Acceleration signal based linear formation driving model: algorithmic description and simulation results

Abstract

Platoon vehicles coordination is an important topic at Intelligent Transportation Systems these days. For coordinating two or more vehicles, it is needed both a communication method between them, and an environment sensing strategy enabling the triangulation and correction, when needed, of each vehicle relative position within the desired platoon. In this research we present a new strategy to keep a group of vehicles in a fixed platoon, that may complement classic approaches. Usually, in a platoon, every follower vehicle try to keep a distance to the vehicle right ahead. That lateral and longitudinal control is kept considering the sensed distances by using laser, radar or vision. In the present paper we want to propose a new concept that consists on sharing the leader’s acceleration signal all across the whole vehicle platoon. In a few words, all the followers try to implement the leader’s sensed and transmitted acceleration. Theoretically, two solids experiencing the same accelerations will reproduce identical trajectories while keeping the initial relative distances, if they start from the same initial non-zero constant speed. In this paper we present this new concept, we list what are some of the technological challenges to be addressed before its implementation, and we finally share some initial simulation results.