Vehicle trajectory challenge in predictive active steering rollover prevention

High center of mass vehicles are likely to rollover in extreme maneuvers. Available works present control strategies to prevent rollover. In these works, however, other important parameters such as path trajectory tracking are not a main concern. In this paper conflicts between rollover prevention and trajectory tracking is investigated. Model predictive control (MPC) is adopted to predict and avoid rollover while tracking desired trajectory. For this regard a model based future error estimation is introduced. The control framework predicts both rollover and trajectory error simultaneously. It avoids rollover while tries to track the trajectory. Simulation results for two controllers with and without trajectory tracking are presented. The results indicate that the controllers effectively limit rollover as a hard constraint while the trajectory tracking controller also minimizes and recovers the path error.     

A structured flexible transit system for low demand areas

Public transit structure is traditionally designed to contain fixed bus routes and predetermined bus stations. This paper presents an alternative flexible-route transit system, in which each bus is allowed to travel across a predetermined area to serve passengers, while these bus service areas collectively form a hybrid “grand” structure that resembles hub-and-spoke and grid networks. We analyze the agency and user cost components of this proposed system in idealized square cities and seek the optimum network layout, service area of each bus, and bus headway, to minimize the total system cost. We compare the performance of the proposed transit system with those of comparable systems (e.g., fixed-route transit network and taxi service), and show how each system is advantageous under certain passenger demand levels. It is found out that under low-to-moderate demand levels, the proposed flexible-route system tends to have the lowest system cost.     

What Does Happen to Our Driving When We Get Older?

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to uncover the main antecedents associated with driving errors among older drivers in order to establish a framework for analyzing potential skill improvements using other approaches, for example, games. The article also aims at classifying age-related declines in seniors' abilities associated with their driving performance. The research undertakes an analysis of attempts made through the investigation of the literature. We have systematically searched papers and extracted (1) prevalent driving errors among seniors and (2) underlying age-related declines in seniors' abilities associated with their driving performance. We have also identified some characteristics of the research in this area (e.g. the research methods and geographical distribution of the research). Our expert panel mapped the functional declines in seniors' abilities to the driving errors to identify the relationship between these findings. A reliability test resulted in 81% reliability of findings. We have identified eight groups of driving errors, which could be affected by physical, visual, and cognitive declines among seniors. According to the experts' opinions, the underlying relationship of physical, visual, and cognitive declines among seniors and their driving errors were also presented. Our findings show that there is a potential for the use of innovative interventions such as playing video games to create an inexpensive, motivational, and enjoyable method that may provide a transfer effect to specific driving skills. This could help improve seniors' driving performance by improving specific functional abilities associated with driving.     

A mathematical model for acceleration phase of aerodynamically alleviated catamarans and minimizing the time needed to reach final speed

Racing catamarans use aerodynamic alleviation concept which in existing extreme ground effect significantly enhances the performance. Beside design measures, controlling strategies may be employed as convenient solutions to improve the performance and address concerns regarding poor stability in these crafts. Being of substantial importance for a racing catamaran to reach the final speed as soon as possible, this study attempts to find the optimal form of changing the drive angle (as control variable) to minimize its acceleration time. In this regard, a mathematical model is developed for forward acceleration phase of these catamarans based on empirical and theoretical methods. Then the formulation and solution algorithm for the time-optimal problem are described according to an indirect method. Results for a representative racing craft have been presented in uncontrolled and controlled conditions. Problem in controlled condition has been solved without and with a predefined constraint regarding stability margin. Optimal controlling of the drive angle without stability constraint during the acceleration results in 40 % reduction in time required to reach the speed of 110 kn and 14 % reduction in resistance at this speed in comparison to the uncontrolled case. Addition of the stability constraint changes optimal solution for drive angle and causes craft trim angle follow a decreasing trend at higher speeds.     

Truck capacity analysis in a cross‐dock transportation network considering direct shipment

In a transportation network, decision making parameters may change and may cause the optimum value of objective function to vary in a specific range. Therefore, managers try to identify the effects of these changes by sensitive analysis to find appropriate solutions. In this paper, first, a model for cross‐dock transportation network considering direct shipment is presented, and then an algorithm based on branch and bound algorithm and dual price concept for sensitive analysis is developed. When managers encounter problems such as budget limit, they may decide to change the capacity of trucks as a procedure to reduce the transportation costs of the network. The algorithm provides a useful lower bound on the solutions of the problems and makes it easy for the managers to eliminate inappropriate options of truck capacities, which cannot lead to cost reduction. To verify the algorithm, an example will be given at the end of the paper. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

3D numerical modeling of wave forces on tandem fixed cylinders using the BEM

In this paper a 3D numerical model was developed to study the complicated interaction between waves and a set of tandem fixed cylinders.The fluid was considered to be inviscid and irrotational.Therefore,the Helmholtz equation was used as a governing equation.The boundary element method（BEM） was adopted to discretize the relevant equations.Open boundaries were used in far fields of the study domain.Linear waves were generated and propagated towards tandem fixed cylinders to estimate the forces applied on them.Special attention was paid to consideration of the effect on varying non-dimensional cylinder radius and distance between cylinders,ka and kd on forces and trapped modes.The middle cylinder wave forces and trapped modes in a set of nine tandem cylinders were validated utilizing analytical data.The comparisons confirm the accuracy of the model.The results of the inline wave force estimation on n tandem cylinders show that the critical cylinder in the row is the middle one for odd numbers of cylinders.Furthermore the results show that the critical trapped mode effect occurs for normalized cylinder radiuses close to 0.5 and 1.0.Finally the force estimation for n tandem cylinders confirms that force amplitude of the middle cylinder versus normalized separation distance fluctuates about that of a single cylinder.     

Robustness of autonomous underwater vehicle control in variable working conditions

The performance of the control systems of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in the presence of parameter variations was studied. With an AUV working at different operating speeds and in different ocean environments, the physical parameters such as speed, hydrodynamic coefficients, or inertias may be perturbed from their nominal values. The vehicle control systems can be modeled as systems with parameter uncertainty. An existing robust control method, which uses the robustness properties of polynomials, was used for this system to calculate the permissible ranges of variation in the parameters. The method was applied to the Naval Postgraduate School AUV II and the results were verified by simulating the motion control of the vehicle under the influence of parameter perturbations.     

Developing a chaotic pattern of dynamic Hazmat routing problem

The present paper proposes an iterative procedure based on chaos theory on dynamic risk definition to determine the best route for transporting hazardous materials (Hazmat). In the case of possible natural disasters, the safety of roads may be seriously affected. So the main objective of this paper is to simultaneously improve the travel time and risk to satisfy the local and national authorities in the transportation network. Based on the proposed procedure, four important risk components including accident information, population, environment, and infrastructure aspects have been presented under linguistic variables. Furthermore, the extent analysis method was utilized to convert them to crisp values. To apply the proposed procedure, a road network that consists of fifty nine nodes and eighty two-way edges with a pre-specified affected area has been considered. The results indicate that applying the dynamic risk is more appropriate than having a constant risk. The application of the proposed model indicates that, while chaotic variables depend on the initial conditions, the most frequent path will remain independent. The points that would help authorities to come to the better decision when they are dealing with Hazmat transportation route selection.     

Consideration of different travel strategies and choice set sizes in transit path choice modelling

Transportation - Path choice modelling is typically conducted by considering a subset of paths, not the universal set of all feasible paths as this is computationally challenging. This study...