Design factor optimization of 3D flash lidar sensor based on geometrical model for automated vehicle and advanced driver assistance system applications

Sensor technologies have been innovated and enhanced rapidly for highly automated vehicle and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) in automotive industry; however, in order to adopt sensors into mass production vehicle in near future, various requirements should be satisfied such as cost, durability, and maintainance without any loss of overall performance of the sensors. In this sense, a 3D flash lidar is one of primising range sensors because of no moving parts, compact package, and precise measure for distance by using a laser. In spite of the several advantages, the 3D flash lidar is not commonly used in automotive industry because it is quite expensive for adoption and it is manufactured with only general purpose currently; therefore, the cost reduction and optimal design to satisfy various purposes of ADAS or autonomous driving should be accomplished. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for design factor optimization of the 3D flash lidar based on a geometrical model by using structural similarity between the 3D flash lidar and 2D digital camera. In particular, focal length and area of a receiver (focal plane array and read-out integrated circuit) which directly affect on sensor performance (field of view and maximum detection range) are optimized as the design factors. From the optimization results in simulation, we show that optimal design factors according to various purposes required in ADAS could be easily determined and the sensor performances could be evaluated before manufacturing. It will reduce temporal and economic burdens for design and manufacturing in development process.     

Effects of altitude on combustion characteristic during cold start of heavy-duty diesel engine

Altitude has a significant effect on combustion of heavy-duty diesel engines, especially during cold start. An experimental study on a heavy-duty diesel engine operating at different altitudes was conducted. Tests were based on a direct injection (DI) turbocharged diesel engine with intake and exhaust pressure controlled by the plateau simulation test system to stimulate altitude conditions including 0 m, 1000 m, 2000 m, 3000 m and 4000 m. Results indicated that the compression and expansion resistance moment reduced and the speed increased during the cranking period. The peak pressure of several cycles was increased during the start-up period; however, the expansion pressure dropped more and the indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) reduced as the altitude rose. While at an altitude of over 2000 m, the peak pressure fluctuated obviously during the start-up period. The higher the altitude was, the more the fluctuation amplitude and cycle number increased and combustion instability enhanced, which resulted the start-up period time increasing at high altitude. When the altitude rose, the cycle-to-cycle variation of the peak pressure and speed fluctuation increased during the idle, the ignition and CA50 were delayed and the combustion duration was shortened. The effect of altitude on combustion characteristics of the diesel engine was more significant during the start-up period than during its idle period.     

Pedaling torque sensor-less power assist control of an electric bike via model-based impedance control

This paper proposes a method to assist human force acting on electric bike without using costly torque sensors via a model-based impedance control technique. In general, electric bikes are classified into two categories, i.e., pedelec electric bikes and throttle electric bikes. We focus on the system called a pedelec electric bike. It assists human pedaling force using the pedaling information, e.g., pedaling force or speed. To obtain the human’s pedaling information in real-time, it needs physical sensors such as a torque sensor and a velocity sensor. But, these sensors are expensive and weak against external loads. Also, since these sensors are fixed directly to the forced component in a bike system, there are the risks of damage. For these reasons, sensor-less control methods based on a disturbance observer have been studied so far. In this paper, we have proposed a pedaling torque sensor-less power assist method and have applied it to the experimental pedelec electric bike. A power assist control algorithm, designed by employing an impedance model, consists of a PI-type feedback controller, an inverse model-based feedforward controller, and a pedaling torque observer. Finally, we performed experiments and confirmed the effectiveness of a proposed power assist control method.     

纪录是用来打破的：BMW F82 M4 GTS

CSL之意涵双门、跑格、轻量化 在M3刚刚诞生的前几年,E30、E36世代的特别版车型,多半将原本发动机重新调校,再赋予赛车化扮相,一直到2004年限量1400部的E46M3CSL诞生,这才开启轻量化、竞技化的硬派本色,     

Drowsy behavior detection based on driving information

Drowsy behavior is more likely to occur in sleep-deprived drivers. Individuals’ drowsy behavior detection technology should be developed to prevent drowsiness related crashes. Driving information such as acceleration, steering angle and velocity, and physiological signals of drivers such as electroencephalogram (EEG), and eye tracking are adopted in present drowsy behavior detection technologies. However, it is difficult to measure physiological signal, and eye tracking requires complex experiment equipment. As a result, driving information is adopted for drowsy driving detection. In order to achieve this purpose, driving experiment is performed for obtaining driving information through driving simulator. Moreover, this paper investigates effects of using different input parameter combinations, which is consisted of lateral acceleration, longitudinal acceleration, and steering angles with different time window sizes (i.e. 4 s, 10 s, 20 s, 30 s, 60 s), on drowsy driving detection using random forest algorithm. 20 s-size datasets using parameter combination of accelerations in lateral and longitudinal directions, compared to the other combination cases of driving information such as steering angles combined with lateral and longitudinal acceleration, steering angles only, longitudinal acceleration only, and lateral acceleration only, is considered the most effective information for drivers’ drowsy behavior detection. Moreover, comparing to ANN algorithm, RF algorithm performs better on processing complex input data for drowsy behavior detection. The results, which reveal high accuracy 84.8 % on drowsy driving behavior detection, can be applied on condition of operating real vehicles.     

