Torque ripple minimization control of permanent magnet synchronous motors for EPS applications

This paper identifies a control method used to reduce torque ripple of a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) for an electric power steering (EPS) system. NVH (Noise Vibration Harshness) is important for safe and convenient driving. Vibration caused by motor torque is a problem in column type EPS systems. Maintaining a very low torque ripple is one solution that allows for smoother steering. Theoretically, it is possible to design and drive the motor without torque ripple. However, in reality, a PMSM system torque ripple is caused by the motor itself (saturation in the iron core and EMF distortion) and the imperfect driver. This paper analyzes torque ripple of a PMSM system, and an advanced PMSM control method for the column typed EPS system is presented. Results of the analysis indicate that the compensation current is needed in order to minimize torque ripple when a PMSM is driven.     

Powertrain system optimization for a heavy-duty hybrid electric bus

This research concerns the design of a powertrain system for a plug-in parallel diesel hybrid electric bus equipped with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and presents a new design paradigm for the plug-in hybrid electric bus (HEB). The criteria and method for selecting and sizing powertrain components equipped in the plug-in HEB are presented. The plug-in HEB is designed to overcome the vulnerable limitations of driving range and performance of a purely electric vehicle (EV), and it is also designed to improve the fuel economy and exhaust emissions of conventional buses and conventional HEBs. Optimization of the control strategy for the complicated and interconnected propulsion system in the plug-in parallel HEB is one of the most significant factors for achieving higher fuel economy and lower exhaust emissions in the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). In this research, the proposed control strategy was simulated to prove its validity using the ADVISOR (advanced vehicle simulator) analysis simulation tool.     

Development of a path planning system using mean shift algorithm for driver assistance

The longitudinal and lateral vehicle control techniques have been widely used in several active driver assistance systems. The adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistant control, vehicle platooning and stop-and-go control are typical examples of the most important applications. In this study, a novel path planning method is proposed considering the driving environment such as road shape, ego vehicle and surrounding vehicles’ movement. The relative distance and velocity between the ego vehicle and surrounding vehicles are identified with respect to the predicted lane shape in front of the ego vehicle. Based on the identified information, the road shape and surrounding vehicles are mapped into the intensity image and the desired vector for the ego vehicle’s movement is determined by the maximum intensity density tracing method. The desired vehicle path is followed by the acceleration/deceleration control and the steering assist control, respectively. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed system, simulations are conducted and compared with ACC systems.     

Manoeuvring characteristics of twin-rudder systems: rudder-hull interaction effect on the manoeuvrability of twin-rudder ships

With a recent increase in ship capacity and propulsion performance, a wide-beam ship fitted with a twin-rudder system has been adopted in many cases. However, to improve ship manoeuvring, it is still necessary to have a better understanding of rudder-hull interactions in twin-rudder ships. Captive model tests (oblique towing and circular motion test) as well as free-running tests with a single-propeller twin-rudder ship and a twin-propeller twin-rudder ship are carried out. The effect of drift angle on the rudder forces and some peculiar phenomena concerning rudder normal force for twin-rudder ships are evaluated. A method for estimating the hull-rudder interaction coefficients based on free-running experimental results is proposed.     

Residential mobility and location choice: a nested logit model with sampling of alternatives

Residential mobility and relocation choice are essential parts of integrated transportation and land use models. These decision processes have been examined and modeled individually to a great extent but there remain gaps in the literature on the underlying behaviors that connect them. Households may partly base their decision to move from or stay at a current location on the price and quality of the available alternatives. Conversely, households that are on the market for a new location may evaluate housing choices relative to their previous residence. How and the degree to which these decisions relate to each other are, however, not completely understood. This research is intended to contribute to the body of empirical evidence that will help answer these questions. It is hypothesized that residential mobility and location choice are related household decisions that can be modeled together using a two-tier hierarchical structure. This paper presents a novel nested logit (NL) model with sampling of alternatives and a proposed procedure for sampling bias correction. The model was estimated using full-information maximum likelihood estimation methods. The results confirm the applicability of this NL model and support similar findings from other empirical studies in the residential mobility and location choice literature.     

Cross-boundary container truck congestion: the case of the Hong Kong-Pearl River Delta region

Ever since the Open Policy in 1979, there has been increasing socio-economic integration between Hong Kong and mainland China. The subsequent rapid export-oriented industrialization in the Hong Kong-Pearl River Delta (HK-PRD) region has given rise to rapidly growing cross-boundary container truck traffic (XBCT). From 1992 to 2003, the volume of XBCT rose from 1.5 to 4.7 million vehicles per annum. Hence, a new customs check-point, the Shenzhen Western Corridor (SWC), was built. With the development of SWC, how would XBCT drivers change their route-cum-customs (RCC) choice? What were their major considerations? How would the route choice among goods vehicle drivers differ from private car drivers? To what extent would the opening of new customs check-points change the RCC choice of goods vehicle drivers and resolve the uneven distribution problem of freight traffic? The current paper seeks to address these questions.