Macroscopic Model-Based Variable Speed Limit Control Strategy in the Vicinity of Traffic Signals from the Perspective of CPS

To improve traffic efficiency in the vicinity of traffic signals, this study develops a macroscopic model-based variable speed limit (MM-VSL) control strategy from the perspective of cyber-physical systems (CPS). Specifically, according to densely splitting the road space, this study presents a macroscopic lattice model considering traffic state in the signal region to describe the mixed traffic characteristics. Meanwhile, considering the impacts of the control frequency at the cyber layer on the vehicle physical behavior, an MM-VSL method is developed to intermittently refresh the road-side velocity guidance for HVs and cyber control commands for CAVs. Extensive experiments verify that, compared with the uncontrolled and traditional VSL, the MM-VSL can increase the traffic efficiency by 2.07% and 2.80%, reduce the average vehicle fuel consumption by 6.80% and 5.36%, and reduce the average vehicle travel time by 1.64% and 6.68%, respectively. Meanwhile, moderate control frequency can make the best control performance.