Connectivity-Aware Traffic Phase Scheduling for Heterogeneously Connected Vehicles

TL;DR

This paper proposes a connectivity-aware traffic phase scheduling algorithm for heterogeneously connected vehicles, improving intersection efficiency by accounting for communication heterogeneity and practical constraints.

Contribution

It introduces a novel scheduling algorithm that considers partial and imperfect vehicle connectivity, addressing a gap in existing traffic management solutions.

Findings

Significant improvement in intersection throughput compared to baseline methods.

Effective handling of communication heterogeneity and packet loss.

Enhanced traffic flow efficiency in simulated environments.

Abstract

We consider a transportation system of heterogeneously connected vehicles, where not all vehicles are able to communicate. Heterogeneous connectivity in transportation systems is coupled to practical constraints such that (i) not all vehicles may be equipped with devices having communication interfaces, (ii) some vehicles may not prefer to communicate due to privacy and security reasons, and (iii) communication links are not perfect and packet losses and delay occur in practice. In this context, it is crucial to develop control algorithms by taking into account the heterogeneity. In this paper, we particularly focus on making traffic phase scheduling decisions. We develop a connectivity-aware traffic phase scheduling algorithm for heterogeneously connected vehicles that increases the intersection efficiency (in terms of the average number of vehicles that are allowed to pass the intersection) by taking into account the heterogeneity. The simulation results show that our algorithm significantly improves the efficiency of intersections as compared to the baselines.