Speeding response -- saving lives : automatic vehicle location capabilities for emergency vehicles

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-01-01

This brochure focuses on the application of automatic vehicle location systems to emergency services. It discusses how AVL works with emergency vehicles. how it accommodates a wide range of emergency situations, and the benefits of its use.

Channel Measurements for Automatic Vehicle Monitoring Systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1974-03-01

Co-channel and adjacent channel electromagnetic interference measurements were conducted on the Sierra Research Corp. and the Chicago Transit Authority automatic vehicle monitoring systems. These measurements were made to determine if the automatic v...

Speeding response, saving lives : automatic vehicle location capabilities for emergency services.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-01-01

Information from automatic vehicle location systems, when combined with computeraided dispatch software, can provide a rich source of data for analyzing emergency vehicle operations and evaluating agency performance.

Introduction To ITS/CVO Participant Manual, Course 1

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-08-01

WEIGH-IN-MOTION OR WIM, COMMERCIAL VEHICLE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND NETWORK OR CVISN, AUTOMATIC VEHICLE INDENTIFICATION OR AVI, AUTOMATIC VEHICLE LOCATION OR AVL, ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE OR EDI, GLOCAL POSITIONING SYSTEM OR GPS, INTERNET OR WORD W...

The Crescent Project : an evaluation of an element of the HELP Program : executive summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-02-01

The HELP/Crescent Project on the West Coast evaluated the applicability of four technologies for screening transponder-equipped vehicles. The technologies included automatic vehicle identification, weigh-in-motion, automatic vehicle classification, a...

Denver RTD's computer aided dispatch/automatic vehicle location system : the human factors consequences

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-09-01

This report documents what happened to employees' work procedures when their employer when their employer installed Computer Aided Disptach/Automatic Vehicle Locator (CAD/AVL) technology to provide real-time surveillance of vehicles and to upgrade ra...

Speeding response, saving lives : automatic vehicle location capabilities for emergency services

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-01-01

This brochure focuses on the application of automatic vehicle location systems to emergency services. It discusses how AVL works with emergency vehicles and how it accommodates a wide range of emergency situations, and the benefits of ITS use. (3 p.)

Automatic rapid attachable warhead section

DOEpatents

Trennel, A.J.

1994-05-10

Disclosed are a method and apparatus for automatically selecting warheads or reentry vehicles from a storage area containing a plurality of types of warheads or reentry vehicles, automatically selecting weapon carriers from a storage area containing at least one type of weapon carrier, manipulating and aligning the selected warheads or reentry vehicles and weapon carriers, and automatically coupling the warheads or reentry vehicles with the weapon carriers such that coupling of improperly selected warheads or reentry vehicles with weapon carriers is inhibited. Such inhibition enhances safety of operations and is achieved by a number of means including computer control of the process of selection and coupling and use of connectorless interfaces capable of assuring that improperly selected items will be rejected or rendered inoperable prior to coupling. Also disclosed are a method and apparatus wherein the stated principles pertaining to selection, coupling and inhibition are extended to apply to any item-to-be-carried and any carrying assembly. 10 figures.

Automatic rapid attachable warhead section

DOEpatents

Trennel, Anthony J.

1994-05-10

Disclosed are a method and apparatus for (1) automatically selecting warheads or reentry vehicles from a storage area containing a plurality of types of warheads or reentry vehicles, (2) automatically selecting weapon carriers from a storage area containing at least one type of weapon carrier, (3) manipulating and aligning the selected warheads or reentry vehicles and weapon carriers, and (4) automatically coupling the warheads or reentry vehicles with the weapon carriers such that coupling of improperly selected warheads or reentry vehicles with weapon carriers is inhibited. Such inhibition enhances safety of operations and is achieved by a number of means including computer control of the process of selection and coupling and use of connectorless interfaces capable of assuring that improperly selected items will be rejected or rendered inoperable prior to coupling. Also disclosed are a method and apparatus wherein the stated principles pertaining to selection, coupling and inhibition are extended to apply to any item-to-be-carried and any carrying assembly.

An automatically-shifted two-speed transaxle system for an electric vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gordon, H. S.; Hassman, G. V.

1980-01-01

An automatic shifting scheme for a two speed transaxle for use with an electric vehicle propulsion system is described. The transaxle system was to be installed in an instrumented laboratory propulsion system of an ac electric vehicle drive train. The transaxle which had been fabricated is also described.

Automated vehicle counting using image processing and machine learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meany, Sean; Eskew, Edward; Martinez-Castro, Rosana; Jang, Shinae

2017-04-01

Vehicle counting is used by the government to improve roadways and the flow of traffic, and by private businesses for purposes such as determining the value of locating a new store in an area. A vehicle count can be performed manually or automatically. Manual counting requires an individual to be on-site and tally the traffic electronically or by hand. However, this can lead to miscounts due to factors such as human error A common form of automatic counting involves pneumatic tubes, but pneumatic tubes disrupt traffic during installation and removal, and can be damaged by passing vehicles. Vehicle counting can also be performed via the use of a camera at the count site recording video of the traffic, with counting being performed manually post-recording or using automatic algorithms. This paper presents a low-cost procedure to perform automatic vehicle counting using remote video cameras with an automatic counting algorithm. The procedure would utilize a Raspberry Pi micro-computer to detect when a car is in a lane, and generate an accurate count of vehicle movements. The method utilized in this paper would use background subtraction to process the images and a machine learning algorithm to provide the count. This method avoids fatigue issues that are encountered in manual video counting and prevents the disruption of roadways that occurs when installing pneumatic tubes

Aviation Careers Series: Airline Non-Flying Careers

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-01-01

TRAVLINK demonstrated the use of Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL), ComputerAided dispatch (CAD), and Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) systems on Metropolitan Council Transit Operations (MCTO) buses in Minneapolis, Minnesota and western suburbs,...

A Ground-Based Near Infrared Camera Array System for UAV Auto-Landing in GPS-Denied Environment.

PubMed

Yang, Tao; Li, Guangpo; Li, Jing; Zhang, Yanning; Zhang, Xiaoqiang; Zhang, Zhuoyue; Li, Zhi

2016-08-30

This paper proposes a novel infrared camera array guidance system with capability to track and provide real time position and speed of a fixed-wing Unmanned air vehicle (UAV) during a landing process. The system mainly include three novel parts: (1) Infrared camera array and near infrared laser lamp based cooperative long range optical imaging module; (2) Large scale outdoor camera array calibration module; and (3) Laser marker detection and 3D tracking module. Extensive automatic landing experiments with fixed-wing flight demonstrate that our infrared camera array system has the unique ability to guide the UAV landing safely and accurately in real time. Moreover, the measurement and control distance of our system is more than 1000 m. The experimental results also demonstrate that our system can be used for UAV automatic accurate landing in Global Position System (GPS)-denied environments.

Analysis and Comparison of Some Automatic Vehicle Monitoring Systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1973-07-01

In 1970 UMTA solicited proposals and selected four companies to develop systems to demonstrate the feasibility of different automatic vehicle monitoring techniques. The demonstrations culminated in experiments in Philadelphia to assess the performanc...

Crescent Evaluation : appendix D : crescent computer system components evaluation report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-02-01

In 1990, Lockheed Integrated Systems Company (LISC) was awarded a contract, under the Crescent Demonstration Project, to demonstrate the integration of Weigh In Motion (WIM), Automatic Vehicle Classification (AVC) and Automatic Vehicle Identification...

Subsea Cable Tracking by Autonomous Underwater Vehicle with Magnetic Sensing Guidance.

PubMed

Xiang, Xianbo; Yu, Caoyang; Niu, Zemin; Zhang, Qin

2016-08-20

The changes of the seabed environment caused by a natural disaster or human activities dramatically affect the life span of the subsea buried cable. It is essential to track the cable route in order to inspect the condition of the buried cable and protect its surviving seabed environment. The magnetic sensor is instrumental in guiding the remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) to track and inspect the buried cable underseas. In this paper, a novel framework integrating the underwater cable localization method with the magnetic guidance and control algorithm is proposed, in order to enable the automatic cable tracking by a three-degrees-of-freedom (3-DOF) under-actuated autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) without human beings in the loop. The work relies on the passive magnetic sensing method to localize the subsea cable by using two tri-axial magnetometers, and a new analytic formulation is presented to compute the heading deviation, horizontal offset and buried depth of the cable. With the magnetic localization, the cable tracking and inspection mission is elaborately constructed as a straight-line path following control problem in the horizontal plane. A dedicated magnetic line-of-sight (LOS) guidance is built based on the relative geometric relationship between the vehicle and the cable, and the feedback linearizing technique is adopted to design a simplified cable tracking controller considering the side-slip effects, such that the under-actuated vehicle is able to move towards the subsea cable and then inspect its buried environment, which further guides the environmental protection of the cable by setting prohibited fishing/anchoring zones and increasing the buried depth. Finally, numerical simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed magnetic guidance and control algorithm on the envisioned subsea cable tracking and the potential protection of the seabed environment along the cable route.

Subsea Cable Tracking by Autonomous Underwater Vehicle with Magnetic Sensing Guidance

PubMed Central

Xiang, Xianbo; Yu, Caoyang; Niu, Zemin; Zhang, Qin

2016-01-01

The changes of the seabed environment caused by a natural disaster or human activities dramatically affect the life span of the subsea buried cable. It is essential to track the cable route in order to inspect the condition of the buried cable and protect its surviving seabed environment. The magnetic sensor is instrumental in guiding the remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) to track and inspect the buried cable underseas. In this paper, a novel framework integrating the underwater cable localization method with the magnetic guidance and control algorithm is proposed, in order to enable the automatic cable tracking by a three-degrees-of-freedom (3-DOF) under-actuated autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) without human beings in the loop. The work relies on the passive magnetic sensing method to localize the subsea cable by using two tri-axial magnetometers, and a new analytic formulation is presented to compute the heading deviation, horizontal offset and buried depth of the cable. With the magnetic localization, the cable tracking and inspection mission is elaborately constructed as a straight-line path following control problem in the horizontal plane. A dedicated magnetic line-of-sight (LOS) guidance is built based on the relative geometric relationship between the vehicle and the cable, and the feedback linearizing technique is adopted to design a simplified cable tracking controller considering the side-slip effects, such that the under-actuated vehicle is able to move towards the subsea cable and then inspect its buried environment, which further guides the environmental protection of the cable by setting prohibited fishing/anchoring zones and increasing the buried depth. Finally, numerical simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed magnetic guidance and control algorithm on the envisioned subsea cable tracking and the potential protection of the seabed environment along the cable route. PMID:27556465

Assessment of the Denver Regional Transportation District's automatic vehicle location system

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-08-01

The purpose of this evaluation was to determine how well the Denver Regional Transportation District's (RTD) automatic vehicle location (AVL) system achieved its major objectives of improving scheduling efficiency, improving the ability of dispatcher...

Estimating spatial travel times using automatic vehicle identification data

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-01-01

Prepared ca. 2001. The paper describes an algorithm that was developed for estimating reliable and accurate average roadway link travel times using Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) data. The algorithm presented is unique in two aspects. First, ...

Roadway weather information system and automatic vehicle location (AVL) coordination.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-02-28

Roadway Weather Information System and Automatic Vehicle Location Coordination involves the : development of an Inclement Weather Console that provides a new capability for the state of Oklahoma : to monitor weather-related roadway conditions. The go...

Evaluation of the Monitor-CTA Automatic Vehicle Monitoring System

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1974-03-01

In June 1972 the Urban Mass Transportation Administration requested that the Transportation System Center of DOT perform an evaluation of the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) Monitor-Automatic Vehicle Monitor (AVM) system. TSC planned the overall eval...

The use of visual cues for vehicle control and navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hart, Sandra G.; Battiste, Vernol

1991-01-01

At least three levels of control are required to operate most vehicles: (1) inner-loop control to counteract the momentary effects of disturbances on vehicle position; (2) intermittent maneuvers to avoid obstacles, and (3) outer-loop control to maintain a planned route. Operators monitor dynamic optical relationships in their immediate surroundings to estimate momentary changes in forward, lateral, and vertical position, rates of change in speed and direction of motion, and distance from obstacles. The process of searching the external scene to find landmarks (for navigation) is intermittent and deliberate, while monitoring and responding to subtle changes in the visual scene (for vehicle control) is relatively continuous and 'automatic'. However, since operators may perform both tasks simultaneously, the dynamic optical cues available for a vehicle control task may be determined by the operator's direction of gaze for wayfinding. An attempt to relate the visual processes involved in vehicle control and wayfinding is presented. The frames of reference and information used by different operators (e.g., automobile drivers, airline pilots, and helicopter pilots) are reviewed with particular emphasis on the special problems encountered by helicopter pilots flying nap of the earth (NOE). The goal of this overview is to describe the context within which different vehicle control tasks are performed and to suggest ways in which the use of visual cues for geographical orientation might influence visually guided control activities.

Acoustic guide for noise-transmission testing of aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vaicaitis, Rimas (Inventor)

1987-01-01

Selective testing of aircraft or other vehicular components without requiring disassembly of the vehicle or components was accomplished by using a portable guide apparatus. The device consists of a broadband noise source, a guide to direct the acoustic energy, soft sealing insulation to seal the guide to the noise source and to the vehicle component, and noise measurement microphones, both outside the vehicle at the acoustic guide output and inside the vehicle to receive attenuated sound. By directing acoustic energy only to selected components of a vehicle via the acoustic guide, it is possible to test a specific component, such as a door or window, without picking up extraneous noise which may be transmitted to the vehicle interior through other components or structure. This effect is achieved because no acoustic energy strikes the vehicle exterior except at the selected component. Also, since the test component remains attached to the vehicle, component dynamics with vehicle frame are not altered.

Vision systems for manned and robotic ground vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanders-Reed, John N.; Koon, Phillip L.

2010-04-01

A Distributed Aperture Vision System for ground vehicles is described. An overview of the hardware including sensor pod, processor, video compression, and displays is provided. This includes a discussion of the choice between an integrated sensor pod and individually mounted sensors, open architecture design, and latency issues as well as flat panel versus head mounted displays. This technology is applied to various ground vehicle scenarios, including closed-hatch operations (operator in the vehicle), remote operator tele-operation, and supervised autonomy for multi-vehicle unmanned convoys. In addition, remote vision for automatic perimeter surveillance using autonomous vehicles and automatic detection algorithms is demonstrated.

Evaluation of Automatic Vehicle Location accuracy

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-01-01

This study assesses the accuracy of the Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) data provided for the buses of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. In a sample of eighty-nine bus trips two kinds of accuracy...

Roadway system assessment using bluetooth-based automatic vehicle identification travel time data.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-12-01

This monograph is an exposition of several practice-ready methodologies for automatic vehicle identification (AVI) data collection : systems. This includes considerations in the physical setup of the collection system as well as the interpretation of...

Socioeconomic Impact Assessment of the Los Angeles Automatic Vehicle Monitoring (AVM) Demonstration

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1982-09-01

This report presents a socioeconomic impact assessment of the Automatic Vehicle Monitoring (AVM) Demonstration in Los Angeles. An AVM system uses location, communication, and data processing subsystems to monitor the locations of appropriately equipp...

Understanding ITS/CVO Technology Applications, Student Manual, Course 3

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-01-01

WEIGHT-IN-MOTION OR WIM, COMMERCIAL VEHICLE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND NETWORK OR CVISN, AUTOMATIC VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION OR AVI, AUTOMATIC LOCATION OR AVL, ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE OR EDI, GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM OR GPS, INTERNET OR WORLD WIDE WEB...

Loran Automatic Vehicle Monitoring System, Phase I : Volume 2. Appendices.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1977-08-01

Presents results of the evaluation phase of a two phase program to develop an Automatic Vehicle Monitoring (AVM) system for the Southern California Rapid Transit District in Los Angeles, California. Tests were previously conducted on a Loran based lo...

Experiments on Four Different Techniques for Automatically Locating Land Vehicles - A Summary of Results

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1977-06-01

In 1975, to further the development and to refine and dmonstrate multiuser Automatic Vehicle Monitoring (AVM) application, the Urban Mass Transportation Administration and the Transportation Systems Center (TSC) initiated a two-phase program. Phase I...

Remotely piloted vehicles. Citations from the International Aerospace abstracts data base

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mauk, S. C.

1980-01-01

These citations from the international literature cover various aspects of remotely piloted vehicles. Included are articles concerning aircraft design, flight tests, aircraft control, cost effectiveness, automatic flight control, automatic pilots, and data links. Civil aviation applications are included, although military uses of remotely piloted vehicles are stressed. This updated bibliography contains 224 citations, 43 of which are new additions to the previous edition.

Report on Phase 1 Tests of Fairchild Automatic Vehicle Monitoring (AVM) System

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1977-08-01

During the winter of 1976-77 four different techniques for automatically locating land vehicles were tested in both the low and high-rise regions in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The tests were carried out by four different companies under separate con...

Loran Automatic Vehicle Monitoring System, Phase I : Volume 1. Test Results.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1977-08-01

Presents results of the evaluation phase of a two phase program to develop an Automatic Vehicle Monitoring (AVM) system for the Southern California Rapid Transit District in Los Angeles, California. Tests were previously conducted on a Loran based lo...

Modern Control Aspects of Automatically Steered Vehicles

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1971-12-01

In the study of automatically steered rubber tired vehicles, little emphasis in the past has been placed on the steering control laws. The report examines the control law problem from the state variable point of view and it is shown that, except for ...

Multibody simulation of vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olivier, B.; Kouroussis, G.

2016-09-01

Nowadays automotive vehicles remain as one of the most used modes of transportation. Furthermore automatic transmissions are increasingly used to provide a better driving comfort and a potential optimization of the engine performances (by placing the gear shifts at specific engine and vehicle speeds). This paper presents an effective modeling of the vehicle using the multibody methodology (numerically computed under EasyDyn, an open source and in-house library dedicated to multibody simulations). However, the transmission part of the vehicle is described by the usual equations of motion computed using a systematic matrix approach: del Castillo's methodology for planetary gear trains. By coupling the analytic equations of the transmission and the equations computed by the multibody methodology, the performances of any vehicle can be obtained if the characteristics of each element in the vehicle are known. The multibody methodology offers the possibilities to develop the vehicle modeling from 1D-motion to 3D-motion by taking into account the rotations and implementing tire models. The modeling presented in this paper remains very efficient and provides an easy and quick vehicle simulation tool which could be used in order to calibrate the automatic transmission.

A discrete optimization approach for locating automatic vehicle identification readers for the provision of roadway travel times

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-11-01

This paper develops an algorithm for optimally locating surveillance technologies with an emphasis on Automatic Vehicle Identification tag readers by maximizing the benefit that would accrue from measuring travel times on a transportation network. Th...

Automatic vehicle counting using background subtraction method on gray scale images and morphology operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adi, K.; Widodo, A. P.; Widodo, C. E.; Pamungkas, A.; Putranto, A. B.

2018-05-01

Traffic monitoring on road needs to be done, the counting of the number of vehicles passing the road is necessary. It is more emphasized for highway transportation management in order to prevent efforts. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a system that is able to counting the number of vehicles automatically. Video processing method is able to counting the number of vehicles automatically. This research has development a system of vehicle counting on toll road. This system includes processes of video acquisition, frame extraction, and image processing for each frame. Video acquisition is conducted in the morning, at noon, in the afternoon, and in the evening. This system employs of background subtraction and morphology methods on gray scale images for vehicle counting. The best vehicle counting results were obtained in the morning with a counting accuracy of 86.36 %, whereas the lowest accuracy was in the evening, at 21.43 %. Differences in morning and evening results are caused by different illumination in the morning and evening. This will cause the values in the image pixels to be different.

Green Vehicle Guide

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

On the Green Vehicle Guide you can search for green vehicles and see information on light duty vehicles, including emerging vehicle technology and alternative fuels. The site also addresses transportation's role in climate change.

Lessons learned from a pilot project of an automatic vehicle location system in an urban winter maintenance operations setting.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-01-01

This report documents the lessons learned during the evolution of the Virginia Department of Transportation's pilot project to use an automatic vehicle location (AVL) system during winter maintenance operations in an urban setting. AVL is a technolog...

Sovereignty and Collaboration: Affordable Strategies in Times of Austerity

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-01

provide precision-guided bombs and a land-support SOVEREIGNTY—ANALYSIS 26 vehicle were delivered for more than 20 percent below the expenditure ini...weapon Precision-guided bomb Support vehicle Panther command & control vehicle Successor Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Joint combat aircraft...GLMRS) Multi-role armoured vehicle (MRAV) Next-generation light anti-armoured weapon Precision-guided bomb Support vehicle Panther command & control

Automatic circuit interrupter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dwinell, W. S.

1979-01-01

In technique, voice circuits connecting crew's cabin to launch station through umbilical connector disconnect automatically unused, or deadened portion of circuits immediately after vehicle is launched, eliminating possibility that unused wiring interferes with voice communications inside vehicle or need for manual cutoff switch and its associated wiring. Technique is applied to other types of electrical actuation circuits, also launch of mapped vehicles, such as balloons, submarines, test sleds, and test chambers-all requiring assistance of ground crew.

Automatic Control of Personal Rapid Transit Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, P. D.

1972-01-01

The requirements for automatic longitudinal control of a string of closely packed personal vehicles are outlined. Optimal control theory is used to design feedback controllers for strings of vehicles. An important modification of the usual optimal control scheme is the inclusion of jerk in the cost functional. While the inclusion of the jerk term was considered, the effect of its inclusion was not sufficiently studied. Adding the jerk term will increase passenger comfort.

Design and validation of a slender guideway for Maglev vehicle by simulation and experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Jong-Boo; Han, Hyung-Suk; Kim, Sung-Soo; Yang, Seok-Jo; Kim, Ki-Jung

2016-03-01

Normally, Maglev (magnetic levitation) vehicles run on elevated guideways. The elevated guideway must satisfy various load conditions of the vehicle, and has to be designed to ensure ride quality, while ensuring that the levitation stability of the vehicle is not affected by the deflection of the guideway. However, because the elevated guideways of Maglev vehicles in South Korea and other countries fabricated so far have been based on over-conservative design criteria, the size of the structures has increased. Further, from the cost perspective, they are unfavourable when compared with other light rail transits such as monorail, rubber wheel, and steel wheel automatic guided transit. Therefore, a slender guideway that does have an adverse effect on the levitation stability of the vehicle is required through optimisation of design criteria. In this study, to predict the effect of various design parameters of the guideway on the dynamic behaviour of the vehicle, simulations were carried out using a dynamics model similar to the actual vehicle and guideway, and a limiting value of deflection ratio of the slender guideway to ensure levitation control is proposed. A guideway that meets the requirement as per the proposed limit for deflection ratio was designed and fabricated, and through a driving test of the vehicle, the validity of the slender guideway was verified. From the results, it was confirmed that although some increase in airgap and cabin acceleration was observed with the proposed slender guideway when compared with the conventional guideway, there was no notable adverse effect on the levitation stability and ride quality of the vehicle. Therefore, it can be inferred that the results of this study will become the basis for establishing design criteria for slender guideways of Maglev vehicles in future.

