Enhanced selective forwarding scheme for alert message propagation in vehicular <Emphasis Type="Italic">ad hoc</Emphasis> networks

Vehicle-based applications were recently introduced to improve traffic safety and efficiency. These applications are classified into either safety-oriented or non-safety-oriented applications. Safety-oriented applications are typically provided by means of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications to support reliable and fast alert message propagation to all surrounding vehicles when an emergency occurs on the road. In vehicular ad-hoc network (VANET) broadcast-based packet forwarding is typically preferred for the propagation of urgent traffic-related information to all reachable nodes within a specified dangerous region. However, this approach may cause broadcast storm problems, which can lead to serious contention between transmissions from adjacent nodes. In this paper, we propose an alert message propagation scheme that is based on selective forwarding and aims to i) minimize the number of rebroadcasting nodes and ii) guarantee reliable and fast alert message delivery to all reachable nodes. Our scheme was evaluated using two different highway scenarios. The simulation results demonstrated that the performance of the proposed scheme was better than that of existing broadcast schemes in terms of the message delivery latency, the message delivery ratio, and the message rebroadcasting ratio.     

Modified one-step reaction equation for modeling the oxidation of unburned hydrocarbons in engine conditions

The oxidation of unburned hydrocarbons from piston crevices was modeled using a modified one-step reaction equation. This new one-step oxidation model was developed by modifying the Arrhenius reaction rate coefficients of the conventional one-step reaction equation. The predictions of the new one-step oxidation model agree well with the results of the detailed chemical reaction mechanism in terms of the 90% oxidation time of the fuel. The effects of pressure and intermediate species in the burnt gas on the oxidation rate were also investigated and included as additional multiplying factors in the modification of the equation. To simulate the oxidation process of unburned hydrocarbons from a piston crevice, a two-dimensional computational mesh, based on the conventional engine geometry, was constructed with a fine mesh density at the regions of the piston crevice and cylinder wall. The number of cell layers in the cylinder was controlled according to the piston motion to model the out-flow of unburned hydrocarbons from the piston crevice during the expansion stroke. The effects of engine operational conditions on the oxidation rate were examined at several engine speeds and load conditions, and the sensitivity of the oxidation rate to the piston crevice volume was also evaluated. Finally, the new one-step oxidation model was applied to a three-dimensional computational mesh that modeled the three-dimensional engine geometry and piston-valve motions to simulate the oxidation of unburned hydrocarbons in a real engine condition.     

Digital human body model for seat comfort simulation

Using the recent anthropometry of the North American population, human body models were developed for seat comfort simulation. The external geometry of the models was acquired from the three-dimensional whole body laser scan of recruited volunteers in a driving position. The selection criteria for volunteers with standard size and shape were derived from a statistical factor analysis of the Size USA database. As a practical application of the model in a design process, comfortable driving postures were constructed by adopting the cascade prediction model (CPM), which takes into account both interior package layout and the driver’s anthropometry. The detail modeling process of finite element modeling and its validation results against volunteer measurements are introduced.     

Low cost design of parallel parking assist system based on an ultrasonic sensor

This paper presents a low cost design and implementation of a parallel parking assist system (PPAS) based on ultrasonic sensors. Generally, a PPAS requires several types of sensors, such as an ultrasonic sensor, camera sensor, radar sensor and laser sensor for parking space detection. However, our proposed PPAS only requires two ultrasonic sensors on the front and lateral sides for parking space detection. Moreover, a steering angle sensor and wheel speed sensor installed in the vehicle are used to obtain vehicle position information for localization in ultrasonic range data. The hardware architecture of the PPAS based on an electronic control unit (ECU) module, sensor modules and a human machine interface (HMI) module was proposed. Moreover, the software architecture of the PPAS is based on system initialization, scheduling, recognition and a control algorithm. In particular, a novel sensor algorithm was proposed to minimize the vehicle corner error of the ultrasonic sensor. A prototype of the PPAS based on the proposed architecture was constructed. The experimental results demonstrate that the implemented prototype is robust and successfully performs parking space detection and automatic steering control. Finally, the low cost design and implementation of the PPAS was possible due to the cheap ultrasonic sensors, simple hardware design and low computational complexity of the proposed algorithm.     

The Influence of In-Plane Tyre Dynamics on ABS Braking of a Quarter Vehicle Model

For efficient analysis it is important to choose the proper model that fits the problem that needs to be solved. This paper discusses three pragmatic simulation models for longitudinal behaviour of a passenger car tyre (Steady State, Transient and Rigid Ring) that may be used in e.g. an ABS simulation. The characteristics of the simulation models are evaluated using some simple simulations. Simulations with a quarter vehicle model that includes load transfer effects are carried out to determine the deviation in results between the mentioned tyre models for an ABS application. The results show that the Steady State model may only be used below 10 Hz and that the Transient model is valid up to about 30 Hz. The results from the ABS simulation with the Rigid Ring model are most reliable and are clearly different from the Steady State and Transient model, which indicates that ABS simulations should be carried out with the Rigid Ring model. Additionally it is demonstrated that for tyre behaviour on uneven roads the influence of the tyre belt cannot be neglected.     

