A Virtual Vehicle Based Coordination Framework For Autonomous Vehicles in Heterogeneous Scenarios

This work presents a novel virtual vehicle based decentralized coordination framework for Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs). We explore the idea of CAVs being capable of positioning virtual vehicles to share their intended maneuver as well as request cooperation. This framework has potential to inspire versatile solutions and provides an intuitive interface to interact with reactive and unconnected vehicles. In this context, a preliminary coordination policy is proposed and tested on a three-legged single-lane roundabout. Simulation results show that the presented solution performs outstandingly better when it leverages the freedom at positioning virtual vehicles that our framework provides. Furthermore, the performance degradation resulting from mixing CAVs and unconnected cars is observed, and coordination assessment under this circumstance is discussed

Energy management in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles: recent progress and a connected vehicles perspective

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) offer an immediate solution for emissions reduction and fuel displacement within the current infrastructure. Targeting PHEV powertrain optimization, a plethora of energy management strategies (EMSs) have been proposed. Although these algorithms present various levels of complexity and accuracy, they find a limitation in terms of availability of future trip information, which generally prevents exploitation of the full PHEV potential in real-life cycles. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of EMS evolution toward blended mode (BM) and optimal control, providing a thorough survey of the latest progress in optimization-based algorithms. This is performed in the context of connected vehicles and highlights certain contributions that intelligent transportation systems (ITSs), traffic information, and cloud computing can provide to enhance PHEV energy management. The study is culminated with an analysis of future trends in terms of optimization algorithm development, optimization criteria, PHEV integration in the smart grid, and vehicles as part of the fleet

Automation of a T-intersection using virtual platoons of cooperative autonomous vehicles

Both traffic throughput and the vehicle passenger safety can be increased by automating road intersections. We propose the virtual platooning concept to ensure a smooth, efficient and safe traffic flow through an automated intersection. The virtual platoon is formed by defining a virtual inter-vehicle distance between vehicles driving on different lanes. Such distance is employed by a Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) system which, in turn, generates the required safe "gaps" for the vehicles to cross the intersection. A simulation study demonstrates the functionality of the presented methodology, which is referred to as Cooperative Intersection Control (CIC)

Automation of a T-intersection using virtual platoons of cooperative autonomous vehicles

Both traffic throughput and the vehicle passenger safety can be increased by automating road intersections. We propose the virtual platooning concept to ensure a smooth, efficient and safe traffic flow through an automated intersection. The virtual platoon is formed by defining a virtual inter-vehicle distance between vehicles driving on different lanes. Such distance is employed by a Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) system which, in turn, generates the required safe gaps for the vehicles to cross the intersection. A simulation study demonstrates the functionality of the presented methodology, which is referred to as Cooperative Intersection Control (CIC)

Coordination of autonomous vehicles at intersections with decentralized V2V communication

In order to minimize the accidents, autonomous vehicles are being designed as the future of transportation. To fulfill this goal, we should look at vehicular intersections, where unfortunately most car accidents take place. In “Automation of a T-intersection using virtual platoons of cooperative autonomous vehicles”, the algorithm called “Target Vehicle Assignment(TVA)” was proposed to resolve the problem of deciding an order in which vehicles cross in a 4-way intersection. This article reviews this algorithm and uses it as starting point to propose novel algorithms that fix issues detected in the original algorithm. The newly proposed algorithms are designed to be used with Vehicle To Vehicle (V2V) communications and are descentralized to avoid dependency of specific hardware in any intersection