Experimental verification of robustness in a semi-autonomous heavy vehicle platoon

•A method is proposed for computing spacing error bounds of vehicle platoons.•Platoon heterogeneity, communication delays and model uncertainties are examined.•The concept allows a data-based verification of platoon performance.•String stability properties can be deduced for a wide class of control schemes.

Novel numerical methods for analyzing robust peak-to-peak performance of heterogeneous vehicle platoons are presented. The goal is to compute worst-case spacing error peaks in terms of platoon heterogeneity, communication delays, disturbances and uncertainties in the vehicle dynamics. First, a convex set of parametric linear vehicle models is employed to analyze the effect of platoon heterogeneity. Then, a data-driven uncertainty modeling algorithm is developed that computes the least conservative spacing error bound for a given disturbance model class. The methods are demonstrated on three platoon controllers. One of them is a new constant spacing controller receiving control information from both the platoon leader and the immediate preceding vehicle.