Samenvatting
This study focuses on a platoon of vehicles with mechanical links. For the leading truck a control algorithm is used to model the handling of a human driver. The remaining trucks in the platoon drive automatically and are controlled in both longitudinal and lateral directions. The lateral and longitudinal control systems are decoupled. Longitudinal control is optimised to achieve quick response while guaranteeing platoon stability. The design of the optimal lateral controller is based on the performance of the truck immediately in front. Numerical simulations have been carried out to study the influence of the mechanical link and the two control systems on the behaviour of the platoon. For the covering abstract see ITRD E209471.