A self-enforced optimal framework for inter-platoon transfer in connected vehicles

Platooning enables vehicles with similar interests and target destinations to travel together in a pre-defined order and is identified as a promising traffic management strategy toward energy efficiency, time management, and highway throughput. However, the formation of a platoon is currently limited to signalized intersections where a vehicle has to wait for an appropriate platoon to join in leading to time wastage. This paper investigates and presents a dynamic architecture that can coordinate platoon manipulations while at transit so that a vehicle can join any available platoon at the beginning of the journey and then transfer during transit. In the presence of an adjacent platoon, the data broadcast by the Platoon Leaders and Members are used to compute evaluation scores such that any vehicle can choose a Leader and the respective Platoon which is most analogous to it and initiate the transfer. Based on this, a multiple-step platoon formation framework is introduced, which assesses an optimal velocity and position for the Incoming Member/Transferee in the platoon to which it is transferred eliminating any conflict. It utilizes Vehicle-to-Vehicle communication and a negotiation algorithm based on Dynamic Games of Complete Information guaranteeing optimal and fair platoon manipulations. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm effectively handles the transfer at transit for platoons with a reduction in energy consumption proving the transfers beneficial along with substantial time savings. This research can be employed in situations requiring interaction between any two agents toward a bilateral optimal solution such as logistics and decision-making in common.