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Implications of As-built Highway Horizontal Curves on Vehicle Dynamic/Kinematic Characteristics Under Adaptive Cruise Control
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  • Shuyi Wang ,
  • Yuanwen Lai ,
  • Xuntao Qiu ,
  • Yang Ma ,
  • Said M. Easa ,
  • Yubin Zheng
Shuyi Wang
Fuzhou University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Yuanwen Lai
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Xuntao Qiu
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Said M. Easa
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Yubin Zheng
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Abstract

Due to the presence of the roadâ\euro™s curvature and sensorsâ\euro™ limited field of view, as-built highway curves designed based on traditional human-driven vehiclesâ\euro™ characteristics pose a challenge to the adaptive cruise control (ACC) system and its shared control. However, very few efforts in the literature were expended on exploring the adaptability of the ACC system-dedicated vehicle (V-ACC) from the perspective of vehicle-road geometry interaction. Therefore, the objectives of this study are threefold: (i) to investigate the implications of existing horizontal curves on V-ACC dynamic and kinematic characteristics; (ii) to unravel the impact mechanism of curve geometric features; and (iii) to evaluate the ACC systemâ\euro™s adaptability from different aspects and extract the critical curve geometric features. To this end, a virtual co-simulation platform was established and validated by the OpenACC database. A series of tests featuring circular curve radius (RC), desired speed (Vde), and desired clearance were created, and V-ACC characteristics were output. The results show that: (i) a smaller RC causes V-ACC characteristics toward the margins of safety, comfort, and speed consistency, but neither sideslip nor rollover occurs, and speed consistency is good; (ii) the driver and passengers (if any) feel comfortable at Vde = 40, 80-100 km/h following the leading car, but they may feel â\euro˜moderately uncomfortableâ\euro™ at Vde = 50-70 km/h when RC decreases toward its lower limit; and (iii) asymmetrical maneuvers and discomfort would exist before and after the circular curve. These findings could help road administrators regulate V-ACCâ\euro™s behaviors and improve its road-oriented operation design domain.