String Stable and Collision-Safe Model Predictive Platoon Control

Automated vehicle platooning bears high potential to increase traffic efficiency, improve road safety, and reduce fuel consumption. To realize platoons with small inter-vehicle distances, collision safety is the most crucial concern needs be considered carefully. Moreover, it desired attenuate disturbances along platoon which known as string stability. While model predictive control concepts achieve efficient, situation-aware, safe platooning, establishing stability properties difficult. In this work characterized for a generic feedback setting. A workflow design an extended time gap spacing policy proposed safety-extended distributed controller. It provides safe, tightly-packed operation robust near steady-state even without vehicle-to-vehicle- V2V-communication. Platoon performance further improved by exploiting Finally, resulting closed-loop dynamics are validated in high-fidelity co-simulation study.