Demonstration of an automated highway platoon system

The National Automated Highway System Consortium (NAHSC), in partnership with the Department of Transportation, demonstrated several potential AHS technologies on I-15 in San Diego in August 1997. One of the key elements in this demonstration event was a platoon system that contained a group of fully automated automobiles traveling at close spacing. The platoon system demonstrated a number of AHS features such as lane keeping, lane changing, longitudinal space and speed regulation using proved enabling technologies. The paper describes the platoon concept, the configuration of the demonstration system, the demonstration scenarios and reports the development of the platoon demonstration system and the data collected during the demonstration.