Robustified Distributed Model Predictive Control for Coherence and Energy Efficiency-Aware Platooning

Platooning has become one of the most appealing formations for intelligent vehicles safety enhancement and traffic regulation. Besides the traditional control algorithms, which are required to enforce at least local and string stability, more complex control schemes can be designed to cope with advanced requirements. In this paper, a suitable Distributed Model Predictive Control (DMPC) scheme, robustified with a second -order Integral Sliding Mode (ISM) correction term, is proposed to enforce and maintain coherence during cruising, while considering energy efficiency during acceleration/deceleration phases. While the former aspect has a complex impact on traffic regulation, especially when a large number of vehicles is considered, the latter is of primary importance in an increasingly eco-friendly transportation systems design. The proposed approach is well suited for real-world implementation, and can constitute a valid basis for more advanced control architectures. Simulation results highlight the effectiveness of the proposed architecture in maintaining the formation while guaranteeing a robust achievement of the required performance.