Evaluating Connected and Automated Vehicles in Co-Simulation Environment of Traffic Microsimulation and Vehicle Dynamics

Yunli Shao, Paul Chambon, Adian Cook, Chieh Wang, Dean Deter

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) have the potential to improve many aspects of the current transportation systems such as safety, mobility, and energy efficiency. In order to evaluate the benefits and impacts of a CAV, the CAV control algorithm is typically implemented on vehicles simulated in a traffic microsimulation environment. However, traffic microsimulation usually lacks detailed vehicle and powertrain dynamics, making it challenging to fully understand how a CAV control algorithm will perform and respond on an actual vehicle. Whether the same benefits measured in the simulation will also be observed in real-world remains an open question. One potential approach to fill in this gap is to conduct a co-simulation of traffic microsimulation with detailed vehicle and powertrain dynamics models, often developed in MATLAB Simulink. However, current microsimulation tools such as VISSIM and SUMO do not have a ready-to-use interface for co-simulation with vehicle dynamics and Simulink. Also, even if such an interface exists, it will be tool-specific, making it challenging to shift from one tool to another or test CAV controls in different tools. There are needs for tool-agnostic co-simulation as different microsimulation tools have their pros and cons, and researchers often need to use different tools based on the purposes of the simulation, project needs, and applications. In this work, Flexible Interface for X-in-the-loop Simulation (FIXS) is developed that can support the co-simulation of microsimulation, CAV control algorithm, and vehicle dynamics model in Simulink. Enabled by the FIXS, the benefit and performance of a CAV control algorithm can be better understood with the consideration of vehicle responses and dynamics. The connection to VISSIM and SUMO is handled internally by the interface, and users can easily switch tools by changing a configuration file. The co-simulation capability is demonstrated for a VISSIM eco-approach and departure CAV scenario and a SUMO cooperative merging scenario for both a passenger CAV and a class 8 heavy-duty connected and automated trucks.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationTransportation Safety and Emerging Technologies
EditorsHeng Wei
PublisherAmerican Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
Pages207-217
Number of pages11
ISBN (Electronic)9780784484876
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023
EventInternational Conference on Transportation and Development 2023, ICTD 2023 - Austin, United States
Duration: Jun 14 2023Jun 17 2023

Publication series

NameInternational Conference on Transportation and Development 2023: Transportation Safety and Emerging Technologies - Selected Papers from the International Conference on Transportation and Development 2023
Volume1

Conference

ConferenceInternational Conference on Transportation and Development 2023, ICTD 2023
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityAustin
Period06/14/2306/17/23

Funding

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (U.S DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office. This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan).

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