Age and cross-cultural comparison of drivers’ cognitive workload and performance in simulated urban driving

Driving demands significant psychomotor attention and requires even more when drivers are engaged in secondary tasks that increase cognitive workload and divert attention. It is well established that age influences driving risk. Less is known about how culture impacts changes in attention. We conducted parallel driving simulations in the US and Korea to measure the extent to which age and culture influence dual-task performance. There were 135 participants divided into two groups: a younger group aged 20∼29, and an older group aged 60∼69. Whereas some differences by culture appeared in absolute control measures, the younger participants showed similar mean velocity and compensatory patterns associated with increased cognitive load in the urban setting; however, the results from the older samples were less similar.     

Optimizing the shape of a bumper beam section considering pedestrian protection

This paper presents a design technique to optimize the shape of a vehicle bumper beam that satisfies both the safety requirements for a front rigid-wall impact and the regulations protecting pedestrians from lower leg injuries caused by bumper impacts. An intermediate response surface modeling (IRSM) technique was introduced to approximate the non-linear force-displacement curves obtained from the front impact analysis of a vehicle bumper. The accuracy of the IRSM model was tested by comparing its results with those of the non-linear finite element analysis. The maximum displacement error between the two models did not exceed 3%. Using pedestrian impact analyses based on the experimental arrangement of the Plackett-Burman design, the approximate functions describing the response values acting on the lower legs were calculated. The shape of the bumper beam was optimized by integrating the IRSM with the force-displacement model and the approximate functions on lower leg impact. The optimization results satisfied safety regulations on the maximum allowable displacement of the vehicle bumper, and also the regulations protecting pedestrians from lower leg injuries caused by bumper impacts.     

Effect of various LPG supply systems on exhaust particle emission in spark-ignited combustion engine

The particle size distribution and particle number (PN) concentration emitted by internal combustion engine are a subject of significant environmental concern because of their adverse health effects and environmental impact. This subject has recently attracted the attention of the Particle Measurement Programme (PMP). In 2007, the UN-ECE GRPE PMP proposed a new method to measure particle emissions in the diluted exhaust of automotive engines and a regulation limit (<6.0×10¹¹ #/km, number of particles). The specific PN regulation of spark-ignited combustion engine will be regulated starting on September 1, 2014 (EURO 6). In this study, three types of LPG supply systems (a mixer system and a multi-point injection system with gas-phase or liquid-phase LPG fuel) were used for a comparison of the particulate emission characteristics, including the nano-sized particle number density. Each of the three LPG vehicles with various LPG injection systems contained a multi-cylinder engine with same displacement volumes of 2,000 cm³ and a three-way catalytic converter. The test fuel that was used in this study for the spark-ignited combustion engine was n-butane basis LPG fuel, which is primarily used for taxi vehicles in Korea. The characteristics of nano-particle size distribution and number concentration of particle sizes ranging from 20 to 1,000 nm (aerodynamic diameter) that were emitted from the three LPG vehicles with various LPG supply systems were investigated by using a condensation particle counter (CPC), which is recommended by the PMP under both the NEDC and FTP-75 test modes on a chassis dynamometer. The experimental results indicate that the PN emission characteristics that were obtained by the CPC system using the PMP procedure are sufficiently reliable compared to other regulated emissions. Additionally, the sources of PN emissions in ascending order of magnitude are as follows: mixer type, gas-phase LPG injection (LPGi) and liquid-phase LPG injection (LPLi) passenger vehicles. The liquid-phase LPG injection system produced relatively large particle sizes and number concentrations compared to the gaseous system, regardless of the vehicle driving cycle. This phenomenon can be explained by unburned micro-fuel droplets that were generated due to a relatively short homogeneous fuel-air mixture duration in the engine intake manifold. Also the particle number emissions from the LPG vehicle were influenced by the vehicle driving cycle.     

Emissions simulation in a 7000 kg-grade diesel hybrid electric vehicle

Hybrids combine a combustion engine with an electric motor and battery. The two technologies can be combined to reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. This paper presents the concept of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) applied to truck or van vehicles with diesel engines. The simulation results from the advanced vehicle simulator (ADVISOR) demonstrate that the required power may be properly shared between the internal combustion engine and electric motor. The simulation can also be used to prove that the technique is useful for improvements in driving performance; additionally, the technique is suitable for hybrid electric vehicles, allowing for good fuel economy and low emissions performance.     

Effect of the number of fuel injector holes on characteristics of combustion and emissions in a diesel engine

The diesel combustion process is highly dependent on fuel injection parameters, and understanding fuel spray development is essential for proper control of the process. One of the critical factors for controlling the rate of mixing of fuel and air is the number of injector holes in a diesel engine. This study was intended to explore the behavior of the formation of spray mixtures, combustion, and emissions as a function of the number of injector hole changes; from this work, we propose an optimal number of holes for superior emissions and engine performance in diesel engine applications. The results show that increasing the number of holes significantly influences evaporation, atomization, and combustion. However, when the number of holes exceeds a certain threshold, there is an adverse effect on combustion and emissions due to a lack of the air entrainment required for the achievement of a stoichiometric mixture.     

