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Results for “arterial traffic signal performance”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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Developing Novel Performance Measures for Traffic Congestion Management and Operational Planning Based on Connected Vehicle Data

In this study, the authors present their efforts in exploring a new type of traffic data, referred to as internet-connected vehicle (ICV) data, for traffic congestion management and operational planning. Most currently manufactured vehicles contain onboard GPS and cellular modules, and they constantly connect to automobile manufacturers' clouds via cellular networks and upload their status. Some automobile manufacturers have recently redistributed the nonpersonal part of such data, such as geolocation, to third-party organizations for innovative applications. Compared with the traditional vehicle GPS data, the ICV data contain high-resolution GPS waypoints accompanied with the vehicles' abnormal moving events (e.g., hard braking). The ICV data also have huge potential in congestion management and operational planning. They explore to identify and analyze traffic congestion on both freeways and arterials using the ICV data. The ICV data adopted for this research are redistributed by Wejo Data Service, representing 10%-15% of all moving vehicles in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area in Texas. Through one case study for a freeway segment and one for an arterial segment, new traffic performance metrics based on the characteristics of ICV data have been presented. The highlights of these efforts are as follows: (I) queue length and propagation at freeway bottlenecks can be directly measured based on where and when most internet-connected vehicles slow down and join the queue; (II) an internet-connected vehicle's actual delay time on arterials can be directly measured according to its slow movement percentage, without assuming the nondelay travel speed; and (III) the ICV data set are also combined with the high-resolution traffic signal events to generate a ground-truth time-space diagram (TSD) on arterials - a common visualization of arterial signal performance for transportation planning and operations.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Developing a Hybrid Electric Vehicle Eco-Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control System at Signalized Intersections.

This study develops an eco-driving strategy for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) in the vicinity of signalized intersections, entitled HEV Eco-Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control at Intersections (Eco-CACC-I). The proposed system computes real-time, energy-optimized vehicle trajectories using HEV vehicle dynamics and energy consumption models. In the proposed system, a simple HEV energy model is used to compute the instantaneous fuel consumption. This HEV energy model is selected since it is general, transferable, and can be easily used to compute instantaneous energy consumption levels for HEVs without the additional input of vehicle engine data or complicated power control strategies. In addition, a vehicle dynamics model is used to capture the relationship between speed, acceleration level, and tractive/resistance forces on vehicles. The energy-optimum problem is formulated as an optimization problem with constraints, which is solved using a moving-horizon dynamic programming approach. The proposed HEV Eco-CACC-I system was tested to evaluate its performance for various speed limits, roadway grades, and signal timings. Lastly, the proposed HEV controller was implemented in a microscopic traffic simulation software to test its network-wide performance. The test results from an arterial corridor with three signalized intersections demonstrate that the proposed system can effectively reduce stop-and-go traffic in the vicinity of signalized intersections producing savings of 7.4% in energy consumption, 5.8% in traffic delay and 23% vehicle stops, respectively.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Battery Electric Vehicle Eco-Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control in the Vicinity of Signalized Intersections

This study develops a connected eco-driving controller for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), the BEV Eco-Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control at Intersections (Eco-CACC-I). The developed controller can assist BEVs while traversing signalized intersections with minimal energy consumption. The calculation of the optimal vehicle trajectory is formulated as an optimization problem under the constraints of (1) vehicle acceleration/deceleration behavior, defined by a vehicle dynamics model; (2) vehicle energy consumption behavior, defined by a BEV energy consumption model; and (3) the relationship between vehicle speed, location, and signal timing, defined by vehicle characteristics and signal phase and timing (SPaT) data shared under a connected vehicle environment. The optimal speed trajectory is computed in real-time by the proposed BEV eco-CACC-I controller, so that a BEV can follow the optimal speed while negotiating a signalized intersection. The proposed BEV controller was tested in a case study to investigate its performance under various speed limits, roadway grades, and signal timings. In addition, a comparison of the optimal speed trajectories for BEVs and internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) was conducted to investigate the impact of vehicle engine types on eco-driving solutions. Lastly, the proposed controller was implemented in microscopic traffic simulation software to test its networkwide performance. The test results from an arterial corridor with three signalized intersections demonstrate that the proposed controller can effectively reduce stop-and-go traffic in the vicinity of signalized intersections and that the BEV Eco-CACC-I controller produces average savings of 9.3% in energy consumption and 3.9% in vehicle delays.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Integrating vehicle trajectory planning and arterial traffic management to facilitate eco-approach and departure deployment

Eco-approach and departure (EAD) enable continuous vehicle motion in urban signalized corridors. Since such a motion can extend to the EAD vehicles’ followers, it makes EAD a promising technology to benefit the traffic flow where automated vehicles and conventional vehicles coexist. Most existing EAD studies envision an ideal setting that neglects real-world operational conditions such as lane changes, multi-movement intersection configuration, partially automated fleet, and/or limited traffic state awareness. This study aims to fill the gap by designing an EAD algorithm considering real-world traffic operation constraints. The proposed algorithm uses a model predictive controller to minimize vehicle speed reduction and variation based on the real-time traffic signal control plan and measured queues at the intersection. The required inputs are readily available at many modern intersections. We observed that the proposed controller’s performance might degrade because of lane-changing maneuvers and lead-left turn traffic signals. These observations motivated our development of a lane change management strategy and a signal control implementation strategy to facilitate the EAD implementation. The lane change management strategies separate the EAD operations and lane-changing maneuvers in time and space. The signal control implementation strategy applies lag-left turn signals to enable EAD operation for both the through and left-turn vehicles. Compared to the non-EAD case, our EAD approach produces 2.5% to 7.8% energy savings while keeping similar intersection mobility. Notably, this approach brings about 2.5% to 3.6% energy savings in a 2% CAV case. This result demonstrates the feasibility of deploying EAD at low connected automated vehicle penetration rates.