Model Year 2014 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2013-12-01

The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles. The vehicles listed have been dividedmore » into three classes of cars, three classes of light duty trucks, and three classes of special purpose vehicles.« less

Model Year 2015 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2014-12-01

The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles. The vehicles listed have been dividedmore » into three classes of cars, three classes of light duty trucks, and three classes of special purpose vehicles.« less

Model Year 2016 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles. The vehicles listed have been dividedmore » into three classes of cars, three classes of light duty trucks, and three classes of special purpose vehicles.« less

Automatic vehicle monitoring systems study. Report of phase O. Volume 1: Executive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

A set of planning guidelines is presented to help law enforcement agencies and vehicle fleet operators decide which automatic vehicle monitoring (AVM) system could best meet their performance requirements. Improvements in emergency response times and resultant cost benefits obtainable with various operational and planned AVM systems may be synthesized and simulated by means of special computer programs for model city parameters applicable to small, medium, and large urban areas. Design characteristics of various AVM systems and the implementation requirements are illustrated and cost estimated for the vehicles, the fixed sites, and the base equipments. Vehicle location accuracies for different RF links and polling intervals are analyzed.

Power-based Shift Schedule for Pure Electric Vehicle with a Two-speed Automatic Transmission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jiaqi; Liu, Yanfang; Liu, Qiang; Xu, Xiangyang

2016-11-01

This paper introduces a comprehensive shift schedule for a two-speed automatic transmission of pure electric vehicle. Considering about driving ability and efficiency performance of electric vehicles, the power-based shift schedule is proposed with three principles. This comprehensive shift schedule regards the vehicle current speed and motor load power as input parameters to satisfy the vehicle driving power demand with lowest energy consumption. A simulation model has been established to verify the dynamic and economic performance of comprehensive shift schedule. Compared with traditional dynamic and economic shift schedules, simulation results indicate that the power-based shift schedule is superior to traditional shift schedules.

Closed circuit TV system automatically guides welding arc

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stephans, D. L.; Wall, W. A., Jr.

1968-01-01

Closed circuit television /CCTV/ system automatically guides a welding torch to position the welding arc accurately along weld seams. Digital counting and logic techniques incorporated in the control circuitry, ensure performance reliability.

Unit Reference Sheet (URS) Cost Methodology.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-01

LAUNCHER MONORAIL GUIDED MISSILE: W/E (NIKE-HERCULES) L45740 LAUNCHER TUBULAR GUIDED MISSILE: (TOW) L45757 LAUNCHER ZERO LENGTH GUIDED MISSILE: (IMP-HAWK...L76762 LOADER TRANSPORTER GUIDED MISSILE: W/E (HAWK) M57503 MOBILE TARGET TRACKING SYSTEM: USED TO SUPPORT MQM 34 ( FIRE BEE) M57549 MOBILITY KIT GUIDED...HIGH RATE THREE BARREL W/E J96479 GUN AUTOMATIC 20 MILLIMETER: GAS OPERATED MANUAL OR ELECT FIRED J96481 GUN AUTOMATIC 20 MILLIMETER: ELECTRIC J96694 GUN

Automatic Mechetronic Wheel Light Device

DOEpatents

Khan, Mohammed John Fitzgerald

2004-09-14

A wheel lighting device for illuminating a wheel of a vehicle to increase safety and enhance aesthetics. The device produces the appearance of a "ring of light" on a vehicle's wheels as the vehicle moves. The "ring of light" can automatically change in color and/or brightness according to a vehicle's speed, acceleration, jerk, selection of transmission gears, and/or engine speed. The device provides auxiliary indicator lights by producing light in conjunction with a vehicle's turn signals, hazard lights, alarm systems, and etc. The device comprises a combination of mechanical and electronic components and can be placed on the outer or inner surface of a wheel or made integral to a wheel or wheel cover. The device can be configured for all vehicle types, and is electrically powered by a vehicle's electrical system and/or battery.

System and method for charging a plug-in electric vehicle

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bassham, Marjorie A.; Spigno, Jr., Ciro A.; Muller, Brett T.

2017-05-02

A charging system and method that may be used to automatically apply customized charging settings to a plug-in electric vehicle, where application of the settings is based on the vehicle's location. According to an exemplary embodiment, a user may establish and save a separate charging profile with certain customized charging settings for each geographic location where they plan to charge their plug-in electric vehicle. Whenever the plug-in electric vehicle enters a new geographic area, the charging method may automatically apply the charging profile that corresponds to that area. Thus, the user does not have to manually change or manipulate themore » charging settings every time they charge the plug-in electric vehicle in a new location.« less

Automatic exposure control for space sequential camera

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcatee, G. E., Jr.; Stoap, L. J.; Solheim, C. D.; Sharpsteen, J. T.

1975-01-01

The final report for the automatic exposure control study for space sequential cameras, for the NASA Johnson Space Center is presented. The material is shown in the same sequence that the work was performed. The purpose of the automatic exposure control is to automatically control the lens iris as well as the camera shutter so that the subject is properly exposed on the film. A study of design approaches is presented. Analysis of the light range of the spectrum covered indicates that the practical range would be from approximately 20 to 6,000 foot-lamberts, or about nine f-stops. Observation of film available from space flights shows that optimum scene illumination is apparently not present in vehicle interior photography as well as in vehicle-to-vehicle situations. The evaluation test procedure for a breadboard, and the results, which provided information for the design of a brassboard are given.

Model Year 2013 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2012-12-01

The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles.

Model Year 2012 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2011-11-01

The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles.

Model Year 2011 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2010-11-01

The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles.

Model Year 2017 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles.

Model Year 2018 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles.

Minimum Hamiltonian ascent trajectory evaluation (MASTRE) program (update to automatic flight trajectory design, performance prediction, and vehicle sizing for support of shuttle and shuttle derived vehicles) users manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyons, J. T.; Borchers, William R.

1993-01-01

Documentation for the User Interface Program for the Minimum Hamiltonian Ascent Trajectory Evaluation (MASTRE) is provided. The User Interface Program is a separate software package designed to ease the user input requirements when using the MASTRE Trajectory Program. This document supplements documentation on the MASTRE Program that consists of the MASTRE Engineering Manual and the MASTRE Programmers Guide. The User Interface Program provides a series of menus and tables using the VAX Screen Management Guideline (SMG) software. These menus and tables allow the user to modify the MASTRE Program input without the need for learning the various program dependent mnemonics. In addition, the User Interface Program allows the user to modify and/or review additional input Namelist and data files, to build and review command files, to formulate and calculate mass properties related data, and to have a plotting capability.

Automatic license plate reader: a solution to avoiding vehicle pursuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, Stanley K.

1997-01-01

The Massachusetts Governor's Auto Theft Strike Force has tested an automatic license plate reader (LPR) to recover stolen cars and catch car thieves, without vehicle pursuit. Experiments were conducted at the Sumner Tunnel in Boston, and proved the feasibility of a LPR for identifying stolen cars instantly. The same technology can be applied to other law-enforcement objectives.

Automatic vehicle location system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansen, G. R., Jr. (Inventor)

1973-01-01

An automatic vehicle detection system is disclosed, in which each vehicle whose location is to be detected carries active means which interact with passive elements at each location to be identified. The passive elements comprise a plurality of passive loops arranged in a sequence along the travel direction. Each of the loops is tuned to a chosen frequency so that the sequence of the frequencies defines the location code. As the vehicle traverses the sequence of the loops as it passes over each loop, signals only at the frequency of the loop being passed over are coupled from a vehicle transmitter to a vehicle receiver. The frequencies of the received signals in the receiver produce outputs which together represent a code of the traversed location. The code location is defined by a painted pattern which reflects light to a vehicle carried detector whose output is used to derive the code defined by the pattern.

Vehicle-to-Grid Automatic Load Sharing with Driver Preference in Micro-Grids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Yubo; Nazaripouya, Hamidreza; Chu, Chi-Cheng

Integration of Electrical Vehicles (EVs) with power grid not only brings new challenges for load management, but also opportunities for distributed storage and generation. This paper comprehensively models and analyzes distributed Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) for automatic load sharing with driver preference. In a micro-grid with limited communications, V2G EVs need to decide load sharing based on their own power and voltage profile. A droop based controller taking into account driver preference is proposed in this paper to address the distributed control of EVs. Simulations are designed for three fundamental V2G automatic load sharing scenarios that include all system dynamics of suchmore » applications. Simulation results demonstrate that active power sharing is achieved proportionally among V2G EVs with consideration of driver preference. In additional, the results also verify the system stability and reactive power sharing analysis in system modelling, which sheds light on large scale V2G automatic load sharing in more complicated cases.« less

77 FR 40921 - Communication With Transport Vehicles

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-11

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2012-0163] Communication With Transport Vehicles AGENCY... Transport Vehicles,'' published in May 1975. The guide is being withdrawn because it is outdated due to... withdrawing Regulatory Guide 5.32, revision 1, ``Communication with Transport Vehicles,'' published in May...

Operational strategies for rural transportation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-03-01

ARC Transits AVL (Automatic Vehicle Location) project was funded by the Florida Department : of Transportation in May of 1994 with $40,937 in state Service Development funds. Fourteen : vehicle modules, the AVL base station, and several vehicle ra...

Biosignal Analysis to Assess Mental Stress in Automatic Driving of Trucks: Palmar Perspiration and Masseter Electromyography

PubMed Central

Zheng, Rencheng; Yamabe, Shigeyuki; Nakano, Kimihiko; Suda, Yoshihiro

2015-01-01

Nowadays insight into human-machine interaction is a critical topic with the large-scale development of intelligent vehicles. Biosignal analysis can provide a deeper understanding of driver behaviors that may indicate rationally practical use of the automatic technology. Therefore, this study concentrates on biosignal analysis to quantitatively evaluate mental stress of drivers during automatic driving of trucks, with vehicles set at a closed gap distance apart to reduce air resistance to save energy consumption. By application of two wearable sensor systems, a continuous measurement was realized for palmar perspiration and masseter electromyography, and a biosignal processing method was proposed to assess mental stress levels. In a driving simulator experiment, ten participants completed automatic driving with 4, 8, and 12 m gap distances from the preceding vehicle, and manual driving with about 25 m gap distance as a reference. It was found that mental stress significantly increased when the gap distances decreased, and an abrupt increase in mental stress of drivers was also observed accompanying a sudden change of the gap distance during automatic driving, which corresponded to significantly higher ride discomfort according to subjective reports. PMID:25738768

Automatic construction of a recurrent neural network based classifier for vehicle passage detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burnaev, Evgeny; Koptelov, Ivan; Novikov, German; Khanipov, Timur

2017-03-01

Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) are extensively used for time-series modeling and prediction. We propose an approach for automatic construction of a binary classifier based on Long Short-Term Memory RNNs (LSTM-RNNs) for detection of a vehicle passage through a checkpoint. As an input to the classifier we use multidimensional signals of various sensors that are installed on the checkpoint. Obtained results demonstrate that the previous approach to handcrafting a classifier, consisting of a set of deterministic rules, can be successfully replaced by an automatic RNN training on an appropriately labelled data.

Method and appartus for converting static in-ground vehicle scales into weigh-in-motion systems

DOEpatents

Muhs, Jeffrey D.; Scudiere, Matthew B.; Jordan, John K.

2002-01-01

An apparatus and method for converting in-ground static weighing scales for vehicles to weigh-in-motion systems. The apparatus upon conversion includes the existing in-ground static scale, peripheral switches and an electronic module for automatic computation of the weight. By monitoring the velocity, tire position, axle spacing, and real time output from existing static scales as a vehicle drives over the scales, the system determines when an axle of a vehicle is on the scale at a given time, monitors the combined weight output from any given axle combination on the scale(s) at any given time, and from these measurements automatically computes the weight of each individual axle and gross vehicle weight by an integration, integration approximation, and/or signal averaging technique.

Hybrid neuro-fuzzy approach for automatic vehicle license plate recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hsi-Chieh; Jong, Chung-Shi

1998-03-01

Most currently available vehicle identification systems use techniques such as R.F., microwave, or infrared to help identifying the vehicle. Transponders are usually installed in the vehicle in order to transmit the corresponding information to the sensory system. It is considered expensive to install a transponder in each vehicle and the malfunction of the transponder will result in the failure of the vehicle identification system. In this study, novel hybrid approach is proposed for automatic vehicle license plate recognition. A system prototype is built which can be used independently or cooperating with current vehicle identification system in identifying a vehicle. The prototype consists of four major modules including the module for license plate region identification, the module for character extraction from the license plate, the module for character recognition, and the module for the SimNet neuro-fuzzy system. To test the performance of the proposed system, three hundred and eighty vehicle image samples are taken by a digital camera. The license plate recognition success rate of the prototype is approximately 91% while the character recognition success rate of the prototype is approximately 97%.

Commercial Vehicle Driving. Florida Vocational Program Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

University of South Florida, Tampa. Dept. of Adult and Vocational Education.

This guide identifies considerations in the organization, operation, and evaluation of secondary and postsecondary vocational education programs. It contains both a vocational program guide and Career Merit Achievement Plan (Career MAP) for commercial vehicle driving. The guide contains the following sections: occupational description; program…

Automatic safety belt systems owner usage and attitudes in GM Chevettes and VW Rabbits

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1980-05-01

Author's abstract: The study was designed to: (1) evaluate the effectiveness of automatic restraint systems in increasing belt usage, and (2) determine owner attitudes toward the system. Information gathered from owners of vehicles with automatic sys...

Automatic safety belt systems owner usage and attitudes in GM Chevettes and VW Rabbits

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1981-02-01

This study was designed to: (1) evaluate the effectiveness of automatic restraint systems in increasing belt usage, and (2) determine owner attitudes toward the systems. The information gathered from owners of vehicles with automatic systems will ass...

System transfer modelling for automatic target recognizer evaluations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Lloyd G.

1991-11-01

Image processing to accomplish automatic recognition of military vehicles has promised increased weapons systems effectiveness and reduced timelines for a number of Department of Defense missions. Automatic Target Recognizers (ATR) are often claimed to be able to recognize many different ground vehicles as possible targets in military air-to- surface targeting applications. The targeting scenario conditions include different vehicle poses and histories as well as a variety of imaging geometries, intervening atmospheres, and background environments. Testing these ATR subsystems in most cases has been limited to a handful of the scenario conditions of interest, as is represented by imagery collected with the desired imaging sensor. The question naturally arises as to how robust the performance of the ATR is for all scenario conditions of interest, not just for the set of imagery upon which an algorithm was trained.

49 CFR 38.73 - Doorways.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

.... Vertical alignment may be accomplished by vehicle air suspension, automatic ramps or lifts, or any... SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Light Rail Vehicles and Systems § 38.73 Doorways. (a) Clear width—(1) All passenger doorways on vehicle sides shall have minimum clear openings of 32 inches when open. (2...

Model year 2002 fuel economy guide

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-01-01

The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. The Guide is...

Sensor Architecture and Task Classification for Agricultural Vehicles and Environments

PubMed Central

Rovira-Más, Francisco

2010-01-01

The long time wish of endowing agricultural vehicles with an increasing degree of autonomy is becoming a reality thanks to two crucial facts: the broad diffusion of global positioning satellite systems and the inexorable progress of computers and electronics. Agricultural vehicles are currently the only self-propelled ground machines commonly integrating commercial automatic navigation systems. Farm equipment manufacturers and satellite-based navigation system providers, in a joint effort, have pushed this technology to unprecedented heights; yet there are many unresolved issues and an unlimited potential still to uncover. The complexity inherent to intelligent vehicles is rooted in the selection and coordination of the optimum sensors, the computer reasoning techniques to process the acquired data, and the resulting control strategies for automatic actuators. The advantageous design of the network of onboard sensors is necessary for the future deployment of advanced agricultural vehicles. This article analyzes a variety of typical environments and situations encountered in agricultural fields, and proposes a sensor architecture especially adapted to cope with them. The strategy proposed groups sensors into four specific subsystems: global localization, feedback control and vehicle pose, non-visual monitoring, and local perception. The designed architecture responds to vital vehicle tasks classified within three layers devoted to safety, operative information, and automatic actuation. The success of this architecture, implemented and tested in various agricultural vehicles over the last decade, rests on its capacity to integrate redundancy and incorporate new technologies in a practical way. PMID:22163522

Sensor architecture and task classification for agricultural vehicles and environments.

PubMed

Rovira-Más, Francisco

2010-01-01

The long time wish of endowing agricultural vehicles with an increasing degree of autonomy is becoming a reality thanks to two crucial facts: the broad diffusion of global positioning satellite systems and the inexorable progress of computers and electronics. Agricultural vehicles are currently the only self-propelled ground machines commonly integrating commercial automatic navigation systems. Farm equipment manufacturers and satellite-based navigation system providers, in a joint effort, have pushed this technology to unprecedented heights; yet there are many unresolved issues and an unlimited potential still to uncover. The complexity inherent to intelligent vehicles is rooted in the selection and coordination of the optimum sensors, the computer reasoning techniques to process the acquired data, and the resulting control strategies for automatic actuators. The advantageous design of the network of onboard sensors is necessary for the future deployment of advanced agricultural vehicles. This article analyzes a variety of typical environments and situations encountered in agricultural fields, and proposes a sensor architecture especially adapted to cope with them. The strategy proposed groups sensors into four specific subsystems: global localization, feedback control and vehicle pose, non-visual monitoring, and local perception. The designed architecture responds to vital vehicle tasks classified within three layers devoted to safety, operative information, and automatic actuation. The success of this architecture, implemented and tested in various agricultural vehicles over the last decade, rests on its capacity to integrate redundancy and incorporate new technologies in a practical way.

Automatic Focus Adjustment of a Microscope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huntsberger, Terrance

2005-01-01

AUTOFOCUS is a computer program for use in a control system that automatically adjusts the position of an instrument arm that carries a microscope equipped with an electronic camera. In the original intended application of AUTOFOCUS, the imaging microscope would be carried by an exploratory robotic vehicle on a remote planet, but AUTOFOCUS could also be adapted to similar applications on Earth. Initially control software other than AUTOFOCUS brings the microscope to a position above a target to be imaged. Then the instrument arm is moved to lower the microscope toward the target: nominally, the target is approached from a starting distance of 3 cm in 10 steps of 3 mm each. After each step, the image in the camera is subjected to a wavelet transform, which is used to evaluate the texture in the image at multiple scales to determine whether and by how much the microscope is approaching focus. A focus measure is derived from the transform and used to guide the arm to bring the microscope to the focal height. When the analysis reveals that the microscope is in focus, image data are recorded and transmitted.

47 CFR 15.251 - Operation within the bands 2.9-3.26 GHz, 3.267-3.332 GHz, 3.339-3.3458 GHz, and 3.358-3.6 GHz.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., and 3.358-3.6 GHz. (a) Operation under the provisions of this section is limited to automatic vehicle identification systems (AVIS) which use swept frequency techniques for the purpose of automatically identifying transportation vehicles. (b) The field strength anywhere within the frequency range swept by the signal shall not...

47 CFR 15.251 - Operation within the bands 2.9-3.26 GHz, 3.267-3.332 GHz, 3.339-3.3458 GHz, and 3.358-3.6 GHz.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

..., and 3.358-3.6 GHz. (a) Operation under the provisions of this section is limited to automatic vehicle identification systems (AVIS) which use swept frequency techniques for the purpose of automatically identifying transportation vehicles. (b) The field strength anywhere within the frequency range swept by the signal shall not...

47 CFR 15.251 - Operation within the bands 2.9-3.26 GHz, 3.267-3.332 GHz, 3.339-3.3458 GHz, and 3.358-3.6 GHz.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., and 3.358-3.6 GHz. (a) Operation under the provisions of this section is limited to automatic vehicle identification systems (AVIS) which use swept frequency techniques for the purpose of automatically identifying transportation vehicles. (b) The field strength anywhere within the frequency range swept by the signal shall not...

47 CFR 15.251 - Operation within the bands 2.9-3.26 GHz, 3.267-3.332 GHz, 3.339-3.3458 GHz, and 3.358-3.6 GHz.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., and 3.358-3.6 GHz. (a) Operation under the provisions of this section is limited to automatic vehicle identification systems (AVIS) which use swept frequency techniques for the purpose of automatically identifying transportation vehicles. (b) The field strength anywhere within the frequency range swept by the signal shall not...

78 FR 19363 - Petition for Exemption From the Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard; Honda

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-29

... immobilizer device occurs automatically when the vehicle is started without any further action by the driver... From the Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard; Honda AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety... Honda Civic vehicle line in accordance with 49 CFR part 543, Exemption from the Theft Prevention...

Prescription and over-the-counter medications tool kit.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-04-01

Automatic vehicle location (AVL) is a computer-based vehicle tracking system. For transit, the actual real-time position of each vehicle is measured and its location is relayed to a control center. Actual position determination and relay techniques v...

Advanced sensors and applications : commercial motor vehicle tire pressure monitoring and maintenance : [technology brief].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-04-01

Tire pressure monitoring and automatic tire inflation technologies show significant promise for improving safety and reducing costs in the commercial vehicle industry. Improved tire pressure management directly relates to improved vehicle stability, ...

Automatic vehicle monitoring systems study. Report of phase O. Volume 2: Problem definition and derivation of AVM system selection techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

A set of planning guidelines is presented to help law enforcement agencies and vehicle fleet operators decide which automatic vehicle monitoring (AVM) system could best meet their performance requirements. Improvements in emergency response times and resultant cost benefits obtainable with various operational and planned AVM systems may be synthesized and simulated by means of special computer programs for model city parameters applicable to small, medium and large urban areas. Design characteristics of various AVM systems and the implementation requirements are illustrated and cost estimated for the vehicles, the fixed sites and the base equipments. Vehicle location accuracies for different RF links and polling intervals are analyzed. Actual applications and coverage data are tabulated for seven cities whose police departments actively cooperated in the study.

Modeling and Prototyping of Automatic Clutch System for Light Vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murali, S.; Jothi Prakash, V. M.; Vishal, S.

2017-03-01

Nowadays, recycling or regenerating the waste in to something useful is appreciated all around the globe. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change. This study deals with provision of the automatic clutch mechanism in vehicles to facilitate the smooth changing of gears. This study proposed to use the exhaust gases which are normally expelled out as a waste from the turbocharger to actuate the clutch mechanism in vehicles to facilitate the smooth changing of gears. At present, clutches are operated automatically by using an air compressor in the four wheelers. In this study, a conceptual design is proposed in which the clutch is operated by the exhaust gas from the turbocharger and this will remove the usage of air compressor in the existing system. With this system, usage of air compressor is eliminated and the riders need not to operate the clutch manually. This work involved in development, analysation and validation of the conceptual design through simulation software. Then the developed conceptual design of an automatic pneumatic clutch system is tested with proto type.

