Dual extended Kalman filter for vehicle state and parameter estimation

The article demonstrates the implementation of a model-based vehicle estimator, which can be used for combined estimation of vehicle states and parameters. The estimator is realised using the dual extended Kalman filter (DEKF) technique, which makes use of two Kalman filters running in parallel, thus 'splitting' the state and parameter estimation problems. Note that the two problems cannot be entirely separated due to their inherent interdependencies. This technique provides several advantages, such as the possibility to switch off the parameter estimator, once a sufficiently good set of estimates has been obtained. The estimator is based on a four-wheel vehicle model with four degrees of freedom, which accommodates the dominant modes only, and is designed to make use of several interchangeable tyre models. The paper demonstrates the appropriateness of the DEKF. Results to date indicate that this is an effective approach, which is considered to be of potential benefit to the automotive industry.     

Conformity: How VMT-speed distributions can affect mobile emission inventories

Transportation conformity is a US regulatory process that requires that transportation modeling be integrated with air quality modeling. Consequently, every change to either modeling process is undertaken with great scrutiny by the regional governments, who have to use the models for demonstrating conformity. This paper explores the "trip versus link debate," which stems from the fact that the standard travel demand models used by most metropolitan planning organizations are primarily link oriented, while the air quality models have been primarily trip oriented. Using the Sacramento region we examine the effects on mobile source emissions inventories when speed-VMT distributions are constructed using the trip and link-based philosophies. The results of our study indicate that trip-based VMT-speed distributions produce consistently lower emissions estimates than the link-based distributions. We use the results to assert that deciding between a trip-based or link-based conformity modeling process involves more than the technical difficulty of changesto the models or the potential political ramifications, it involves assessing which method will provide the most accurate estimates of regional motor vehicle emissions. We also examine ways to think about constructing mobile source emission inventories.     

Roll Dynamics of Commercial Vehicles

An analytical model is developed here for studying the roll dynamics of commercial vehicles. Large displacements and rotations are accounted for in this nonlinear model so that it can be used for the study of roll dynamics well beyond the limits of wheel lift-off. The model is used to illustrate some of the dynamic phenomena in vehicle rollover, especially the interactive coupling between the roll and the vertical modes of motion. The influence of suspension backlash on rollover resistance is demonstrated, and the phenomenon of roll motion resonance is illustrated to suggest new means for evaluating vehicle rollover sensitivity.     

Economic Valuation of Coastal and Marine Resources: Bohol Marine Triangle,Philippines

This article provides results on the net benefits generated from the natural resources in the Bohol Marine Triangle (BMT) in the Philippines. The BMT spans over 112,000 ha and its coastal ecosystems are rich in biodiversity and provide economic opportunities to the coastal communities. With a 10% discount rate, the accumulated total net benefits for the BMT resources over a 10-year period is US$11.54 million. Tourism and the municipal fisheries are the most important direct use values of the coastal and marine resources of the BMT accounting for 44% and 39% of the total net benefits. Annual revenues attributed to ecosystems were as follows: coral reefs, US$1.26 million; beach/intertidal area, US$1.12 million; marine waters, US$646,501; mangrove, US$239,561; and seagrass, US$105,990. The large market values indicate the dependence of the local community on the BMT coastal and marine resources. In the same way, non-market values show the important life-support functions of coastal and marine ecosystems. The net benefits reflect the magnitude of potential losses due to improper management of coastal and marine resources in the BMT. This valuation highlights the importance of the coastal services to the BMT economy and draws attention to the benefits the local stakeholders derive from BMT coastal resources. Policy measures can now take into account these values to justify a sufficient investment in coastal management efforts to sustain the flow of coastal services in the interest of current and future generations.     

Computer Simulation of Thermal-Mechanical Processing

AlterationIntroductionThereisastrongini6ractionamongtemPetalrefield,strCssfield,andmicrosttuctutulaltOrationinm8terialsduringtheirhotworking[l'2].Especiallyduringthecoolingprocess,inwhichtemPeratorechangnsgreatly,intendionsbecomemorecomplexbecauseoftransformationoccurmnce.Duringthehotdeformation,thingswillaPpearsuchas:a.hotdeformation,relatedtostressfieId,changesessentiallytheshaPeofmaterialsandcausesthevariationofthecontactstatebetWeenthedieandsample,resultinginchangeofthethermalboundnyco…     

Chaotic movement of vortices in superconductors of high-Tc superconducting maglev system at a high speed

Vortex motion in superconductors of higb-Tc superconducting maglev system is studied by a computational simulation.The vortex system is treated in a similar fashion,as a system where defects arc arrang...     

Automation of paratransit reservation,routing, and scheduling

Santa Clara County, California experienced a sharp growth in demand‐responsive paratransit ridership for individuals with disabilities, as a result of the passage of the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). This paper describes an automated paratransit system for the ADA‐type paratransit operation implemented in Santa Clara County. It automated paratransit reservation, scheduling, and routing functions. The key components of this system were a digital geographic database (DGD) and an automated trip scheduling system (ATSS). Empirical evidence after one year of operation indicates numerous benefits of this automation. There were significant reductions in the paratransit operating costs and an increase in the percent shared rides. The savings in operating costs far exceeded the annualized capital cost of automation. A user survey indicates that these improvements were achieved without degradation to service quality such as vehicle on‐time performance, invehicle travel times, vehicle response to open return, and ride comfort.     

Evaluating locational accessibility to the US air transportation system

Although there are hundreds of airports that support commercial air passenger traffic in the United States (US), not all areas are equivalently served by the commercial air transportation system. Locations in the US differ with respect to their level of access to the commercial air network and their overall accessibility within the system. Given the complexity of the domestic commercial air passenger network and supporting infrastructure, past research has only been able to provide a limited assessment of locational accessibility within the United States. To address these complexities, this paper proposes a new metric that incorporates measures of access to air transport as well as accessibility within air transportation networks. Using a comprehensive dataset on scheduled airline service, the developed approach is then applied to the US domestic commercial passenger air transportation network to explore geographic differentials in accessibility. Results suggest marked differences between core-based statistical areas throughout the US.     

Trip distribution for limited destinations: a case study for grocery shopping trips in the Netherlands

In this paper, we introduce a new trip distribution model for destinations that are not homogeneously distributed. The model is a gravity model in which the spatial configuration of destinations is incorporated in the modeling process. The performance was tested on a survey with reported grocery shopping trips in the Dutch city of Almelo. The results show that the new model outperforms the traditional gravity model. It is also superior to the intervening opportunities model, because the distribution can be described as a function of travel costs, without increasing the computational time. In this study, the distribution was described by a simple function of Euclidean distance, which provides a good fit to the survey data. The slope of the distribution is quite steep. This shows that most trips are made to nearby supermarkets. However, a significant fraction of trips, mainly made by car, still goes to supermarkets further away. We argue that modeling of these trips by the new method will improve traffic flow predictions.