Synchronizing Vehicle Platoons: A Distributed Model Reference Control Approach with Input Saturation

Authors

  • Agung Prayitno Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Surabaya, Raya Kalirungkut 60293, Surabaya, Indonesia
  • Veronica Indrawati Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Surabaya, Raya Kalirungkut 60293, Surabaya, Indonesia
  • Yohanes Gunawan Yusuf Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Surabaya, Raya Kalirungkut 60293, Surabaya, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4186/ej.2025.29.11.79

Keywords:

Distributed model reference controller, input saturation, low-gain cooperative feedback control, undirected topology, vehicle platoon

Abstract

Developing distributed control for vehicle platoon applications presents significant challenges due to input saturation and the changing velocity of the leader vehicle, which can lead to instability. This study introduces a distributed model reference control strategy designed to synchronize vehicle platoons under an undirected topology while considering input saturation. The approach combines a virtual cooperative tracking error reference model with the actual control dynamics. The virtual model swiftly relays changes in the leader's movement to all platoon members, while the actual controller employs low-gain cooperative feedback control to manage input saturation. Furthermore, the control scheme accounts for potential external disturbances that could impact the stability of the system. Stability analysis indicates that the proposed scheme can achieve synchronization with a bounded residual tracking error in vehicle platooning. The effectiveness of the approach is validated through numerical simulations of a vehicle platoon with ten vehicles connected in a bidirectional leader topology, providing robust evidence of the control scheme’s practical reliability and effectiveness in real-world scenarios.

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Published In
Vol 29 No 11, Nov 30, 2025
How to Cite
[1]
A. Prayitno, V. Indrawati, and Y. G. Yusuf, “Synchronizing Vehicle Platoons: A Distributed Model Reference Control Approach with Input Saturation”, Eng. J., vol. 29, no. 11, pp. 79-90, Nov. 2025.
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