Piloted Simulation Evaluation of a Model-Predictive Automatic Recovery System to Prevent Vehicle Loss of Control on Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Litt, Jonathan; Liu, Yuan; Sowers, T. Shane; Owen, A. Karl; Guo, Ten-Huei

2014-01-01

This paper describes a model-predictive automatic recovery system for aircraft on the verge of a loss-of-control situation. The system determines when it must intervene to prevent an imminent accident, resulting from a poor approach. It estimates the altitude loss that would result from a go-around maneuver at the current flight condition. If the loss is projected to violate a minimum altitude threshold, the maneuver is automatically triggered. The system deactivates to allow landing once several criteria are met. Piloted flight simulator evaluation showed the system to provide effective envelope protection during extremely unsafe landing attempts. The results demonstrate how flight and propulsion control can be integrated to recover control of the vehicle automatically and prevent a potential catastrophe.

2013 Vehicle Theft Prevention Quick Reference Guide for the Law Enforcement Community

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-08-01

"This and future versions of the Vehicle TheftPrevention Quick Reference Guide for the Law Enforcement Community will provide comprehensive information for vehicle lines. The parts-marking requirements have been : extended to include: : all passe...

Computer-Aided Authoring System (AUTHOR) User's Guide. Volume I. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guitard, Charles R.

This user's guide for AUTHOR, an automatic authoring system which produces programmed texts for teaching symbol recognition, provides detailed instructions to help the user construct and enter the information needed to create the programmed text, run the AUTHOR program, and edit the automatically composed paper. Major sections describe steps in…

49 CFR 571.102 - Standard No. 102; Transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... position. S3.1.2Transmission braking effect. In vehicles having more than one forward transmission gear... driver has activated the vehicle's propulsion system: (a) The engine may stop and restart automatically... activated the vehicle's propulsion system if the vehicle can meet the requirements specified in paragraphs...

Development and Testing of an Automatic Transmission Shift Schedule Algorithm for Vehicle Simulation (SAE Paper 2015-01-1142)

EPA Science Inventory

The Advanced Light-Duty Powertrain and Hybrid Analysis (ALPHA) modeling tool was created by EPA to estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of light-duty vehicles. ALPHA is a physics-based, forward-looking, full vehicle computer simulation capable of analyzing various vehicle type...

Distributed pheromone-based swarming control of unmanned air and ground vehicles for RSTA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauter, John A.; Mathews, Robert S.; Yinger, Andrew; Robinson, Joshua S.; Moody, John; Riddle, Stephanie

2008-04-01

The use of unmanned vehicles in Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) applications has received considerable attention recently. Cooperating land and air vehicles can support multiple sensor modalities providing pervasive and ubiquitous broad area sensor coverage. However coordination of multiple air and land vehicles serving different mission objectives in a dynamic and complex environment is a challenging problem. Swarm intelligence algorithms, inspired by the mechanisms used in natural systems to coordinate the activities of many entities provide a promising alternative to traditional command and control approaches. This paper describes recent advances in a fully distributed digital pheromone algorithm that has demonstrated its effectiveness in managing the complexity of swarming unmanned systems. The results of a recent demonstration at NASA's Wallops Island of multiple Aerosonde Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) and Pioneer Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) cooperating in a coordinated RSTA application are discussed. The vehicles were autonomously controlled by the onboard digital pheromone responding to the needs of the automatic target recognition algorithms. UAVs and UGVs controlled by the same pheromone algorithm self-organized to perform total area surveillance, automatic target detection, sensor cueing, and automatic target recognition with no central processing or control and minimal operator input. Complete autonomy adds several safety and fault tolerance requirements which were integrated into the basic pheromone framework. The adaptive algorithms demonstrated the ability to handle some unplanned hardware failures during the demonstration without any human intervention. The paper describes lessons learned and the next steps for this promising technology.

NHTSA data reference guide version 4. Volume 1, vehicle tests

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-04-01

This guide documents the format of magnetic media (3.5 inch high density diskettes) to be submitted : to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for vehicle crash tests. This guide is : designated Volume I. NHTSA Data Reference Gui...

ACEEE's green book: The environmental guide to cars and trucks, Model year 2000

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DeCicco, J.; Kliesch, J.; Thomas, M.

2000-07-01

This pathbreaking guide ranks cars and trucks according to environmental friendliness. Buyers can compare cars, vans, pickups, and sport utility vehicles by their environmental impacts, including air pollution, global warming, and fuel efficiency. Inside the guide: how to buy the cleanest and most efficient vehicle that meets your needs; Green Scores for all 2000 makes and models, listed by class--compact, mid-size, and large cars, vans, pickups, and sport utilities; Best of 2000 section featuring the greenest models in each class; Green by Design chapter highlighting advanced technologies and what makes some vehicles greener than others; listings for electric and othermore » alternative fuel vehicles in addition to gasoline and diesel vehicles; tips on keeping your vehicle running cleanly and efficiently; and the environmental impacts of vehicles, including global warming and the health effects of vehicle pollution.« less

Image acquisition system for traffic monitoring applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Auty, Glen; Corke, Peter I.; Dunn, Paul; Jensen, Murray; Macintyre, Ian B.; Mills, Dennis C.; Nguyen, Hao; Simons, Ben

1995-03-01

An imaging system for monitoring traffic on multilane highways is discussed. The system, named Safe-T-Cam, is capable of operating 24 hours per day in all but extreme weather conditions and can capture still images of vehicles traveling up to 160 km/hr. Systems operating at different remote locations are networked to allow transmission of images and data to a control center. A remote site facility comprises a vehicle detection and classification module (VCDM), an image acquisition module (IAM) and a license plate recognition module (LPRM). The remote site is connected to the central site by an ISDN communications network. The remote site system is discussed in this paper. The VCDM consists of a video camera, a specialized exposure control unit to maintain consistent image characteristics, and a 'real-time' image processing system that processes 50 images per second. The VCDM can detect and classify vehicles (e.g. cars from trucks). The vehicle class is used to determine what data should be recorded. The VCDM uses a vehicle tracking technique to allow optimum triggering of the high resolution camera of the IAM. The IAM camera combines the features necessary to operate consistently in the harsh environment encountered when imaging a vehicle 'head-on' in both day and night conditions. The image clarity obtained is ideally suited for automatic location and recognition of the vehicle license plate. This paper discusses the camera geometry, sensor characteristics and the image processing methods which permit consistent vehicle segmentation from a cluttered background allowing object oriented pattern recognition to be used for vehicle classification. The image capture of high resolution images and the image characteristics required for the LPRMs automatic reading of vehicle license plates, is also discussed. The results of field tests presented demonstrate that the vision based Safe-T-Cam system, currently installed on open highways, is capable of producing automatic classification of vehicle class and recording of vehicle numberplates with a success rate around 90 percent in a period of 24 hours.

Method for automatically scramming a nuclear reactor

DOEpatents

Ougouag, Abderrafi M.; Schultz, Richard R.; Terry, William K.

2005-12-27

An automatically scramming nuclear reactor system. One embodiment comprises a core having a coolant inlet end and a coolant outlet end. A cooling system operatively associated with the core provides coolant to the coolant inlet end and removes heated coolant from the coolant outlet end, thus maintaining a pressure differential therebetween during a normal operating condition of the nuclear reactor system. A guide tube is positioned within the core with a first end of the guide tube in fluid communication with the coolant inlet end of the core, and a second end of the guide tube in fluid communication with the coolant outlet end of the core. A control element is positioned within the guide tube and is movable therein between upper and lower positions, and automatically falls under the action of gravity to the lower position when the pressure differential drops below a safe pressure differential.

Automatic guidance control of an articulated all-wheel-steered vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Young Chol; Yun, Kyong-Han; Min, Kyung-Deuk

2014-04-01

This paper presents automatic guidance control of a single-articulated all-wheel-steered vehicle being developed by the Korea Railroad Research Institute. The vehicle has an independent drive motor on each wheel except for the front axle. The guidance controller is designed so that the vehicle follows the given reference path within permissible lateral deviations. We use a three-input/three-output linearised model derived from the nonlinear dynamic model of the vehicle. For the purpose of simplifying the controller and making it tunable, we consider a decentralised control configuration. We first design a second-order decoupling compensator for the two-input/two-output system that is strongly coupled and then design a first-order controller for each decoupled feedback loop by using the characteristic ratio assignment method. The simulation results for the nonlinear dynamic model indicate that the proposed control configuration successfully achieves the design objectives.

Study of automatic and manual terminal guidance and control systems for space shuttle vehicles. Volume 2: Section 4 through appendix B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Osder, S.; Keller, R.

1971-01-01

Guidance and control design studies that were performed for three specific space shuttle candidate vehicles are described. Three types of simulation were considered. The manual control investigations and pilot evaluations of the automatic system performance is presented. Recommendations for systems and equipment, both airborne and ground-based, necessary to flight test the guidance and control concepts for shuttlecraft terminal approach and landing are reported.

The Visual Representation and Acquisition of Driving Knowledge for Autonomous Vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhaoxia; Jiang, Qing; Li, Ping; Song, LiangTu; Wang, Rujing; Yu, Biao; Mei, Tao

2017-09-01

In this paper, the driving knowledge base of autonomous vehicle is designed. Based on the driving knowledge modeling system, the driving knowledge of autonomous vehicle is visually acquired, managed, stored, and maintenanced, which has vital significance for creating the development platform of intelligent decision-making systems of automatic driving expert systems for autonomous vehicle.

Automatic and strategic effects in the guidance of attention by working memory representations

PubMed Central

Carlisle, Nancy B.; Woodman, Geoffrey F.

2010-01-01

Theories of visual attention suggest that working memory representations automatically guide attention toward memory-matching objects. Some empirical tests of this prediction have produced results consistent with working memory automatically guiding attention. However, others have shown that individuals can strategically control whether working memory representations guide visual attention. Previous studies have not independently measured automatic and strategic contributions to the interactions between working memory and attention. In this study, we used a classic manipulation of the probability of valid, neutral, and invalid cues to tease apart the nature of such interactions. This framework utilizes measures of reaction time (RT) to quantify the costs and benefits of attending to memory-matching items and infer the relative magnitudes of automatic and strategic effects. We found both costs and benefits even when the memory-matching item was no more likely to be the target than other items, indicating an automatic component of attentional guidance. However, the costs and benefits essentially doubled as the probability of a trial with a valid cue increased from 20% to 80%, demonstrating a potent strategic effect. We also show that the instructions given to participants led to a significant change in guidance distinct from the actual probability of events during the experiment. Together, these findings demonstrate that the influence of working memory representations on attention is driven by both automatic and strategic interactions. PMID:20643386

Automatic and strategic effects in the guidance of attention by working memory representations.

PubMed

Carlisle, Nancy B; Woodman, Geoffrey F

2011-06-01

Theories of visual attention suggest that working memory representations automatically guide attention toward memory-matching objects. Some empirical tests of this prediction have produced results consistent with working memory automatically guiding attention. However, others have shown that individuals can strategically control whether working memory representations guide visual attention. Previous studies have not independently measured automatic and strategic contributions to the interactions between working memory and attention. In this study, we used a classic manipulation of the probability of valid, neutral, and invalid cues to tease apart the nature of such interactions. This framework utilizes measures of reaction time (RT) to quantify the costs and benefits of attending to memory-matching items and infer the relative magnitudes of automatic and strategic effects. We found both costs and benefits even when the memory-matching item was no more likely to be the target than other items, indicating an automatic component of attentional guidance. However, the costs and benefits essentially doubled as the probability of a trial with a valid cue increased from 20% to 80%, demonstrating a potent strategic effect. We also show that the instructions given to participants led to a significant change in guidance distinct from the actual probability of events during the experiment. Together, these findings demonstrate that the influence of working memory representations on attention is driven by both automatic and strategic interactions. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Object Detection from MMS Imagery Using Deep Learning for Generation of Road Orthophotos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.; Sakamoto, M.; Shinohara, T.; Satoh, T.

2018-05-01

In recent years, extensive research has been conducted to automatically generate high-accuracy and high-precision road orthophotos using images and laser point cloud data acquired from a mobile mapping system (MMS). However, it is necessary to mask out non-road objects such as vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians and their shadows in MMS images in order to eliminate erroneous textures from the road orthophoto. Hence, we proposed a novel vehicle and its shadow detection model based on Faster R-CNN for automatically and accurately detecting the regions of vehicles and their shadows from MMS images. The experimental results show that the maximum recall of the proposed model was high - 0.963 (intersection-over-union > 0.7) - and the model could identify the regions of vehicles and their shadows accurately and robustly from MMS images, even when they contain varied vehicles, different shadow directions, and partial occlusions. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the quality of road orthophoto generated using vehicle and its shadow masks was significantly improved as compared to those generated using no masks or using vehicle masks only.

Hybrid three-dimensional and support vector machine approach for automatic vehicle tracking and classification using a single camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kachach, Redouane; Cañas, José María

2016-05-01

Using video in traffic monitoring is one of the most active research domains in the computer vision community. TrafficMonitor, a system that employs a hybrid approach for automatic vehicle tracking and classification on highways using a simple stationary calibrated camera, is presented. The proposed system consists of three modules: vehicle detection, vehicle tracking, and vehicle classification. Moving vehicles are detected by an enhanced Gaussian mixture model background estimation algorithm. The design includes a technique to resolve the occlusion problem by using a combination of two-dimensional proximity tracking algorithm and the Kanade-Lucas-Tomasi feature tracking algorithm. The last module classifies the shapes identified into five vehicle categories: motorcycle, car, van, bus, and truck by using three-dimensional templates and an algorithm based on histogram of oriented gradients and the support vector machine classifier. Several experiments have been performed using both real and simulated traffic in order to validate the system. The experiments were conducted on GRAM-RTM dataset and a proper real video dataset which is made publicly available as part of this work.

Traffic-Light-Preemption Vehicle-Transponder Software Module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bachelder, Aaron; Foster, Conrad

2005-01-01

A prototype wireless data-communication and control system automatically modifies the switching of traffic lights to give priority to emergency vehicles. The system, which was reported in several NASA Tech Briefs articles at earlier stages of development, includes a transponder on each emergency vehicle, a monitoring and control unit (an intersection controller) at each intersection equipped with traffic lights, and a central monitoring subsystem. An essential component of the system is a software module executed by a microcontroller in each transponder. This module integrates and broadcasts data on the position, velocity, acceleration, and emergency status of the vehicle. The position, velocity, and acceleration data are derived partly from the Global Positioning System, partly from deductive reckoning, and partly from a diagnostic computer aboard the vehicle. The software module also monitors similar broadcasts from other vehicles and from intersection controllers, informs the driver of which intersections it controls, and generates visible and audible alerts to inform the driver of any other emergency vehicles that are close enough to create a potential hazard. The execution of the software module can be monitored remotely and the module can be upgraded remotely and, hence, automatically

Vector Pursuit Path Tracking for Autonomous Ground Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-08-01

vi INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................1...other geometric path-tracking techniques. 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION An autonomous vehicle is one that is capable of automatic navigation. It is...Joint Architecture for Unmanned Ground Vehicles ( JAUGS ) working group meeting held at the University of Florida. 5 Figure 1.5: Autonomous

An Automatic Vehicle Classification System.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-07-01

addi- tion, various portions of the system design can be used by other vehicle study projects, e.g. for projects concerned with vehicle speed or for...traffic study projects that require an axle counter or vehicle height indicator. A *4 UNCLASSIFIED SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE(W1en Data Enrerod...optoelectronic components as the basis for detection. Factors of vehicle length, height, and number of axles are used as identification characteristics. In

NREL Transportation Project to Reduce Fuel Usage

Science.gov Websites

and communication software was developed by NREL researchers to display a vehicle's location automatically and transmit a map of the its location over the Internet. After developing the communication vehicle location and communication technology to track and direct vehicle fleet movements," said the

49 CFR 38.73 - Doorways.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... inches and the height of the vehicle floor shall be within plus or minus 5/8 inch of the platform height. Vertical alignment may be accomplished by vehicle air suspension, automatic ramps or lifts, or any combination. (2) Exception. New vehicles operating in existing stations may have a floor height within plus or...

49 CFR 38.73 - Doorways.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... inches and the height of the vehicle floor shall be within plus or minus 5/8 inch of the platform height. Vertical alignment may be accomplished by vehicle air suspension, automatic ramps or lifts, or any combination. (2) Exception. New vehicles operating in existing stations may have a floor height within plus or...

49 CFR 38.73 - Doorways.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... inches and the height of the vehicle floor shall be within plus or minus 5/8 inch of the platform height. Vertical alignment may be accomplished by vehicle air suspension, automatic ramps or lifts, or any combination. (2) Exception. New vehicles operating in existing stations may have a floor height within plus or...

49 CFR 38.73 - Doorways.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... inches and the height of the vehicle floor shall be within plus or minus 5/8 inch of the platform height. Vertical alignment may be accomplished by vehicle air suspension, automatic ramps or lifts, or any combination. (2) Exception. New vehicles operating in existing stations may have a floor height within plus or...

Port-of-entry advanced sorting system (PASS) operational test

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-12-01

In 1992 the Oregon Department of Transportation undertook an operational test of the Port-of-Entry Advanced Sorting System (PASS), which uses a two-way communication automatic vehicle identification system, integrated with weigh-in-motion, automatic ...

Long-Term Tracking of a Specific Vehicle Using Airborne Optical Camera Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurz, F.; Rosenbaum, D.; Runge, H.; Cerra, D.; Mattyus, G.; Reinartz, P.

2016-06-01

In this paper we present two low cost, airborne sensor systems capable of long-term vehicle tracking. Based on the properties of the sensors, a method for automatic real-time, long-term tracking of individual vehicles is presented. This combines the detection and tracking of the vehicle in low frame rate image sequences and applies the lagged Cell Transmission Model (CTM) to handle longer tracking outages occurring in complex traffic situations, e.g. tunnels. The CTM model uses the traffic conditions in the proximities of the target vehicle and estimates its motion to predict the position where it reappears. The method is validated on an airborne image sequence acquired from a helicopter. Several reference vehicles are tracked within a range of 500m in a complex urban traffic situation. An artificial tracking outage of 240m is simulated, which is handled by the CTM. For this, all the vehicles in the close proximity are automatically detected and tracked to estimate the basic density-flow relations of the CTM model. Finally, the real and simulated trajectories of the reference vehicles in the outage are compared showing good correspondence also in congested traffic situations.

Performance of an Automated-Mixed-Traffic-Vehicle /AMTV/ System. [urban people mover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peng, T. K. C.; Chon, K.

1978-01-01

This study analyzes the operation and evaluates the expected performance of a proposed automatic guideway transit system which uses low-speed Automated Mixed Traffic Vehicles (AMTV's). Vehicle scheduling and headway control policies are evaluated with a transit system simulation model. The effect of mixed-traffic interference on the average vehicle speed is examined with a vehicle-pedestrian interface model. Control parameters regulating vehicle speed are evaluated for safe stopping and passenger comfort.

49 CFR 325.59 - Measurement procedure; stationary test.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...) If the motor vehicle's engine radiator fan drive is equipped with a clutch or similar device that... minutes, to permit the engine radiator fan to automatically disengage when the vehicle's noise emissions...

Clean Cities Guide to Alternative Fuel and Advanced Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles (Book)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

2013-08-01

Today's fleets are increasingly interested in medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles that use alternative fuels or advanced technologies that can help reduce operating costs, meet emissions requirements, improve fleet sustainability, and support U.S. energy independence. Vehicle and engine manufacturers are responding to this interest with a wide range of options across a steadily growing number of vehicle applications. This guide provides an overview of alternative fuel power systems?including engines, microturbines, electric motors, and fuel cells?and hybrid propulsion systems. The guide also offers a list of individual medium- and heavy-duty vehicle models listed by application, along with associated manufacturer contact information, fuelmore » type(s), power source(s), and related information.« less

Clean Cities Guide to Alternative Fuel and Advanced Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2013-08-01

Today's fleets are increasingly interested in medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles that use alternative fuels or advanced technologies that can help reduce operating costs, meet emissions requirements, improve fleet sustainability, and support U.S. energy independence. Vehicle and engine manufacturers are responding to this interest with a wide range of options across a steadily growing number of vehicle applications. This guide provides an overview of alternative fuel power systems--including engines, microturbines, electric motors, and fuel cells--and hybrid propulsion systems. The guide also offers a list of individual medium- and heavy-duty vehicle models listed by application, along with associated manufacturer contact information, fuelmore » type(s), power source(s), and related information.« less

A study on special test stand of automatic and manual descent control in presence of simulated g-load effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glazkov, Yury; Artjuchin, Yury; Astakhov, Alexander; Vas'kov, Alexander; Malyshev, Veniamin; Mitroshin, Edward; Glinsky, Valery; Moiseenko, Vasily; Makovlev, Vyacheslav

The development of aircraft-type reusable space vehicles (RSV) involves the problem of complete compatibility of automatic, director and manual control. Task decision is complicated, in particular, due to considerable quantitative and qualitative changes of vehicle dynamic characteristics, little stability margins (and even of unstability) of the RSV, and stringent requirements to control accuracy at some flight phases. Besides, during control a pilot is affected by g-loads which hamper motor activity and deteriorate its accuracy, alter the functional status of the visual analyser, and influence higher nervous activity. A study of g-load effects on the control efficiency, especially in manual and director modes, is of primary importance. The main tools for study of a rational selection of manual and director vehicle control systems and as an aid in formulating recommendations for optimum crew-automatic control system interactions are special complex and functional flight simulator test stands. The proposed simulator stand includes a powerful digital computer complex combined with the control system of the centrifuge. The interior of a pilot's vehicle cabin is imitated. A situation image system, pyscho-physical monitoring system, physician, centrifuge operator, and instructor stations are linked with the test stand.

An Injury Severity-, Time Sensitivity-, and Predictability-Based Advanced Automatic Crash Notification Algorithm Improves Motor Vehicle Crash Occupant Triage.

