TxDOT El Paso District Connected Vehicle Roadside Equipment - Connected Vehicle Roadside Equipment Functionality

Subsystem Description

'Connected Vehicle Roadside Equipment' (CV RSE) represents the Connected Vehicle roadside devices that are used to send messages to, and receive messages from, nearby vehicles using Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) or other alternative wireless communications technologies. Communications with adjacent field equipment and back office centers that monitor and control the RSE are also supported. This device operates from a fixed position and may be permanently deployed or a portable device that is located temporarily in the vicinity of a traffic incident, road construction, or a special event. It includes a processor, data storage, and communications capabilities that support secure communications with passing vehicles, other field equipment, and centers.

Functional Object: RSE Automated Vehicle Operations

'RSE Automated Vehicle Operations' includes the field elements that monitor and control access to and egress from automated lanes. It monitors and coordinates automated vehicle operations within the lanes. These lanes support vehicles operating in platoons with short headways.

Functional Object: RSE Environmental Monitoring

'RSE Environmental Monitoring' collects environmental situation (probe) data from passing vehicles that are equipped with short range communications capability. The collected data includes current environmental conditions as measured by on–board sensors (e.g., ambient temperature and precipitation measures), current status of vehicle systems that can be used to infer environmental conditions (e.g., status of lights, wipers, ABS, and traction control systems), and emissions measures reported by the vehicle. The functional object collects the provided data, aggregates and filters the data based on provided configuration parameters, and sends the collected information back to a center for processing and distribution. This functional object may also process the collected data locally and issue short–term road weather advisories for the road segment using short range communications.

Functional Object: RSE Intersection Management

'RSE Intersection Management' uses short range communications to support connected vehicle applications that manage signalized intersections. It communicates with approaching vehicles and ITS infrastructure (e.g., the traffic signal controller) to enhance traffic signal operations. Coordination with the ITS infrastructure also supports conflict monitoring to ensure the RSE output and traffic signal control output are consistent and degrade in a fail safe manner.

Functional Object: RSE Intersection Safety

'RSE Intersection Safety' uses short range communications to support connected vehicle applications that improve intersection safety. It communicates with approaching vehicles and ITS infrastructure to alert and warn drivers of potential stop sign, red light, and non–motorized user crossing conflicts or violations.

Functional Object: RSE Queue Warning

'RSE Queue Warning' provides V2I communications to support queue warning systems. It monitors connected vehicles to identify and monitor queues in real–time and provides information to vehicles about upcoming queues, including downstream queues that are reported by the Traffic Management Center.

Functional Object: RSE Restricted Lanes Application

The 'RSE Restricted Lanes Application' uses short range communications to monitor and manage dynamic and static restricted lanes. It collects vehicle profile information from vehicles entering the lanes and monitors vehicles within the lanes, providing aggregate data to the back office center. It provides lane restriction information and signage data to the vehicles and optionally identifies vehicles that violate the current lane restrictions. These functions are performed based on operating parameters provided by the back office managing center(s).

Functional Object: RSE Situation Monitoring

'RSE Situation Monitoring' is a general functional object that supports collection of traffic, environmental, and emissions data from passing vehicles. The data is collected, filtered, and forwarded based on parameters provided by the back office. Parameters are provided to passing vehicles that are equipped to collect and send situation data to the infrastructure in snapshots. In addition, this object collects current status information from local field devices including intersection status, sensor data, and signage data, providing complete, configurable monitoring of the situation for the local transportation system in the vicinity of the RSE.

Functional Object: RSE Speed Management

'RSE Speed Management' provides infrastructure information including road grade, roadway geometry, road weather information, and current speed limits to assist vehicles in maintaining safe speeds and headways. It also provides speed recommendations to vehicles based on current conditions and overall speed limits and strategies established by the back office.

Functional Object: RSE Traffic Monitoring

'RSE Traffic Monitoring' monitors the basic safety messages that are shared between connected vehicles and distills this data into traffic flow measures that can be used to manage the network in combination with or in lieu of traffic data collected by infrastructure–based sensors. As connected vehicle penetration rates increase, the measures provided by this application can expand beyond vehicle speeds that are directly reported by vehicles to include estimated volume, occupancy, and other measures. This object also supports incident detection by monitoring for changes in speed and vehicle control events that indicate a potential incident.

Functional Object: RSE Traveler Information Communications

'RSE Traveler Information Communications' includes field elements that distribute information to vehicles for in–vehicle display. The information may be provided by a center (e.g., variable information on traffic and road conditions in the vicinity of the field equipment) or it may be determined and output locally (e.g., static sign information and signal phase and timing information). This includes the interface to the center or field equipment that controls the information distribution and the short range communications equipment that provides information to passing vehicles.