A two-layer control scheme for merging of automated vehicles

This paper extends previous work in the field of automatic vehicle merging and presents a comprehensive solution to the merging control problem. From a control viewpoint automatic merging of two streams of vehicles leads to a complex non-linear, combined continuous/discrete dynamic system of time depending order and structure. The design of a comprehensive merging strategy is carried out through a heuristic approach, based on a detailed analysis of the functional behaviour of the system. Safety requirements together with a consideration of the specifics of the merging process lead to a coupled two-layer control scheme. The theoretical background for the design approach is provided and the performance of the automatic merging control system is discussed based on computer simulations.