Vehicle following control in lateral direction for platooning

Simulation and experimental study on lateral control for autonomous driving is presented in this paper. The objective of the lateral control system is to make the controlled vehicle follow the preceding vehicle. Simulation study is conducted for investigating the relationship between information for lateral control and the tracking accuracy obtained based on the information. Simulation results of vehicle-following control based on five kinds of control algorithme, each of which is designed using some information for lateral control, are compared and discussed. Experimental study is carried out by use of two vehicles to validate results of the simulation study. By both studies, it is clarified that side slip angle is the essential information for implementing an accurate vehicle-following control.