Robust Adaptive Fixed-Time Observer Based Multi Platoon Formation Control with Saturation

In this paper, we propose an observer-based mixed finite and fixed-time distributed multi-leader platoon control strategy for connected vehicles. The vehicles under consideration are partitioned into different groups (parties or platoons). The aim of the control strategy is to force the vehicles within the same group to synchronize while tracking their respective leaders' (head of the platoon vehicle's) trajectories. The communication topology, based on matrices, enables the interaction of platoons from different groups, facilitating their convergence to a common point while maintaining a fixed separation between vehicles. In this paper, we propose a matrix-based approach to depict the information exchange among platoon vehicles from different groups, making it suitable for various road maneuvers like merging and diverging. The approach introduces a sliding surface and establishes a robust control mechanism to guarantee global approximate fixed-time convergence. The paper provides evidence that tracking errors converge globally to a negligible set centered around zero within a finite time, followed by an fixed time reduction to zero. Numerical simulation demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach.