Hierarchical platoon control with heterogeneous information feedback

The problem of autonomous platoon control via wireless communication network is studied in this study. Firstly, a novel hybrid model is established for the platoon's longitudinal movement, where disturbances of lead vehicle acceleration and wind gust, parameter uncertainties and intermediate uncertainties induced by communication network (e.g. time delay, quantisation and packet dropout) are given full considerations and involved in the model for the first time. Then, the authors establish a hierarchical platoon controller design framework comprising a feedback linearisation controller at the first layer and a guaranteed cost H∞ controller at the second layer. By reducing the non-linear system to a linear model using the top layer feedback linearisation controller, a robust H∞ controller, the kernel controller, is designed utilising novel techniques in robust control of time-delay systems. For the general objective of disturbance attenuation, string stability and robust platoon control to be achieved simultaneously, the robust H∞ controller is complemented by additional conditions established for guaranteeing string stability and zero steady-state spacing errors. Simulations are given to show the efficiency of the proposed results.