PLC-Based Traffic Light Control for Flexible Testing of Automated Mobility

Road infrastructure has evolved to meet diverse needs over time. This makes modernizing traffic control systems also necessary in order to keep pace with technological innovations and changing user habits. This paper presents a novel design and implementation strategy for the next generation of traffic control systems, with particular emphasis on the challenges posed by the integration of automated vehicles. General flexibility in future traffic management, proper use of standardized communication protocols, and safety solutions are essential factors in addressing the traffic challenges of the coming decades. The system has been developed primarily for PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) and has been tested and verified, providing the advantages of safety elements and software safety solutions. The proposed system demonstrated efficient and reliable performance while the applied OPC UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture) communication protocol assured robustness and secure client-to-PLC communication.