Optimum distribution of yaw moment for unified chassis control with limitations on the active front steering angle

This paper describes an optimum distribution method for yaw moment for use with unified chassis control (UCC) with limitations on the active front steering (AFS) angle. Although the UCC has been assumed to have no AFS angle limitation in the literature, a physical limitation exists in real applications. To improve upon the previous method, a new optimum distribution method for yaw moment is proposed that takes this limitation into account. This method derives an optimum longitudinal/lateral force using the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) optimality condition, and a simulation is performed to validate the proposed method. The simulation results indicate that the limitation on the AFS angle increases longitudinal braking force and, therefore, reduces the vehicle speed and the side-slip angle.     

Robust control for 4WS vehicles considering a varying tire-road friction coefficient

A µ-synthesis for four-wheel steering (4WS) problems is proposed. Applying this method, model uncertainties can be taken into consideration, and a µ-synthesis robust controller is designed with optimized weighting functions to attenuate the external disturbances. In addition, an optimal controller is designed using the well-known optimal control theory. Two different versions of control laws are considered here. In evaluations of vehicle performance with the robust controller, the proposed controller performs adequately with different maneuvers (i.e., J-turn and Fishhook) and on different road conditions (i.e., icy, wet, and dry). The numerical simulation shows that the designed µ-synthesis robust controller can improve the performance of a closed-loop 4WS vehicle, and this controller has good maneuverability, sufficiently robust stability, and good performance robustness against serious disturbances.     

Effects of FTP-75 mode vehicle fuel economy improvement due to types of power steering system

This paper focuses on fuel economy improvement according to the type of power steering system. Usually, a conventional power steering system is directly driven by the crankshaft of the engine with a belt, known as HPS (hydraulic power steering). However, there is some inefficiency with this system at high engine speeds. To improve this inefficiency, automobile makers have developed two power steering systems: EHPS (electro-hydraulic power steering) and MDPS (motor-driven power steering) or EPS (electric powered steering). However, there has been insufficient study of effects of the type of power steering system on fuel economy. In this paper, the effect of the type of power steering system on fuel economy is studied experimentally, and calculations of the effect on vehicle fuel economy are presenting using computer simulation with AVL cruise software. The results demonstrate that a 1% vehicle fuel economy improvement can be achieved in a vehicle with an electro-hydraulic power steering system compared to a vehicle with a hydraulic power steering system. In addition, a 1.7% vehicle fuel economy improvement can be achieved using a full electric power steering system in a FTP-75 driving cycle. These results could be used to choose a power steering system.     

Predictive control of a vehicle trajectory using a coupled vector with vehicle velocity and sideslip angle

In this paper, a predictive algorithm for vehicle trajectory control using the vehicle velocity and sideslip angle is proposed. Since the driving state of a vehicle generates nonholonomic constraint equations, it is difficult to control the trajectory with a conventional control algorithm. Furthermore, control vectors such as vehicle velocity and sideslip angle are coupled together; hence, a separate control for each variable is not suitable. In this study, a coupled control vector that combines the velocity and sideslip angle is proposed for the predictive control of vehicle trajectory. Since the coupled control vector is derived from the status of the vehicle’s motion, it is easy to generate a feedback control vector for the predictive controller. The coupled vector cannot be directly used as input to the vehicle systems; therefore, the vehicle input vector should be calculated from the control vector using a nonlinear function. Since nonlinear functions are not inserted in the control loop, they are calculated by the controller. Therefore, this method does not require a linearization process in the control logic, which enhances the stability and accuracy of the predictive controller.     

High speed tensile test of steel sheets for the stress-strain curve at the intermediate strain rate

This paper presents stress-strain curves of steel sheets for an auto-body obtained at intermediate strain rates with a servo-hydraulic type high speed tensile testing machine. The apparatus has the maximum stroke velocity of 7.8 m/sec to obtain the tensile material properties at a strain rate of up to 500/sec. A special jig fixture is specially designed for accurate acquisition of tensile loads with reduction of the load-ringing phenomenon induced by unstable stress wave propagation at high strain rates. Tensile testing of steel sheets for an auto-body was carried out to obtain stress-strain curves of mild steel and advanced high strength steels at strain rates ranged from 1/sec to 200/sec. The test results provide interesting information regarding the stress-strain curves at intermediate strain rates ranged from 1/sec to 200/sec and demonstrate that strain rate hardening is strongly coupled with strain hardening.