Predicting market potential and environmental benefits of deploying electric taxis in Nanjing,China

This paper investigates the market potential and environmental benefits of replacing internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles with battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in the taxi fleet in Nanjing, China. Vehicle trajectory data collected by onboard global positioning system (GPS) units are used to study the travel patterns of taxis. The impacts of charger power, charging infrastructure coverage, and taxi apps on the feasibility of electric taxis are quantified, considering taxi drivers’ recharging behavior and operating activities. It is found that (1) depending on the charger power and coverage, 19% (with AC Level 2 chargers and 20% charger network coverage) to 56% (with DC chargers and 100% charger network coverage) of the ICE vehicles can be replaced by electric taxis without driving pattern changes; (2) by using taxi apps to find nearby passengers and charging stations, drivers could utilize the empty cruising time to charge the battery, which may increase the acceptance of BEVs by up to 82.6% compared to the scenario without taxi apps; and (3) tailpipe emissions in urban areas could be significantly reduced with taxi electrification: a mixed taxi fleet with 46% compressed-natural-gas-powered (CNG) and 54% electricity-powered vehicles can reduce the tailpipe emissions by 48% in comparison with the fleet of 100% CNG taxis.     

A capacity maximization scheme for intersection management with automated vehicles

With the advent of connected and automated vehicle technology, in this paper, we propose an innovative intersection operation scheme named as MCross: Maximum Capacity inteRsection Operation Scheme with Signals. This new scheme maximizes intersection capacity by utilizing all lanes of a road simultaneously. Lane assignment and green durations are dynamically optimized by solving a multi-objective mixed-integer non-linear programming problem. The demand conditions under which full capacity can be achieved in MCross are derived analytically. Numerical examples show that MCross can almost double the intersection capacity (increase by as high as 99.51% in comparison to that in conventional signal operation scheme).     

Distributed MPC for cooperative highway driving and energy-economy validation via microscopic simulations

Traffic congestion and energy issues have set a high bar for current ground transportation systems. With advances in vehicular communication technologies, collaborations of connected vehicles have becoming a fundamental block to build automated highway transportation systems of high efficiency. This paper presents a distributed optimal control scheme that takes into account macroscopic traffic management and microscopic vehicle dynamics to achieve efficiently cooperative highway driving. Critical traffic information beyond the scope of human perception is obtained from connected vehicles downstream to establish necessary traffic management mitigating congestion. With backpropagating traffic management advice, a connected vehicle having an adjustment intention exchanges control-oriented information with immediately connected neighbors to establish potential cooperation consensus, and to generate cooperative control actions. To achieve this goal, a distributed model predictive control (DMPC) scheme is developed accounting for driving safety and efficiency. By coupling the states of collaborators in the optimization index, connected vehicles achieve fundamental highway maneuvers cooperatively and optimally. The performance of the distributed control scheme and the energy-saving potential of conducting such cooperation are tested in a mixed highway traffic environment by the means of microscopic simulations.     

Statistical assessment of EV usage potential from user’s perspective considering rapid-charging technology

The aim of the German Government is the licensing of one million electric vehicles (EV) in Germany until 2020. However, the number of battery electric vehicles (EVs) today still is just above 25,000. There are several reasons for deciding against an EV, but especially low battery ranges as well as too long perceived charging duration inhibit the usage of an EV. To eliminate the negative influence of these two reasons on the decision to purchase an EV, a novel charging technology is established. The rapid-charging technology enables the user to recharge the battery to 80% of its state of charge (SOC) within 20–30 min. For the examination of the technology’s impact from (potential) user’s perspective, users and nonusers of battery electric vehicles were questioned about the perceived additional value of public rapid-charging infrastructure by taking into account different trip purposes and running comparisons to regular charging options. The results show an increased perceived value especially for trips with leisure purpose, considering their share of all trip purposes in Germany, according to the MiD 2008. In order to increase the number of licensed EVs in Germany, the study’s results also suggest further dissemination of information on rapid charging which might influence the perceived usefulness of the technology and consequentially the perceived usefulness of an EV.     

