The article reviews some of the work undertaken to simulate the implications of the latest in-vehicle technology on German road networks. One of these technologies is Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC), where a forward-looking sensor is used to maintain a safe driving distance from the vehicle in front at a given speed. The article shows how actual control algorithms can be included in a simulation of the traffic flow of ICC vehicles, and then applied to real-world traffic conditions. The research's main goals were to: (1) optimise controller design; and (2) define traffic flow effects. It was divided into two parts: (1) the study of how the controller would behave under a wide range of realistic traffic conditions; and (2) the study of the effects of varying the controller parameters: (a) sensor range; (b) maximum deceleration; and (c) safety distance. Four stretches of the German motorway network were chosen, each with low, medium, and high volumes of traffic including lorries. It was found that the small numbers of equipped vehicles used (about 10%) did not appreciably affect the traffic flow. To assess the effects of different controller parameters, several combinations were operated on the A5 motorway with low traffic volume. Maximum deceleration most strongly affected the number of driver interventions.
Abstract