Passivity-based control for multi-vehicle systems subject to string constraints

In this paper, we show how heterogeneous bidirectional vehicle strings can be modelled as port-Hamiltonian systems. Analysis of stability and string stability within this framework is straightforward and leads to a better understanding of the underlying problem. Nonlinear local control and additional integral action is introduced to design a suitable control law guaranteeing 12 string stability of the system with respect to bounded disturbances. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.