Cyclic communication in adaptive strategies to platooning: the case of synchronized merging

Recently proposed adaptive platooning strategies for connected automated vehicles are able to cope with uncertain vehicle parameters (uncertain driveline time constants), but can handle only acyclic graphs like look-ahead graphs. This prevents from enhancing platooning protocols with synchronized merging maneuvers, where cyclic communication is needed and creates algebraic loops that require well posedness of the inputs. We propose an adaptive platooning strategy for synchronized merging in the cyclic communication scenario. The protocol adopts a set of adaptive control laws, designed via Lyapunov stability theory to cope with uncertain driveline time constants. Well-posedness of the inputs is proven in a distributed way (using information from neighboring vehicles) in spite of uncertainty and cyclic communication. The proposed strategy is shown in a benchmark merging scenario.