Experimentally-Driven Analysis of Stability in Connected Vehicle Platooning: Insights and Control Strategies

-- This paper presents the development of a tangible platform for demonstrating the practical implementation of cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) systems, an enhancement to the standard adaptive cruise control (ACC) concept by means of V ehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication. It involves a detailed examination of existing longitudinal controllers and their performance in homogeneous vehicle platoons. Moreover, extensive tests are conducted using multiple autonomous experimental vehicle platform topologies to verify the effectiveness of the controller . The outcomes from both simulations and field tests affirm the substantial benefits of the proposed CACC platooning approach in longitudinal vehicle platooning scenarios. This research is crucial due to a notable gap in the existing literature; while numerous studies focus on simulated vehicle platooning systems, there is lack of research demonstrating these controllers on physical vehicle systems or robot platforms. This paper seeks to fill this gap by providing a practical demonstration of CACC systems in action, showcasing their potential for real-world application in intelligent transportation systems. The growing dependence on cars has resulted in a large number of vehicles on the road, placing a significant strain on the road infrastructure and raising the risk of accidents and traffic congestion. Research nowadays focuses on automotive system technology for providing intelligence to transportation systems in order to enhance traffic flow, road safety, and efficiency.