A Platform to Evaluate Connected Vehicle Applications Using Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation

The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) has developed an augmented reality environment where real entities (vehicles and traffic signal operation) are combined with simulated traffic in a platform to test connected vehicle (CV) applications and technologies. The first-of-its-kind approach — called CONVAS (CONnected Vehicle Assessment Simulation) — marries the cost effectiveness of computer simulation with actual roadway operations to produce an efficient, yet dependable evaluation mechanism in a controlled environment for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).The project team developed an enhanced hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) simulation in this project by incorporating an actual, connected vehicle on a roadway network into a simulation model and displaying simulated connected vehicles inside the real vehicle at the same time. This platform also provides SPaT (signal phasing and timing) message signal status and the MAP information to the CV through a tablet display. This enables development and testing of advanced CV applications or strategies by allowing assessments of how connected vehicles respond to each other and other entities like pedestrians, emergency vehicles, and transit vehicles in a controlled environment.The CONVAS system integrates a traffic signal controller and a real CV with an On Board Unit (OBU) with the VISSIM simulation model to form the HITL platform. In addition, the HITL platform consists of a road side unit (RSU) and an integrated infrastructure to vehicle prototype (IVP) system to facilitate communication between RSU, OBU, external signal controller and VISSIM. This paper describes the various components of this platform and how they interact and how to use the platform to evaluate a CV application.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AHB25 Standing Committee on Traffic Signal Systems.
• Authors:
  • Sunkari, Srinivasa
  • Charara, Hassan
  • Bibeka, Apoorba
  • Balke, Kevin
  • Songchitruksa, Praprut
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2018-1-7 to 2018-1-11
• Date: 2018

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; References;
• Pagination: 17p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Connected vehicles; Hardware in the loop simulation
• Identifier Terms: CONVAS (Simulation model); Texas A&M Transportation Institute; VISSIM (Computer model)
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01663604
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 18-02155
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 22 2018 11:57AM