Efficient intersection autonomous driving protocol

A system for controlling a flow of vehicles through an intersection, said system comprising:

• an intersection control device located proximate to the intersection, said intersection control device being configured to broadcast an intersection flow type and a synchronization signal to all vehicles that will be entering the intersection, where the intersection flow type identifies a direction of travel through the intersection for each travel lane of the intersection and the synchronization signal identifies a speed to be used by the vehicles that will be entering the intersection, and where the vehicles that will be entering the intersection are identified as vehicles traveling in lanes approaching the intersection and within a predefined proximity of the intersection;
• a wireless transceiver onboard each of the vehicles;
• and
• a vehicle controller onboard each of the vehicles, said vehicle controller being configured to control the steering, brakes and throttle of its host vehicle based on information received from the intersection control device via the wireless transceiver,
• where the intersection control device identifies an arrival synchronization pattern for all of the vehicles that will be entering the intersection, where the arrival synchronization pattern is defined and communicated to the vehicle controllers so that vehicles traveling in perpendicular or cross directions through the intersection will simultaneously travel through the intersection without colliding with each other, including defining a configuration of time slot cells for the intersection, and where the speed of the vehicles and the time for the vehicles are controlled by the vehicle controllers so that only one vehicle will be in a particular time slot cell at a particular time slot.