Comparative investigation on the aerodynamic effects of combined use of underbody drag reduction devices applied to real sedan

To reduce the aerodynamic drag, the performance of the underbody aerodynamic drag reduction devices was evaluated based on the actual shape of a sedan-type vehicle. An undercover, under-fin, and side air dam were used as the underbody aerodynamic drag reduction devices. In addition, the effects of the interactions based on the combination of the aerodynamic drag reduction devices were investigated. A commercial sedan-type vehicle was selected as a reference model and its shape was modeled in detail. Aerodynamic drag was analyzed by computational fluid dynamics at a general driving speed on highway of 120 km/h. The undercover reduced the slipstream area through the attenuation of the longitudinal vortex pair by enhancing the up-wash of underflow, thereby reducing the aerodynamic drag by 8.4 %. The under-fin and side air dam showed no reduction in aerodynamic drag when they were solely attached to the actual complex shape of the underbody. Simple aggregation of the effects of aerodynamic drag reduction by the individual device did not provide the accurate performance of the combined aerodynamic drag reduction devices. An additional aerodynamic drag reduction of 2.1 % on average was obtained compared to the expected drag reduction, which was due to the synergy effect of the combination.     

Development of a self-driving car that can handle the adverse weather

Lane and road recognition are essential for self-driving where GPS solution is inaccurate due to the signal block or multipath in an urban environment. Vision based lane or road recognition algorithms have been studied extensively, but they are not robust to changes in weather or illumination due to the characteristic of the sensor. Lidar is a sensor for measuring distance, but it also contains intensity information. The road mark on the road is made to look good with headlight at night by using a special paint with good reflection on the light. With this feature, road marking can be detected with lidar even in the case of changes in illumination due to the rain or shadow. In this paper, we propose equipping autonomous cars with sensor fusion algorithms intended to operate in a different weather conditions. The proposed algorithm was applied to the self-driving car EureCar (KAIST) in order to test its feasibility for real-time use.     

A Practical SSL Server Performance Improvement Algorithm Based on Batch RSA Decryption

The secure socket layer/ transport layer security（SSL/TLS） handshake protocol uses public key cryptographic algorithms such as RSA for key establishment. Typically, public key cryptographic algorithm is computational intensive due to the modular multiplications. Therefore, SSL/TLS servers often become swamped while performing public key decryptions when the simultaneous requests increase quickly. A batch RSA decryption algorithm was proposed. The novel algorithm provides the reasonable response time and optimizes server performance significantly. The decryption speedup is proportional to the batch size b, for instance, the speedup factor is 4, while in Shacham＇s scheme the acceleration rate is only 2.5 when b = 4.     

Development of an Operability Evaluation Framework for Remotely Controlled Ground Combat Vehicles in a Simulated Environment

This paper proposes a systematic framework for operability evaluation of remotely controlled ground combat systems (RGCS) in a simulated environment. The popular human-robot interaction metric used in unmanned vehicle systems is called fan-out (FO) and represents the maximum number of robots/vehicles that could be controlled by a single human operator. However, FO is inappropriate for systems with a lower level of automation where vehicles are remotely controlled by a human, such as RGCS. The theoretical background of the suggested framework is based on McRuer’s crossover model that was initially developed in the aviation domain for explaining pilot handling issues. In this study, an evaluation/analysis software prototype was developed, known as the RGCS operability evaluation tool in a simulated environment (ROPES). The ROPES was designed to be a simple tool for use by officers or researchers who only have intuitive understanding on the human adaptability. The ROPES includes two sub-modules; 1) an interactive interface for the configuration of the RGCS dynamic parameters and user interfaces and 2) a time-varying graphical display of system and human performance. Examples case studies demonstrate the advantage of the ROPES, and improvement points were identified for future development.     

Effect of UWS injection at low exhaust gas temperature on NO<Subscript>x</Subscript> removal efficiency of diesel engine

Urea-SCR systems have been widely used in diesel vehicles according to the strengthened NO_x (Nitrogen Oxides) emission standard. The NO_x removal efficiencies of the latest well optimized urea-SCR system are above 90 % at moderate exhaust gas temperature of 250 ~ 450 °C. However, a large amount of NO_x is emitted from diesel vehicles at cold start or urban driving conditions, when the exhaust gas temperature is not high enough for SCR catalyst activation. Although many researchs have been stuied to improve NO_x conversion efficiency at these low temperature conditions, it is still one of important technical issues. In this study, the effect of UWS injection at low exhaust gas temperature conditions is studied. This study uses a 3.4 L diesel engine equipped with a commertial urea SCR system. As a result, it is found that about 5 % of NO_x removal efficiency is improved in the NRTC test when UWS injection starts at the SCR inlet temperature of 150 °C compared to 200 °C. It is also found that urea deposits can be formed on the wall of exhaust pipe, when the local wall temperature is lower than temperature of urea decomposition.     

