SUSTAINABILITY EFFECTS OF NEXT-GENERATION INTERSECTION CONTROL FOR AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

Li, Zhixia (Richard); Chitturi, Madhav V.; Yu, Lang; Bill, Andrea R.; Noyce, David A. · 2015 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.3846/16484142.2015.1080760

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Summary

This paper addresses the sustainability challenges posed by traffic congestion at urban intersections, specifically focusing on how stop-and-go behaviors increase energy consumption and pollutant emissions. Motivated by the maturing availability of autonomous vehicles and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communication technologies, the authors propose a next-generation intersection control system designed to eliminate traditional traffic signals and reduce vehicle stops. The study aims to quantify the sustainability benefits of this approach by evaluating reductions in carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM 2.5), and energy consumption compared to traditional control strategies. The researchers developed an algorithm named Autonomous Control of Urban TrAffic (ACUTA), which employs an enhanced reservation-based centralized control strategy. In this system, the intersection is divided into an n-by-n grid of tiles. An intersection controller communicates with approaching autonomous vehicles via V2I links within a 600-foot range, reserving specific time-space slots for each vehicle to ensure conflict-free passage. The algorithm prioritizes zero acceleration to minimize energy use, utilizing internal simulations to calculate vehicle trajectories and tile occupancy based on geometric equations. To further minimize stops, ACUTA incorporates enhancement strategies such as a Non-Deceleration Zone (NDZ) to maintain speed for rejected requests and Priority Reservation (PR) for queuing vehicles. The system was modeled and tested using the microscopic traffic simulation platform VISSIM, with emissions calculated using the EPA’s MOVES model based on vehicle operating modes derived from simulation data. The evaluation compared two configurations of ACUTA against traditional controls: Single-Tile ACUTA against four-way stop control, and Multi-Tile ACUTA against optimized pre-timed signal control. The results demonstrated significant sustainability improvements. Under low to moderate traffic volumes, Multi-Tile ACUTA reduced CO and PM 2.5 emissions by approximately 5% and energy consumption by 4% compared to signal control. Under high-volume conditions, energy consumption reductions increased to 12%, while emission reductions were approximately 3%. More substantially, Single-Tile ACUTA reduced CO, PM 2.5 emissions, and energy consumption by about 15% across all volume conditions when compared to four-way stop control. The findings validate that next-generation intersection control utilizing autonomous vehicles and V2I communications offers tangible sustainability benefits by reducing the frequency of energy-intensive driving behaviors like idling and acceleration. The study concludes that reservation-based control is an effective method for enhancing intersection mobility and environmental performance. Additionally, the paper explores the potential for extending the ACUTA framework to the corridor level, suggesting broader applications for sustainable smart transport systems.

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• v2x connected vehicle