PubMed

Stitzel, Joel D; Weaver, Ashley A; Talton, Jennifer W; Barnard, Ryan T; Schoell, Samantha L; Doud, Andrea N; Martin, R Shayn; Meredith, J Wayne

2016-06-01

Advanced Automatic Crash Notification algorithms use vehicle telemetry measurements to predict risk of serious motor vehicle crash injury. The objective of the study was to develop an Advanced Automatic Crash Notification algorithm to reduce response time, increase triage efficiency, and improve patient outcomes by minimizing undertriage (<5%) and overtriage (<50%), as recommended by the American College of Surgeons. A list of injuries associated with a patient's need for Level I/II trauma center treatment known as the Target Injury List was determined using an approach based on 3 facets of injury: severity, time sensitivity, and predictability. Multivariable logistic regression was used to predict an occupant's risk of sustaining an injury on the Target Injury List based on crash severity and restraint factors for occupants in the National Automotive Sampling System - Crashworthiness Data System 2000-2011. The Advanced Automatic Crash Notification algorithm was optimized and evaluated to minimize triage rates, per American College of Surgeons recommendations. The following rates were achieved: <50% overtriage and <5% undertriage in side impacts and 6% to 16% undertriage in other crash modes. Nationwide implementation of our algorithm is estimated to improve triage decisions for 44% of undertriaged and 38% of overtriaged occupants. Annually, this translates to more appropriate care for >2,700 seriously injured occupants and reduces unnecessary use of trauma center resources for >162,000 minimally injured occupants. The algorithm could be incorporated into vehicles to inform emergency personnel of recommended motor vehicle crash triage decisions. Lower under- and overtriage was achieved, and nationwide implementation of the algorithm would yield improved triage decision making for an estimated 165,000 occupants annually. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The charging security study of electric vehicle charging spot based on automatic testing platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yulan; Yang, Zhangli; Zhu, Bin; Ran, Shengyi

2018-03-01

With the increasing of charging spots, the testing of charging security and interoperability becomes more and more urgent and important. In this paper, an interface simulator for ac charging test is designed, the automatic testing platform for electric vehicle charging spots is set up and used to test and analyze the abnormal state during the charging process. On the platform, the charging security and interoperability of ac charging spots and IC-CPD can be checked efficiently, the test report can be generated automatically with No artificial reading error. From the test results, the main reason why the charging spot is not qualified is that the power supply cannot be cut off in the prescribed time when the charging anomaly occurs.

Port-of-entry Advanced Sorting System (PASS) operational test : final report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-12-01

In 1992 the Oregon Department of Transportation undertook an operational test of the Port-of-Entry Advanced Sorting System (PASS), which uses a two-way communication automatic vehicle identification system, integrated with weigh-in-motion, automatic ...

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Propane Related Links

Science.gov Websites

Amerex Corporation's Vehicle Fire Suppression Systems are designed to warn the vehicle operator and suppress the fire, protecting both equipment and employees. Automatic systems suppress the fire in its

49 CFR 599.303 - Agency disposition of dealer application for reimbursement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... correct a non-conforming submission. (d) Electronic rejection. An application is automatically rejected... transaction, or identifies the vehicle identification number of a new or trade-in vehicle that was involved in...

Assessment of computer dispatch technology in the paratransit industry

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Systems (IVHS) technologies include a range of communications and control technologies. The U.S. Department of Transportation has applied IVHS technologies, such as electronic payment media, automatic vehicle locator syste...

The integrated manual and automatic control of complex flight systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, D. K.

1984-01-01

A unified control synthesis methodology for complex and/or non-conventional flight vehicles are developed. Prediction techniques for the handling characteristics of such vehicles and pilot parameter identification from experimental data are addressed.

Advanced Vehicle Control Systems Potential Tort Liability For Developers

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-12-01

AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS AVOIDED BECAUSE THE AUTOMATIC COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM APPLIES THE BRAKES, HIGHWAYS WHICH ACCOMMODATE MORE VEHICLES WITH FEWER ACCIDENTS, AND EVEN CARS WHICH ARE PILOTED ENTIRELY BY SOPHISTICATED ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS -- ALL OF TH...

Adaptive video-based vehicle classification technique for monitoring traffic : [executive summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-08-01

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recommends axle-based classification standards to map : passenger vehicles, single unit trucks, and multi-unit trucks, at Automatic Traffic Recorder (ATR) stations : statewide. Many state Departments of Transport...

Designing Effective In-vehicle Icons

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1975-04-01

The design of a system for scanning sequences of aerial photographs with a computer-controlled flying-spot scanner and automatically measuring vehicle locations is described. Hardware and software requirements for an operational system of this type a...

49 CFR 393.43 - Breakaway and emergency braking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... protection system. Every motor vehicle, if used to tow a trailer equipped with brakes, shall be equipped with... protection valve or similar device shall operate automatically when the air pressure on the towing vehicle is... brake systems installed on towed vehicles shall be so designed, by the use of “no-bleed-back” relay...

49 CFR 393.43 - Breakaway and emergency braking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... protection system. Every motor vehicle, if used to tow a trailer equipped with brakes, shall be equipped with... protection valve or similar device shall operate automatically when the air pressure on the towing vehicle is... brake systems installed on towed vehicles shall be so designed, by the use of “no-bleed-back” relay...

The impact of artificial vehicle sounds for pedestrians on driver stress.

PubMed

Cottrell, Nicholas D; Barton, Benjamin K

2012-01-01

Electrically based vehicles have produced some concern over their lack of sound, but the impact of artificial sounds now being implemented have not been examined in respect to their effects upon the driver. The impact of two different implementations of vehicle sound on driver stress in electric vehicles was examined. A Nissan HEV running in electric vehicle mode was driven by participants in an area of congestion using three sound implementations: (1) no artificial sounds, (2) manually engaged sounds and (3) automatically engaged sounds. Physiological and self-report questionnaire measures were collected to determine stress and acceptance of the automated sound protocol. Driver stress was significantly higher in the manually activated warning condition, compared to both no artificial sounds and automatically engaged sounds. Implications for automation usage and measurement methods are discussed and future research directions suggested. The advent of hybrid- and all-electric vehicles has created a need for artificial warning signals for pedestrian safety that place task demands on drivers. We investigated drivers' stress differences in response to varying conditions of warning signals for pedestrians. Driver stress was lower when noises were automated.

Development of a DC propulsion system for an electric vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelledes, W. L.

1984-01-01

The suitability of the Eaton automatically shifted mechanical transaxle concept for use in a near-term dc powered electric vehicle is evaluated. A prototype dc propulsion system for a passenger electric vehicle was designed, fabricated, tested, installed in a modified Mercury Lynx vehicle and track tested at the contractor's site. The system consisted of a two-axis, three-speed, automatically-shifted mechanical transaxle, 15.2 Kw rated, separately excited traction motor, and a transistorized motor controller with a single chopper providing limited armature current below motor base speed and full range field control above base speed at up to twice rated motor current. The controller utilized a microprocessor to perform motor and vehicle speed monitoring and shift sequencing by means of solenoids applying hydraulic pressure to the transaxle clutches. Bench dynamometer and track testing was performed. Track testing showed best system efficiency for steady-state cruising speeds of 65-80 Km/Hz (40-50 mph). Test results include acceleration, steady speed and SAE J227A/D cycle energy consumption, braking tests and coast down to characterize the vehicle road load.

77 FR 74745 - Used Motor Vehicle Trade Regulation Rule

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-17

...Except as specifically described below, the FTC has completed its regulatory review of its Used Motor Vehicle Trade Regulation Rule (``Used Car Rule'' or ``Rule'') as part of the FTC's systematic review of all current Commission regulations and guides. The Commission has decided to retain the Rule and, in a separate Federal Register document, to amend it by changing the Spanish translation of the Buyers Guide. In addition, the Commission also has decided to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking (``NPR'') soliciting comments on proposed changes to the Rule. In this NPR, the Commission addresses the comments received during its review and invites public comment on the following four proposed changes to the Buyers Guide: adding boxes to the back of the Buyers Guide where dealers would have the option to indicate manufacturers' and other third-party warranties; adding a statement to the Buyers Guide encouraging consumers to seek vehicle history information and directing consumers to an FTC Web site for more information about vehicle histories; adding catalytic converters and airbags to the List of Systems on the back of the Buyers Guide; and adding a statement in Spanish to the English Buyers Guide directing consumers who cannot read the Buyers Guide in English to ask for a copy of it in Spanish.

Maintenance Safety Reader

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-02-01

they’re called on to guide a vehicle. Stress that when guiding, they must stay clear of the vehicle and remain visible to the driver at all times...the ground guide’s safety by keeping the guide in sight at all times. Stress to your drivers that if they lose sight of their guide, even for a...bold arrows in bright colors so they can be seen and obtained quickly if a fire should start. Stress to your maintenance personnel that each one of them

Headway Deviation Effects on Bus Passenger Loads : Analysis of Tri-Met's Archived AVL-APC Data

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-01-01

In this paper we empirically analyze the relationship between transit service headway deviations and passenger loads, using archived data from Tri-Met's automatic vehicle location and automatic passenger counter systems. The analysis employs twostage...

Data visualization as a tool for improved decision making within transit agencies

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-02-01

TriMet, the regional transit provider in the Portland, OR, area has been a leader in bus transit performance monitoring using data collected via automatic vehicle location and automatic passenger counter technologies. This information is collected an...

Automatic Vehicle Location: Successful Transit Applications

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-11-01

Belief in the value of AVL is substantiated by statements of benefits contained earlier in this study. Even so, none of the study agencies are making full use of the voluminous amount of AVL data automatically recorded by the system. Efforts to make ...

Training Program for Operation of Emergency Vehicles. Trainee Study Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

INNOVATRIX, Inc., Ingomar, PA.

A two-part trainee study guide for use in the classroom phase of the Emergency Vehicle Operation (EVO) training program is provided. Part 1, to be taken by all trainees, contains seven units organized into various subunits and includes the following: (1) introduction to the course; (2) some legal aspects of emergency vehicle operation (state…

Small passenger car transmission test-Chevrolet 200 transmission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bujold, M. P.

1980-01-01

The small passenger car transmission was tested to supply electric vehicle manufacturers with technical information regarding the performance of commerically available transmissions which would enable them to design a more energy efficient vehicle. With this information the manufacturers could estimate vehicle driving range as well as speed and torque requirements for specific road load performance characteristics. A 1979 Chevrolet Model 200 automatic transmission was tested per a passenger car automatic transmission test code (SAE J651b) which required drive performance, coast performance, and no load test conditions. The transmission attained maximum efficiencies in the mid-eighty percent range for both drive performance tests and coast performance tests. Torque, speed and efficiency curves map the complete performance characteristics for Chevrolet Model 200 transmission.

Vehicle detection in aerial surveillance using dynamic Bayesian networks.

PubMed

Cheng, Hsu-Yung; Weng, Chih-Chia; Chen, Yi-Ying

2012-04-01

We present an automatic vehicle detection system for aerial surveillance in this paper. In this system, we escape from the stereotype and existing frameworks of vehicle detection in aerial surveillance, which are either region based or sliding window based. We design a pixelwise classification method for vehicle detection. The novelty lies in the fact that, in spite of performing pixelwise classification, relations among neighboring pixels in a region are preserved in the feature extraction process. We consider features including vehicle colors and local features. For vehicle color extraction, we utilize a color transform to separate vehicle colors and nonvehicle colors effectively. For edge detection, we apply moment preserving to adjust the thresholds of the Canny edge detector automatically, which increases the adaptability and the accuracy for detection in various aerial images. Afterward, a dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) is constructed for the classification purpose. We convert regional local features into quantitative observations that can be referenced when applying pixelwise classification via DBN. Experiments were conducted on a wide variety of aerial videos. The results demonstrate flexibility and good generalization abilities of the proposed method on a challenging data set with aerial surveillance images taken at different heights and under different camera angles.

Mobile Robot and Mobile Manipulator Research Towards ASTM Standards Development.

PubMed

Bostelman, Roger; Hong, Tsai; Legowik, Steven

2016-01-01

Performance standards for industrial mobile robots and mobile manipulators (robot arms onboard mobile robots) have only recently begun development. Low cost and standardized measurement techniques are needed to characterize system performance, compare different systems, and to determine if recalibration is required. This paper discusses work at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and within the ASTM Committee F45 on Driverless Automatic Guided Industrial Vehicles. This includes standards for both terminology, F45.91, and for navigation performance test methods, F45.02. The paper defines terms that are being considered. Additionally, the paper describes navigation test methods that are near ballot and docking test methods being designed for consideration within F45.02. This includes the use of low cost artifacts that can provide alternatives to using relatively expensive measurement systems.

Pixel color feature enhancement for road signs detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Qieshi; Kamata, Sei-ichiro

2010-02-01

Road signs play an important role in our daily life which used to guide drivers to notice variety of road conditions and cautions. They provide important visual information that can help drivers operating their vehicles in a manner for enhancing traffic safety. The occurrence of some accidents can be reduced by using automatic road signs recognition system which can alert the drivers. This research attempts to develop a warning system to alert the drivers to notice the important road signs early enough to refrain road accidents from happening. For solving this, a non-linear weighted color enhancement method by pixels is presented. Due to the advantage of proposed method, different road signs can be detected from videos effectively. With suitably coefficients and operations, the experimental results have proved that the proposed method is robust, accurate and powerful in road signs detection.

Mobile Robot and Mobile Manipulator Research Towards ASTM Standards Development

PubMed Central

Bostelman, Roger; Hong, Tsai; Legowik, Steven

2017-01-01

Performance standards for industrial mobile robots and mobile manipulators (robot arms onboard mobile robots) have only recently begun development. Low cost and standardized measurement techniques are needed to characterize system performance, compare different systems, and to determine if recalibration is required. This paper discusses work at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and within the ASTM Committee F45 on Driverless Automatic Guided Industrial Vehicles. This includes standards for both terminology, F45.91, and for navigation performance test methods, F45.02. The paper defines terms that are being considered. Additionally, the paper describes navigation test methods that are near ballot and docking test methods being designed for consideration within F45.02. This includes the use of low cost artifacts that can provide alternatives to using relatively expensive measurement systems. PMID:28690359

Guide Specification For Water/Foam Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Vehicles

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-02-18

This advisory circular (AC) contains performance standards, specifications, and : recommendations for the design, construction, and testing of a family of : aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) vehicles. The guide specifications : covers two clas...

Innovation as Road Safety Felicitator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahoo, S.; Mitra, A.; Kumar, J.; Sahoo, B.

2018-03-01

Transportation via Roads should only be used for safely commuting from one place to another. In 2015, when 1.5 Million people, across the Globe started out on a journey, it was meant to be their last. The Global Status Report on Road Safety, 2015, reflected this data from 180 countries as road traffic deaths, worldwide. In India, more than 1.37 Lakh[4] people were victims of road accidents in 2013 alone. That number is more than the number of Indians killed in all the wars put together. With these disturbing facts in mind, we found out some key ambiguities in the Indian Road Traffic Management systems like the non-adaptive nature to fluctuating traffic, pedestrians and motor vehicles not adhering to the traffic norms strictly, to name a few. Introduction of simple systems would greatly erase the effects of this silent epidemic and our Project aims to achieve the same. It would introduce a pair of Barricade systems to cautiously separate the pedestrians and motor vehicles to minimise road mishaps to the extent possible. Exceptional situations like that of an Ambulance or any emergency vehicles will be taken care off by the use of RFID tags to monitor the movement of the Barricades. The varied traffic scenario can be guided properly by using the ADS-B (Automatic Detection System-Broadcast) for monitoring traffic density according to the time and place.

Guide to Federal Funding, Financing, and Technical Assistance for Plug-in Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None, None

The U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Transportation have published a guide to highlight examples of federal support and technical assistance for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and charging stations. The guide provides a description of each opportunity and a point of contact to assist those interested in advancing PEV technology. The Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center provides a comprehensive database of federal and state programs that support plug-in electric vehicles and infrastructure.

76 FR 53072 - Certification; Importation of Vehicles and Equipment Subject to Federal Safety, Bumper, and Theft...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-25

... used as a basis for the non-automatic suspension of an RI registration, deletes redundant text from... Part 592 as a Basis for the Non-Automatic Suspension or Revocation of an RI Registration B. Deletion of... violations of the regulations in part 592 as a basis for the non-automatic suspension or revocation of an RI...

On search guide phrase compilation for recommending home medical products.

PubMed

Luo, Gang

2010-01-01

To help people find desired home medical products (HMPs), we developed an intelligent personal health record (iPHR) system that can automatically recommend HMPs based on users' health issues. Using nursing knowledge, we pre-compile a set of "search guide" phrases that provides semantic translation from words describing health issues to their underlying medical meanings. Then iPHR automatically generates queries from those phrases and uses them and a search engine to retrieve HMPs. To avoid missing relevant HMPs during retrieval, the compiled search guide phrases need to be comprehensive. Such compilation is a challenging task because nursing knowledge updates frequently and contains numerous details scattered in many sources. This paper presents a semi-automatic tool facilitating such compilation. Our idea is to formulate the phrase compilation task as a multi-label classification problem. For each newly obtained search guide phrase, we first use nursing knowledge and information retrieval techniques to identify a small set of potentially relevant classes with corresponding hints. Then a nurse makes the final decision on assigning this phrase to proper classes based on those hints. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our techniques by compiling search guide phrases from an occupational therapy textbook.

48 CFR 1819.1005 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Printed Circuit Assembly (Electronic Assembly) Manufacturing. 334613 Magnetic and Optical Recording Media... and Wireless Communication Equipment Manufacturing. 336415 Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing. 336419 Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and...

48 CFR 1819.1005 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Printed Circuit Assembly (Electronic Assembly) Manufacturing. 334613 Magnetic and Optical Recording Media... and Wireless Communication Equipment Manufacturing. 336415 Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing. 336419 Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and...

New York State Thruway Authority automatic vehicle classification (AVC) : research report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-03-31

In December 2007, the N.Y.S. Thruway Authority (Thruway) concluded a Federal : funded research effort to study technology and develop a design for retrofitting : devices required in implementing a fully automated vehicle classification system i...

Benefits of Automatic Duplexing Fact Sheet

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This resource provides a how-to duplex guide, informs the reader on the benefits and cost savings from automatic duplexing, and several off the shelf print management software options for your facility.

49 CFR 393.53 - Automatic brake adjusters and brake adjustment indicators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... indicators. 393.53 Section 393.53 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued... brake adjustment indicators. (a) Automatic brake adjusters (hydraulic brake systems). Each commercial... vehicle at the time it was manufactured. (c) Brake adjustment indicator (air brake systems). On each...

49 CFR 393.53 - Automatic brake adjusters and brake adjustment indicators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... indicators. 393.53 Section 393.53 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued... brake adjustment indicators. (a) Automatic brake adjusters (hydraulic brake systems). Each commercial... vehicle at the time it was manufactured. (c) Brake adjustment indicator (air brake systems). On each...

The Vehicle Control Systems Branch at the Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barret, Chris

1990-01-01

This paper outlines the responsibility of the Vehicle Control Systems Branch at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to analyze, evaluate, define, design, verify, and specify requirements for advanced launch vehicles and related space projects, and to conduct research in advanced flight control concepts. Attention is given to branch responsibilities which include Shuttle-C, Shuttle-C Block II, Shuttle-Z, lunar cargo launch vehicles, Mars cargo launch vehicles, orbital maneuvering vehicle, automatic docking, tethered satellite, aeroassisted flight experiment, and solid rocket booster parachute recovery system design.

Research on Vehicle Temperature Regulation System Based on Air Convection Principle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuge, Muzi; Li, Xiang; Liang, Caifeng

2018-03-01

The long time parking outdoors in the summer will lead to too high temperature in the car, and the harmful gas produced by the vehicle engine will stay in the confined space for a long time during the parking process, which will do great harm to the human body. If the air conditioning system is turned on before driving, the cooling rate is slow and the battery loss is large. To solve the above problems, we designed a temperature adjusting system based on the principle of air convection. We can choose the automatic mode or manual mode to achieve control of a convection window. In the automatic mode, the system will automatically detect the environmental temperature, through the sensor to complete the detection, and the signal is transmitted to the microcontroller to control the window open or close, in manual mode, the remote control of the window can be realized by Bluetooth. Therefore, the system has important practical significance to effectively regulate temperature, prolong battery life, and improve the safety and comfort of traffic vehicles.

Behavioral aspects of automatic vehicle guidance : relationship between headway and driver comfort

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

Automation of road traffic has the potential to greatly improve the performance of traffic systems. The acceptance of automated driving may play an important role in the feasibility of automated vehicle guidance (AVG), comparable to automated highway...

Integrated corridor management transit vehicle real-time data demonstration: Dallas case study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-12-01

As part of the U.S. Department of Transportations Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Initiative, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) purchased new automatic passenger counter (APC) technology for its Red and Orange line light rail vehicles to provi...

Development and preliminary testing of an automatic turning movements identification system : final report, February 2010.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-02-01

It is important for many applications, such as intersection delay estimation and adaptive signal : control, to obtain vehicle turning movement information at signalized intersections. However, : vehicle turning movement information is very time consu...

Digital Map Requirements For Automatic Vehicle Location

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-12-01

New Jersey Transit (NJT) is currently investigating acquisition of an automated vehicle locator (AVL) system. The purpose of the AVL system is to monitor the location of buses. Knowing the location of a bus enables the agency to manage the bus fleet ...

User-guided segmentation for volumetric retinal optical coherence tomography images

PubMed Central

Yin, Xin; Chao, Jennifer R.; Wang, Ruikang K.

2014-01-01

Abstract. Despite the existence of automatic segmentation techniques, trained graders still rely on manual segmentation to provide retinal layers and features from clinical optical coherence tomography (OCT) images for accurate measurements. To bridge the gap between this time-consuming need of manual segmentation and currently available automatic segmentation techniques, this paper proposes a user-guided segmentation method to perform the segmentation of retinal layers and features in OCT images. With this method, by interactively navigating three-dimensional (3-D) OCT images, the user first manually defines user-defined (or sketched) lines at regions where the retinal layers appear very irregular for which the automatic segmentation method often fails to provide satisfactory results. The algorithm is then guided by these sketched lines to trace the entire 3-D retinal layer and anatomical features by the use of novel layer and edge detectors that are based on robust likelihood estimation. The layer and edge boundaries are finally obtained to achieve segmentation. Segmentation of retinal layers in mouse and human OCT images demonstrates the reliability and efficiency of the proposed user-guided segmentation method. PMID:25147962

User-guided segmentation for volumetric retinal optical coherence tomography images.

PubMed

Yin, Xin; Chao, Jennifer R; Wang, Ruikang K

2014-08-01

Despite the existence of automatic segmentation techniques, trained graders still rely on manual segmentation to provide retinal layers and features from clinical optical coherence tomography (OCT) images for accurate measurements. To bridge the gap between this time-consuming need of manual segmentation and currently available automatic segmentation techniques, this paper proposes a user-guided segmentation method to perform the segmentation of retinal layers and features in OCT images. With this method, by interactively navigating three-dimensional (3-D) OCT images, the user first manually defines user-defined (or sketched) lines at regions where the retinal layers appear very irregular for which the automatic segmentation method often fails to provide satisfactory results. The algorithm is then guided by these sketched lines to trace the entire 3-D retinal layer and anatomical features by the use of novel layer and edge detectors that are based on robust likelihood estimation. The layer and edge boundaries are finally obtained to achieve segmentation. Segmentation of retinal layers in mouse and human OCT images demonstrates the reliability and efficiency of the proposed user-guided segmentation method.

A unique concept for automatically controlling the braking action of wheeled vehicles during minimum distance stops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barthlome, D. E.

1975-01-01

Test results of a unique automatic brake control system are outlined and a comparison is made of its mode of operation to that of an existing skid control system. The purpose of the test system is to provide automatic control of braking action such that hydraulic brake pressure is maintained at a near constant, optimum value during minimum distance stops.

