Eco-driving of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs)

Eco-driving of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs)
Author: Ozgenur Kavas Torris
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2022
Genre: Automated vehicles
ISBN:

In recent years, the trend in the automotive industry has been favoring the reduction of fuel consumption in vehicles with the help of new and emerging technologies. This drive stemmed from the developments in communication technologies for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV), such as Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I), Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle to Everything (V2X) communication. Coupled with automated driving capabilities of CAVs, a new and exciting era has started in the world of transportation as each transportation agent is becoming more and more connected. To keep up with the times, research in the academia and the industry has focused on utilizing vehicle connectivity for various purposes, one of the most significant being fuel savings. Motivated by this goal of fuel saving applications of Connected Vehicle (CV) technologies, the main focus and contribution of this dissertation is developing and evaluating a complete Eco-Driving strategy for CAVs. Eco-Driving is a term used to describe the energy efficient use of vehicles. In this dissertation, a complete and comprehensive Eco-Driving strategy for CAVs is studied, where multiple driving modes calculate speed profiles ideal for their own set of constraints simultaneously to save fuel as much as possible while a High Level (HL) controller ensures smooth transitions between the driving modes for Eco-Driving. The first step in making a CAV achieve Eco-Driving is to develop a route-dependent speed profile called Eco-Cruise that is fuel optimal. The methods explored to achieve this optimally fuel economic speed profile are Dynamic Programming (DP) and Pontryagin’s Minimum Principle (PMP). Using a generalized Matlab function that minimizes the fuel rate for a vehicle travelling on a certain route with route gradient, acceleration and deceleration limits, speed limits and traffic sign (traffic lights and STOP signs) locations as constraints, a DP based fuel optimal velocity profile is found. The ego CAV that is controlled by the automated driving system follows this Eco-Cruise speed profile as long as there is no preceding vehicle impeding its motion or upcoming traffic light or STOP sign ahead. When the ego CAV approaches a traffic light, then a V2I algorithm called Pass-at-Green (PaG) calculates a fuel-economic and Signal Phase and Timing (SPaT) dependent speed profile. When the ego CAV approaches a STOP sign, the eHorizon electronic horizon unit is used to get STOP sign location while the Eco-Stop algorithm calculates a fuel optimal Eco-Approach speed trajectory for the ego CAV, so that the ego vehicle smoothly comes to a complete stop at the STOP sign. When the ego CAV departs from the traffic light or STOP sign, then the Eco-Departure algorithm calculates a fuel optimal speed trajectory to smoothly accelerate to a higher speed for the ego CAV. Other than the interaction of the CAV with road infrastructure, there could also be other vehicles around the ego vehicle. When there is a preceding vehicle in front of the ego CAV, typically, an Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is used to follow the lead vehicle keeping a constant time gap. Lead vehicle acceleration that was received by the ego CAV through V2V can be utilized in Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) to follow the preceding vehicle better than the ACC. If the ego CAV is found to be erratic, then the Ecological Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (Eco-CACC) takes over and calculates a fuel efficient speed trajectory for car following. If the preceding vehicle acts too erratically or slows down too much, and the ego CAV has a chance to change its lane, then the Lane Change mode takes control and changes the lane. The default driving mode in all these scenarios is the Eco-Cruise mode, which is the optimal fuel economic and route-dependent solution acquired using DP. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are part of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and can communicate with CAVs and other transportation agents. Whenever there are UAVs with communication capabilities around the ego CAV, information can be transferred between the UAV and CAV. As part of this communication capability, when the ego CAV approaches a bottleneck or a queue, information regarding the queue can be broadcast either from a Roadside Unit (RSU) or a Connected UAV (C-UAV) acting like an RSU with Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC). The queue information can be received by the On-Board-Unit (OBU), which is the vehicle communication unit using DSRC protocol in the ego CAV. Using the queue information, the Dynamic Speed Harmonization (DSH) model can be activated to take the main driver role for generating a smooth deceleration profile while the ego CAV approaches the queue. Once the queue is passed, the ego CAV goes back to the default Eco-Cruise mode. The elements of the proposed Eco-Driving method outlined above are first treated individually and then integrated in a holistic manner in this dissertation. The organization of this dissertation is as follows. Firstly, a summary is given on the topic of CAVs and various ways that connectivity is utilized in CAV research in Chapter 1 Introduction and Literature Review. Then, in Chapter 2 Modelling, Simulation and Testing Environment, details about the state-of-the-art simulation environment used for this dissertation are presented. Chapter 3 Scenario Development and Selection focuses on test route development procedure and the types of roadways tested in this work. Chapter 4 Fuel Economic Driving for a Single CAV with V2I in No Traffic explains the different models developed for fuel optimal speed trajectory calculation using roadway infrastructure. Chapter 5 Fuel Economic Driving for a CAV with V2V in Traffic gives details about the models developed for an ego CAV travelling among other connected vehicles. The Model-in-the-Loop (MIL) simulation results for the Eco-Driving algorithms developed for Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 are presented in Chapter 6. The Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulation results for the Eco-Driving algorithms in Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 are presented in Chapter 7. Chapter 8 shows results about testing the complete Eco-Driving strategy in a traffic simulator with realistic traffic flow. Chapter 9 touches on CAV and UAV communication and presents Dynamic Speed Harmonization (DSH) as a use case scenario. Chapter 10 Conclusion presents the results of this dissertation and draws conclusions about this work.

