconds when there is little
traffic; else it is danger when a vehicle can not cross because
of the short cycle. The signal cycle should be longed but not
more than 120 seconds when there is little traffic; else it is
beyond tolerance for driver and pedestrian.
The detecting method for vehicle flow rate is to install two
ring traffic detectors under the way in each direction. The one
installed far away the cross about 120 meters to detect the
vehicles moving into the cross, another one installed under the
cross to detect the vehicles moving away the cross. So we can

Tra
ffic

G
R
ati

Cycle T
Green Time
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2

1.6

Zhaoxiang Zeng

978-1-4244-9439-2/11/$26.00 2011 IEEE

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Table 1 Fuzzy Control Figure

Traffic flow volume M
30
40
50
60
40,9
50,13 60,15 70,20
40,12
50,17 60,21 70,26
40,14
50,19 60,24 70,29
40,16

50,21

60,27

70,32

40,19

50,25

60,31

70,38

70
80,25
80,31
80,34
80,37

80,42

III.

DESIGN TRAFFIC FUZZY CONTROLLER

PLC(Programmable Logic Controller) is used in this

system, whose processing unit is a microprocessor, storage,
and input/output facility, which may or may not be on one
chip, with strong jamproof ability, easy to operate, high
reliability, flexible configuration and easy extension, is widely
used in industrial control. The MTBF (mean time between
failures) of PLC is more than 100,000 hours, and with high
capability and low price, ease to join network.
A. The Structure Frame Chart of Fuzzy Control System.
The structure of the system is main made up of detector,
fuzzy controller (including variable calculation, quantized
treatment, fuzzy control orders, fuzzy reasoning, and certainty
of outputs) actuator, controlled objects, as figure 1.
Detectors

Fuzzy

controller
Detectors

Actuator

Controlled
objects

Figure 1 System Structure

B. Traffic Light Control Rules
FIGURE 2 FUZZY CONTROL SEQUENCE DIAGRAM

According to the criterion

Road Traffic Signal
Controller GA47-2002 promulgated by Ministry of Public
Security, we define that there are three groups lights, left,
straight, pedestrian; and three lights: red green yellow in a
group; bicycle and car use the same light; the system run in
different mode in different time periods.

IV.

With the base part of the system, there are many aspect to
consider for hardware, system stability, generality, easy to
select, programming quick and simple, economic design.

After the start button is pressed, all yellow light will

be on 10s; then all red light will be on 5s; the system
turn in auto states.

A. System I/O Distribution

I/O partial points as table 2

The progress of auto states:

North-southerns turn left, the others were forbidden.
North-southerns go straight, the others were

Address
I0.0
I0.1
I0.2
I0.3
I0.4
I0.5
I0.6
I0.7
I1.0
I1.1
I1.2

forbidden. East-westerns turn left, the others were

forbidden. East-westerns go straight, the others were
forbidden. It is free to turn right.
The total cycle is determined by the traffic flow volume.
That is to say, the cycle is fuzzy.
The rest of the time can be displayed on LED

HARDWARE STRUCTURE

In an emergency, the traffic police can press the

button, and then the passage of motor vehicles is
forbidden. After 60s, the system turns to auto states.

Table 2 I/O Points Distribution

Input
Output
Function
Address
Function
Ease detector 1
Q0.0
E-W-S-R
Ease detector 2
Q0.1
E-W-S-G
West detector 1
Q0.2
E-W-S-Y
West detector 2
Q0.3
E-W-L-R
North detector 1
Q0.4
E-W-L-G
North detector 2
Q0.5
E-W-L-Y
South detector 1
Q0.6
N-S-S-R
South detector 2
Q0.7
N-S-S-G
Start
Q1.0
N-S-S-Y
Stop
Q1.1
N-S-L-R
Q1.2
N-S-L-G
Emergency
Q1.3
N-S-L-Y

B.
C. Sequence Diagram
The sequence of all the lights like figure 2, there are two
states 0 and 1, and 1 is to say the light is turn on, and
0 is off. In one cycle, the states of 12 lights have been
displayed in the figure, and they are recycling when the
switch is turn on.

C. Hardware Structure
There are more than 20 points in the system, so SIEMENS
CPU 226 PLC was selected. The maximum value for LED is
99, so 4 LED was fixed.

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PLC

Detectors

and subtract 1; so we can get the total vehicle on a direction in

the end of the cycle. For example, for south direction, E2 can
made the counter add 1, but E1 made it subtract 1, in the end
of the cycle the value of the counter is the number of south
direction vehicles which is waiting to cross the intersection.

LEDS

CPU
Buttons

226

Lights

C. Emergency States
The traffic police can press button in case of emergency,
PLC put it on record and will set all red lights, reset all green
and yellow lights and clear the value of cycle and split in the
end of the cycle; in the same time a timer will start up. After
60s the system will stop emergency and run the Fuzzy Cycle
and Split.

Figure 3 Hardware Struction

Otherwise the paper introduced some experience and
method about PLC system reliability design. And also
analyses ahti-interference design of hardware and software
and introduced advisable measure. For example, shorten lead
line, decrease cross, grounding, shielding, cableselecting and
isolating.
V.

D.

Software Anti-interference Measure

The system use input filter to eliminate interfering noise
on input signal line, so the jitter of contacts on or off can be
eliminate. Using the Input Filter of programming software,
we can set the delay time 12.8ms.

SOFTWARE DESIGN

A. Software Flowchart

Use programmer to filter. In order to remove interfering

and jitter, in the data collecting the pulse can be emit after the
detectors-on-state is lasting for 0.5s, so the counter add 1 or
subtract 1 to ensure the vehicle signal accuracy.

Using modularized software design method, the system

software is easy to program and debug, decrease the failure rate
and improve software reliability. The flowchart as figure 4

VI.

CONCLUTION

This Traffic Lights Fuzzy Controller was tested and run in

the field. The result of field operation shows, the effect is
good when the cross have more traffic, especially for the
disequilibrium of North-South to East-West. Then the system
can effectively decrease traffic delay time and improve
capacity of intersection. But there is no different between this
system and fixed time system when the cross has less traffic.
The control result is better than the fixed time control to
fuzzy manager cross traffic light by using programming logic
controller as proved by the application and theory. As PLC the
control center, the system makes programming quick and
simple easy to operate. Because PLC has power
communicated function, this system can be readily
constituting intelligent traffic system. The system can decrease
traffic accident, traffic jam and traffic pollution, and then raise
traffic transportation efficiency and productivity.
REFERENCES
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]

Figure 4 System Software Flowchart

[5]

[6]

B. Vehicle flow Data Acquisition

The detector close when a vehicle come to the cross, so a
counter can get the pulse and add 1; else the detector close when
a vehicle go away the cross, the counter can get the pulse

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