Co-Design of Bandwidth-Aware Communication Scheduler and Cruise Controller for Multiple High-Speed Trains

This paper is concerned with the event-based coordinated cruise control problem of multiple high-speed trains under sporadic train-to-train (T2T) information flows. First, a novel bandwidth occupancy-aware event-based communication mechanism is devised to schedule T2T information exchanges. Two salient features of the mechanism lie in the awareness of the real-time bandwidth occupancy and the inclusion of the historically transmitted train data in determining the communication events. In this way, the limited communication resource can be occupied in a more intelligent and flexible manner. Then, a bandwidth parameter-dependent co-design approach is proposed for each train to determine the desired cruise controller gains and event scheduler parameters. Furthermore, it is shown that under the designed cruise controllers, the follower trains can maintain the desired gap reference from their predecessors and keep the same speed profile with the leader train, while simultaneously realizing promising communication resource efficiency. Finally, several case studies are performed to validate the efficacy of the co-design approach.

I. Introduction

High-speed trains have attracted enormous research interest in recent years as they play a significant and promising role in improving transportation efficiency, enhancing commuting convenience and comfort, reducing carbon emission, and strengthening urban connections with numerous economic benefits. To address the increasing complexity, high mobility, and crucial safety demands of high-speed railway transportation, the implementation of an effective and efficient automatic train control (ATC) system becomes imperative. This intrinsically relies on advanced automatic train supervision, operation, and protection technologies to realize dependable, maneuverable and safe train operations.