Network Management Simulation of Automated Guideway Rapid Transit Systems under Vehicle-Follower Control

摘要

This report points out that the use of Automated Guideway Rapid Transit (AGRT) has been proposed as a means of alleviating many of the problems associated with conventional transportation modes in urban areas. The concept of AGRT requires the deployment of remotely controlled vehicles in a dedicated guideway network. Many control strategies have been proposed to handle the simultaneous longitudinal control of possibly hundreds of these vehicles. One generic approach is vehicle-follower, in which vehicle state information is used to command vehicle spacing and velocity of the immediately following vehicle. This report states that vehicle-follower control has been extensively examined at the individual vehicle interaction level; however, the network effects of vehicle-follower are relatively unassessed. The principle objective of this study is to examine the network level behavior of a vehicle-follower approach to longitudinal control in AGRT systems. A computer simulation was developed for the evaluation of station operations, vehicle management techniques, and vehicle-follower longitudinal control algorithms in a full AGRT network context. The simulation was then exercised to investigate the performance characteristics of and interactions among vehicle control, network management, and station models.