Model predictive control with constraints for a nonlinear adaptive cruise control vehicle model in transition manoeuvres

A vehicle following control law, based on the model predictive control method, to perform transition manoeuvres (TMs) for a nonlinear adaptive cruise control (ACC) vehicle is presented in this paper. The TM controller ultimately establishes a steady-state following distance behind a preceding vehicle to avoid collision, keeping account of acceleration limits, safe distance, and state constraints. The vehicle dynamics model is for continuous-time domain and captures the real dynamics of the sub-vehicle models for steady-state and transient operations. The ACC vehicle can execute the TM successfully and achieves a steady-state in the presence of complex dynamics within the constraint boundaries.