Mixed Harmonic Runnable Scheduling for Automotive Software on Multi-Core Processors

The performance of automotive electronic control units (ECUs) has improved following the development of multi-core processors. These processors facilitate fast computing performance without increasing clock speed. System developers partition automotive application runnables to have parallelizability and avoid interference between various software modules. To improve the performance of such systems, an efficient scheduler is necessary. In this regard, for multi-core ECUs, the automotive open system architecture (AUTOSAR) suggests partitioned static priority scheduling for parallelized software. In the AUTOSAR approach, clustering and partitioning of runnables for specific cores becomes difficult, but there is no exact criterion followed for partitioning the runnables. Consequently, cores are not balanced against loads, and under contingency conditions, there is a chance that tasks will miss deadlines. In this study, we address this problem by exploring a mixed harmonic runnable scheduling algorithm that includes partitioned scheduling. We tested this algorithm using high load conditions under contingency consequences, and we evaluated it using models of periodic runnables, periodic interrupts, and event-triggered interrupts. The performance parameters considered in this paper are balancing performance and the deadline missing rate. Our results indicate that the proposed algorithm can contribute toward improving the functional safety of vehicles.     

The effects of added transportation capacity on travel: a review of theoretical and empirical results

(Added to the original text) A fundamental solution to the issue of congestion cannot be reached without addressing the question of life-style. This paper reviews the definitions of life-style found in the literature, and identifies variables that have been commonly associated with life-style. Using US consumer expenditure data, life-styles are analyzed longitudinally (examining trends during the 1953–1983 time frame) and cross-sectionally (comparing segments of the population stratified by income, life-cycle stage, and age), and likely relationships to travel behavior are noted. The usefulness of existing empirical findings to long-range forecasting is explored by speculating on shifts of behavioral units across life-style segments, and on shifts in the behavioral patterns within each life-style segment.     

道路路阻函数模型及适用性研究

交通诱导系统中两节点间最优路径的选择是目前的一个难点问题,其中路阻函数的确定是路径优化的核心内容.针对交通流由畅通状态到拥挤状态再到堵塞状态的过程,应用经典交通流理论和实际调查数据,构建交通流诱导系统分段路阻函数模型,以q=10veh/h为一个单位,对函数进行分段拟合,构建高速公路和城市快速路下的分段路阻函数,并对其适应性进行拟合分析.应用结果表明:在不同的流量范围内,高速公路和城市快速路分段路阻函数在自由流状态、高密度状态和低密度条件下适合不同的分段函数.     

基于Prescan 的信号灯路口跟停场景虚拟重构

为满足我国智能驾驶汽车测试场景库的搭建和ADAS(高级驾驶辅助系统)功能研发和验证的需求,设计了一种基于Prescan的交通信号灯路口车辆跟停场景虚拟重构方法,该方法由道路环境建设模块、初始条件设定模块和车辆控制模块组成。道路环境建设模块通过输入道路参数信息构建虚拟道路,初始条件设定模块通过输入本车和目标车的初始位置、初始速度信息确定零时刻车辆和道路的空间位置及状态信息,车辆控制模块依据车辆速度位置等信息,利用训练的神经网络控制本车加速度,实现跟停场景的虚拟重构。仿真结果表明,该方法可以实现交通信号灯路口车辆跟停场景的虚拟重构。     

Optical device for measuring the injectors opening in common rail systems

Since the needle displacement exerts a fundamental influence on the operation of Common Rail injection systems, accurate measurements of the control piston position can be crucial for a more thorough analysis of the behaviour of injectors, in particular when multiple injections are employed. Eddy current sensors have traditionally been used in lab activities to measure the control piston position inside injectors; apart from the high cost, the scientific literature clearly shows their inadequacy, which is mainly due to the presence of electromagnetic disturbance: the current pulse, which controls the opening of the injector, generates electromagnetic fields which strongly affect the acquisition of data. Many attempts have recently been made either to solve the interference occurring during such measurements or to propose alternative displacement transducers whose operation is not influenced by electromagnetic interference. In this paper, a new device for measuring the injector opening is proposed: it is an optical transducer characterized both by simple and very cheap construction and by a reliable physical principle for measuring the control piston lift. The reliability of the proposed sensor is assessed by a thorough experimental campaign and by comparing the experimental results with the numerical predictions achieved by a Common Rail injector model. Since the assembly of the optical sensor does not affect the injector operation, it can efficiently be used both for experimental tests and for on-board diagnosis and monitoring of the injector operation.