S^2 BHCA Multiple AUVs cooperation oriented control architecture

Oceanographic survey, or other similar applications should be the applications of multiple AUVs. In this paper, the skill ＆ simulation based hybrid control architecture （S^2BHCA） as the controller＇s design reference was proposed. It is a multi-robot cooperation oriented intelligent control architecture based on hybrid ideas. The S^2BHCA attempts to incorporate the virtues of the reactive controller and of the deliberative controller by introducing the concept of the ＂skill＂. The additional online task simulation ability for cooperation is supported, too. As an application, a multiple AUV control system was developed with three ＂skills＂ for the MCM mission including two different cooperative tasks. The simulation and the sea trials show that simple task expression, fast reaction and better cooperation support can be achieved by realizing the AUV controller based on the S^2BHCA.     

Biologically induced differences in erodibility and aggregation of subtidal and intertidal sediments: a possible cause for seasonal changes in sediment deposition

This study was carried out to describe the difference in erodibility and aggregation in a tidal basin including both subtidal and intertidal study sites and to use these results to explain the shifting erosion/deposition cycles at the sites. Erosion thresholds, erosion rates and settling velocities of the eroded material were measured at a mudflat transect and at sediment cores taken from a nearby tidal channel during surveys made in May 2000 and March 2002. Surface samples were analysed for grain-size, chl. a content, faecal pellet content, dry bulk density and organic content. Additionally, surface samples were taken at eight occasions in the period January 2002 to May 2003 from shallow tidal channels in the area. These samples were analysed for mud content and showed that major shifts in sediment distribution occurred in the period. The erodibility of the mudflat was generally high due to pelletization by the mudsnail Hydrobia ulvae but close to the salt marsh much lower erodibility was found, probably due to stabilisation by microphytobenthos. In contrast, the erodibility of the channel bed seemed to be very little influenced by biological activity and the relatively low erodibility found here was caused by physical characteristics of the sediment. The sediment eroded from the mudflat was generally strongly pelletized and showed high settling velocities whereas less aggregation and lower settling velocities were found for the channel bed sediments. Temporal variations of the mudflat stability and hydrodynamics resulted in temporal variations of deposition and erosion and the changing stability at the mudflat is likely to be one of the main reasons for a general transport of fine-grained sediment from the mudflat to the channel in the cold seasons and vice versa during the rest of the year.     

城市老城区健康道路交通模式探讨

为解决城市老城区交通压力持续增大的问题,从道路系统、公共交通系统、慢行交通系统三个方面进行研究,基于健康城市理念,并借鉴国外城市老城区交通发展模式,提出国内城市老城区健康道路交通模式应具有道路网络"高密度、小街区、微循环",公共交通全覆盖、高效率,慢行交通空间连续、设施完善、与公共交通无缝衔接等特征,为老城区健康道路交通规划设计提供参考。     

台北公共交通月及无车日活动回顾与展望

台北国际无车日自2002年起举办了5次,由最早的骑自行车活动扩大至包含“走路上学日”与“公共交通月”丰富多彩的系列活动,渐渐获得民众认同。无车日活动的目标是通过活动的倡导和社会参与来改变民众使用交通工具的行为,潜移默化的效应可促使形成可持续交通政策,当可持续交通政策与基础设施建设落实后又可具体改变交通环境,形成良性的循环机制。首先说明了“无车日”的由来,并回顾台北都会区过去5年来举行无车日系列活动的内容与经验,同时基于活动的发展与成果归纳出无车日活动的成功要素,最后提出未来活动将扩大举办的内容、方式与展望,以期能为其他城市作参考。     

润滑机理对汽车发动机性能的影响综述

发动机作为汽车中最为复杂精密的机电一体部件,长时间处于高温、高压、高磨损运行工况,且需要满足长寿命、高效率、低能耗、强动力、低污染等一系列标准指标,而汽车发动机运转时零件间的摩擦以及燃烧等产生的颗粒都会对其性能造成恶劣影响,所以润滑对于发动机性能提升尤为重要。综述当前汽车发动机润滑机理,分析润滑油在使用过程中对发动机动力、油耗和排放的影响,并且在最后设想一种新的润滑机理,以弥补发动机的制造缺陷和颗粒的影响,改善汽车发动机的关键性能。     

