Optimal distributed control for platooning via sparse coprime factorizations

We introduce a novel distributed control architecture for disturbances attenuation in heterogeneous platoons of linear and time-invariant autonomous agents that inherits the performance achievable by the leader-follower control policies. We provide a Youla-like parameterization for the class of all distributed controllers such that the sparsity constraints are imposed on the controllers' left coprime factors, outlining a new concept of structural constraints in distributed control. The proposed scheme lends itself to optimal controller design via norm based costs, it guarantees string stability and completely eliminates the accordion effect from the behavior of the platoon. The distributed controller is proven to attain global optimality for heterogeneous platoons and ℋ
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costs and can easily reconfigure such as to remain optimal during formation merging/exiting maneuvers. The scheme is amenable to a GPS time base synchronization mechanism, allowing for the exact compensation of the time delays induced by the wireless communications.