Space Time Reservation Procedure (STRP) for V2X-Based Maneuver Coordination of Cooperative Automated Vehicles in Diverse Conflict Scenarios

In order to use the road network as efficiently as possible and to fully exploit the potential of automated vehicles, vehicle cooperation is essential. Conflicts between road users over available space on the road can only be resolved efficiently through cooperation. To this end, we investigate the space time reservation procedure (STRP) which is a generic approach to cooperation between vehicles. The method is based on a decentralized two-step negotiation procedure during which parts of the road can be reserved in order to carry out maneuvers that were originally conflicting. After the rollout of the first cooperative automated vehicles, a long transition period with mixed traffic is expected. Since the approach in this paper builds on existing road traffic regulations and does not abolish them, the method can also be applied in mixed traffic. Compared to the preliminary work on this approach, the method is simplified and further generalized for already supported traffic situations. This increases flexibility during the execution of cooperative maneuvers. Additionally, new reservation geometries covering almost all possible conflicts in traffic are investigated, e.g. lane changes, intersections, overtaking, roundabouts. Finally, the approach is evaluated by means of test drives with two research vehicles and in simulations.