Cooperative Control for Connected Automated Vehicle Platoon under Cut-In Scenarios: A Topology Reconfiguration Approach

This paper proposes a distributed cooperative control framework to address the stability control problem of connected and automated vehicle (CAV) platoons encountering external cut-in vehicles. To maintain platoon cohesion under cut-in scenarios, an active topology reconfiguration approach based on both the predecessor-following (PF) topology and the leader-following (LF) topology is first designed. By designating the first vehicle behind the cut-in vehicle as the new leader and combining with the LF topology, it is ensured that vehicles ahead of the cut-in can access the state information of those behind it, thereby maintaining platoon cohesion. Secondly, a model predictive control system is developed to adapt to the topology changes. Its prediction model, optimization objectives, and safety constraints can all be switched according to the topology, ensuring both platoon cohesion and operational safety. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed strategy effectively suppresses oscillations in inter-vehicle spacing and speed fluctuations caused by the cut-in vehicle, enabling rapid recovery and smooth control of the platoon, and performs significantly better than static topology strategies. This provides a reliable solution for cooperative platoon control in dynamic traffic environments.