A New Longitudinal Speed Control Method for Connected and Automated Vehicle Platooning Under the Influence of Communication Delay

Connected and automated vehicles (CAV) utilize technologies such as vehicle-to-everything (V2X) to acquire information from neighboring vehicles, effectively enhancing driving safety and road traffic efficiency. However, the inherent communication delays in V2X technology can impact the speed control methods of connected and autonomous vehicle platoons. In this paper, we propose a novel speed control method for CAV platoons with time-varying delays to mitigate the effects of communication delays. First, considering the impact of communication delays on vehicle speed, we construct a linear control law for CAV platoons with time-varying delays based on a vehicle speed prediction model. Next, time-domain analysis and Lyapunov stability theory are used to prove the stability of the vehicle speed prediction model. Finally, numerical simulations are conducted under scenarios with and without time-varying delays, and the effects of the delay function form, control law form, and their parameters on the proposed speed control method are explored. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed linear control law for CAV platoons with time-varying delays effectively reduces the impact of communication delays, improving driving stability and enhancing road traffic safety.