Performance Comparison Between Constrained Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Controllers of Homogeneous Vehicle Platoons

This paper compares a novel distributed synchronization-based controller using Euclidean contraction metrics, that guarantees exponential synchronization of the vehicle platoon with modified versions of renown PD and consensus-based controllers from the literature. Inter-vehicle spacing of the ego vehicle relative to the preceding vehicle is realized by utilizing a Predecessor-Follower (PF) communication topology. Furthermore, in order to account for the system constraints, avoid unreasonable accelerations/decelerations, and prevent collisions between vehicles, safety features are incorporated, using the concept of control barrier functions (CBFs). Finally, the performance of the three controllers is compared in a simulation study using different scenarios.