A comparison of the comfort and convenience of automatic safety belt systems among selected 1988-1989 model year automobiles

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1989-06-01

Author's abstract: A nonrandom sample of 120 disproportionately short, tall, and overweight drivers compared the comfort and convenience of the automatic safety belt systems used in seventeen automobiles. Nine vehicles had motorized shoulder belts wi...

Innovative telecommunications for law enforcement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sohn, R. L.

1976-01-01

The operation of computer-aided dispatch, mobile digital communications, and automatic vehicle location systems used in law enforcement is discussed, and characteristics of systems used by different agencies are compared. With reference to computer-aided dispatch systems, the data base components, dispatcher work load, extent of usage, and design trends are surveyed. The capabilities, levels of communication, and traffic load of mobile digital communications systems are examined. Different automatic vehicle location systems are distinguished, and two systems are evaluated. Other aspects of the application of innovative technology to operational command, control, and communications systems for law enforcement agencies are described.

Local navigation and fuzzy control realization for autonomous guided vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Konyaly, El-Sayed H.; Saraya, Sabry F.; Shehata, Raef S.

1996-10-01

This paper addresses the problem of local navigation for an autonomous guided vehicle (AGV) in a structured environment that contains static and dynamic obstacles. Information about the environment is obtained via a CCD camera. The problem is formulated as a dynamic feedback control problem in which speed and steering decisions are made on the fly while the AGV is moving. A decision element (DE) that uses local information is proposed. The DE guides the vehicle in the environment by producing appropriate navigation decisions. Dynamic models of a three-wheeled vehicle for driving and steering mechanisms are derived. The interaction between them is performed via the local feedback DE. A controller, based on fuzzy logic, is designed to drive the vehicle safely in an intelligent and human-like manner. The effectiveness of the navigation and control strategies in driving the AGV is illustrated and evaluated.

40 CFR 1051.320 - What happens if one of my production-line vehicles or engines fails to meet emission standards?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...-line vehicles or engines fails to meet emission standards? 1051.320 Section 1051.320 Protection of... of my production-line vehicles or engines fails to meet emission standards? (a) If you have a... standards (see § 1051.315(a)), the certificate of conformity is automatically suspended for that failing...

40 CFR 1051.320 - What happens if one of my production-line vehicles or engines fails to meet emission standards?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...-line vehicles or engines fails to meet emission standards? 1051.320 Section 1051.320 Protection of... of my production-line vehicles or engines fails to meet emission standards? (a) If you have a... standards (see § 1051.315(a)), the certificate of conformity is automatically suspended for that failing...

77 FR 15843 - Petition for Exemption From the Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard; Nissan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-16

... vehicle and the vehicle itself from being stolen when the back door and all of the side doors are closed... automatically when the ignition key is turned to the ``OFF'' position and all the doors are closed and locked through the use of the key or the remote control mechanism. Deactivation occurs when all the doors are...

Localized contourlet features in vehicle make and model recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zafar, I.; Edirisinghe, E. A.; Acar, B. S.

2009-02-01

Automatic vehicle Make and Model Recognition (MMR) systems provide useful performance enhancements to vehicle recognitions systems that are solely based on Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems. Several vehicle MMR systems have been proposed in literature. In parallel to this, the usefulness of multi-resolution based feature analysis techniques leading to efficient object classification algorithms have received close attention from the research community. To this effect, Contourlet transforms that can provide an efficient directional multi-resolution image representation has recently been introduced. Already an attempt has been made in literature to use Curvelet/Contourlet transforms in vehicle MMR. In this paper we propose a novel localized feature detection method in Contourlet transform domain that is capable of increasing the classification rates up to 4%, as compared to the previously proposed Contourlet based vehicle MMR approach in which the features are non-localized and thus results in sub-optimal classification. Further we show that the proposed algorithm can achieve the increased classification accuracy of 96% at significantly lower computational complexity due to the use of Two Dimensional Linear Discriminant Analysis (2DLDA) for dimensionality reduction by preserving the features with high between-class variance and low inter-class variance.

Study of smoke detection and fire extinguishment for rail transit vehicles.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1983-08-31

This document presents the results of a study to determine the feasibility and cost effectiveness of the use of heat/smoke/fire sensors and automatic extinguishing systems in rail transit vehicles. Work presented includes: a survey of major rail tran...

Mobile remote manipulator vehicle system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bush, Harold G. (Inventor); Mikulas, Martin M., Jr. (Inventor); Wallsom, Richard E. (Inventor); Jensen, J. Kermit (Inventor)

1987-01-01

A mobile remote manipulator system is disclosed for assembly, repair and logistics transport on, around and about a space station square bay truss structure. The vehicle is supported by a square track arrangement supported by guide pins integral with the space station truss structure and located at each truss node. Propulsion is provided by a central push-pull drive mechanism that extends out from the vehicle one full structural bay over the truss and locks drive rods into the guide pins. The draw bar is now retracted and the mobile remote manipulator system is pulled onto the next adjacent structural bay. Thus, translation of the vehicle is inchworm style. The drive bar can be locked onto two guide pins while the extendable draw bar is within the vehicle and then push the vehicle away one bay providing bidirectional push-pull drive. The track switches allow the vehicle to travel in two orthogonal directions over the truss structure which coupled with the bidirectional drive, allow movement in four directions on one plane. The top layer of this trilayered vehicle is a logistics platform. This platform is capable of 369 degees of rotation and will have two astronaut foot restraint platforms and a space crane integral.

Automatic generation of the non-holonomic equations of motion for vehicle stability analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minaker, B. P.; Rieveley, R. J.

2010-09-01

The mathematical analysis of vehicle stability has been utilised as an important tool in the design, development, and evaluation of vehicle architectures and stability controls. This paper presents a novel method for automatic generation of the linearised equations of motion for mechanical systems that is well suited to vehicle stability analysis. Unlike conventional methods for generating linearised equations of motion in standard linear second order form, the proposed method allows for the analysis of systems with non-holonomic constraints. In the proposed method, the algebraic constraint equations are eliminated after linearisation and reduction to first order. The described method has been successfully applied to an assortment of classic dynamic problems of varying complexity including the classic rolling coin, the planar truck-trailer, and the bicycle, as well as in more recent problems such as a rotor-stator and a benchmark road vehicle with suspension. This method has also been applied in the design and analysis of a novel three-wheeled narrow tilting vehicle with zero roll-stiffness. An application for determining passively stable configurations using the proposed method together with a genetic search algorithm is detailed. The proposed method and software implementation has been shown to be robust and provides invaluable conceptual insight into the stability of vehicles and mechanical systems.

A Simple and Automatic Method for Locating Surgical Guide Hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xun; Chen, Ming; Tang, Kai

2017-12-01

Restoration-driven surgical guides are widely used in implant surgery. This study aims to provide a simple and valid method of automatically locating surgical guide hole, which can reduce operator's experiences and improve the design efficiency and quality of surgical guide. Few literatures can be found on this topic and the paper proposed a novel and simple method to solve this problem. In this paper, a local coordinate system for each objective tooth is geometrically constructed in CAD system. This coordinate system well represents dental anatomical features and the center axis of the objective tooth (coincide with the corresponding guide hole axis) can be quickly evaluated in this coordinate system, finishing the location of the guide hole. The proposed method has been verified by comparing two types of benchmarks: manual operation by one skilled doctor with over 15-year experiences (used in most hospitals) and automatic way using one popular commercial package Simplant (used in few hospitals).Both the benchmarks and the proposed method are analyzed in their stress distribution when chewing and biting. The stress distribution is visually shown and plotted as a graph. The results show that the proposed method has much better stress distribution than the manual operation and slightly better than Simplant, which will significantly reduce the risk of cervical margin collapse and extend the wear life of the restoration.

Alternative Transportation Systems Vehicles and Supporting Infrastructure Guide : Plan Implementation Considerations for National Park Managers.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-01-09

This manual is a guide to the basic concepts involved and issues to be addressed in acquiring and maintaining vehicles, supporting infrastructure, and personnel needed for alternative transportation systems to serve visitors to national parks, recrea...

Empirical study on neural network based predictive techniques for automatic number plate recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shashidhara, M. S.; Indrakumar, S. S.

2011-10-01

The objective of this study is to provide an easy, accurate and effective technology for the Bangalore city traffic control. This is based on the techniques of image processing and laser beam technology. The core concept chosen here is an image processing technology by the method of automatic number plate recognition system. First number plate is recognized if any vehicle breaks the traffic rules in the signals. The number is fetched from the database of the RTO office by the process of automatic database fetching. Next this sends the notice and penalty related information to the vehicle owner email-id and an SMS sent to vehicle owner. In this paper, we use of cameras with zooming options & laser beams to get accurate pictures further applied image processing techniques such as Edge detection to understand the vehicle, Identifying the location of the number plate, Identifying the number plate for further use, Plain plate number, Number plate with additional information, Number plates in the different fonts. Accessing the database of the vehicle registration office to identify the name and address and other information of the vehicle number. The updates to be made to the database for the recording of the violation and penalty issues. A feed forward artificial neural network is used for OCR. This procedure is particularly important for glyphs that are visually similar such as '8' and '9' and results in training sets of between 25,000 and 40,000 training samples. Over training of the neural network is prevented by Bayesian regularization. The neural network output value is set to 0.05 when the input is not desired glyph, and 0.95 for correct input.

EPA and California Air Resources Board Approve Remedy to Reduce Excess NOx Emissions from Automatic Transmission “Generation 2” 2.0-Liter Diesel Vehicles

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

On May 17, 2017, EPA and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved an emissions modification proposed by Volkswagen that will reduce NOx emissions from automatic transmission diesel Passats for model years 2012-2014.

Automatic Vehicle Location successful transit applications : a cross-cutting study : improving service and safety

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-08-01

Belief in the value of AVL is substantiated by statements of benefits contained earlier in this study. Even so, none of the study agencies are making full use of the voluminous amount of AVL data automatically recorded by the system. Efforts to make ...

Ballistic Resistance of Armored Passenger Vehicles: Test Protocols and Quality Methods

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jeffrey M. Lacy; Robert E. Polk

2005-07-01

This guide establishes a test methodology for determining the overall ballistic resistance of the passenger compartment of assembled nontactical armored passenger vehicles (APVs). Because ballistic testing of every piece of every component of an armored vehicle is impractical, if not impossible, this guide describes a testing scheme based on statistical sampling of exposed component surface areas. Results from the test of the sampled points are combined to form a test score that reflects the probability of ballistic penetration into the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

NASA Docking System (NDS) Users Guide: International Space Station Program. Type 4

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tabakman, Alexander

2010-01-01

The NASA Docking System (NDS) Users Guide provides an overview of the basic information needed to integrate the NDS onto a Host Vehicle (HV). This Users Guide is intended to provide a vehicle developer with a fundamental understanding of the NDS technical and operations information to support their program and engineering integration planning. The Users Guide identifies the NDS Specification, Interface Definition or Requirement Documents that contain the complete technical details and requirements that a vehicle developer must use to design, develop and verify their systems will interface with NDS. This Guide is an initial reference and must not be used as a design document. In the event of conflict between this Users Guide and other applicable interface definition or requirements documents; the applicable document will take precedence. This Users Guide is organized in three main sections. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the NDS and CDA hardware and the operations concepts for the NDS. Chapter 2 provides information for Host Vehicle Program integration with the NDS Project Office. Chapter 2 describes the NDS Project organization, integration and verification processes, user responsibilities, and specification and interface requirement documents. Chapter 3 provides a summary of basic technical information for the NDS design. Chapter 3 includes NDS hardware component descriptions, physical size and weight characteristics, and summary of the capabilities and constraints for the various NDS sub-systems.

Towards a new modality-independent interface for a robotic wheelchair.

PubMed

Bastos-Filho, Teodiano Freire; Cheein, Fernando Auat; Müller, Sandra Mara Torres; Celeste, Wanderley Cardoso; de la Cruz, Celso; Cavalieri, Daniel Cruz; Sarcinelli-Filho, Mário; Amaral, Paulo Faria Santos; Perez, Elisa; Soria, Carlos Miguel; Carelli, Ricardo

2014-05-01

This work presents the development of a robotic wheelchair that can be commanded by users in a supervised way or by a fully automatic unsupervised navigation system. It provides flexibility to choose different modalities to command the wheelchair, in addition to be suitable for people with different levels of disabilities. Users can command the wheelchair based on their eye blinks, eye movements, head movements, by sip-and-puff and through brain signals. The wheelchair can also operate like an auto-guided vehicle, following metallic tapes, or in an autonomous way. The system is provided with an easy to use and flexible graphical user interface onboard a personal digital assistant, which is used to allow users to choose commands to be sent to the robotic wheelchair. Several experiments were carried out with people with disabilities, and the results validate the developed system as an assistive tool for people with distinct levels of disability.

The integrated manual and automatic control of complex flight systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, D. K.

1983-01-01

Development of a unified control synthesis methodology for complex and/or non-conventional flight vehicles, and prediction techniques for the handling characteristics of such vehicles are reported. Identification of pilot dynamics and objectives, using time domain and frequency domain methods is proposed.

System Finds Horizontal Location of Center of Gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, Albert S.; Howard, Richard T.; Brewster, Linda L.

2006-01-01

An instrumentation system rapidly and repeatedly determines the horizontal location of the center of gravity of a laboratory vehicle that slides horizontally on three air bearings (see Figure 1). Typically, knowledge of the horizontal center-of-mass location of such a vehicle is needed in order to balance the vehicle properly for an experiment and/or to assess the dynamic behavior of the vehicle. The system includes a load cell above each air bearing, electronic circuits that generate digital readings of the weight on each load cell, and a computer equipped with software that processes the readings. The total weight and, hence, the mass of the vehicle are computed from the sum of the load-cell weight readings. Then the horizontal position of the center of gravity is calculated straightforwardly as the weighted sum of the known position vectors of the air bearings, the contribution of each bearing being proportional to the weight on that bearing. In the initial application for which this system was devised, the center- of-mass calculation is particularly simple because the air bearings are located at corners of an equilateral triangle. However, the system is not restricted to this simple geometry. The system acquires and processes weight readings at a rate of 800 Hz for each load cell. The total weight and the horizontal location of the center of gravity are updated at a rate of 800/3 approx. equals 267 Hz. In a typical application, a technician would use the center-of-mass output of this instrumentation system as a guide to the manual placement of small weights on the vehicle to shift the center of gravity to a desired horizontal position. Usually, the desired horizontal position is that of the geometric center. Alternatively, this instrumentation system could be used to provide position feedback for a control system that would cause weights to be shifted automatically (see Figure 2) in an effort to keep the center of gravity at the geometric center.

Robust automatic control system of vessel descent-rise device for plant with distributed parameters “cable – towed underwater vehicle”

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chupina, K. V.; Kataev, E. V.; Khannanov, A. M.; Korshunov, V. N.; Sennikov, I. A.

2018-05-01

The paper is devoted to a problem of synthesis of the robust control system for a distributed parameters plant. The vessel descent-rise device has a heave compensation function for stabilization of the towed underwater vehicle on a set depth. A sea state code, parameters of the underwater vehicle and cable vary during underwater operations, the vessel heave is a stochastic process. It means that the plant and external disturbances have uncertainty. That is why it is necessary to use the robust theory for synthesis of an automatic control system, but without use of traditional methods of optimization, because this cable has distributed parameters. The offered technique has allowed one to design an effective control system for stabilization of immersion depth of the towed underwater vehicle for various degrees of sea roughness and to provide its robustness to deviations of parameters of the vehicle and cable’s length.

Automated mixed traffic vehicle control and scheduling study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peng, T. K. C.; Chon, K.

1976-01-01

The operation and the expected performance of a proposed automatic guideway transit system which uses low speed automated mixed traffic vehicles (AMTVs) were analyzed. Vehicle scheduling and headway control policies were evaluated with a transit system simulation model. The effect of mixed traffic interference on the average vehicle speed was examined with a vehicle pedestrian interface model. Control parameters regulating vehicle speed were evaluated for safe stopping and passenger comfort. Some preliminary data on the cost and operation of an experimental AMTV system are included. These data were the result of a separate task conducted at JPL, and were included as background information.

Automatic control of a robotic vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcreynolds, S. R.

1976-01-01

Over the last several years Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been engaged in a project to develop some of the technology required to build a robotic vehicle for exploring planetary surfaces. An overview of hardware and software being developed for this project is given. Particular emphasis is placed on the description of the current design for the Vehicle System required for locomotion and the path planning algorithm.

Integrated Inverter And Battery Charger

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rippel, Wally E.

1988-01-01

Circuit combines functions of dc-to-ac inversion (for driving ac motor in battery-powered vehicle) and ac-to-dc conversion (for charging battery from ac line when vehicle not in use). Automatically adapts to either mode. Design of integrated inverter/charger eliminates need for duplicate components, saves space, reduces weight and cost of vehicle. Advantages in other applications : load-leveling systems, standby ac power systems, and uninterruptible power supplies.

Interactive Cadastral Boundary Delineation from Uav Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crommelinck, S.; Höfle, B.; Koeva, M. N.; Yang, M. Y.; Vosselman, G.

2018-05-01

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are evolving as an alternative tool to acquire land tenure data. UAVs can capture geospatial data at high quality and resolution in a cost-effective, transparent and flexible manner, from which visible land parcel boundaries, i.e., cadastral boundaries are delineable. This delineation is to no extent automated, even though physical objects automatically retrievable through image analysis methods mark a large portion of cadastral boundaries. This study proposes (i) a methodology that automatically extracts and processes candidate cadastral boundary features from UAV data, and (ii) a procedure for a subsequent interactive delineation. Part (i) consists of two state-of-the-art computer vision methods, namely gPb contour detection and SLIC superpixels, as well as a classification part assigning costs to each outline according to local boundary knowledge. Part (ii) allows a user-guided delineation by calculating least-cost paths along previously extracted and weighted lines. The approach is tested on visible road outlines in two UAV datasets from Germany. Results show that all roads can be delineated comprehensively. Compared to manual delineation, the number of clicks per 100 m is reduced by up to 86 %, while obtaining a similar localization quality. The approach shows promising results to reduce the effort of manual delineation that is currently employed for indirect (cadastral) surveying.

Autonomous RPRV Navigation, Guidance and Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, Donald E.; Myers, Thomas T.; Zellner, John W.

1983-01-01

Dryden Flight Research Center has the responsibility for flight testing of advanced remotely piloted research vehicles (RPRV) to explore highly maneuverable aircraft technology, and to test advanced structural concepts, and related aeronautical technologies which can yield important research results with significant cost benefits. The primary purpose is to provide the preliminary design of an upgraded automatic approach and landing control system and flight director display to improve landing performance and reduce pilot workload. A secondary purpose is to determine the feasibility of an onboard autonomous navigation, orbit, and landing capability for safe vehicle recovery in the event of loss of telemetry uplink communication with the vehicles. The current RPRV approach and landing method, the proposed automatic and manual approach and autoland system, and an autonomous navigation, orbit, and landing system concept which is based on existing operational technology are described.

Magnetically-Guided Penetrant Applicator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Molina, Orlando G.

1990-01-01

Small wheeled vehicle moved inside nonmagnetic enclosure. Miniature magnetically guided truck uses foam-rubber sponge pads to apply penetrant fluid for inspection of welds in hidden surfaces of nonmagnetic tubes. Risk of explosion less than if electric motor used to drive vehicle. Inexpensive to make and made in range of sizes.

A vision-based automated guided vehicle system with marker recognition for indoor use.

PubMed

Lee, Jeisung; Hyun, Chang-Ho; Park, Mignon

2013-08-07

We propose an intelligent vision-based Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) system using fiduciary markers. In this paper, we explore a low-cost, efficient vehicle guiding method using a consumer grade web camera and fiduciary markers. In the proposed method, the system uses fiduciary markers with a capital letter or triangle indicating direction in it. The markers are very easy to produce, manipulate, and maintain. The marker information is used to guide a vehicle. We use hue and saturation values in the image to extract marker candidates. When the known size fiduciary marker is detected by using a bird's eye view and Hough transform, the positional relation between the marker and the vehicle can be calculated. To recognize the character in the marker, a distance transform is used. The probability of feature matching was calculated by using a distance transform, and a feature having high probability is selected as a captured marker. Four directional signals and 10 alphabet features are defined and used as markers. A 98.87% recognition rate was achieved in the testing phase. The experimental results with the fiduciary marker show that the proposed method is a solution for an indoor AGV system.

Job expansion : an additional benefit of a computer aided dispatch/automatic vehicle locator (CAD/AVL) system

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-03-01

The Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) acquired a CAD/AVL system that became fully operational in 1996. The CAD/AVL system added radio channels and covert alarms in buses, located vehicles in real time, and monitored schedule adherence. Th...

14 CFR 420.19 - Launch site location review-general.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... site, at least one type of expendable or reusable launch vehicle can be flown from the launch point... × 10−6). (2) Types of launch vehicles include orbital expendable launch vehicles, guided sub-orbital expendable launch vehicles, unguided sub-orbital expendable launch vehicles, and reusable launch vehicles...

The ac propulsion system for an electric vehicle, phase 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geppert, S.

1981-08-01

A functional prototype of an electric vehicle ac propulsion system was built consisting of a 18.65 kW rated ac induction traction motor, pulse width modulated (PWM) transistorized inverter, two speed mechanically shifted automatic transmission, and an overall drive/vehicle controller. Design developmental steps, and test results of individual components and the complex system on an instrumented test frame are described. Computer models were developed for the inverter, motor and a representative vehicle. A preliminary reliability model and failure modes effects analysis are given.

The ac propulsion system for an electric vehicle, phase 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geppert, S.

1981-01-01

A functional prototype of an electric vehicle ac propulsion system was built consisting of a 18.65 kW rated ac induction traction motor, pulse width modulated (PWM) transistorized inverter, two speed mechanically shifted automatic transmission, and an overall drive/vehicle controller. Design developmental steps, and test results of individual components and the complex system on an instrumented test frame are described. Computer models were developed for the inverter, motor and a representative vehicle. A preliminary reliability model and failure modes effects analysis are given.

Automotive Control Systems: For Engine, Driveline, and Vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiencke, Uwe; Nielsen, Lars

Advances in automotive control systems continue to enhance safety and comfort and to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. Reflecting the trend to optimization through integrative approaches for engine, driveline, and vehicle control, this valuable book enables control engineers to understand engine and vehicle models necessary for controller design, and also introduces mechanical engineers to vehicle-specific signal processing and automatic control. The emphasis on measurement, comparisons between performance and modeling, and realistic examples derive from the authors' unique industrial experience

Automatic detection of solar features in HSOS full-disk solar images using guided filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Fei; Lin, Jiaben; Guo, Jingjing; Wang, Gang; Tong, Liyue; Zhang, Xinwei; Wang, Bingxiang

2018-02-01

A procedure is introduced for the automatic detection of solar features using full-disk solar images from Huairou Solar Observing Station (HSOS), National Astronomical Observatories of China. In image preprocessing, median filter is applied to remove the noises. Guided filter is adopted to enhance the edges of solar features and restrain the solar limb darkening, which is first introduced into the astronomical target detection. Then specific features are detected by Otsu algorithm and further threshold processing technique. Compared with other automatic detection procedures, our procedure has some advantages such as real time and reliability as well as no need of local threshold. Also, it reduces the amount of computation largely, which is benefited from the efficient guided filter algorithm. The procedure has been tested on one month sequences (December 2013) of HSOS full-disk solar images and the result shows that the number of features detected by our procedure is well consistent with the manual one.

