Stability Analysis and Control Synthesis for Dynamical Transportation Networks

We study dynamical transportation networks in a framework that includes extensions of the classical Cell Transmission Model to arbitrary network topologies. The dynamics are modeled as systems of ordinary differential equations describing the traffic flow among a finite number of cells interpreted as links of a directed network. Flows between contiguous cells, in particular at junctions, are determined by merging and splitting rules within constraints imposed by the cells' demand and supply functions as well as by the drivers' turning preferences, while inflows at on-ramps are modeled as exogenous and possibly time-varying. First, we analyze stability properties of dynamical transportation networks. We associate to the dynamics a state-dependent dual graph whose connectivity depends on the signs of the derivatives of the inter-cell flows with respect to the densities. Sufficient conditions for the stability of equilibria and periodic solutions are then provided in terms of the connectivity of such dual graph. Then, we consider synthesis of control policies that use a combination of turning preferences, speed limits, and ramp metering, in order to optimize convex objectives. We first show that, in the general case, the optimal control synthesis problem can be cast as a convex optimization problem, and that the equilibrium of the controlled network is in free-flow. If the control policies are restricted to speed limits and ramp metering, then the resulting synthesis problem is still convex for networks where every node is either a merge or a diverge junction, and where the dynamics is monotone. These results apply both to the optimal selection of equilibria and periodic solutions, as well as to finite-horizon network trajectory optimization. Finally, we illustrate our findings through simulations on a road network inspired by the freeway system in southern Los Angeles.