Cooperative Multi-Lane Shock Wave Detection and Dissipation via Local Communication

Traffic shock waves are well-known naturally occurring phenomena that lead to unnecessary congestion in highway networks. Introducing connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs) to highways of human-driven vehicles (HDVs) allows for the development of traffic control schemes that can mitigate the effects of the shock waves. In this work, we propose a shock wave detection algorithm based on communication between CAVs with local traffic information. The proposed methodology is suitable for multi-lane mixed traffic highways of arbitrary structure, i.e., it is not limited to closed-circuit ring roads. We show that the detection information can be used to design a class of proactive shock wave mitigating CAV controllers. The choice of the controller can depend on design parameters such as the aggressiveness of the driving behavior allowed. We also demonstrate the importance of the positioning of autonomous agents in multi-lane scenarios. The shock wave dissipation efficiency is evaluated on a three lane highway loop using realistic traffic simulations and low CAV penetration levels.