Automatic control of the Skylab Astronaut Maneuvering Research Vehicle.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murtagh, T. B.; Goodwin, M. A.; Greenlee, J. E.; Whitsett , C. E.

1973-01-01

The two automatic control modes of the Astronaut Maneuvering Research Vehicle (AMRV) are analyzed: the control moment gyro (CMG) and the rate gyro (RG). The AMRV is an autonomous maneuvering unit which translates and rotates the pilot by means of hand-controller input commands. The CMG normal operation, desaturation, and cage/lock dynamics are described in terms of a realistic AMRV mass property configuration. No propellant is used for normal operation in the CMG mode, and the maximum rotation rate is 5 deg/sec about each AMRV axis. The RG attitude maneuvering and limit cycle submode dynamic are described in terms of the same AMRV mass property configuration.

76 FR 11415 - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-02

... automatic reversal systems (ARS) for power windows and to make a final decision. The agency has decided not... requirements for automatic reversal systems (ARS) and are withdrawing our 2009 proposal regarding ARS. This... of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) proposing new requirements for ARS. The proposal discussed the agency's...

75 FR 35454 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-22

... Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Aerospace Manufacturing and Rework...: Entities potentially affected by this action are owners or operators of existing aerospace manufacturing... Manufacturing. 336414 Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing. 336415 Guided Missile and Space Vehicle...

Space Technology: Propulsion, Control and Guidance of Space Vehicles. Aerospace Education III. Instructional Unit II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Air Univ., Maxwell AFB, AL. Junior Reserve Office Training Corps.

This curriculum guide is prepared for the Aerospace Education III series publication entitled "Space Technology: Propulsion, Control and Guidance of Space Vehicles." It provides guidelines for each chapter. The guide includes objectives, behavioral objectives, suggested outline, orientation, suggested key points, suggestions for…

Careers in Transportation: Moving Everyone and Everything--Everywhere.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of Transportation, Washington, DC.

This guide is designed to provide an overview of careers in transportation, a critical field employing about 10 million people in the United States. The guide is organized in seven sections that cover the following occupational clusters: (1) vehicle operation; (2) passenger assistance; (3) vehicle assembly and maintenance; (4) planning,…

78 FR 6765 - Amendment to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations: Revision of U.S. Munitions List...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-31

... revise Category IV (launch vehicles, guided missiles, ballistic missiles, rockets, torpedoes, bombs, and... revises USML Category IV (launch vehicles, guided missiles, ballistic missiles, rockets, torpedoes, bombs... missiles, rockets, torpedoes, bombs, and mines whose jurisdiction would be in doubt based on this revision...

Clean Cities 2016 Vehicle Buyer's Guide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

2016-02-01

Drivers and fleets are increasingly turning to the hundreds of light-duty, alternative fuel, and advanced technology vehicle models that reduce petroleum use, save on fuel costs, and cut emissions. This guide provides a comprehensive list of the 2016 light-duty models that use alternative fuels or advanced fuel-saving technologies.

Exploratory field trial of motorcycle autonomous emergency braking (MAEB): Considerations on the acceptability of unexpected automatic decelerations.

PubMed

Savino, Giovanni; Pierini, Marco; Thompson, Jason; Fitzharris, Michael; Lenné, Michael G

2016-11-16

Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) acts to slow down a vehicle when an unavoidable impending collision is detected. In addition to documented benefits when applied to passenger cars, AEB has also shown potential when applied to motorcycles (MAEB). However, the feasibility of MAEB as practically applied to motorcycles in the real world is not well understood. In this study we performed a field trial involving 16 riders on a test motorcycle subjected to automatic decelerations, thus simulating MAEB activation. The tests were conducted along a rectilinear path at nominal speed of 40 km/h and with mean deceleration of 0.15 g (15% of full braking) deployed at random times. Riders were also exposed to one final undeclared brake activation with the aim of providing genuinely unexpected automatic braking events. Participants were consistently able to manage automatic decelerations of the vehicle with minor to moderate effort. Results of undeclared activations were consistent with those of standard runs. This study demonstrated the feasibility of a moderate automatic deceleration in a scenario of motorcycle travelling in a straight path, supporting the notion that the application of AEB on motorcycles is practicable. Furthermore, the proposed field trial can be used as a reference for future regulation or consumer tests in order to address safety and acceptability of unexpected automatic decelerations on a motorcycle.

Consistent comparison of angle Kappa adjustment between Oculyzer and Topolyzer Vario topography guided LASIK for myopia by EX500 excimer laser.

PubMed

Sun, Ming-Shen; Zhang, Li; Guo, Ning; Song, Yan-Zheng; Zhang, Feng-Ju

2018-01-01

To evaluate and compare the uniformity of angle Kappa adjustment between Oculyzer and Topolyzer Vario topography guided ablation of laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) by EX500 excimer laser for myopia. Totally 145 cases (290 consecutive eyes )with myopia received LASIK with a target of emmetropia. The ablation for 86 cases (172 eyes) was guided manually based on Oculyzer topography (study group), while the ablation for 59 cases (118 eyes) was guided automatically by Topolyzer Vario topography (control group). Measurement of adjustment values included data respectively in horizontal and vertical direction of cornea. Horizontally, synclastic adjustment between manually actual values (dx manu ) and Oculyzer topography guided data (dx ocu ) accounts 35.5% in study group, with mean dx manu /dx ocu of 0.78±0.48; while in control group, synclastic adjustment between automatically actual values (dx auto ) and Oculyzer topography data (dx ocu ) accounts 54.2%, with mean dx auto /dx ocu of 0.79±0.66. Vertically, synclastic adjustment between dy manu and dy ocu accounts 55.2% in study group, with mean dy manu /dy ocu of 0.61±0.42; while in control group, synclastic adjustment between dy auto and dy ocu accounts 66.1%, with mean dy auto /dy ocu of 0.66±0.65. There was no statistically significant difference in ratio of actual values/Oculyzer topography guided data in horizontal and vertical direction between two groups ( P =0.951, 0.621). There is high consistency in angle Kappa adjustment guided manually by Oculyzer and guided automatically by Topolyzer Vario topography during corneal refractive surgery by WaveLight EX500 excimer laser.

Alternating-Current Motor Drive for Electric Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krauthamer, S.; Rippel, W. E.

1982-01-01

New electric drive controls speed of a polyphase as motor by varying frequency of inverter output. Closed-loop current-sensing circuit automatically adjusts frequency of voltage-controlled oscillator that controls inverter frequency, to limit starting and accelerating surges. Efficient inverter and ac motor would give electric vehicles extra miles per battery charge.

Fault prevention by early stage symptoms detection for automatic vehicle transmission using pattern recognition and curve fitting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balbin, Jessie R.; Cruz, Febus Reidj G.; Abu, Jon Ervin A.; Siño, Carlo G.; Ubaldo, Paolo E.; Zulueta, Christelle Jianne T.

2017-06-01

Automobiles have become essential parts of our everyday lives. It can correlate many factors that may affect a vehicle primarily those which may inconvenient or in some cases harm lives or properties. Thus, focusing on detecting an automatic transmission vehicle engine, body and other parts that cause vibration and sound may help prevent car problems using MATLAB. By using sound, vibration, and temperature sensors to detect the defects of the car and with the help of the transmitter and receiver to gather data wirelessly, it is easy to install on to the vehicle. A technique utilized from Toyota Balintawak Philippines that every car is treated as panels(a, b, c, d, and e) 'a' being from the hood until the front wheel of the car and 'e' the rear shield to the back of the car, this was applied on how to properly place the sensors so that precise data could be gathered. Data gathered would be compared to the normal graph taken from the normal status or performance of a vehicle, data that would surpass 50% of the normal graph would be considered that a problem has occurred. The system is designed to prevent car accidents by determining the current status or performance of the vehicle, also keeping people away from harm.

X33 Reusable Launch Vehicle Control on Sliding Modes: Concepts for a Control System Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shtessel, Yuri B.

1998-01-01

Control of the X33 reusable launch vehicle is considered. The launch control problem consists of automatic tracking of the launch trajectory which is assumed to be optimally precalculated. It requires development of a reliable, robust control algorithm that can automatically adjust to some changes in mission specifications (mass of payload, target orbit) and the operating environment (atmospheric perturbations, interconnection perturbations from the other subsystems of the vehicle, thrust deficiencies, failure scenarios). One of the effective control strategies successfully applied in nonlinear systems is the Sliding Mode Control. The main advantage of the Sliding Mode Control is that the system's state response in the sliding surface remains insensitive to certain parameter variations, nonlinearities and disturbances. Employing the time scaling concept, a new two (three)-loop structure of the control system for the X33 launch vehicle was developed. Smoothed sliding mode controllers were designed to robustly enforce the given closed-loop dynamics. Simulations of the 3-DOF model of the X33 launch vehicle with the table-look-up models for Euler angle reference profiles and disturbance torque profiles showed a very accurate, robust tracking performance.

Guide to alternative fuel vehicle incentives and laws: September 1998

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Riley, C.; O'Connor, K.

1998-12-22

This guide provides information in support of the National Clean Cities Program, which will assist one in becoming better informed about the choices and options surrounding the use of alternative fuels and the purchase of alternative fuel vehicles. The information printed in this guide is current as of September 15, 1998. For recent additions or more up-to-date information, check the Alternative Fuels Data Center Web site at http://www.afdc.doe.gov

Ultrasonic guided wave interpretation for structural health inspections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bingham, Jill Paisley

Structural Health Management (SHM) combines the use of onboard sensors with artificial intelligence algorithms to automatically identify and monitor structural health issues. A fully integrated approach to SHM systems demands an understanding of the sensor output relative to the structure, along with sophisticated prognostic systems that automatically draw conclusions about structural integrity issues. Ultrasonic guided wave methods allow us to examine the interaction of multimode signals within key structural components. Since they propagate relatively long distances within plate- and shell-like structures, guided waves allow inspection of greater areas with fewer sensors, making this technique attractive for a variety of applications. This dissertation describes the experimental development of automatic guided wave interpretation for three real world applications. Using the guided wave theories for idealized plates we have systematically developed techniques for identifying the mass loading of underwater limpet mines on US Navy ship hulls, characterizing type and bonding of protective coatings on large diameter pipelines, and detecting the thinning effects of corrosion on aluminum aircraft structural stringers. In each of these circumstances the signals received are too complex for interpretation without knowledge of the guided wave physics. We employ a signal processing technique called the Dynamic Wavelet Fingerprint Technique (DFWT) in order to render the guided wave mode information in two-dimensional binary images. The use of wavelets allows us to keep track of both time and scale features from the original signals. With simple image processing we have developed automatic extraction algorithms for features that correspond to the arrival times of the guided wave modes of interest for each of the applications. Due to the dispersive nature of the guided wave modes, the mode arrival times give details of the structure in the propagation path. For further understanding of how the guided wave modes propagate through the real structures, we have developed parallel processing, 3D elastic wave simulations using the finite integration technique (EFIT). This full field, numeric simulation technique easily examines models too complex for analytical solutions. We have developed the algorithm to handle built up 3D structures as well as layers with different material properties and surface detail. The simulations produce informative visualizations of the guided wave modes in the structures as well as the output from sensors placed in the simulation space to mimic the placement from experiment. Using the previously developed mode extraction algorithms we were then able to compare our 3D EFIT data to their experimental counterparts with consistency.

Automatic background updating for video-based vehicle detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Chunhai; Li, Dongmei; Liu, Jichuan

2008-03-01

Video-based vehicle detection is one of the most valuable techniques for the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). The widely used video-based vehicle detection technique is the background subtraction method. The key problem of this method is how to subtract and update the background effectively. In this paper an efficient background updating scheme based on Zone-Distribution for vehicle detection is proposed to resolve the problems caused by sudden camera perturbation, sudden or gradual illumination change and the sleeping person problem. The proposed scheme is robust and fast enough to satisfy the real-time constraints of vehicle detection.

The Design and Operation of Suborbital Low Cost and Low Risk Vehicle to the Edge of Space (SOLVES)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ridzuan Zakaria, Norul; Nasrun, Nasri; Rashidy Zulkifi, Mohd; Izmir Yamin, Mohd; Othman, Jamaludin; Rafidi Zakaria, Norul

2013-09-01

Inclusive in the planning of Spaceport Malaysia are 2 local suborbital vehicles development. One of the vehicles is called SOLVES or Suborbital Low Cost and Low Risk Vehicle to the Edge of Space. The emphasis on the design and operation of SOLVES is green and robotic technology, where both green technology and robotic technology are used to protect the environment and enhance safety. As SOLVES climbs, its center of gravity stabilizes and remains at the bottom as its propellant being used until it depletes, due to the position of the vehicle's passenger cabin and its engines at its lower end. It will reach 80km from sea level generally known as "the edge of space" due to its momentum although its propellant will be depleted at a lower altitude. As the suborbital vehicle descends tail first, its wings automatically extend and rotate at horizontal axes perpendicular to the fuselage. These naturally and passively rotating wings ensure controlled low velocity and stable descend of the vehicle. The passenger cabin also rotates automatically at a steady low speed at the centerline of its fuselage as it descends, caused naturally by the lift force, enabling its passengers a surrounding 360 degrees view. SOLVES is steered automatically to its landing point by an electrical propulsion system with a vectoring nozzle. The electrical propulsion minimizes space and weight and is free of pollution and noise. Its electrical power comes from a battery aided by power generated by the naturally rotating wings. When the vehicle lands, it is in the safest mode as its propellant is depleted and its center of gravity remains at the bottom of its cabin. The cabin, being located at the bottom of the fuselage, enables very convenient, rapid and safe entry and exit of its passengers. SOLVES will be a robotic suborbital vehicle with green technology. The vehicle will carry 4 passengers and each passenger will be trained to land the vehicle manually if the fully automated landing system fails and therefore it will be engineered for simple operation by trained passengers. However, for certification by aviation authorities the vehicle may be operational with 3 passengers and a pilot. A specific operation considered for SOLVES is navaloperation where the suborbital vehicle will be operating from a seaborne spaceport, probably a superyacht with spacepad for the vertical launching and landing of the vehicle. Such naval operation enables the vehicle to fly above exotic locations reachable by sea. SOLVES is also planned for further development into reusable rocket booster to carry small suborbiter to 160km from sea level, enables the passengers aboard the suborbiter to experience longer zero gravity time and more effective suborbital flight.

DiTour 3.1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pelaia II, Thomas A.

2015-06-30

There is a need for software that allows a tour guide to present different tracks of slides and then return to the default slide show automatically upon completion. A mobile solution is needed for trade shows. DiTour is an iPad/iPhone app that pulls presentation content from a website, stores it on the device and presents it on a connected display. A tour guide can select a track to present and it will automatically return to the default track after a timeout. It offers a mobile solution which is ideal for trade shows.

14 CFR 170.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... (i.e., ATCT) divided by the discounted life cycle costs. Ceiling means the vertical distance between... landing system (ILS) means an instrument landing system whereby the pilot guides his approach to a runway... ground can be fed into the automatic pilot for automatically controlled approaches. Instrument...

AUTOMOTIVE DIESEL MAINTENANCE 2. UNIT VII, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS--ALLISON, TORQUMATIC SERIES 5960 AND 6060 (PART I).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Human Engineering Inst., Cleveland, OH.

THIS MODULE OF A 25-MODULE COURSE IS DESIGNED TO DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF SPECIFIC MODELS OF AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS USED ON DIESEL POWERED VEHICLES. TOPICS ARE (1) GENERAL SPECIFICATION DATA, (2) OPTIONS FOR VARIOUS APPLICATIONS, (3) ROAD TEST INSTRUCTIONS, (4) IDENTIFICATION AND SPECIFICATION DATA, (5) ALLISON…

49 CFR 178.338-11 - Discharge control devices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... water capacity, remote means of automatic closure must be installed at the ends of the cargo tank in at... control system. (ii) On a cargo tank motor vehicle of 3,500 gallons water capacity or less, at least one remote means of automatic closure must be installed on the end of the cargo tank farthest away from the...

AUTOMOTIVE DIESEL MAINTENANCE 2. UNIT X, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS--HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS (PART II).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Human Engineering Inst., Cleveland, OH.

THIS MODULE OF A 25-MODULE COURSE IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A SUMMARY OF MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES FOR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS USED ON DIESEL POWERED VEHICLES. TOPICS ARE (1) CHECKING THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM, (2) SERVICING THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM, (3) EXAMINING THE RANGE CONTROL VALVE, (4) EXAMINING THE LOCK-UP AND FLOW VALVE, (5) EXAMINING THE MAIN REGULATOR…

An extended car-following model with consideration of speed guidance at intersections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jing; Li, Peng

2016-11-01

The main motivation of this paper is to analyze the influences of speed guidance strategies on the driving behaviors under four different traffic signalized conditions and to investigate an extended car-following model to explore how the speed guidance affects two different vehicle types that are intelligent vehicles and traditional vehicles during the phase-change periods. The numerical results show that the proposed model can qualitatively describe the impacts of the speed guidance strategies on vehicle's movement trail including the acceleration strategy, smooth braking strategy, and deceleration strategy. Moreover, the benefits of the speed guidance could be enhanced by lengthening the guiding space range, expanding permitted guiding speed range, and increasing the percentage of the intelligent vehicles.

Roundabouts: An informational Guide (Brochure)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-09-01

This assessment evaluates the applicability of the current light vehicle safety applications for use on transit vehicles in revenue service operation. This assessment includes the following elements: A review of light vehicle safety applications ...

Piezo-electric automatic vehicle classification system : Oregon Department of Transportation with Castle Rock Consultants for a SHRP Long Term Pavement Performance Site : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1991-07-01

Oregon has twelve pavement test sites that are part of the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP), Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) studies. Part of the data gathering on these sites involves vehicle weight and classification. This pilot proj...

Piezo-electric automatic vehicle classification system : Oregon Department of Transportation with Castle Rock Consultants for a SHRP Long Term Pavement Performance Site.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1990-05-01

Oregon has twelve sites that are part of the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP), Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) studies. Part of the data gathering on these sites involves vehicle weight and classification. This pilot project was to hel...

76 FR 55829 - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Electronic Stability Control Systems

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-09

.... Benefits of ESC Electronic stability control (ESC) systems use automatic computer- controlled braking of... demonstrated that these systems reduce fatal single-vehicle crashes of passenger cars by 55 percent and fatal... potential to prevent 56 percent of the fatal passenger car rollovers and 74 percent of the fatal LTV first...

44 CFR 60.3 - Flood plain management criteria for flood-prone areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... improvements, that fully enclosed areas below the lowest floor that are usable solely for parking of vehicles... that they permit the automatic entry and exit of floodwaters. (6) Require that manufactured homes that... building standards. Such enclosed space shall be useable solely for parking of vehicles, building access...

44 CFR 60.3 - Flood plain management criteria for flood-prone areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... improvements, that fully enclosed areas below the lowest floor that are usable solely for parking of vehicles... that they permit the automatic entry and exit of floodwaters. (6) Require that manufactured homes that... building standards. Such enclosed space shall be useable solely for parking of vehicles, building access...

Selected Aspects of the eCall Emergency Notification System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaminski, Tomasz; Nowacki, Gabriel; Mitraszewska, Izabella; Niezgoda, Michał; Kruszewski, Mikołaj; Kaminska, Ewa; Filipek, Przemysław

2012-02-01

The article describes problems associated with the road collision detection for the purpose of the automatic emergency call. At the moment collision is detected, the eCall device installed in the vehicle will automatically make contact with Emergency Notification Centre and send the set of essential information on the vehicle and the place of the accident. To activate the alarm, the information about the deployment of the airbags will not be used, because connection of the eCall device might interfere with the vehicle’s safety systems. It is necessary to develop a method enabling detection of the road collision, similar to the one used in airbag systems, and based on the signals available from the acceleration sensors.

78 FR 10573 - Used Motor Vehicle Trade Regulation Rule

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-14

... FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 16 CFR Part 455 Used Motor Vehicle Trade Regulation Rule AGENCY: Federal... (``NPR'') concerning proposed changes to the Used Motor Vehicle Trade Regulation Rule (``Used Car Rule... the Buyers Guide encouraging consumers to seek vehicle history information and directing consumers to...

Recreation Vehicle Mechanic. Occupational Analyses Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dean, Ann; Embree, Rick

This analysis covers tasks performed by a recreation vehicle mechanic, an occupational title some provinces and territories of Canada have also identified as recreation vehicle technician and recreation vehicle service technician. A guide to analysis discusses development, structure, and validation method; scope of the occupation; trends; and…

Human machine interface to manually drive rhombic like vehicles in remote handling operations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lopes, Pedro; Vale, Alberto; Ventura, Rodrigo

2015-07-01

In the thermonuclear experimental reactor ITER, a vehicle named CTS is designed to transport a container with activated components inside the buildings. In nominal operations, the CTS is autonomously guided under supervision. However, in some unexpected situations, such as in rescue and recovery operations, the autonomous mode must be overridden and the CTS must be remotely guided by an operator. The CTS is a rhombic-like vehicle, with two drivable and steerable wheels along its longitudinal axis, providing omni-directional capabilities. The rhombic kinematics correspond to four control variables, which are difficult to manage in manual mode operation. This paper proposes amore » Human Machine Interface (HMI) to remotely guide the vehicle in manual mode. The proposed solution is implemented using a HMI with an encoder connected to a micro-controller and an analog 2-axis joystick. Experimental results were obtained comparing the proposed solution with other controller devices in different scenarios and using a software platform that simulates the kinematics and dynamics of the vehicle. (authors)« less

Method of center localization for objects containing concentric arcs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuznetsova, Elena G.; Shvets, Evgeny A.; Nikolaev, Dmitry P.

2015-02-01

This paper proposes a method for automatic center location of objects containing concentric arcs. The method utilizes structure tensor analysis and voting scheme optimized with Fast Hough Transform. Two applications of the proposed method are considered: (i) wheel tracking in video-based system for automatic vehicle classification and (ii) tree growth rings analysis on a tree cross cut image.

Vehicle-to-Vehicle crash avoidance technology : public acceptance final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-12-01

The Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) Crash Avoidance Public Acceptance report summarizes data from a survey of the current level of awareness and acceptance of V2V technology. The survey was guided by findings from prior studies and 12 focus groups. A total ...