Optimal design of three-planetary-gear power-split hybrid powertrains

Many of today’s power-split hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) utilize planetary gears (PGs) to connect the powertrain elements together. Recent power-split HEVs tend to use two PGs and some of them have multiple modes to achieve better fuel economy and driving performance. Looking to the future, hybrid powertrain technologies must be enhanced to design hybrid light trucks. For light trucks, the need for multi-mode and more PGs is stronger, to achieve the required performance. To systematically explore all the possible designs of multi-mode HEVs with three PGs, an efficient searching and optimization methodology is proposed. All possible clutch topology and modes for one existing configuration that uses three PGs were exhaustively searched. The launching performance is first used to screen out designs that fail to satisfy the required launching performance. A near-optimal and computationally efficient energy management strategy was then employed to identify designs that achieve good fuel economy. The proposed design process successfully identify 8 designs that achieve better launching performance and better fuel economy, while using fewer number of clutches than the benchmark and a patented design.     

Cooperative control of the motor and the electric booster brake to improve the stability of an in-wheel electric vehicle

A cooperative control algorithm for an in-wheel motor and an electric booster brake is proposed to improve the stability of an in-wheel electric vehicle. The in-wheel system was modeled by dividing it into motor and mechanical parts, and the electric booster brake was modeled through tests. In addition, the response characteristics of the in-wheel system and the electric booster brake were compared through a frequency response analysis. In the cooperative control, the road friction coefficient was estimated using the wheel speed, motor torque, and braking torque of each wheel, and the torque limit of the wheel to the road was determined using the estimated road friction coefficient. Based on the estimated road friction coefficient and torque limit, a cooperative algorithm to control the motor and the electric booster brake was proposed to improve the stability of the in-wheel electric vehicle. The performance of the proposed cooperative control algorithm was evaluated through a hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS). Furthermore, to verify the performance of the proposed cooperative control algorithm, a test environment was constructed for the anti-lock braking system (ABS) hydraulic module hardware, and the performance of the cooperative control algorithm was compared with that of the ABS by means of a HILS test.     

Model based burnt gas fraction controller design of diesel engine with VGT/Dual loop EGR system

-Recently, regulation of NOx and PM emission in diesel engines has become stricter and the EGR system has been expanded into a dual loop EGR system to increase EGR rate as well as to utilize exhaust gas strategically. In terms of engine combustion characteristics, burnt gas fraction is becoming an important factor of solving the NOx and PM emission reduction problem more efficiently but conventional controller focused only pressure and air flow rate targets. Unlike the previous studies, this paper describes a model based burnt gas fraction control structure for a diesel engine with a dual loop EGR and a turbocharger. Feedforward control inputs based on burnt gas fraction states aids in the precise control of diesel engines, especially in transient states by considering coupled behavior within the system. For the controller validation, a control oriented reduced order model of a diesel engine air management system is established to simplify the control input computation and its stability is proved by analysing the internal dynamics stability. Then, a sliding mode controller is designed and controller robustness at certain operating points is validated using an HiLS bench.     

Effects of air supply diffusers and air return grilles layout on contaminants concentration in bus passenger compartment

Ventilation system in a bus is employed to provide good indoor air quality and thermal comfort for passengers. Poor ventilation system will increase the concentration level of air contaminants which could affect the passenger’s health. The presence mixing ventilation system used in many buses is not efficient in removing the air contaminants from the passenger compartments. This article presents a study on the effects of using different ventilation setups on the concentration level of gases and particulate matters inside a passenger compartment of a university’s shuttle bus. The goal is to find a suitable layout of the air supply diffusers and air return grilles that would lower the concentration level of contaminants inside the passenger compartment. Field measurements were carried out to quantify the concentration of gases (carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and formaldehyde) and particulate matters (PM1, PM2.5 and PM10). The measurements were done at the front section of the bus compartment, close to the front door. The data were acquired in the morning, afternoon and evening hours during a clear and sunny day. The bus travelled along an in-campus road with no passengers. A simplified three-dimensional model of the bus compartment was developed using computational fluid dynamics software. Flow analyses were carried out to predict distribution of gases and particulate matters concentration. The concentrations of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde and particulate matters obtained from the field measurements were used as boundary conditions and for validating the computational model. A parametric study was carried out to identify a suitable layout of air supply diffusers and air return grilles that would lower the concentration level of the air contaminants. Two types of ventilation systems were considered namely a displacement ventilation and an underfloor air distribution. Results show that the underfloor air distribution system is more effective in reducing the concentration level of gases and particulate matters inside the passenger compartment compared to the displacement ventilation system.     

Day-to-day variability in travellers’ activity-travel patterns in the Jakarta metropolitan area

Using four consecutive days of SITRAMP 2004 data from the Jakarta metropolitan area (JMA), Indonesia, this study examines the interactions between individuals’ activity-travel parameters, given the variability in their daily constraints, resources, land use and road network conditions. While there have been a significant number of studies into day-to-day variability in travel behaviour in developed countries, this issue is rarely examined in developing countries. The results show that some activity-travel parameter interactions are similar to those produced by travellers from developed countries, while others differ. Household and individual characteristics are the most significant variables influencing the interactions between activity-travel parameters. Different groups of travellers exhibit different trade-off mechanisms. Further analyses of the stability of activity-travel patterns across different days are also provided. Daily commuting time and regular work and study commitments heavily shape workers’ and students’ flexibility in arranging their travel time and out-of-home time budget, leading to more stable daily activity-travel patterns than non-workers.