Optimal merging into a high-speed lane dedicated to connected autonomous vehicles

Abstract

In the future, High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes or other dedicated lanes might be restricted to autonomous vehicles, e.g wirelessly connected vehicles with longitudinal motion control. These vehicles would likely travel at high speeds in platoons. New criteria for the merging of a vehicle from an adjacent freeway are proposed. To reduce disruption to the flow, only merges into gaps between platoons, not within, are considered. To minimize HOV lane trip time and vehicle deceleration, the optimal merge position is determined from simulations of linear combinations of the deviation of the headway from equilibrium and vehicle velocity differences. These are between the merging vehicle and the trailing vehicle (on the HOV lane) and the merging vehicle and the last vehicle of the preceding platoon. The merging vehicle, due to acceleration limitations on the freeway, generally will merge at a significantly lower velocity than the HOV lane average velocity.