Intelligent behaviors through vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, Richard D.; Sturgeon, Purser; Brown, Mike

2012-06-01

The last decade has seen a significant increase in intelligent safety devices on private automobiles. These devices have both increased and augmented the situational awareness of the driver and in some cases provided automated vehicle responses. To date almost all intelligent safety devices have relied on data directly perceived by the vehicle. This constraint has a direct impact on the types of solutions available to the vehicle. In an effort to improve the safety options available to a vehicle, numerous research laboratories and government agencies are investing time and resources into connecting vehicles to each other and to infrastructure-based devices. This work details several efforts in both the commercial vehicle and the private auto industries to increase vehicle safety and driver situational awareness through vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. It will specifically discuss intelligent behaviors being designed to automatically disable non-compliant vehicles, warn tractor trailer vehicles of unsafe lane maneuvers such as lane changes, passing, and merging, and alert drivers to non-line-of-sight emergencies.

a Continuous Health Monitoring Guided Wave Fmd System for Retrofit to Existing Offshore Oilrigs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mijarez, R.; Solis, L.; Martinez, F.

2010-02-01

An automatic health monitoring guided wave flood member detection (FMD) system, for retrofit to existing offshore oilrigs is presented. The system employs a microcontroller piezoelectric (PZT) based transmitter and a receiver instrumentation package composed of a PZT 40 kHz ultrasound transducer and a digital signal processor (DSP) module connected to a PC via USB for monitoring purposes. The transmitter and receiver were attached, non-intrusively, to the external wall of a steel tube; 1 m×27 cm×2 mm. Experiments performed in the laboratory have successfully identified automatically flooded tubes.

Automatic extraction of property norm-like data from large text corpora.

PubMed

Kelly, Colin; Devereux, Barry; Korhonen, Anna

2014-01-01

Traditional methods for deriving property-based representations of concepts from text have focused on either extracting only a subset of possible relation types, such as hyponymy/hypernymy (e.g., car is-a vehicle) or meronymy/metonymy (e.g., car has wheels), or unspecified relations (e.g., car--petrol). We propose a system for the challenging task of automatic, large-scale acquisition of unconstrained, human-like property norms from large text corpora, and discuss the theoretical implications of such a system. We employ syntactic, semantic, and encyclopedic information to guide our extraction, yielding concept-relation-feature triples (e.g., car be fast, car require petrol, car cause pollution), which approximate property-based conceptual representations. Our novel method extracts candidate triples from parsed corpora (Wikipedia and the British National Corpus) using syntactically and grammatically motivated rules, then reweights triples with a linear combination of their frequency and four statistical metrics. We assess our system output in three ways: lexical comparison with norms derived from human-generated property norm data, direct evaluation by four human judges, and a semantic distance comparison with both WordNet similarity data and human-judged concept similarity ratings. Our system offers a viable and performant method of plausible triple extraction: Our lexical comparison shows comparable performance to the current state-of-the-art, while subsequent evaluations exhibit the human-like character of our generated properties.

Simple control-theoretic models of human steering activity in visually guided vehicle control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hess, Ronald A.

1991-01-01

A simple control theoretic model of human steering or control activity in the lateral-directional control of vehicles such as automobiles and rotorcraft is discussed. The term 'control theoretic' is used to emphasize the fact that the model is derived from a consideration of well-known control system design principles as opposed to psychological theories regarding egomotion, etc. The model is employed to emphasize the 'closed-loop' nature of tasks involving the visually guided control of vehicles upon, or in close proximity to, the earth and to hypothesize how changes in vehicle dynamics can significantly alter the nature of the visual cues which a human might use in such tasks.

A computer program (VEHSIM) for vehicle fuel economy and performance simulation (automobiles and light trucks). Volume 2. Users guide

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1981-01-01

This report presents an updated description of a vehicle simulation program, VEHSIM, which can determine the fuel economy and performance of a specified vehicle over a defined route as it executes a given driving schedule. Vehicle input accommodated ...

Automatic segmentation for detecting uterine fibroid regions treated with MR-guided high intensity focused ultrasound (MR-HIFU).

PubMed

Antila, Kari; Nieminen, Heikki J; Sequeiros, Roberto Blanco; Ehnholm, Gösta

2014-07-01

Up to 25% of women suffer from uterine fibroids (UF) that cause infertility, pain, and discomfort. MR-guided high intensity focused ultrasound (MR-HIFU) is an emerging technique for noninvasive, computer-guided thermal ablation of UFs. The volume of induced necrosis is a predictor of the success of the treatment. However, accurate volume assessment by hand can be time consuming, and quick tools produce biased results. Therefore, fast and reliable tools are required in order to estimate the technical treatment outcome during the therapy event so as to predict symptom relief. A novel technique has been developed for the segmentation and volume assessment of the treated region. Conventional algorithms typically require user interaction ora priori knowledge of the target. The developed algorithm exploits the treatment plan, the coordinates of the intended ablation, for fully automatic segmentation with no user input. A good similarity to an expert-segmented manual reference was achieved (Dice similarity coefficient = 0.880 ± 0.074). The average automatic segmentation time was 1.6 ± 0.7 min per patient against an order of tens of minutes when done manually. The results suggest that the segmentation algorithm developed, requiring no user-input, provides a feasible and practical approach for the automatic evaluation of the boundary and volume of the HIFU-treated region.

Orbital Spacecraft Consumables Resupply System (OSCRS). Volume 4: Extended study results Part 1: Executive Summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

The objectives consisted of three major tasks. The first was to establish the definition of Space Station and Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) user requirements and interfaces and to evaluate system requirements of a water tanker to be used at the station. The second task is to conduct trade studies of system requirements, hardware/software, and operations to evaluate the effect of automatic operation at the station or remote from the station in consonance with the OMV. The last task is to evaluate automatic refueling concepts and to evaluate the impact to Orbital Spacecraft Consumable Resupply System (OSCRS) concept/design to use expendable launch vehicles (ELV) to place the tank into orbit. Progress in each area is discussed.

ABC's of Alternative Fuel Vehicles: A Guide to Alternative Fuel Vehicles

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-04-06

This document presents an overview of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), : discusses their relationship to Federal and California regulations and clean : air requirements, the major types of AFVs, and the new alternative fuels : appearing on the horiz...

Flight performance of the TCV B-737 airplane at Jorge Newberry Airport, Buenos Aires, Argentina using TRSB/MLS guidance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, W. F.; Clark, L.

1980-01-01

The flight performance of the Terminal Configured Vehicle airplane is summarized. Demonstration automatic approaches and landings utilizing time reference scanning beam microwave landing system (TRSB/MLS) guidance are presented. The TRSB/MLS was shown to provide the terminal area guidance necessary for flying curved automatic approaches with final legs as short as 2 km.

Combating Terrorism Technology Support Office 2006 Review

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

emplaced beyond the control point, activated manually or automatically , with warning lights and an audible alarm to alert innocent pedestrians. The...throughout a vehicle. When a tamper event is detected, SERVANT automatically records sensor data and surveillance video and sends an alert to the security...exposure to organophosphate nerve agents, botulinum toxin, cyanide, and carbon monoxide and will be packaged into a portable , lightweight, mobile hand

AFETR Instrumentation Handbook

DTIC Science & Technology

1971-09-01

of time. From this, vehicle velocity and acceleration can be computed. LOCATION Three Askanias are mobile and may be located at selected universal...Being mobile , these cinetheodolites may be placed for optimum launch coverage. Preprogrammed focusing is provided for automatic focus from 2000 and 8000...console trailer. IR (lead sulfide sensor ) Automatic Tracking System with 1 to 20 miles range. Elevation range: -10 deg to +90 deg Azimuth range: 350

Automatic contact in DYNA3D for vehicle crashworthiness

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Whirley, R.G.; Engelmann, B.E.

1993-07-15

This paper presents a new formulation for the automatic definition and treatment of mechanical contact in explicit nonlinear finite element analysis. Automatic contact offers the benefits of significantly reduced model construction time and fewer opportunities for user error, but faces significant challenges in reliability and computational costs. This paper discusses in detail a new four-step automatic contact algorithm. Key aspects of the proposed method include automatic identification of adjacent and opposite surfaces in the global search phase, and the use of a smoothly varying surface normal which allows a consistent treatment of shell intersection and corner contact conditions without ad-hocmore » rules. The paper concludes with three examples which illustrate the performance of the newly proposed algorithm in the public DYNA3D code.« less

Processing system of jaws tomograms for pathology identification and surgical guide modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putrik, M. B.; Lavrentyeva, Yu. E.; Ivanov, V. Yu.

2015-11-01

The aim of the study is to create an image processing system, which allows dentists to find pathological resorption and to build surgical guide surface automatically. X-rays images of jaws from cone beam tomography or spiral computed tomography are the initial data for processing. One patient's examination always includes up to 600 images (or tomograms), that's why the development of processing system for fast automation search of pathologies is necessary. X-rays images can be useful not for only illness diagnostic but for treatment planning too. We have studied the case of dental implantation - for successful surgical manipulations surgical guides are used. We have created a processing system that automatically builds jaw and teeth boundaries on the x-ray image. After this step, obtained teeth boundaries used for surgical guide surface modeling and jaw boundaries limit the area for further pathologies search. Criterion for the presence of pathological resorption zones inside the limited area is based on statistical investigation. After described actions, it is possible to manufacture surgical guide using 3D printer and apply it in surgical operation.

A nonlinear strategy for sensor based vehicle path control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayr, R.

1994-01-01

A method of transverse control which makes use of nonlinear formulations is presented. The strategy is utilized to stabilize a vehicle. The vehicle is autonomously guided and takes its control inputs from an optical sensing system. Additionally, the velocity of the vehicle is dictated by a longitudinal controller, which is also discussed.

Transportation Conformity : A Basic Guide for State and Local Officials

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-03-01

This document describes the Concept of Operations (ConOps) for five connected vehicle vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) safety applications, and the underlying connected vehicle system, for crash avoidance for the U.S. Department of Transportation (USD...

Keith Wipke | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Drivetrain Hybridization, SAE Technical Papers (2001) Modeling Grid-Connected Hybrid Electric Vehicles Using -Friendly Advanced Powertrain Simulation using a Combined Backward/Forward Approach, IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology (1999) Using an Advanced Vehicle Simulator (ADVISOR) to Guide Hybrid Vehicle Propulsion

Automated manual transmission clutch controller

DOEpatents

Lawrie, Robert E.; Reed, Jr., Richard G.; Rausen, David J.

1999-11-30

A powertrain system for a hybrid vehicle. The hybrid vehicle includes a heat engine, such as a diesel engine, and an electric machine, which operates as both an electric motor and an alternator, to power the vehicle. The hybrid vehicle also includes a manual-style transmission configured to operate as an automatic transmission from the perspective of the driver. The engine and the electric machine drive an input shaft which in turn drives an output shaft of the transmission. In addition to driving the transmission, the electric machine regulates the speed of the input shaft in order to synchronize the input shaft during either an upshift or downshift of the transmission by either decreasing or increasing the speed of the input shaft. When decreasing the speed of the input shaft, the electric motor functions as an alternator to produce electrical energy which may be stored by a storage device. Operation of the transmission is controlled by a transmission controller which receives input signals and generates output signals to control shift and clutch motors to effect smooth launch, upshift shifts, and downshifts of the transmission, so that the transmission functions substantially as an automatic transmission from the perspective of the driver, while internally substantially functioning as a manual transmission.

Automated manual transmission shift sequence controller

DOEpatents

Lawrie, Robert E.; Reed, Richard G.; Rausen, David J.

2000-02-01

A powertrain system for a hybrid vehicle. The hybrid vehicle includes a heat engine, such as a diesel engine, and an electric machine, which operates as both, an electric motor and an alternator, to power the vehicle. The hybrid vehicle also includes a manual-style transmission configured to operate as an automatic transmission from the perspective of the driver. The engine and the electric machine drive an input shaft which in turn drives an output shaft of the transmission. In addition to driving the transmission, the electric machine regulates the speed of the input shaft in order to synchronize the input shaft during either an upshift or downshift of the transmission by either decreasing or increasing the speed of the input shaft. When decreasing the speed of the input shaft, the electric motor functions as an alternator to produce electrical energy which may be stored by a storage device. Operation of the transmission is controlled by a transmission controller which receives input signals and generates output signals to control shift and clutch motors to effect smooth launch, upshift shifts, and downshifts of the transmission, so that the transmission functions substantially as an automatic transmission from the perspective of the driver, while internally substantially functioning as a manual transmission.

Automated manual transmission mode selection controller

DOEpatents

Lawrie, Robert E.

1999-11-09

A powertrain system for a hybrid vehicle. The hybrid vehicle includes a heat engine, such as a diesel engine, and an electric machine, which operates as both an electric motor and an alternator, to power the vehicle. The hybrid vehicle also includes a manual-style transmission configured to operate as an automatic transmission from the perspective of the driver. The engine and the electric machine drive an input shaft which in turn drives an output shaft of the transmission. In addition to driving the transmission, the electric machine regulates the speed of the input shaft in order to synchronize the input shaft during either an upshift or downshift of the transmission by either decreasing or increasing the speed of the input shaft. When decreasing the speed of the input shaft, the electric motor functions as an alternator to produce electrical energy which may be stored by a storage device. Operation of the transmission is controlled by a transmission controller which receives input signals and generates output signals to control shift and clutch motors to effect smooth launch, upshift shifts, and downshifts of the transmission, so that the transmission functions substantially as an automatic transmission from the perspective of the driver, while internally substantially functioning as a manual transmission.

Automated manual transmission controller

DOEpatents

Lawrie, Robert E.; Reed, Jr., Richard G.; Bernier, David R.

1999-12-28

A powertrain system for a hybrid vehicle. The hybrid vehicle includes a heat engine, such as a diesel engine, and an electric machine, which operates as both an electric motor and an alternator, to power the vehicle. The hybrid vehicle also includes a manual-style transmission configured to operate as an automatic transmission from the perspective of the driver. The engine and the electric machine drive an input shaft which in turn drives an output shaft of the transmission. In addition to driving the transmission, the electric machine regulates the speed of the input shaft in order to synchronize the input shaft during either an upshift or downshift of the transmission by either decreasing or increasing the speed of the input shaft. When decreasing the speed of the input shaft, the electric motor functions as an alternator to produce electrical energy which may be stored by a storage device. Operation of the transmission is controlled by a transmission controller which receives input signals and generates output signals to control shift and clutch motors to effect smooth launch, upshift shifts, and downshifts of the transmission, so that the transmission functions substantially as an automatic transmission from the perspective of the driver, while internally substantially functioning as a manual transmission.

PredGuid+A: Orion Entry Guidance Modified for Aerocapture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lafleur, Jarret

2013-01-01

PredGuid+A software was developed to enable a unique numerical predictor-corrector aerocapture guidance capability that builds on heritage Orion entry guidance algorithms. The software can be used for both planetary entry and aerocapture applications. Furthermore, PredGuid+A implements a new Delta-V minimization guidance option that can take the place of traditional targeting guidance and can result in substantial propellant savings. PredGuid+A allows the user to set a mode flag and input a target orbit's apoapsis and periapsis. Using bank angle control, the guidance will then guide the vehicle to the appropriate post-aerocapture orbit using one of two algorithms: Apoapsis Targeting or Delta-V Minimization (as chosen by the user). Recently, the PredGuid guidance algorithm was adapted for use in skip-entry scenarios for NASA's Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle (MPCV). To leverage flight heritage, most of Orion's entry guidance routines are adapted from the Apollo program.

Intelligent vision guide for automatic ventilation grommet insertion into the tympanic membrane.

PubMed

Gao, Wenchao; Tan, Kok Kiong; Liang, Wenyu; Gan, Chee Wee; Lim, Hsueh Yee

2016-03-01

Otitis media with effusion is a worldwide ear disease. The current treatment is to surgically insert a ventilation grommet into the tympanic membrane. A robotic device allowing automatic grommet insertion has been designed in a previous study; however, the part of the membrane where the malleus bone is attached to the inner surface is to be avoided during the insertion process. This paper proposes a synergy of optical flow technique and a gradient vector flow active contours algorithm to achieve an online tracking of the malleus under endoscopic vision, to guide the working channel to move efficiently during the surgery. The proposed method shows a more stable and accurate tracking performance than the current tracking methods in preclinical tests. With satisfactory tracking results, vision guidance of a suitable insertion spot can be provided to the device to perform the surgery in an automatic way. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In-Vehicle Signing Functions of an In-Vehicle Information System

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-01-01

The definition of In-Vehicle Signing (IVS) functions was guided by the principles of traffic engineering as they apply to the design and placement of roadway signs. Because of the dynamic and active nature of computing, communications, and display te...

Pilot/vehicle model analysis of visually guided flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zacharias, Greg L.

1991-01-01

Information is given in graphical and outline form on a pilot/vehicle model description, control of altitude with simple terrain clues, simulated flight with visual scene delays, model-based in-cockpit display design, and some thoughts on the role of pilot/vehicle modeling.

Flight performance of the TCV B-737 airplane at Kennedy Airport using TRSB/MLS guidance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, W. F.; Clark, L. V.

1979-01-01

The terminal configured vehicle (TCV) B 737 was flown in demonstration of the time reference scanning beam/microwave landing system (TRSB/MLS). The flight performance of the TCV airplane during the demonstration automatic approaches and landings while utilizing TRSB/MLS guidance is reported. The TRSB/MLS is shown to provide the terminal area guidance necessary for flying curved automatic approaches with short finals.

Grinding Parts For Automatic Welding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burley, Richard K.; Hoult, William S.

1989-01-01

Rollers guide grinding tool along prospective welding path. Skatelike fixture holds rotary grinder or file for machining large-diameter rings or ring segments in preparation for welding. Operator grasps handles to push rolling fixture along part. Rollers maintain precise dimensional relationship so grinding wheel cuts precise depth. Fixture-mounted grinder machines surface to quality sufficient for automatic welding; manual welding with attendant variations and distortion not necessary. Developed to enable automatic welding of parts, manual welding of which resulted in weld bead permeated with microscopic fissures.

Neural network based automatic limit prediction and avoidance system and method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calise, Anthony J. (Inventor); Prasad, Jonnalagadda V. R. (Inventor); Horn, Joseph F. (Inventor)

2001-01-01

A method for performance envelope boundary cueing for a vehicle control system comprises the steps of formulating a prediction system for a neural network and training the neural network to predict values of limited parameters as a function of current control positions and current vehicle operating conditions. The method further comprises the steps of applying the neural network to the control system of the vehicle, where the vehicle has capability for measuring current control positions and current vehicle operating conditions. The neural network generates a map of current control positions and vehicle operating conditions versus the limited parameters in a pre-determined vehicle operating condition. The method estimates critical control deflections from the current control positions required to drive the vehicle to a performance envelope boundary. Finally, the method comprises the steps of communicating the critical control deflection to the vehicle control system; and driving the vehicle control system to provide a tactile cue to an operator of the vehicle as the control positions approach the critical control deflections.

Problems Involved in an Emergency Method of Guiding a Gliding Vehicle from High Altitudes to a High Key Position

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jewel, Joseph W., Jr.; Whitten, James B.

1960-01-01

An investigation has been conducted to determine the problems involved in an emergency method of guiding a gliding vehicle from high altitudes to a high key position (initial position) above a landing field. A jet airplane in a simulated flameout condition, conventional ground-tracking radar, and a scaled wire for guidance programming on the radar plotting board were used in the tests. Starting test altitudes varied from 30,000 feet to 46,500 feet, and starting positions ranged 8.4 to 67 nautical miles from the high key. Specified altitudes of the high key were 12,000, 10,000 or 4,000 feet. Lift-drag ratios of the aircraft of either 17, 16, or 6 were held constant during any given flight; however, for a few flights the lift-drag ratio was varied from 11 to 6. Indicated airspeeds were held constant at either 160 or 250 knots. Results from these tests indicate that a gliding vehicle having a lift-drag ratio of 16 and an indicated approach speed of 160 knots can be guided to within 800 feet vertically and 2,400 feet laterally of a high key position. When the lift-drag ratio of the vehicle is reduced to 6 and the indicated approach speed is raised to 250 knots, the radar controller was able to guide the vehicle to within 2,400 feet vertically and au feet laterally of the high key. It was also found that radar stations which give only azimuth-distance information could control the glide path of a gliding vehicle as well as stations that receive azimuth-distance-altitude information, provided that altitude information is supplied by the pilot.

2007 Research and Engineering Annual Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stoliker, Patrick; Bowers, Albion; Cruciani, Everlyn

2008-01-01

Selected research and technology activities at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center are summarized. These following activities exemplify the Center's varied and productive research efforts: Developing a Requirements Development Guide for an Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System; Digital Terrain Data Compression and Rendering for Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance Systems; Nonlinear Flutter/Limit Cycle Oscillations Prediction Tool; Nonlinear System Identification Using Orthonormal Bases: Application to Aeroelastic/Aeroservoelastic Systems; Critical Aerodynamic Flow Feature Indicators: Towards Application with the Aerostructures Test Wing; Multidisciplinary Design, Analysis, and Optimization Tool Development Using a Genetic Algorithm; Structural Model Tuning Capability in an Object-Oriented Multidisciplinary Design, Analysis, and Optimization Tool; Extension of Ko Straight-Beam Displacement Theory to the Deformed Shape Predictions of Curved Structures; F-15B with Phoenix Missile and Pylon Assembly--Drag Force Estimation; Mass Property Testing of Phoenix Missile Hypersonic Testbed Hardware; ARMD Hypersonics Project Materials and Structures: Testing of Scramjet Thermal Protection System Concepts; High-Temperature Modal Survey of the Ruddervator Subcomponent Test Article; ARMD Hypersonics Project Materials and Structures: C/SiC Ruddervator Subcomponent Test and Analysis Task; Ground Vibration Testing and Model Correlation of the Phoenix Missile Hypersonic Testbed; Phoenix Missile Hypersonic Testbed: Performance Design and Analysis; Crew Exploration Vehicle Launch Abort System-Pad Abort-1 (PA-1) Flight Test; Testing the Orion (Crew Exploration Vehicle) Launch Abort System-Ascent Abort-1 (AA-1) Flight Test; SOFIA Flight-Test Flutter Prediction Methodology; SOFIA Closed-Door Aerodynamic Analyses; SOFIA Handling Qualities Evaluation for Closed-Door Operations; C-17 Support of IRAC Engine Model Development; Current Capabilities and Future Upgrade Plans of the C-17 Data Rack; Intelligent Data Mining Capabilities as Applied to Integrated Vehicle Health Management; STARS Flight Demonstration No. 2 IP Data Formatter; Space-Based Telemetry and Range Safety (STARS) Flight Demonstration No. 2 Range User Flight Test Results; Aerodynamic Effects of the Quiet Spike(tm) on an F-15B Aircraft; F-15 Intelligent Flight Controls-Increased Destabilization Failure; F-15 Integrated Resilient Aircraft Control (IRAC) Improved Adaptive Controller; Aeroelastic Analysis of the Ikhana/Fire Pod System; Ikhana: Western States Fire Missions Utilizing the Ames Research Center Fire Sensor; Ikhana: Fiber-Optic Wing Shape Sensors; Ikhana: ARTS III; SOFIA Closed-Door Flutter Envelope Flight Testing; F-15B Quiet Spike(TM) Aeroservoelastic Flight Test Data Analysis; and UAVSAR Platform Precision Autopilot Flight Results.

