A hybrid deep learning based traffic flow prediction method and its understanding

Deep neural networks (DNNs) have recently demonstrated the capability to predict traffic flow with big data. While existing DNN models can provide better performance than shallow models, it is still an open issue of making full use of spatial-temporal characteristics of the traffic flow to improve their performance. In addition, our understanding of them on traffic data remains limited. This paper proposes a DNN based traffic flow prediction model (DNN-BTF) to improve the prediction accuracy. The DNN-BTF model makes full use of weekly/daily periodicity and spatial-temporal characteristics of traffic flow. Inspired by recent work in machine learning, an attention based model was introduced that automatically learns to determine the importance of past traffic flow. The convolutional neural network was also used to mine the spatial features and the recurrent neural network to mine the temporal features of traffic flow. We also showed through visualization how DNN-BTF model understands traffic flow data and presents a challenge to conventional thinking about neural networks in the transportation field that neural networks is purely a “black-box” model. Data from open-access database PeMS was used to validate the proposed DNN-BTF model on a long-term horizon prediction task. Experimental results demonstrated that our method outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches.     

Field tests of a dynamic green driving strategy based on inter-vehicle communication

This paper presents the design and results for field tests regarding the environmental benefits in stop-and-go traffic of an algorithmic green driving strategy based on inter-vehicle communication (IVC), which was proposed in Yang and Jin (2014). The green driving strategy dynamically calculates advisory speed limits for vehicles equipped with IVC devices so as to smooth their speed profiles and reduce their emissions and fuel consumption. For the field tests, we develop a smartphone-based IVC system, in which vehicles’ speeds and locations are collected by GPS and accelerometer sensors embedded in smartphones, and communications among vehicles are enabled by specially designed smartphone applications, a central server, and 4G cellular networks. Six field tests are carried out on an uninterrupted ring road under slow or fast stop-and-go traffic conditions. We compare the performances of three alternatives: no green driving, heuristic green driving, and the IVC-based algorithmic green driving. Results show that heuristic green driving has better smoothing and environmental effects than no green driving, but the IVC-based algorithmic green driving outperforms both. In the future, we are interested in field tests under more realistic traffic conditions.     

Conflict-free arrival and departure trajectory planning for parallel runway with advanced point-merge system

In this paper, an efficient trajectory planning system is proposed to solve the integration of arrivals and departures on parallel runways with a novel route network system. Our first effort is made in designing an advanced Point Merge (PM) route network named Multi-Level Point Merge (ML-PM) to meet the requirements of parallel runway operations. Then, more efforts are paid on finding a complete and efficient framework capable of dynamically modelling the integration of arrival and departure trajectories on parallel runways, modelling the conflict detection and resolution in presence of curved trajectory and radius-to-fix merging process. After that, a suitable mathematical optimization formulation is built up. Receding Horizon Control (RHC) and Simulated Annealing (SA) algorithms are proposed to search the near-optimal solution for the large scale trajectories in routine dense operations. Taking Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) as a study case, the experimental results show that our system shows good performances on the management of arrivals and departures. It can automatically solve all the potential conflicts in presence of dense traffic flows. With its unique ML-PM route network, it can realize a shorter flying time and a near-Continuous Descent Approach (CDA) descent for arrival aircraft, an economical climbing for departure aircraft, an easier runway allocation together with trajectory control solutions. It shows a good and dynamic sequencing efficiency in Terminal Manoeuvring Area (TMA). In mixed ML-PM mode, under tested conditions, our proposed system can increase throughput at BCIA around 26%, compared with baseline. The methodology defined here could be easily applied to airports worldwide.     