Reinforcement Learning in Eco-driving for Connected and Automated Vehicles

Reinforcement Learning in Eco-driving for Connected and Automated Vehicles
Author: Zhaoxuan Zhu
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2021
Genre: Automated vehicles
ISBN:

Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) can significantly improve transportation efficiency by taking advantage of advanced connectivity technologies. Meanwhile, the combination of CAVs and powertrain electrification, such as Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), offers greater potential to improve fuel economy due to the extra control flexibility compared to vehicles with a single power source. In this context, the eco-driving control optimization problem seeks to design the optimal speed and powertrain components usage profiles based upon the information received by advanced mapping or Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communications to minimize the energy consumed by the vehicle over a given itinerary. To overcome the real-time computational complexity and embrace the stochastic nature of the driving task, the application and extension of state-of-the-art (SOTA) Deep Reinforcement Learning (Deep RL, DRL) algorithms to the eco-driving problem for a mild-HEV is studied in this dissertation. For better training and a more comprehensive evaluation, an RL environment, consisting of a mild HEV powertrain and vehicle dynamics model and a large-scale microscopic traffic simulator, is developed. To benchmark the performance of the developed strategies, two causal controllers, namely a baseline strategy representing human drivers and a deterministic optimal-control-based strategy, and the non-causal wait-and-see solution are implemented. In the first RL application, the eco-driving problem is formulated as a Partially Observable Markov Decision Process, and a SOTA model-free DRL (MFDRL) algorithm, Proximal Policy Optimization with Long Short-term Memory as function approximator, is used. Evaluated over 100 trips randomly generated in the city of Columbus, OH, the MFDRL agent shows a 17% fuel economy improvement against the baseline strategy while keeping the average travel time comparable. While showing performance comparable to the optimal-control-based strategy, the actor of the MFDRL agent offers an explicit control policy that significantly reduces the onboard computation. Subsequently, a model-based DRL (MBDRL) algorithm, Safe Model-based Off-policy Reinforcement Learning (SMORL) is proposed. The algorithm addresses the following issues emerged from the MFDRL development: a) the cumbersome process necessary to design the rewarding mechanism, b) the lack of the constraint satisfaction and feasibility guarantee and c) the low sample efficiency. Specifically, SMORL consists of three key components, a massively parallelizable dynamic programming trajectory optimizer, a value function learned in an off-policy fashion and a learned safe set as a generative model. Evaluated under the same conditions, the SMORL agent shows a 21% reduction on the fuel consumption over the baseline and the dominant performance over the MFDRL agent and the deterministic optimal-control-based controller.

Energy-Efficient Driving of Road Vehicles

Energy-Efficient Driving of Road Vehicles
Author: Antonio Sciarretta
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 294
Release: 2019-08-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3030241270

This book elaborates the science and engineering basis for energy-efficient driving in conventional and autonomous cars. After covering the physics of energy-efficient motion in conventional, hybrid, and electric powertrains, the book chiefly focuses on the energy-saving potential of connected and automated vehicles. It reveals how being connected to other vehicles and the infrastructure enables the anticipation of upcoming driving-relevant factors, e.g. hills, curves, slow traffic, state of traffic signals, and movements of nearby vehicles. In turn, automation allows vehicles to adjust their motion more precisely in anticipation of upcoming events, and to save energy. Lastly, the energy-efficient motion of connected and automated vehicles could have a harmonizing effect on mixed traffic, leading to additional energy savings for neighboring vehicles. Building on classical methods of powertrain modeling, optimization, and optimal control, the book further develops the theory of energy-efficient driving. In addition, it presents numerous theoretical and applied case studies that highlight the real-world implications of the theory developed. The book is chiefly intended for undergraduate and graduate engineering students and industry practitioners with a background in mechanical, electrical, or automotive engineering, computer science or robotics.

Developing an Adaptive Strategy for Connected Eco-driving Under Uncertain Traffic and Signal Conditions

Developing an Adaptive Strategy for Connected Eco-driving Under Uncertain Traffic and Signal Conditions
Author: Peng Hao (Engineer)
Publisher:
Total Pages: 53
Release: 2020
Genre: Adaptive control systems
ISBN:

The Eco-Approach and Departure (EAD) application has been proved to be environmentally efficient for a Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) system. In the real-world traffic, traffic conditions and signal timings are usually dynamic and uncertain due to mixed vehicle types, various driving behaviors and limited sensing range, which is challenging in EAD development. This research proposes an adaptive strategy for connected eco-driving towards a signalized intersection under real world conditions. Stochastic graph models are built to link the vehicle and external (e.g., traffic, signal) data and dynamic programing is applied to identify the optimal speed for each vehicle-state efficiently. From energy perspective, adaptive strategy using traffic data could double the effective sensor range in eco-driving. A hybrid reinforcement learning framework is also developed for EAD in mixed traffic condition using both short-term benefit and long-term benefit as the action reward. Microsimulation is conducted in Unity to validate the method, showing over 20% energy saving.

