Weight threshold estimation of falling UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) based on impact energy

Different weight thresholds for drone operations have been specified by regulatory agencies in different countries, without detailed backgrounds of guidelines. Therefore, this paper aims to study weight thresholds by focusing different levels of injuries caused by the impact of the drones on human head of different weights dropped at various heights. The work covers drone free drop modelling, FEM (finite element method) based impact modeling, and comparable drop impact experiments. The analyses and experiments were conducted accordingly to two individual commercially-available groups: small and large drones in weights. Two well-established indicators defining head injuries due to impact, which are known as Head Injury Criterion (HIC) and Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS), are used in the present weight threshold study. The proposed AIS level for the weight threshold estimation has been set at AIS level 3, which indicates major skull fracture, in the further analysis through the probability of fatality. The main focus of the present work is to perform a parametric study and to present a reliable model to estimate the weight thresholds of the drone operations based on HIC and AIS. In conclusion, the results obtained and presented in this paper have demonstrated and provided a comprehensive analysis of possible direct injuries of a falling drone impacting a human head, with relevant data of impact or injury levels associated with HIC and AIS obtained for a drone with different weights falling from various heights.     

Daily activity pattern recognition by using support vector machines with multiple classes

The focus of this paper is to learn the daily activity engagement patterns of travelers using Support Vector Machines (SVMs), a modeling approach that is widely used in Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning. It is postulated that an individual’s choice of activities depends not only on socio-demographic characteristics but also on previous activities of individual on the same day. In the paper, Markov Chain models are used to study the sequential choice of activities. The dependencies among activity type, activity sequence and socio-demographic data are captured by employing hidden Markov models. In order to learn model parameters, we use sequential multinomial logit models (MNL) and multiclass Support Vector Machines (K-SVM) with two different dependency structures. In the first dependency structure, it is assumed that type of activity at time ‘t’ depends on the last previous activity and socio-demographic data, whereas in the second structure we assume that activity selection at time ‘t’ depends on all of the individual’s previous activity types on the same day and socio-demographic characteristics. The models are applied to data drawn from a set of California households and a comparison of the accuracy of estimation of activity types and their sequence in the agenda, indicates the superiority of K-SVM models over MNL. Additionally, we show that accuracy in estimating activity patterns increases using different sets of explanatory variables or tuning parameters of the kernel function in K-SVM.     

Virtual durability test rigs for automotive engineering

In recent years so-called ‘virtual test rigs’ have become more and more important in the development process of cars and trucks. Originally, the idea was to substitute expensive durability tests with computer simulation. Meanwhile, the focus has changed towards a more cooperative usage of numerical and laboratory rig simulation. For many safety critical issues laboratory tests remain indispensable. In early development stages, when no physical prototypes are available yet, numerical simulation is used to analyse and optimise the design. In this paper, we show how to build numerical simulation models of complex servo-hydraulic test systems and their test specimen using multi-body simulation for the mechanics in combination with simulation models for the hydraulics and controls. We illustrate this at two industrial application examples: a spindle-coupled passenger car suspension rig and a tyre-coupled full vehicle rig. We show how the simulation models are used to design and optimise better test rigs and to support the test rig operation by preparing the physical tests with new specimen, i.e. by performing numerical simulations including numerical drive file iteration before the physical tests start.     

基于分形插值方法的城市轨道交通车站客流拟合与仿真

城市轨道交通车站客流量的变化具有复杂的非线性特点,通过对某些车站一天的客流量时间序列的分析,发现其客流量的变化具有自相似性,并且满足某种拟周期性。本文采用迭代函数系统模型描述城市轨道交通车站客流量的变化特征,用计算机自动求解该迭代函数系统的相关参数,在此基础上采用分形插值的方法模拟产生动态的客流。通过与实际客流调查数据的对比分析可以看出,该方法模拟产生的客流不仅与实际客流较好地吻合,而且能更好地描述客流的非线性特征。     

An assessment of the performance of the European long intermodal freight trains (LIFTS)