State estimation in roll dynamics for commercial vehicles

Accurate lateral load transfer estimation plays an important role in improving the performance of the active rollover prevention system equipped in commercial vehicles. This estimation depends on the accurate prediction of roll angles for both the sprung and the unsprung subsystems. This paper proposes a novel computational method for roll-angle estimation in commercial vehicles employing sensors which are already used in a vehicle dynamic control system without additional expensive measurement units. The estimation strategy integrates two blocks. The first block contains a sliding-mode observer which is responsible for calculating the lateral tyre forces, while in the second block, the Kalman filter estimates the roll angles of the sprung mass and those of axles in the truck. The validation is conducted through MATLAB/TruckSim co-simulation. Based on the comparison between the estimated results and the simulation results from TruckSim, it can be concluded that the proposed estimation method has a promising tracking performance with low computational cost and high convergence speed. This approach enables a low-cost solution for the rollover prevention in commercial vehicles.     

城市混合交通控制设计理念与方法

针对我国城市特有的混合交通特性,在分析城市路网特征和交通流运行特征的基础上,确立了混合交通控制系统设计的基本理念。基于混合交通流理论,建立了城市交通控制的方法体系,包括匝道控制、单点控制、干线协调控制、区域协调控制以及公交优先控制。运用此设计理念与方法开发出的混合交通控制系统（HiCON）,在北京、青岛、福州三地的应用表明：车辆平均延误减少10％～20％,平均行程时间降低5%-10％。     

半潜式航行器运动特性研究

论文研究了半潜式航行器的运动特性,建立了半潜式航行器的运动学模型,并从深度控制和回转航行两个方面对半潜式航行器的运动特性进行半实物仿真。半实物仿真结果表明：前水平舵是影响深度控制的主要因素,并得出前水平舵舵角和深度的对应关系;回转航行研究了航行器的垂直舵角、航速和回转半径的关系,得出了在一定航速下,不同垂直舵角下的回转半径。此研究准确把握了半潜式航行器的运动规律,为半潜式航行器的设计以及精确控制提供了理论基础。     

Autonomous vehicle perception: The technology of today and tomorrow

Perception system design is a vital step in the development of an autonomous vehicle (AV). With the vast selection of available off-the-shelf schemes and seemingly endless options of sensor systems implemented in research and commercial vehicles, it can be difficult to identify the optimal system for one’s AV application. This article presents a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art AV perception technology available today. It provides up-to-date information about the advantages, disadvantages, limits, and ideal applications of specific AV sensors; the most prevalent sensors in current research and commercial AVs; autonomous features currently on the market; and localization and mapping methods currently implemented in AV research. This information is useful for newcomers to the AV field to gain a greater understanding of the current AV solution landscape and to guide experienced researchers towards research areas requiring further development. Furthermore, this paper highlights future research areas and draws conclusions about the most effective methods for AV perception and its effect on localization and mapping. Topics discussed in the Perception and Automotive Sensors section focus on the sensors themselves, whereas topics discussed in the Localization and Mapping section focus on how the vehicle perceives where it is on the road, providing context for the use of the automotive sensors. By improving on current state-of-the-art perception systems, AVs will become more robust, reliable, safe, and accessible, ultimately providing greater efficiency, mobility, and safety benefits to the public.     

机动车交汇时灯具炫目性的讨论

在背景亮度为1 cd/m2的晚上,摩托车及汽车驾驶员无论使用近光灯、转向信号灯或专用昼间行驶灯,在各交汇距离相对上升对比度阈值小于2时,均不会产生炫目,不会影响对向行驶摩托车驾驶员的观察和判断能力;而摩托车和汽车远光灯在任何距离时的相对上升对比度阈值远远大于2时,在摩托车和摩托车交汇时,会产生炫目,造成交通行驶隐患.     

深层水泥搅拌桩复合地基设计计算

沿海地区道路建设不可避免地要涉及到软土地基的处理,而软基路段往往是制约工期和造价的主要因素之一。以三亚红沙大桥引道工程为例,对深层水泥搅拌桩复合地基在软基中的应用进行分析和探讨,阐述水泥搅拌桩的原理、参数选用、计算方法,为水泥搅拌桩复合地基的设计和应用提供基础。