Nonlinear Consensus-Based Connected Vehicle Platoon Control Incorporating Car-Following Interactions and Heterogeneous Time Delays

Abstract

This paper proposes a distributed nonlinear consensus delay-dependent control algorithm for a connected vehicle (CV) platoon. In particular, considering that the behavior of the following vehicle is associated with the longitudinal inter-vehicle gap with respect to the preceding vehicle, a nonlinear function is designed to characterize the car-following interactions between CVs. Then, a nonlinear consensus algorithm is proposed by incorporating the car-following interactions and heterogeneous time delays. The delay-dependent convergence condition of the proposed control algorithm is analyzed using the Lyapunov-Krasovskii method, and an estimate of the delay bound is provided. Under the proposed algorithm, not only can the consensus of CVs be guaranteed but also the behavior of vehicles is consistent with traffic flow theory. Finally, an example using a 10-vehicle platoon is provided under three scenarios: no time delays, heterogeneous time delays, and homogeneous time delays. Results from extensive simulations verify the effectiveness of the proposed control algorithm in terms of the position, velocity, and acceleration/deceleration profiles.