轨道交通车辆的工艺流程标准化

从生产线建立、工艺流程编制、工艺布局设计和生产能力等方面进行分析,提出了轨道交通车辆工艺流程标准化设计方法和优化方法。基于精益管理理念和工序能力测算法,可以合理编制标准化工艺流程,从而降低劳动强度,提高生产效率。     

上海松江区现代有轨电车规划研究

现代有轨电车因其环保、舒适、高效、低造价、高品质等特点,在国际上得到广泛应用,我国多个城市也在规划和建设之中。但是,由于其在国内尚为一种全新的交通方式,没有标准或规范予以指导,规划及设计体系不完善,有些已建项目已呈现问题。文章结合上海松江区规划背景及交通特征,阐述有轨电车示范线T1、T2线的布局规划、建设的必要性及适应性,为即将开展有轨电车规划及建设的城市提供借鉴与参考。     

技术站间货物列车协同配流方案研究

技术站间货物列车协同作业组织模式，可实现各站获益，整体加强，对提升铁路运输生产效率具有重要意义.本文建立技术站间货物列车协同配流模型.模型以最大化两技术站的正点出发列车数作为目标函数，采用启发式遗传算法进行寻优，得到货物列车解编顺序和配流方案.最后，通过对算例进行实验分析，验证协同配流模型的实用性.结果表明，技术站间协同配流作业明显压缩车辆在站总停留时间，增加了阶段计划内正点出发列车数，进而提高了技术站内线路使用能力.     

CACC车头时距与混合交通流稳定性的解析关系

研究协同自适应巡航控制(Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control，CACC)车头时距对不同CACC比例下混合交通流稳定性的影响关系，进而为CACC车头时距设计提供参考. 应用优化速度模型(Optimal Velocity Model，OVM)作为手动车辆的跟驰模型，PATH真车实验标定的模型作为CACC车辆的跟驰模型. 基于传递函数理论，推导混合交通流稳定性判别条件，计算关于CACC比例与平衡态速度的混合交通流稳定域. 分析混合交通流在任意速度下稳定所需满足的临界CACC比例与CACC车头时距的解析关系，提出随CACC比例增加的可变 CACC车头时距设计策略，并通过数值仿真实验验证所提可变CACC车头时距策略的正确性. 研究结果表明：在所提可变CACC车头时距策略下，CACC车头时距随CACC比例增加而逐渐降低，避免取值较大影响混合交通流通行能力的提升；当CACC比例大于35%时，混合交通流在任意速度下稳定.研究结果可为大规模CACC真车实验的实施提供理论设计参考.     

Modeling free-flow speed according to different water depths—From the viewpoint of dynamic hydraulic pressure

In this paper, we propose a method of modeling free flow speed from the viewpoint of hydroplaning. First, the lift forces for different water depths were estimated using Bernoulli’s equation. Compared with the result of the experimental test performed by the Japan Automobile Research Institute, the hydrodynamic pressure coefficient was determined to be 0.03 (tf s²/m⁴). The validation of the predicted lift force is found in another published paper. A very good match is found between the computed values by the proposed numerical model and the data in other published papers. Then, the loss of contact force is considered to evaluate the hydroplaning performance of a tire. To simulate the hydroplaning speed, a tire-sliding model was utilized to obtain the traction and friction forces between the road surface and the tire. The observation data obtained in Japan in 2009 is compared with the physically computed hydroplaning speed, yielding the conclusion that the traction force at the measured desired speed is, on average, 23.4% of the traction force at hydroplaning speed. The analytical model offers a useful tool to quantitatively show that the free flow speed changes as the water depth increase.     

基于客流需求的城市轨道交通动态时刻表优化模型

为使城市轨道交通列车运行时刻表更贴合客流需求,依据不断变化的客流需求确定每列车的发车时刻和停站时间,采用多目标优化方法构建以乘客出行时间费用和列车运行时间费用最小为目标、列车发车时刻和停站时间为决策变量的城市轨道交通动态时刻表优化模型,并采用粒子群算法求解。以广州地铁13号线为例进行验证,结果表明优化后的时刻表更满足客流需求,能有效地提高乘客出行效率,具有更好的动态适应性。