Traffic Flow Characteristic Based on A Phase Plane Approach

This paper proposes a phase-plane approach for analyzing the interpretation of various traffic flow characteristics. Using the phase-plane analysis, the dynamical switching behaviors of traffic flow can be easily studied. By analyzing the mathematical models of traffic flow transition, the dynamical behaviors can be characterized within the phase plane. Furthermore, 2-D Gaussian Mixture Modeling (GMM) is used to classify the dynamic traffic flow, and five types of traffic flow patterns are identified based on a real traffic dataset from Taiwan highway systems. Each traffic flow pattern can indicate a different interpretation of a special dynamical traffic behavior. A critical discussion of switching conditions for five types of flow patterns is also presented.