Title: Design of the time-gap-dependent robust headway control algorithm for ACC vehicles

Authors: Zhenhai Gao; Wei Yan; Hongjian Li

Addresses: State Key Laboratory of Automobile Simulation and Control (ASCL), Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, 130022, China ' State Key Laboratory of Automobile Simulation and Control (ASCL), Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, 130022, China ' China FAW Group Corporation R@D Center, Changchun, 130011, China

Abstract: A robust fuzzy headway control algorithm based on the constant time headway (CTH) model for adaptive cruise control (ACC) vehicles is developed. Considering the possible adjustment of the time gap (TG) by a driver after the activation of ACC, inter-vehicle kinematics is established by using a Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model with the TG as the premise variable. A robust headway controller based on the model is designed by using the Lyapunov function approach. Control input saturation is considered in the design of the controller. Furthermore, the initial conditions of transitional manoeuvres from the velocity control mode to the distance control mode are computed on the basis of inter-vehicle kinematics. The designed algorithm is verified in various operating conditions. Passenger comfort can be improved by the designed algorithm under the precondition of driving safety in the tuning processes of the TG. And the individual preferences of various drivers on ACC are achieved and acceptability is eventually improved.

Keywords: ACC; adaptive cruise control; Lyapunov function; constant time headway model; fuzzy control; controller design; time gap dependency; inter-vehicle kinematics; Takagi-Sugeno; fuzzy modelling; control input saturation; speed control; distance control; passenger comfort; driving safety; vehicle safety; vehicle control; individual preferences.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.2016.076737

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 2016 Vol.70 No.4, pp.325 - 340

Received: 26 Jul 2014
Accepted: 29 Nov 2015
Published online: 24 May 2016 *

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