An Evolutionary Automated Highway System Concept Based on GPS

James W. Sinko and Randal C. Galgan

Abstract:	This paper describes a GPS-based evolutionary approach for developing an Automated Highway System (AHS). The concept uses GPS for precise vehicle control as well as for navigation, including lateral control (keeping vehicles on the road) and longitudinal control (maintaining separation between vehicles). The evolutionary approach has been adopted to enable private industry, with minimal infristructure changes, to undertake a major part of the research and development associated with deployment of an AHS. The idea is to quickly employ existing technology that is capable of performing limited but useful functions. The evolutionary stages include: (1) A follow-the-leader capability in which a lead vehicle is manually driven and multiple automated vehicles follow the same path ahd maintain safe separation distances between other path-following automated vehicles and non-automated vehicles. (2) An advanced cruise control system that allows properly equipped vehicles to stay within surveyed highway lanes, maintain safe separation distances, and avoid collisions with obstructions and other vehicles. (3) A completely automated system with autonomous vehicles operating on dedicated lanes and, eventually, on dedicated AHS highways. Stages one and two could be developed and deployed simultaneously. In addition to the evolutionary approach, there are four key aspects of the concept: (1) The ability of each vehicle to continuously measure its absolute location on the road to within a centimeter or two. This high-precision location capability, when combined with vehicle sensor data and road database information, provides the information required for safe and reliable navigation, especially in emergencies. (2) Integration of data from multiple active and passive sensors to form a dynamic model of the environment around the vehicle for situation awareness. (3) A supervisory control system for each vehicle that can autonomously recognize and efficiently react to critical events and can smoothly and robustly switch from one mode of operation to another, as needed, to cover the full scope of operational contingencies. (4) The majority of the sensors and system control reside in the vehicles so that infrastructure costs and changes are minimal. The dominant technologies chosen to provide the required capabilities are: the Global Positioning System (GPS) for position location; a simple inertial reference system; image recognition using multi-spectral sensors (optical, infrared [IR], radar, and light detection and ranging [LIDAR]) for situation awareness; and artificial intelligence algorithms for sensor fusion and supervisory control. In addition to describing the evolutionary AHS concept, this paper presents results of an experiment that was performed to quantify some of the uncertainties associated with the use of GPS for AHS vehicle control. The experiment involved dynamic measurements of carrier-phase-differential GPS systems to verify smoothness and accuracy. A model car under GPS control is currently being tested.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 9th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1996) September 17 - 20, 1996 Kansas City, MO
Pages:	535 - 544
Cite this article:	Sinko, James W., Galgan, Randal C., "An Evolutionary Automated Highway System Concept Based on GPS," Proceedings of the 9th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1996), Kansas City, MO, September 1996, pp. 535-544.
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