Constraint-Driven Optimal Control of Multi-Agent Systems: A Highway Platooning Case Study

Platooning has been exploited as a method for vehicles to minimize energy consumption. In this article, we present a constraint-driven optimal control framework that yields emergent platooning behavior for connected and automated vehicles operating in an open transportation system. Our approach combines recent insights in constraint-driven optimal control with the physical aerodynamic interactions between vehicles in a highway setting. The result is a set of equations that describes when platooning is an appropriate strategy, as well as a descriptive optimal control law that yields emergent platooning behavior. Finally, we demonstrate these properties in simulation and with a real-time experiment in a scaled testbed.