Development of Eco-driving Control System for Connected and Automated Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Development of Eco-driving Control System for Connected and Automated Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Author: Siyang Wang
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2020
Genre:
ISBN:

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) were designed as a potential solution to the ever-increasing global problems of the energy crisis and global warming through flexibly utilizing both fuel and electrical energy. Besides, the emerging technologies of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) have provided huge possibilities to push the boundaries of HEVs even further and thus have been extensively studied. In this study, a bi-level MPC-based eco-driving strategy for CAHEVs is proposed and designed to improve fuel economy, reduce exhaust emissions while ensuring driving safety under the most common driving scenarios. First, the HEV powertrain is modelled, and the real-time data sources are in the intelligent transportation system (ITS) are introduced. Next, the multi-objective problem is formulated with three goals, namely, driving safety, fuel economy and emission reduction. The simulation is carried out on a map with realistic driving conditions. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed eco-driving strategy for CAHEVs.

Fundamentals of Connected and Automated Vehicles

Fundamentals of Connected and Automated Vehicles
Author: Jeffrey Wishart
Publisher: SAE International
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2022-01-20
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 076809982X

The automotive industry is transforming to a greater degree that has occurred since Henry Ford introduced mass production of the automobile with the Model T in 1913. Advances in computing, data processing, and artificial intelligence (deep learning in particular) are driving the development of new levels of automation that will impact all aspects of our lives including our vehicles. What are Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs)? What are the underlying technologies that need to mature and converge for them to be widely deployed? Fundamentals of Connected and Automated Vehicles is written to answer these questions, educating the reader with the information required to make informed predictions of how and when CAVs will impact their lives. Topics covered include: History of Connected and Automated Vehicles, Localization, Connectivity, Sensor and Actuator Hardware, Computer Vision, Sensor Fusion, Path Planning and Motion Control, Verification and Validation, and Outlook for future of CAVs.

Deep Learning-based Eco-driving System for Battery Electric Vehicles

Deep Learning-based Eco-driving System for Battery Electric Vehicles
Author: Guoyuan Wu
Publisher:
Total Pages: 28
Release: 2019
Genre: Driver assistance systems
ISBN:

Eco-driving strategies based on connected and automated vehicles (CAV) technology, such as Eco-Approach and Departure (EAD), have attracted significant worldwide interest due to their potential to save energy and reduce tail-pipe emissions. In this project, the research team developed and tested a deep learning–based trajectory-planning algorithm (DLTPA) for EAD. The DLTPA has two processes: offline (training) and online (implementation), and it is composed of two major modules: 1) a solution feasibility checker that identifies whether there is a feasible trajectory subject to all the system constraints, e.g., maximum acceleration or deceleration; and 2) a regressor to predict the speed of the next time-step. Preliminary simulation with microscopic traffic modeling software PTV VISSIM showed that the proposed DLTPA can achieve the optimal solution in terms of energy savings and a greater balance of energy savings vs. computational efforts when compared to the baseline scenarios where no EAD is implemented and the optimal solution (in terms of energy savings) is provided by a graph-based trajectory planning algorithm.

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles
Author: Stephen Parkes
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 121
Release: 2023-02-24
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1000845001

The past decade has seen substantial progress towards the development of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs). Accompanying the technological developments, there has been much dialogue around the potential for CAVs to help solve a range of economic, social, and environmental issues. Some of CAVs purported benefits include, for example, greater efficiency in the use of existing transport infrastructure, improved safety through removing human error, and widening access to automobility. However, there are also many potential downsides, and whether and how CAVs will deliver on their promise remains shrouded in much uncertainty and not a small degree of scepticism. This book views developments around CAVs through the lens of local policymakers and the towns and cities they represent. We argue it is now time to expand the dialogue to include consideration for towns and cities beyond those early adopters to understand how they will fare, and how CAVs might interact with other important policy agendas facing them. We discuss the different challenges that CAVs will pose for the urban built environment and the required forms of preparedness for these. We also explore how CAVs will interact with other uses and users of cities, including potentially competing efforts to enhance urban wellbeing and liveability. Finally, we consider how responses to CAVs are being developed and what the implications of these are. This book will appeal to policymakers, practitioners, and academics interested in the potential impacts of CAVs and in understanding more about how they will shape and interact with cities and regions in the near future.

Road Vehicle Automation 4

Road Vehicle Automation 4
Author: Gereon Meyer
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2017-06-28
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3319609343

This book is the fourth volume of the sub series of the Lecture Notes in Mobility dedicated to Road Vehicle Automation. lts chapters have been written by researchers, engineers and analysts from all around the globe. Topics covered include public sector activities, human factors and challenges, ethical, legal, energy and technology perspectives, vehicle systems development, as well as transportation infrastructure and planning. The book is based on the Automated Vehicles Symposium which took place in San Francisco, California (USA) in July 2016.