Intermodal rail/road freight transport has always been considered as a competitive alternative to its road freight counterpart in the European medium- to long-distance corridors (markets). Such consideration has been based on the increasing competitiveness of some innovative rail services and the existing and prospective performance of both modes in terms of the full social – internal or operational and external – costs. The most recent innovation of rail technologies and related services launched by some European railway companies, still at the conceptual level, is the Long Intermodal Freight Train (LIFT). This is supposed to be a block train operating in long-distance corridors (markets) with a substantial and regular freight demand.This paper develops analytical models for assessing the performance of the LIFTs, the already-operating Conventional Intermodal Freight Trains (CIFTs), and their road counterpart as well. The performance consists of the full – internal (private) and external – costs of the door-to-door delivery of loading units – containers, swap-bodies, and semi-trailers. The internal costs embrace the operational costs of the transport (rail and road) and intermodal terminal operators. The external costs include the costs of the impacts of door-to-door delivery of loading units on society and the environment. These negative externalities include noise, air pollution, traffic accidents, and congestion.The models are applied to a simplified version of intermodal and road transport system using inputs from the European freight transport sector. The aims are to compare the full costs of particular modalities in order to investigate the potential of the LIFTs as compared with the CIFTs in improving the internal efficiency of the rail freight sector and its competitiveness with respect to its road counterpart. In addition, the paper attempts to assess some effects on the potential modal shift of EU (European Union) transport policies on internalizing transport externalities.     

铁路用地系统设计研究

依据国家和行业相关设计规范、标准对铁路工程建设用地的要求,总结分析近年来铁路建设项目在勘察设计、施工及运营期间有关铁路用地系统设计问题,对铁路用地分类、用地设计原则、数量计算原则、不同阶段计算精度与方法、用地指标分析、用地系统设计典型工点类型划分及设计注意事项等6个方面进行全面归纳总结,提出提高铁路用地系统设计质量的改进措施及建议,为后续建设项目提供借鉴,避免在用地设计系统方面出现类似问题。     

Monitoring marine plankton ecosystems: Identification of the most relevant indicators of the state of an ecosystem

The number of variables involved in the monitoring of an ecosystem can be high and often one of the first stages in the analysis is to reduce the number of variables. We describe a method developed for geological purposes, using the information theory, that enables selection of the most relevant variables. This technique also allows the examination of the asymmetrical relationships between variables. Applied to a set of physical and biological variables (plankton assemblages in four areas of the North Sea), the method shows that biological variables are more informative than physical variables although the controlling factors are mainly physical (sea surface temperature in winter and spring). Among biological variables, diversity measures and warm-water species assemblages are informative for the state of the North Sea pelagic ecosystems while among physical variables sea surface temperature in late winter and early spring are highly informative. Although often used in bioclimatology, the utilisation of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index does not seem to provide a lot of information. The method reveals that only the extreme states of this index has an influence on North Sea pelagic ecosystems. The substantial and persistent changes that were detected in the dynamic regime of the North Sea ecosystems and called regime shift are detected by the method and corresponds to the timing of other shifts described in the literature for some European Systems such as the Baltic and the Mediterranean Sea when both physical and biological variables are considered.     

地理信息系统中数据库间数据交换技术的研究

鉴于地理信息系统中数据交换信息量巨大,提出利用数据交换通信平台(DECP)作为中间层,来实现异构数据库之间的数据传输和交换。DECP由数据访问层、业务逻辑层、安全代理、数据传送代理、客户代理、消息层、事务管理器七个部分组成。DECP所采用的关键技术是基于代理的安全技术、系统调度、异构数据库的访问和事务的调度和管理。     

一种面向海事分支机构的船舶安全管理信息系统的设计

针对直属海事局分支机构船舶安全管理业务的需求，提出一种船舶安全管理信息系统的设计思路。该系统将电子海图平台、船舶交通动态数据和船舶安全管理信息集成，以实现船舶安全管理数字化、信息化、网络化。从系统技术实现角度，对信息管理系统作出详细的设计与分析。     

DMIS系统的可靠性和安全性设计

介绍了DMIS(运输调度指挥管理信息)系统在可靠性和安全性方面的设计与实现。