Cooperative Multi-Scenario Departure Control for Virtual Coupling Trains: A Fixed-Time Approach

Virtual Coupling (VC) is proposed as an innovation solution to advance the concept of moving-block based signaling system. The control method for VC trains in multiple departure scenarios and the coupling time determining are still challenges. In this paper, the cooperative control problem for VC trains under fixed departure and coupling time is investigated. Firstly, three operating modes are proposed to describe the procedure of VC departure. Then it is shown that the trains can obtain reference information by the distributed observers under a jointly connected communication topology and reach the coupled state by the proposed fixed-time tracking controllers. The boundary of coupling time, which depends on controller parameters and waiting time, is also given. Finally, the control method's effectiveness is verified in three typical scenarios.