Fault tolerant control of traffic networks

Abstract

This work deals with the design of fault-tolerant traffic control systems for urban transportation networks consisting of saturated and non-saturated intersections. A fault-tolerant control system is one that maintains system integrity (stability and vehicle flow regulation) under partial system failure brought about by local faults such as sensor/actuator failure, vehicle accidents, severing of communication links, etc. This work is motivated by the fact that, in an automated environment, vehicle and traffic control systems are highly complex. The probability and possibility of a system crash caused by local fault are also proportionately high. It is therefore desirable to incorporate fault-tolerant capabilities into a traffic network by means of suitable feedback compensation. Finally a detailed case study is also included in this work to demonstrate the properties of a fault tolerant traffic network.