String stability for vehicular platoon control: Definitions and analysis methods

Abstract

The platooning of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) is expected to have a transformative impact on road transportation, e.g, enhancing highway safety, improving traffic efficiency, and reducing fuel consumption. One critical task of platoon control is to achieve string stability, for which various models and methods had been proposed. However, different types of definitions and analysis methods for string stability were proposed over the years and were not thoroughly compared. To fill these gaps, this paper aims to clarify the relationship of ambiguous definitions and various analysis methods, providing a rigorous foundation for future studies. A series of equivalences are summarized and discussed. The pros and cons of different analysis methods and definitions are discussed, too. All these discussions provide insights for practical selection of analyzing methods for vehicle platoons.