METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC FLOW INSTABILITIES AND INCREASING VEHICLE THROUGHPUT

摘要

A method and apparatus are disclosed for reducing traffic flow instabilities and increasing vehicle throughput by monitoring the distances and velocities of motor vehicles leading and following a center vehicle and controlling the velocities of the vehicles to maintain a steady relative distance between the center vehicle and the leading and following vehicles. Using distance and speed information derived from both leading and following vehicles reduces the loop gain of feedback needed below one (1) and diminishes traffic instabilities caused by “car following.”

主权项

1. A method for controlling a forward motion of a moving vehicle having a current speed and a mechanism to control forward motion of the moving vehicle between a moving leading vehicle and a moving following vehicle, comprising:
a controller which is secured in the moving vehicle determining a distance between the moving leading vehicle and the moving vehicle, a relative speed between the moving leading vehicle and the moving vehicle, a distance between the moving following vehicle and the moving vehicle and a relative speed between the moving following vehicle and the moving vehicle; and the controller processing the distance between the moving leading vehicle and the moving vehicle, the relative speed between the moving leading vehicle and the moving vehicle, the distance between the moving following vehicle and the moving vehicle, and the relative speed between the moving following vehicle and the moving vehicle, to provide an output to control forward motion of the moving vehicle to position the moving vehicle at a desired position between the moving leading vehicle and the moving following vehicle, wherein the desired position is variable.