Capacity analysis of traffic flow over a single-lane automated highway system

We calculate bounds on per-lane Automated Highway System (AHS) capacity as a function of vehicle capabilities and control system information structure . We assume that the AHS lane is dedicated for use by fully automated vehic les. Capacity is constrained by the minimum inter-vehicle separation necess ary for safe operation. A methodology for deriving the safe minimum inter-v ehicle separation for a particular safety criterion is presented. The inter -vehicle separation, which depends on the vehicle braking capability, contr ol loop delays and operating speed, is then used to compute site-independen t upper bounds on AHS capacity for a given mix of vehicle classes. The sens itivity of the capacity with respect to the degree of inter-vehicle coopera tion, check-in policies (governing minimum acceptable vehicle-braking capab ility), highway speed limits, and lane-use policies (governing the sharing of a lane by multiple vehicle classes) is also investigated.