Nonlinear finite-time consensus-based connected vehicle platoon control under fixed and switching communication topologies

Abstract

This paper proposes nonlinear consensus-based control strategies for a connected vehicle (CV) platoon under different communication topologies. In particular, pinning control based consensus protocols are proposed by incorporating the car-following interactions between CVs under fixed and switching communication topologies. The finite-time stability and consensus of the proposed protocols are rigorously analyzed using the LaSalle’s invariance principle and Lyapunov technique. The theoretical analyses investigate the impacts of communication topology on convergence and stability of CV platoon. This study conducts numerical experiments for a CV platoon under four scenarios: (i) Fixed communication topology with time-invariant leader, (ii) fixed communication topology with time-variant leader, (iii) switching communication topology with time-invariant leader, and (iv) switching communication topology with time-variant leader. Simulations results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed protocols in terms of convergence time and stability with respect to position and velocity profiles.