Mixed traffic system with multiple vehicle types and autonomous vehicle platoon: Modeling, stability analysis and control strategy

This paper focuses on platoon control of autonomous vehicles (AVs) equipped with V2X technology and the phenomenon that the large platoons are split into multiple sub-platoons due to the communication restrictions. At the same time, with the popularity of AVs and connected human-driven vehicles (CVs), this paper also carries out the research of mixed traffic flow mixed with AV platoons, CVs and regular human-driving vehicles (RVs). According to the characteristics of the different types of vehicles, this paper extends the corresponding car-following models based on intelligent driver model (IDM), and considers the functional degradation of AVs under different car-following modes. In this paper, the AVs are classified into the second-level degenerated AV (D2AV), the first-level degenerated AV (D1AV) and the normal functioning AV (NAV) based on the differences in car-following modes. The degradation of AVs is represented via the change of communication topologies and models. Linear stability analysis is conducted. Numerical simulation shows that the higher level of AV degradation, the worse the stability of traffic flow. Under the same conditions, the more sub-platoons and the larger maximum size of sub-platoons, the better the stability of the traffic flow. The increase in communication strength of AVs is also beneficial to stability of traffic flow. In order to compensate for degradation, an adaptive gain feedback control strategy is proposed. Simulation shows that the adaptive gain feedback strategy can effectively improve the ability of the traffic flow to resist disturbances, reduce the fluctuations of velocity and acceleration, and contribute to the stability of platoon system and traffic flow.