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Platooning of Heterogeneous Vehicles with Actuation Delays: Theoretical and Experimental Results

Redmer de Haan, Lorenzo Redi, Tom van der Sande, Erjen Lefeber

TL;DR

This work addresses actuation-delay challenges in heterogeneous platoons by introducing a prediction-based CACC that does not rely on drive-line information from the preceding vehicle. Building on a delay-free design, it applies predictor-feedback and a discrete-time, zero-order-hold implementation to compensate the ego vehicle's delay, ensuring input-to-state stability with respect to the leader's acceleration. The paper provides a discrete-time stability analysis that links sampling time to controller gains and validates the approach with full-scale experiments, confirming effective delay compensation. The results broaden the practical applicability of CACC to heterogeneous vehicle strings and lay groundwork for tuning and string-stability analysis in future work.

Abstract

In this paper we present a prediction-based Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Controller for vehicles with actuation delay, applicable within heterogeneous platoons. We provide a stability analysis for the discrete-time implementation of this controller, which shows the effect of the used sampling times and can be used for selecting appropriate controller gains. The theoretical results are validated by means of experiments using full scale vehicles. This is an extended version of a paper with the same title (submitted to IFAC TDS 2024). Additional mathematical details are provided in this extended version.

Platooning of Heterogeneous Vehicles with Actuation Delays: Theoretical and Experimental Results

TL;DR

This work addresses actuation-delay challenges in heterogeneous platoons by introducing a prediction-based CACC that does not rely on drive-line information from the preceding vehicle. Building on a delay-free design, it applies predictor-feedback and a discrete-time, zero-order-hold implementation to compensate the ego vehicle's delay, ensuring input-to-state stability with respect to the leader's acceleration. The paper provides a discrete-time stability analysis that links sampling time to controller gains and validates the approach with full-scale experiments, confirming effective delay compensation. The results broaden the practical applicability of CACC to heterogeneous vehicle strings and lay groundwork for tuning and string-stability analysis in future work.

Abstract

In this paper we present a prediction-based Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Controller for vehicles with actuation delay, applicable within heterogeneous platoons. We provide a stability analysis for the discrete-time implementation of this controller, which shows the effect of the used sampling times and can be used for selecting appropriate controller gains. The theoretical results are validated by means of experiments using full scale vehicles. This is an extended version of a paper with the same title (submitted to IFAC TDS 2024). Additional mathematical details are provided in this extended version.
Paper Structure (11 sections, 24 equations, 5 figures, 1 table)

This paper contains 11 sections, 24 equations, 5 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Problem formulation
  3. Delay-free controller design
  4. Controller design
  5. Predictor-feedback based CACC controller
  6. Discrete time controller
  7. Closed-loop stability
  8. Experimental validation
  9. Experiment design
  10. Experimental results
  11. Conclusion

Figures (5)

  • Figure 1: Heterogeneous string of vehicles.
  • Figure 2: Platoon consisting of two experimental vehicles.
  • Figure 3: Schematic overview of the automated vehicle and its soft- and hardware components.
  • Figure 4: Measured experimental response of vehicle deploying predictor feedback based controller \ref{['eq:prediction-controller-discrete']}, compared to simulated response of \ref{['eq:error-dynamics-delay']} and \ref{['eq:closed-loop-prediction-continuous']}.
  • Figure 5: Measured experimental response of vehicle deploying conventional PD controller \ref{['eq:change-of-input']}, compared to simulated response of \ref{['eq:error-dynamics-delay']} and \ref{['eq:closed-loop-prediction-continuous']}.