Macroscopic traffic flow propagation stability for adaptive cruise controlled vehicles

• Published in: Transportation research. Part C, Emerging technologies Vol. 14; no. 2; pp. 81 - 95
• Main Authors: Yi, Jingang, Horowitz, Roberto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier India Pvt Ltd 01.04.2006; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adaptive cruise control (ACC); Applied sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Ground, air and sea transportation, marine construction; Intelligent transportation systems (ITS); Road transportation and traffic; Traffic flow; Traffic propagation stability; Wavefront expansion; Traffic propagation stability; Traffic flow; Adaptive cruise control (ACC); Wavefront expansion; Intelligent transportation systems (ITS); Stability; Navigational aid; Propagation; Transportation system; Macroscopic structure; Adaptive control; Modeling; Road traffic; Comparative study; Intelligent system
• ISSN: 0968-090X; 1879-2359
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trc.2006.05.005

Traffic flow propagation stability is concerned about whether a traffic flow perturbation will propagate and form a traffic shockwave. In this paper, we discuss a general approach to the macroscopic traffic flow propagation stability for adaptive cruise controlled (ACC) vehicles. We present a macroscopic model with velocity saturation for traffic flow in which each individual vehicle is controlled by an adaptive cruise control spacing policy. A nonlinear traffic flow stability criterion is investigated using a wavefront expansion technique. Quantitative relationships between traffic flow stability and model parameters (such as traffic flow and speed, etc.) are derived for a generalized ACC traffic flow model. The newly derived stability results are in agreement with previously derived results that were obtained using both microscopic and macroscopic models with a constant time headway (CTH) policy. Moreover, the stability results derived in this paper provide sufficient and necessary conditions for ACC traffic flow stability and can be used to design other ACC spacing policies.