Hierarchical Fuzzy Logic-Based Variable Structure Control for Vehicles Platooning

This paper proposes a variable structure control approach for vehicles platooning based on a hierarchical fuzzy logic. The leader-follower vehicle dynamics with model uncertainties is discussed from the viewpoint of a consensus problem. A practical two-layer fuzzy control for the platooning is designed by employing two common spacing policies to ensure system robustness in different scenarios. The two policies, i.e., constant distance and constant time headway, utilize the predecessor-successor information flow from the immediate predecessor and follower other than controlled vehicles. The first layer of the fuzzy system combines spacing control with velocity-acceleration control to achieve a rapid tracking for the desired control commands, and the second layer combines the sliding mode control to adaptively compensate for reducing the state errors caused by parameter uncertainties and disturbances. Shift between different controller parameters is based on performance boundaries to guarantee the stability of individual vehicle and platooning for arbitrary initial spacing and velocity errors. These performance boundaries can be determined by using a Lyapunov method with exponential stability. Simulation of a ten-vehicle large platooning with two spacing policies shows that the control performance of the newly proposed method is effective and promising.