Design and Construction of a Density-Controlled Traffic Light System

Abstract

This work introduces the application of piezoelectric sensors on the road which intersects to form a T juncture, the application of the sensor aids in regulating the control of traffic density on each side of the road. Traffic congestion as of today is caused by the improper management of time and eventually leads to traffic delays. This was undoubtedly observed during early hours when a lot of civilians head out to their workstations and during closing hours in the evenings. The increasing population and economic activities in urban areas contribute to higher vehicle ownership and usage, leading to more traffic on the roads. It is achieved from the general desire of people to achieve goals, which ultimately leads to daily overcrowding of the present transportation infrastructure. But despite attempts at solutions, everyone despises traffic congestion, and it only gets unfavorable. The objective of this project is to create a dynamic road signal that is based on density. The synchronization signals automatically change to detect intersection traffic density. The components required to build this project include the microcontroller (Arduino uno), LEDs (light emitting diodes), piezoelectric sensors, jumper wires, a 9 V battery, a switch, and an operational amplifier. The result of the work focuses on the detection of density from a sensor which will be constructed underground to operate as a counter for every vehicle that passes by as it will be powered by a battery of approximately 9 V. The sensor which is known as the piezoelectric sensor abides by the rule of piezoelectric effect, which states that the stress produced from a non-static object, or the mechanical energy produced from a moving object will produce an electric charge in response to the mechanical energy generated. The electric charge produced from the piezoelectric sensor will be transmitted to the microcontroller (Arduino Uno). Through the input stage of the signal received, the program in the microcontroller will command the light-emitting diode (LEDs) to function accordingly to the state of density detected from each side of the road. Thereby regulating the flow of traffic movement efficiently and accurately. Overall, the application of the piezoelectric sensor on the road can accurately detect the presence of a vehicle passing.