Reduction of emissions with propane addition to a diesel engine

Recent studies on dual-fuel combustion in compression-ignition (CI) engines, also known as diesel engines, fall into two categories. In the first category are studies focused on the addition of small amounts of gaseous fuel to CI engines. In these studies, gaseous fuel is regarded as a secondary fuel and diesel fuel is regarded as the main fuel for combustion. The objectives of these studies typically involve reducing particulate matter (PM) emissions by using gaseous fuel as a partial substitution for diesel fuel. However, the addition of gaseous fuel raises the combustion temperature, which increases emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO_x). In the second category are studies focused on reactivity-controlled compression-ignition (RCCI) combustion. RCCI combustion can be implemented by early diesel injection with a large amount of low-reactivity fuel such as gasoline or gaseous fuel. Although RCCI combustion promises lower NO_x and PM emissions and higher thermal efficiency than conventional diesel combustion, it requires a higher intake pressure (usually more than 1.7 bars) to maintain a lean fuel mixture. Therefore, in this study, practical applications of dual-fuel combustion with a low air-fuel ratio (AFR), which implies a low intake pressure, were systemically evaluated using propane in a diesel engine. The characteristics of dualfuel combustion for high and low AFRs were first evaluated. The proportion of propane used for four different operating conditions was then increased to decrease emissions and to identify the optimal condition for dual-fuel combustion. Although the four operating conditions differ, the AFR was maintained at 20 (? approximately equal to 0.72) and the 50% mass fraction burned (MFB 50) was also fixed. The results show that dual-fuel combustion can reduce NO_x and PM emissions in comparison to conventional diesel combustion.     

Application of warm forming aluminum alloy parts for automotive body based on impact

Aluminum alloys are important technological materials for the application on lightweight design and development of vehicle body. The research works for characterizing warm forming behavior of aluminum alloys have generally reported. However, there were few researches focused on the flow behavior of warm forming aluminum alloy parts for the energy absorbing performance during crash. The tensile stress-strain response for warm forming AA5182 specimens tested under the strain rates of 0.0015 s^?1, 0.015 s^?1, 0.15 s^?1 and 1.5 s^?1 are presented in this paper. The data were fit to the Johnson-Cook constitutive model for the simulation of frontal impact. The energy absorbing performance of warm forming AA5182 parts were analyzed. The results show the higher flow stresses and lower fractured strain of warm forming aluminum alloy parts with the strain rate increasing. The flow stresses of warm forming aluminum alloy parts are insensitive to strain rate, while the fractured strain and elongation are sensitive to strain rate. The intrusion displacement of the warm forming aluminum alloy parts is appropriate for the satisfaction of vehicle body design avoiding the excessive deformation for the injury of passenger or the failure of frontal door opening. The feasibility of warm forming aluminum alloy parts is verified with the analysis of energy absorbing performance, stiffness and modal of vehicle body.     

Measurement of roof deformation caused by vehicle rollover

A vehicle rollover is a critical accident that could have many causes. This paper describes a novel vision-based system for measuring vehicle roof deformation due to a rollover accident. A vision-based measurement system offers an overall view of structural deformation simply at low cost. Our measurement system was constructed using a Kinect camera from Microsoft, a battery, and a remote-controlled recording computer. Color images and distance maps can be obtained using two sensors embedded in the Kinect along with customized software, and the distance from the camera lens to a specific object can be calculated with a simple equation. To test our proposed approach, actual vehicle rollover experiments were conducted and the resulting roof deformations were compared to those indicated by our system. Moreover, cross-sectional image of Apillar was analyzed to calculate bending moment of inertia. From the research results, it was able to show that deformation errors were within 13 mm, and roof deformation was correlated with vehicle type, or vehicle curb weight.     

Design methodology of component design environment for PHEV

In this study, the design methodology for PHEV component design environment is proposed, which consists of power evaluation, component evaluation, component analysis and vehicle performance evaluation environments. First, PHEV simulators were developed based on the dynamic model of the target PHEV powertrain, and a PHEV control algorithm was designed based on the general power-split type PHEV using MATLAB/Simulink. Experimental results were used to validate the constructed PHEV simulators. The power evaluation environment provides the magnitude and direction of the power between components at the vehicle level at any selected time that the user wants to evaluate. The component evaluation environment is designed to evaluate the parameter behaviors of a component using the effort-flow causality relationship. The component analysis environment is designed to investigate component performance according to the variations of component parameters. The vehicle evaluation environment is designed to evaluate equivalent fuel economy at any selected time. It is expected that the design methodology of the PHEV component design environment proposed in this study can be extended to other x-EVs for evaluating and designing vehicle components.