Decentralized Tracking Control for Heterogeneous Vehicular Network with Expanding Construction

A decentralized control problem for vehicular platoon systems with heterogeneous dynamic behaviors is investigated in this paper. To simplify the controller design, a longitudinal model is established as an interconnected form. On this basis, a series of decentralized state feedback controllers are designed to ensure the individual stability, string stability and connective stability of the vehicular platoon system. Then, a new scenario in which additional vehicles are added to the platoon is also considered by developing an expanding construction system (ECS) based on the proposed longitudinal model. As a result, a corresponding controller can be designed as a new one of the decentralized controllers without changing the original control laws of the interconnected system. The stability conditions are presented with rigorous analysis by virtue of linear matrix inequality (LMI) for the interconnected system and the ECS. Simulation results are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed decentralized tracking controllers.