Second-Order Sliding Modes Generation for Robust Disturbance String Stable Platoon Control

This paper discusses the possibility of generating second-order sliding modes for the distributed control of vehicles in a platoon in the presence of both matched and unmatched uncertainty. In particular, a policy leading to the consideration of both spacing and velocity tracking requirements is considered for third-order vehicle dynamics, proving Global Disturbance String Stability in a rather general case. A conclusive brief discussion is proposed to link the adopted strategy with the well known constant distance and constant time headway. The theoretical analysis is complemented by proposed simulation results, which show the validity of the presented theoretical analysis.