Arterial corridor management↗

A Multirange Vehicle Speed Prediction With Application to Model Predictive Control-Based Integrated Power and Thermal Management of Connected Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Abstract Connectivity and automated driving technologies have opened up new research directions in the energy management of vehicles which exploit look-ahead preview and enhance the situational awareness. Despite this advancement, the vehicle speed preview that can be obtained from vehicle-to-vehicle/infrastructure (V2V/I) communications is often limited to a relatively short time-horizon. The vehicular energy systems, specifically those of the electrified vehicles, consist of multiple interacting power and thermal subsystems that respond over different time-scales. Consequently, their optimal energy management can greatly benefit from long-term speed prediction beyond that available through V2V/I communications. Accurately extending the look-ahead preview, on the other hand, is fundamentally challenging due to the dynamic nature of the traffic environment. To address this challenge, we propose a data-driven multirange vehicle speed prediction strategy for arterial corridors with signalized intersections, providing the vehicle speed preview for three different ranges, i.e., short-, medium-, and long-range. The short-range preview is obtained by V2V/I communications. The medium-range preview is realized using a neural network (NN), while the long-range preview is predicted based on a Bayesian network (BN). The predictions are updated in real-time based on the current state of traffic and incorporated into a multihorizon model predictive control (MH-MPC) for integrated power and thermal management (iPTM) of connected vehicles. The results of design and evaluation of the performance of the proposed data-informed MH-MPC for iPTM of connected hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) using traffic data for real-world city driving are reported.

Automation & Control Systems↗

Connected Vehicle-Based Traffic Signal Coordination

This study presents a connected vehicles (CVs)-based traffic signal optimization framework for a coordinated arterial corridor. The signal optimization and coordination problem are first formulated in a centralized scheme as a mixed-integer nonlinear program (MINLP). The optimal phase durations and offsets are solved together by minimizing fuel consumption and travel time considering an individual vehicle’s trajectories. Due to the complexity of the model, we decompose the problem into two levels: an intersection level to optimize phase durations using dynamic programming (DP), and a corridor level to optimize the offsets of all intersections. In order to solve the two-level model, a prediction-based solution technique is developed. The proposed models are tested using traffic simulation under various scenarios. Compared with the traditional actuated signal timing and coordination plan, the signal timing plans generated by solving the MINLP and the two-level model can reasonably improve the signal control performance. When considering varies vehicle types under high demand levels, the proposed two-level model reduced the total system cost by 3.8% comparing to baseline actuated plan. MINLP reduced the system cost by 5.9%. It also suggested that coordination scheme was beneficial to corridors with relatively high demand levels. For intersections with major and minor street, coordination conducted for major street had little impacts on the vehicles at the minor street.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Long-Range Emergency Preemption of Traffic Lights

A forwarding system could prove beneficial as an addition to an electronic communication-and-control system that automatically modifies the switching of traffic lights to give priority to emergency vehicles. A system to which the forwarding system could be added could be any of a variety of emergency traffic-signal-preemption systems: these include systems now used in some municipalities as well as advanced developmental systems described in several NASA Tech Briefs articles in recent years. Because of a variety of physical and design limitations, emergency traffic-signal- preemption systems now in use are often limited in range to only one intersection at a time: in a typical system, only the next, closest intersection is preempted for an emergency vehicle. Simulations of gridlock have shown that such systems offer minimal advantages and can even cause additional delays. In analogy to what happens in fluid dynamics, the forwarding system insures that flow at a given location is sustained by guaranteeing downstream flow along the predicted route (typically a main artery) and intersecting routes (typically, side streets). In simplest terms, the forwarding system starts by taking note of any preemption issued by the preemption system to which it has been added. The forwarding system predicts which other intersections could be encountered by the emergency vehicle downstream of the newly preempted intersection. The system then forwards preemption triggers to those intersections. Beyond affording a right of way for the emergency vehicle at every intersection that lies ahead along any likely route from the current position of the vehicle, the forwarding system also affords the benefit of clearing congested roads far ahead of the vehicle. In a metropolitan environment with heavy road traffic, forwarding of preemption triggers could greatly enhance the performance of a pre-existing preemption system.

Bachelder, Aaron↗

Cooperative Automated Cohort Driving on Connected Infrastructure, Arterial Roadways, and Highways: Final Project Demonstration and System-of-Systems Model Correlation

This project seeks to synergize vehicle automated driving and connectivity data to improve mobility and energy efficiency of groups of mixed vehicles operating in close proximity (vehicle cohort) on various infrastructure. A custom cellular communication network links vehicles operating as a cohort with infrastructure to a centralized system-of-systems digital twin with an AI-based optimal behavior planner. The data contained in this set are from final testing and technology demonstrations to U.S. Department of Energy staff at the American Center for Mobility. The data contain single-lane, single-light scenarios; multi-lane, multi-light arterial scenarios; and limited-access highway scenarios. All test cases were derived from simulations and replicated on the test track. The project employed two and four light-duty vehicles with connectivity and drive automation for the testing. The baseline scenario without connectivity was run under the control of the system-of-systems centralized planner but operating each vehicle with an intelligent driver model controlling the velocity, lane utilization, and vehicle gap. This was to ensure the highest compatibility with the simulation in terms of dynamic behavior. The connected cohort case utilized AI optimization to perform coordinated and cooperative control for energy, as well as safe, comfortable behavior for the cohort. The dataset is appropriately named with unconnected and connected designations, with comparisons sharing the same run index number. The included PowerPoint and PDF files describe the test setup and provide an overview of results from the project. ![image](de-EE0009209_March_2023_Data_Arterial_Scenario_Results.png)

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