Timing sequence changes of landscape plants in Shanghai Area,China

Based on published reports and direct observation, the common resources of landscape plant species in the Shanghai area were identified and studied in terms of the landscape characteristics of timing sequence changes over a one year time period. The results showed that there were 199 common landscape plant species in Shanghai, distributed in 67 families and 129 genera. These plants were categorized by three ornamental characteristics: flowers, foliage and fruits. The species were thus further analyzed according to the time periods which these characteristics were present. The results showed that flower ornamental distributed throughout the year, particularly from April to June, and plant species with colorful foliage could be seen every month, and particularly in November and December. On the other hand, few plant species with fruit ornamentals were observed in Shanghai area. The diversity of landscape timing sequence changes of the 199 plant species under examination was then analyzed by using the Shannon-Weiner and Simpson index formulas. The results showed that the higher diversity was observed in January, February and from August to October, while the lowest diversity was recorded from March to July and during November and December. The diversity of landscape characteristics of these plants was ranked according to foliage, flowers and fruit. Using this method, one park and one plant community were selected to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of their time-changing plant landscape, with the goal of assessing the validity of the chosen ranking method. These results in the present study would be helpful to evaluate the plant landscape in a specified space and further enrich the diversity of plant and landscape by a target-oriented way.     

CFD Analysis of Ship-to-Ship Hydrodynamic Interaction

A numerical study of ship-to-ship interaction forces is performed using a commercial CFD code, and the results are compared with experimental data and with the results of a panel method analysis. Two ship models have been used in the interaction forces analysis: a tug and a tanker, advancing parallel to each other with different lateral distances and two different values of the fluid depth. Computations are carried out with four different flow models: inviscid and viscous flow with the free surface modeled as a rigid wall and inviscid and viscous flow with the deformable free surface. A fair agreement was obtained with available experimental data and results obtained by panel method. The influence of viscosity in the computations is found to be comparatively weak, while the wavemaking effects may be important, at small magnitude of the horizontal clearance.     

Estimating the value of risk reductions for car drivers when pedestrians are involved: a case study in Spain

We estimated the benefits associated with reducing fatal and severe injuries from traffic accidents using a stated choice experiment where choice situations were generated through a statistically efficient design. Specifically, the risk variables were defined as the expected annual number of vehicle car-users that suffered their death or were severely injured in a traffic accident. In addition, and differing from previous research, the number of pedestrians that died or were severely injured in traffic accidents per year was also included as a risk attribute in the choice experiment, to attempt at measuring drivers’ willingness to pay to reduce the risk of hitting pedestrians in a crash. The empirical setting was a choice of route for a particular trip that a sample of car drivers periodically undertakes in Tenerife, Spain. Models were estimated accounting for random taste heterogeneity and pseudo-panel data correlation. The median of the distribution of simulated parameters was used to obtain a representative measure for the monetary valuation of risk reductions. We found that the ratio between the values of reducing the risk of suffering a serious injury and that of reducing a fatality was approximately 18 %. Further, and quite novel, we also found that the value of reducing a pedestrian fatality was 39 % of the value of reducing a car occupant fatality.     

Are we ready to embrace connected and self-driving vehicles? A case study of Texans

While connected, highly automated, and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) will eventually hit the roads, their success and market penetration rates depend largely on public opinions regarding benefits, concerns, and adoption of these technologies. Additionally, the introduction of these technologies is accompanied by uncertainties in their effects on the carsharing market and land use patterns, and raises the need for tolling policies to appease the travel demand induced due to the increased convenience. To these ends, this study surveyed 1088 respondents across Texas to understand their opinions about smart vehicle technologies and related decisions. The key summary statistics indicate that Texans are willing to pay (WTP) $2910, $4607, $7589, and $127 for Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 automation and connectivity, respectively, on average. Moreover, affordability and equipment failure are Texans’ top two concerns regarding AVs. This study also estimates interval regression and ordered probit models to understand the multivariate correlation between explanatory variables, such as demographics, built-environment attributes, travel patterns, and crash histories, and response variables, including willingness to pay for CAV technologies, adoption rates of shared AVs at different pricing points, home location shift decisions, adoption timing of automation technologies, and opinions about various tolling policies. The practically significant relationships indicate that more experienced licensed drivers and older people associate lower WTP values with all new vehicle technologies. Such parameter estimates help not only in forecasting long-term adoption of CAV technologies, but also help transportation planners in understanding the characteristics of regions with high or low future-year CAV adoption levels, and subsequently, develop smart strategies in respective regions.