Feasibility of Road Longitudinal Profiles for Automated Vehicles Based on Vehicle Dynamics

With the development and maturity of new generation digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and 5G mobile communication, their integration with physical products is becoming increasingly seamless. Automobiles serve as a prime example in this regard. In recent years, automated vehicle (AV) technologies have emerged as a prominent focal point, witnessing an escalating acceptance in the market and a growing number of self-driving vehicles on the roads, existing roads are primarily designed for traditional human-driven vehicles (HVs). Due to the differences in perception between automated systems and human drivers, it is essential to assess AVs' feasibility to current road infrastructure. This paper analyzes the safety and comfort of automated vehicles equipped with adaptive cruise control systems (ACC-AVs) on longitudinal road profiles from the perspective of vehicle dynamics. Firstly, a co-simulation platform integrating PreScan, CarSim, and Simulink software is established, providing a comprehensive environment for simulating AV behavior. Secondly, an evaluation system is developed to assess AV's feasibility on longitudinal roads, based on safety indicators (rear-end collisions occurrence) and comfort indicators (axial acceleration, vertical acceleration, and vertical acceleration change rate). Lastly, the feasibility of ACC-AVs on existing longitudinal profile roads is simulated and evaluated. The results indicate that, on straight slope section, ACC-AVs may experience rear-end collisions on downhill sections with design speeds below 100 km/h; when safety requirements are met, both uphill and downhill sections exhibit good comfort levels. For the vertical curve section, comfort is also favorable in segments with low design speeds and large vertical curve radii, however, as curve radii decrease or design speeds increase, comfort deteriorates. The findings of this study provide a reference for optimizing highway profile design for AVs.