OpenACC. An open database of car-following experiments to study the properties of commercial ACC systems

Makridis, Michail; Mattas, Konstantinos; Anesiadou, Aikaterini; Ciuffo, Biagio · 2021 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1016/j.trc.2021.103047

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Summary

This paper introduces **openACC**, an open-access database designed to address the lack of empirical data regarding the operational properties of commercial Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) systems. As ACC penetration increases, understanding how these systems behave—particularly their heterogeneity across manufacturers and their impact on traffic dynamics—is critical for anticipating collective phenomena and safety implications. However, ACC operational designs are typically proprietary "black boxes," and existing experimental datasets are often small-scale, non-public, or lack the technical specifications necessary to study in-vehicle technologies comprehensively. To bridge this gap, the authors compiled data from three distinct car-following campaigns involving 16 vehicles, 11 of which were equipped with state-of-the-art commercial ACC systems. The first two campaigns were conducted on public freeways in Italy, involving platoons of two to five vehicles. These real-world tests utilized Ublox GNSS devices but faced challenges such as external traffic interference and signal noise. The third campaign was conducted in a controlled proving ground in Sweden using five high-end vehicles and a high-fidelity differential GNSS system to systematically study ACC behavior without external disturbances. Data from all campaigns were post-processed to ensure a consistent 10 Hz sampling rate, with corrections applied for bumper-to-bumper distances and noise removal. Preliminary analysis of the openACC dataset reveals significant differences between ACC-driven and human-driven behaviors. ACC systems exhibited higher peak acceleration and deceleration values compared to manual driving, often resulting in uncomfortable responses to leader perturbations due to controller lag. The data also highlighted issues with string stability in multi-vehicle platoons, where speed variations amplified through the line of vehicles. Furthermore, the database allows for the comparison of heterogeneous ACC designs, showing distinct variations in response times, desired time headways, and acceleration profiles across different manufacturers. The significance of openACC lies in its role as a foundational resource for the scientific community, industry, and policymakers. By providing a large, universal experimental dataset, it enables researchers to study ACC properties such as energy demand, safety implications, and traffic flow impacts with greater accuracy than simulation-based studies alone. The database aims to facilitate the development of more precise traffic microsimulation models, inform the regulation of ACC parameters, and help mitigate potential problems associated with the widespread adoption of automated driving technologies.

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