Integrated model predictive control for mixed urban and freeway networks

Reference:
M. van den Berg, B. De Schutter, and H. Hellendoorn, "Integrated model predictive control for mixed urban and freeway networks," Proceedings of the 8th TRAIL Congress 2004 - A World of Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics - Selected Papers (P.H.L. Bovy, ed.), Rotterdam, The Netherlands, pp. 27-49, Nov. 2004.

Abstract:
We develop a control method for networks containing both urban roads and freeways. Existing control systems often target only one of the two road types. In urban areas intersections are optimized locally, and on the freeways only the freeway traffic is taken into account. But the two are closely connected: congestion on the freeway often causes spill back of urban queues, slowing down the urban traffic, and vice versa. As a consequence, control measures taken in one of the two areas can have significant influence on the other area. The method that we develop integrates the control for urban roads and freeways, to prevent the negative influences as much as possible, and to be able to exploit the positive influences. The method is based on model predictive control, and requires a model of the traffic. So we first present a model that is able to describe the urban traffic, the freeway traffic, and the interface in between. Next we develop the control structure that is used for the integrated control. The differences between integrated control and local optimized control are shown with a synthetic case study.