CPS: Small: The Roles of Communications in Lane Merging Systems

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The current generation of automobiles uses sensors and computers to assist the driver to avoid accidents. The next step is to use communications between automobiles to improve the accuracy of sensor measurements and negotiate maneuvers between vehicles. The objective is to improve safety and increase the capacity of roadways.As the systems evolve, different vehicles will have different capabilities. The communications between vehicles is unreliable. And, the algorithms are complex and failures can be fatal. This year there have been massive recalls of vehicles with faulty control systems.In this project, we are: 1) Investigating a variety of roles that communications can play in vehicle control, and the limitations that communications imposes on control. 2) Establishing metrics to quantify the performance of cyber-physical systems in several dimensions, including performance, fairness and safety. 3) Testing strategies to guarantee that the systems can be operated safely.We are testing our techniques by analyzing and simulating a system that controls multiple lane merges that occur when highways merge, following tolls, and at construction or accident sites. For instance, at the lower level of the New York bound George Washington Bridge, 10 lanes merge to 3. The delays during the morning rush range from 20 to 90 minutes, and there are accidents most days. Assisted lane merging can reduce accidents and delays at these dangerous locations. These systems are the most technically challenging of the collaborative driving applications. They require cooperation and planning between vehicles in addition to controlling the speed, braking and maneuvers of the individual vehicles.