Sliding Mode Based Platooning With Non-Zero Initial Spacing Errors

This letter presents a novel approach to unidirectional formation control of multiple vehicles with non-zero initial spacing errors. It is based on concepts of first-order sliding mode control. A combination of two adaptive sliding surfaces enables collision-free platooning with asymptotic convergence to constant distance spacings. It is an attractive feature of the proposed algorithm that only position and velocity of the preceding vehicle are used so that no car-to-car communication is necessary.