Falco Schneider, ITWM

Title:
Speed Limit and Ramp Meter Control for Traffic Flow Networks

Abstract:

Within the scope of autonomous driving, optimal traffic control yields a possible application by metering the traffic to increase the efficiency of the traffic flow. The ambition is to control a given traffic network via speed limits and on-ramp metering, such that the total travel time can be minimized or the throughput of the network can be maximized. At the beginning of the presentation, we give a general overview of macroscopic traffic models and possibilities of traffic control. Following a paper by Goatin, Göttlich and Kolb [1], we then present a specific traffic network model based on the classical LWR traffic model, which is given by a hyperbolic PDE. Furthermore, we construct suitable coupling conditions between the roads for different types of intersections to ensure the unique solvability of the system. For the optimization, the system is first solved without any control to get an initial guess and then optimized via a “first discretize then optimize” approach. Finally, we will present some numerical results for the shown optimal traffic control model. This presentation will be given within the frame of a reading course.

[1] P. Goatin, S. Göttlich, O. Kolb – Speed limit and ramp meter control for traffic flow networks – Engineering Optimization, Vol. 48(7), pp. 1121-1144, 2016.