Distributed adaptive coordinative control for virtually coupled train set with considering parametric uncertainty and state constraints

In recent years, virtual coupling (VC) has been becoming a hot research topic in railways. The coordinative control for the virtually coupled train set (VCTS) is a critical technology for realising VC. In this paper, distributed adaptive coordinative control of the VCTS with considering parametric uncertainty and practical constraints is studied. To begin with, a third-order nonlinear VCTS train-following model is formulated by considering the uncertain resistance in the railway external environment and the actuator delay in the traction/braking system of unit trains. After that, a novel barrier functions-based third-order sliding mode control method is proposed to realise all states tracking control as well as to satisfy the state constraints (i.e. spacing and speed constraints). Adaptive control technology is used to alleviate the parametric uncertainty. Furthermore, by combining these techniques, a novel distributed adaptive coordinative control strategy is designed to not only guarantee the stable operation of the VCTS but also effectively handle parametric uncertainty and state constraints. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is validated in simulation analysis.