Tubes and Metrics for Solving the Dilemma-Zone Problem

Our research is concerned with the modeling and design of semantically-enabled, efficient, safe and performant cyber-physical transportation systems (CPTS). As a class of cyber-physical systems (CPS), CPTS are characterized by a tight integration of software and physical processes for smartness, increased performance, safety and management of system functionality. We adopt this perspective in our investigation of solutions to the dilemma zone (DZ) problem, which currently claims thousands of lives every year at traffic intersections. In this paper, we define and introduce new “dilemma metrics” to solve this problem. Coupled with an innovative tubular (3D) characterization of the decision problem that arises at the onset of the yellow light, these metrics enable simple and actionable decision capabilities to deal with unsafe configurations of the system. We also set a pathway toward integrating dilemma metrics and dilemma tubes with an ontological framework – the latter encodes the reasoning platform supporting the broad implementation of the algorithmic solutions resolving unsafe configurations of CPTS, such as the ones created by the DZ problem. Keywords-Dilemma Zone; Metrics; Cyber-Physical Transportation Systems; Artificial Intelligence; Safety.