Plug-In Electric Vehicle Handbook for Fleet Managers (Brochure)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

2012-04-01

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are entering the automobile market and are viable alternatives to conventional vehicles. This guide for fleet managers describes the basics of PEV technology, PEV benefits for fleets, how to select the right PEV, charging a PEV, and PEV maintenance.

Statewide Cellular Coverage Map

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-02-01

The role of wireless communications in transportation is becoming increasingly important. Wireless communications are critical for many applications of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) such as Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and Automated Co...

Experiments in teleoperator and autonomous control of space robotic vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, Harold L.

1991-01-01

A program of research embracing teleoperator and automatic navigational control of freely flying satellite robots is presented. Current research goals include: (1) developing visual operator interfaces for improved vehicle teleoperation; (2) determining the effects of different visual interface system designs on operator performance; and (3) achieving autonomous vision-based vehicle navigation and control. This research program combines virtual-environment teleoperation studies and neutral-buoyancy experiments using a space-robot simulator vehicle currently under development. Visual-interface design options under investigation include monoscopic versus stereoscopic displays and cameras, helmet-mounted versus panel-mounted display monitors, head-tracking versus fixed or manually steerable remote cameras, and the provision of vehicle-fixed visual cues, or markers, in the remote scene for improved sensing of vehicle position, orientation, and motion.

Demonstration of Self-Training Autonomous Neural Networks in Space Vehicle Docking Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patrick, M. Clinton; Thaler, Stephen L.; Stevenson-Chavis, Katherine

2006-01-01

Neural Networks have been under examination for decades in many areas of research, with varying degrees of success and acceptance. Key goals of computer learning, rapid problem solution, and automatic adaptation have been elusive at best. This paper summarizes efforts at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center harnessing such technology to autonomous space vehicle docking for the purpose of evaluating applicability to future missions.

Four-chamber heart modeling and automatic segmentation for 3-D cardiac CT volumes using marginal space learning and steerable features.

PubMed

Zheng, Yefeng; Barbu, Adrian; Georgescu, Bogdan; Scheuering, Michael; Comaniciu, Dorin

2008-11-01

We propose an automatic four-chamber heart segmentation system for the quantitative functional analysis of the heart from cardiac computed tomography (CT) volumes. Two topics are discussed: heart modeling and automatic model fitting to an unseen volume. Heart modeling is a nontrivial task since the heart is a complex nonrigid organ. The model must be anatomically accurate, allow manual editing, and provide sufficient information to guide automatic detection and segmentation. Unlike previous work, we explicitly represent important landmarks (such as the valves and the ventricular septum cusps) among the control points of the model. The control points can be detected reliably to guide the automatic model fitting process. Using this model, we develop an efficient and robust approach for automatic heart chamber segmentation in 3-D CT volumes. We formulate the segmentation as a two-step learning problem: anatomical structure localization and boundary delineation. In both steps, we exploit the recent advances in learning discriminative models. A novel algorithm, marginal space learning (MSL), is introduced to solve the 9-D similarity transformation search problem for localizing the heart chambers. After determining the pose of the heart chambers, we estimate the 3-D shape through learning-based boundary delineation. The proposed method has been extensively tested on the largest dataset (with 323 volumes from 137 patients) ever reported in the literature. To the best of our knowledge, our system is the fastest with a speed of 4.0 s per volume (on a dual-core 3.2-GHz processor) for the automatic segmentation of all four chambers.

Predicting severe injury using vehicle telemetry data.

PubMed

Ayoung-Chee, Patricia; Mack, Christopher D; Kaufman, Robert; Bulger, Eileen

2013-01-01

In 2010, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standardized collision data collected by event data recorders, which may help determine appropriate emergency medical service (EMS) response. Previous models (e.g., General Motors ) predict severe injury (Injury Severity Score [ISS] > 15) using occupant demographics and collision data. Occupant information is not automatically available, and 12% of calls from advanced automatic collision notification providers are unanswered. To better inform EMS triage, our goal was to create a predictive model only using vehicle collision data. Using the National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System data set, we included front-seat occupants in late-model vehicles (2000 and later) in nonrollover and rollover crashes in years 2000 to 2010. Telematic (change in velocity, direction of force, seat belt use, vehicle type and curb weight, as well as multiple impact) and nontelematic variables (maximum intrusion, narrow impact, and passenger ejection) were included. Missing data were multiply imputed. The University of Washington model was tested to predict severe injury before application of guidelines (Step 0) and for occupants who did not meet Steps 1 and 2 criteria (Step 3) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Field Triage Guidelines. A probability threshold of 20% was chosen in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. There were 28,633 crashes, involving 33,956 vehicles and 52,033 occupants, of whom 9.9% had severe injury. At Step 0, the University of Washington model sensitivity was 40.0% and positive predictive value (PPV) was 20.7%. At Step 3, the sensitivity was 32.3 % and PPV was 10.1%. Model analysis excluding nontelematic variables decreased sensitivity and PPV. The sensitivity of the re-created General Motors model was 38.5% at Step 0 and 28.1% at Step 3. We designed a model using only vehicle collision data that was predictive of severe injury at collision notification and in the field and was comparable with an existing model. These models demonstrate the potential use of advanced automatic collision notification in planning EMS response. Prognostic study, level II.

Driving behaviour responses to a moose encounter, automatic speed camera, wildlife warning sign and radio message determined in a factorial simulator study.

PubMed

Jägerbrand, Annika K; Antonson, Hans

2016-01-01

In a driving simulator study, driving behaviour responses (speed and deceleration) to encountering a moose, automatic speed camera, wildlife warning sign and radio message, with or without a wildlife fence and in dense forest or open landscape, were analysed. The study consisted of a factorial experiment that examined responses to factors singly and in combination over 9-km road stretches driven eight times by 25 participants (10 men, 15 women). The aims were to: determine the most effective animal-vehicle collision (AVC) countermeasures in reducing vehicle speed and test whether these are more effective in combination for reducing vehicle speed; identify the most effective countermeasures on encountering moose; and determine whether the driving responses to AVC countermeasures are affected by the presence of wildlife fences and landscape characteristics. The AVC countermeasures that proved most effective in reducing vehicle speed were a wildlife warning sign and radio message, while automatic speed cameras had a speed-increasing effect. There were no statistically significant interactions between different countermeasures and moose encounters. However, there was a tendency for a stronger speed-reducing effect from the radio message warning and from a combination of a radio message and wildlife warning sign in velocity profiles covering longer driving distances than the statistical tests. Encountering a moose during the drive had the overall strongest speed-reducing effect and gave the strongest deceleration, indicating that moose decoys or moose artwork might be useful as speed-reducing countermeasures. Furthermore, drivers reduced speed earlier on encountering a moose in open landscape and had lower velocity when driving past it. The presence of a wildlife fence on encountering the moose resulted in smaller deceleration. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Site survey method and apparatus

DOEpatents

Oldham, James G.; Spencer, Charles R.; Begley, Carl L.; Meyer, H. Robert

1991-06-18

The disclosure of the invention is directed to a site survey ground vehicle based apparatus and method for automatically detecting source materials, such as radioactivity, marking the location of the source materials, such as with paint, and mapping the location of the source materials on a site. The apparatus of the invention is also useful for collecting and analyzing samples. The apparatus includes a ground vehicle, detectors mounted at the front of the ground vehicle, and individual detector supports which follow somewhat irregular terrain to allow consistent and accurate detection, and autolocation equipment.

Site survey method and apparatus

DOEpatents

Oldham, J.G.; Spencer, C.R.; Begley, C.L.; Meyer, H.R.

1991-06-18

The disclosure of the invention is directed to a site survey ground vehicle based apparatus and method for automatically detecting source materials, such as radioactivity, marking the location of the source materials, such as with paint, and mapping the location of the source materials on a site. The apparatus of the invention is also useful for collecting and analyzing samples. The apparatus includes a ground vehicle, detectors mounted at the front of the ground vehicle, and individual detector supports which follow somewhat irregular terrain to allow consistent and accurate detection, and autolocation equipment. 19 figures.

Development of a laser-guided embedded-computer-controlled air-assisted precision sprayer

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

An embedded computer-controlled, laser-guided, air-assisted, variable-rate precision sprayer was developed to automatically adjust spray outputs on both sides of the sprayer to match presence, size, shape, and foliage density of tree crops. The sprayer was the integration of an embedded computer, a ...

40 CFR 1065.510 - Engine mapping.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

.... Configure any auxiliary work inputs and outputs such as hybrid, turbo-compounding, or thermoelectric systems... intended primarily for propulsion of a vehicle with an automatic transmission where that engine is subject...

Clean Cities Plug-In Electric Vehicle Handbook for Fleet Managers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2012-04-01

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are entering the automobile market and are viable alternatives to conventional vehicles. This guide for fleet managers describes the basics of PEV technology, PEV benefits for fleets, how to select the right PEV, charging a PEV, and PEV maintenance.

Mechatronic description of a laser autoguided vehicle for greenhouse operations.

PubMed

Sánchez-Hermosilla, Julián; González, Ramón; Rodríguez, Francisco; Donaire, Julián G

2013-01-08

This paper presents a novel approach for guiding mobile robots inside greenhouses demonstrated by promising preliminary physical experiments. It represents a comprehensive attempt to use the successful principles of AGVs (auto-guided vehicles) inside greenhouses, but avoiding the necessity of modifying the crop layout, and avoiding having to bury metallic pipes in the greenhouse floor. The designed vehicle can operate different tools, e.g., a spray system for applying plant-protection product, a lifting platform to reach the top part of the plants to perform pruning and harvesting tasks, and a trailer to transport fruits, plants, and crop waste. Regarding autonomous navigation, it follows the idea of AGVs, but now laser emitters are used to mark the desired route. The vehicle development is analyzed from a mechatronic standpoint (mechanics, electronics, and autonomous control).

Load and dynamic assessment of B-52B-008 carrier aircraft for finned configuration 1 space shuttle solid rocket booster deceleration subsystem drop test vehicle. Volume 4: Pylon load data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quade, D. A.

1978-01-01

The pylon loading at the drop test vehicle and wing interface attack points is presented. The loads shown are determined using a stiffness method, which assumes the side stiffness of the forward hook guide and the fore and aft stiffness of each drag pin to be equal. The net effect of this assumption is that the forward hook guide reacts approximately 96% of the drop test vehicle yawing moment. For a comparison of these loads to previous X-15 analysis design loadings, see Volume 1 of this document.

Ship Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

Guided missile cruiser equipped with advanced Aegis fleet defense system which automatically tracks hundreds of attacking aircraft or missiles, then fires and guides the ship's own weapons in response. Designed by Ingalls Shipbuilding for the US Navy, the U.S.S. Ticonderoga is the first of four CG-47 cruisers to be constructed. NASTRAN program was used previously in another Navy/Ingalls project involving design and construction of four DDG-993 Kidd Class guided missile destroyers.

Flow-guided sketch and accentuated-tone adjusting for pencil drawing generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ruirui; Yang, Lei; Hu, Wei

2017-07-01

Pencil drawing is an important artistic style which is widely used in draft sketch and finished rendering. It is non-trivial if we can automatically generate the pencil drawing more precisely in order to ease the human efforts. In this paper, we propose flow-guided sketch and accentuated-tone adjusting techniques to transform the pencil drawing from natural images. This work is extended from the existing pencil drawing framework where authors combine sketch and tone together for penciling purpose. Through an edge tangent flow guided classification and convolution, we can obtain more coherent and smooth strokes, especially for portraits. In addition, we also introduce a hierarchical approach to generate strokes. According to saliency map, we can adjust the tone of images automatically. The experimental results indicate the generated toned pencil drawings by our approach are of fewer artifacts and could even solve the images with dark background

Sustainable transportation : technology, engineering, and science : summer camp instructor’s guide.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-03-01

This document reproduces the instructors guide for a ten day transportation engineering summer camp that was held at the University of Idaho in July 2013. The instructors guide is split into three units: Unit 1: Vehicle Technology, Unit 2: Traf...

Sustainable transportation : technology, engineering, and science - summer camp instructor's guide.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-03-01

This document reproduces the instructors guide for a ten day transportation engineering summer camp that was held at the University of Idaho in July 2013. The instructors guide is split into three units: Unit 1: Vehicle Technology, Unit 2: Traf...

Automatic Design of a Maglev Controller in State Space

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-01

Design of a Maglev Controller in State Space Feng Zhao Richard Thornton Abstract We describe the automatic synthesis of a global nonlinear controller for...the global switching points of the controller is presented. The synthesized control system can stabilize the maglev vehicle with large initial displace...NUMBERS Automation Desing of a Maglev Controller in State Space N00014-89-J-3202 MIP-9001651 6. AUTHOR(S) Feng Zhao and Richard Thornton 7. PERFORMING

Construction Management Activities of Governmental Agencies in the New England Area During the Construction Phase.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-02-01

automatic data exchange ... 56 There are currently 12 Data Systems available: I. Integrated Disbursing and Accounting (IDA) 2. Integrated Program Management...construction project progress through the use of a CPM scheduling and progress reporting system . It automatically generates invoices for payment and payment...posted on the project. Water will be drained daily from tanks of vehicle air brake systems . Rtigging, hooks, pendants and slings will be examined

Transmit: An Advanced Traffic Management System

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-11-27

TRANSCOM'S SYSTEM FOR MANAGING INCIDENTS AND TRAFFIC, KNOWN AS TRANSMIT, WAS INITIATED TO ESTABLISH THE FEASIBILITY OF USING AUTOMATIC VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION (AVI) EQUIPMENT FOR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AND SURVEILLANCE APPLICATIONS. AVI TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS...

Analyses of rail vehicle dynamics in support of development of the wheel rail dynamics research facility

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1973-06-30

The development of experimental facilities for rail vehicle testing at the DOT High Speed Ground Test Center is being complemented by analytical studies. The purpose of this effort has been to gain insight into the dynamics of rail vehicles to guide ...

Collaborative Visual Seafloor Imaging using a Photographic AUV and a Lagrangian Imaging Float

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedman, A.; Pizarro, O.; Roman, C.; Toohey, L.; Snyder, W.; Johnson-Roberson, M.; Iscar, E.; Williams, S. B.

2016-02-01

High resolution seafloor imaging from mobile autonomous platforms has become a valuable tool for habitat classification, stock assessment and seafloor exploration. This abstract addresses the concept of joint seafloor survey planning using both navigable and drifting platforms, and presents results from an experiment using a bottom surveying AUV and a drifting Lagrangian camera float. We consider two classes of vehicles; one which is able to self propel and execute structured surveys, and one which is Lagrangian and moves only with the currents. The navigable vehicle is the more capable and the more expensives asset of the two. The Lagrangian platforms is a low cost imaging tool that can actively control its altitude above the seafloor to obtain high quality images but can not otherwise control its trajectory over the bottom. When used together the vehicles offer several scenarios for joint operations. When used in an exploratory manner the Lagrangian float is an inexpensive way to collect images from an unknown area. Depending on the collected images, a follow on structured survey with the navigable AUV can collect additional information if the cost is acceptable given the need and prior data. When used simultaneously the drifting float can guide the AUV trajectory over an area. When both platforms are equipped with acoustic tracking and communications the AUV trajectory can be automatically redirected to follow the Lagrangian float using one of many patterns. This capability allows for surveys that are potentially more representative of the near bottom oceanographic conditions at the desired location. Results will be presented from a cruise to Scott Reef, Australia, where both platforms were used as part of a coral habitat monitoring project.

System identification for precision control of a wingsailed GPS-guided catamaran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elkaim, Gabriel Hugh

This thesis details the Atlantis project, whose aim is the design, development, and experimental testing of an autonomous wind-propelled marine craft. Functionally, such a vehicle is the marine equivalent of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and would serve similar purposes. The Atlantis project has been able to demonstrate an advance in control precision of a wind-propelled marine vehicle from typical commercial autopilot accuracy of 100 meters to an accuracy of better than one meter with a prototype based on a modified Prindle-19 light catamaran. The project involves substantial innovations in three areas: wind-propulsion system, overall system architecture, and sensors. The wind-propulsion system is a rigid wing-sail mounted vertically on bearings, mass balanced to allow free rotation in azimuth about a stub-mast. Aerodynamic torque about the stub-mast is trimmed using a flying tail mounted on booms aft of the wing. This arrangement allows the wing-sail to automatically attain the optimum angle to the wind, and weathervane into gusts without inducing large heeling moments. The sensor system uses differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) augmented by a low-cost attitude system based on accelerometer- and magnetometer-triads for position and velocity measurements. Accurate attitude determination is required to create a synthetic position sensor that is located at the center-of-gravity (c.g.) of the boat, rather than at the Global Positioning System (GPS) antenna location. A high-performance estimator/controller was implemented and tested on the full-scale prototype. The identified controllers were able to perform remarkably well, in the presence of wind and waves, tracking the desired line to within 0.3 meters (˜1 foot).

CVISN guide to top-level design : preliminary version P1.1

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-06-25

The CVISN (Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks) guide to top-level design shows the initial steps in the process of deploying CVISN in a state. For purposes of these guides, top-level design encompasses setting the scope of the projec...

Automated low-thrust guidance for the orbital maneuvering vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rose, Richard E.; Schmeichel, Harry; Shortwell, Charles P.; Werner, Ronald A.

1988-01-01

This paper describes the highly autonomous OMV Guidance Navigation and Control system. Emphasis is placed on a key feature of the design, the low thrust guidance algorithm. The two guidance modes, orbit change guidance and rendezvous guidance, are discussed in detail. It is shown how OMV will automatically transfer from its initial orbit to an arbitrary target orbit and reach a specified rendezvous position relative to the target vehicle.

Pre-Alignment Checks. Automotive Mechanics. Steering & Suspension. Instructor's Guide [and] Student Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spignesi, B.

This instructional package, one in a series of individualized instructional units on automotive steering and suspension, consists of a student guide and an instructor guide dealing with prealignment checks. Covered in the module are the following steps in a prealignment check: checking the ride height of a vehicle, checking the ball joints and the…

Steerability Analysis of Tracked Vehicles: Theory and User’s Guide for Computer Program TVSTEER

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-08-01

Baladi , Donald E. Barnes, Rebecca P. BergerC oStructures Laboratory NDEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY ___ Waterways Experiment Station, Corps of Engineers . U P0 Box...Analysis of Tracked Vehicles: Theory and User’s Guide for Computer Program TVSTEER - 12 PERSONAL AUTHOR(S) Baladi , George Y., Barnes, Donald E...mathematical model was formulated by Drs. George Y. Baladi and Behzad Rohani. The logic and computer programming were accomplished by Dr. Baladi and

Human machine interface to manually drive rhombic like vehicles such as transport casks in ITER

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lopes, Pedro; Vale, Alberto; Ventura, Rodrigo

2015-07-01

The Cask and Plug Remote Handling System (CPRHS) and the respective Cask Transfer System (CTS) are designed to transport activated components between the reactor and the hot cell buildings of ITER during maintenance operations. In nominal operation, the CPRHS/CTS shall operate autonomously under human supervision. However, in some unexpected situations, the automatic mode must be overridden and the vehicle must be remotely guided by a human operator due to the harsh conditions of the environment. The CPRHS/CTS is a rhombic-like vehicle with two independent steerable and drivable wheels along its longitudinal axis, giving it omni-directional capabilities. During manual guidance, themore » human operator has to deal with four degrees of freedom, namely the orientations and speeds of two wheels. This work proposes a Human Machine Interface (HMI) to manage the degrees of freedom and to remotely guide the CPRHS/CTS in ITER taking the most advantages of rhombic like capabilities. Previous work was done to drive each wheel independently, i.e., control the orientation and speed of each wheel independently. The results have shown that the proposed solution is inefficient. The attention of the human operator becomes focused in a single wheel. In addition, the proposed solution cannot assure that the commands accomplish the physical constrains of the vehicle, resulting in slippage or even in clashes. This work proposes a solution that consists in the control of the vehicle looking at the position of its center of mass and its heading in the world frame. The solution is implemented using a rotational disk to control the vehicle heading and a common analogue joystick to control the vector speed of the center of the mass of the vehicle. The number of degrees of freedom reduces to three, i.e., two angles (vehicle heading and the orientation of the vector speed) and a scalar (the magnitude of the speed vector). This is possible using a kinematic model based on the vehicle Instantaneous Center of Rotation (ICR): a geometric approach where, at each time instant, the vehicle describes a circumference (either with a finite or infinite radius). The inverse of the kinematic model transforms the three input parameters of the center of mass into the four parameters for the wheels, preserving the omni-directional capabilities. The solution is implemented and tested using a HMI with a control disk and an analog joystick with two axis. The control disk was specially designed for this solution and implemented using a programmable micro-controller. In the first set of experiments, the HMI communicates with a computer running a simulator of the CPRHS/CTS, with the vehicle kinematics and dynamics, moving in a map of the ITER buildings. In the second set of experiments, the HMI communicates with a scaled prototype of the CPRHS running in a mock-up scenario to obtain more realistic results. Several type of tests were performed to evaluate the usability of the HMI. Different human operators without knowledge neither experience with this interface were invited to test the HMI. The operators had to drive the vehicle from an initial place to a final destination under the following conditions: with a pre-computed path to help guidance, without any path, with the information of the closest obstacles and without any help. The performance was evaluated using the time duration of the operation, the energy required to perform the described path, the risk of collision and, in case of a pre-computed path, the comparison between paths. In addition, each operator tested the HMI several times to evaluate the performance along consecutive trials. (authors)« less

ORAC-DR -- Programmer's Guide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenness, Tim; Economou, Frossie; Cavanagh, Brad

ORAC-DR is a general purpose automatic data reduction pipeline environment. This document describes how to modify data reduction recipes and how to add new instruments. For a general overview of ORAC-DR see SUN/230. For specific information on how to reduce the data for a particular instrument, please consult the appropriate ORAC-DR instrument guide.

Wildland resource information system: user's guide

Treesearch

Robert M. Russell; David A. Sharpnack; Elliot L. Amidon

1975-01-01

This user's guide provides detailed information about how to use the computer programs of WRIS, a computer system for storing and manipulating data about land areas. Instructions explain how to prepare maps, digitize by automatic scanners or by hand, produce polygon maps, and combine map layers. Support programs plot maps, store them on tapes, produce summaries,...

Research and education from a smart campus transit laboratory.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-10-15

For approximately a decade, members of the project team monitored Ohio State University (OSU) : campus buses serving four million passengers annually with a homemade GPSbased automatic : vehicle location (AVL), communications, and informatio...

Rural ITS user needs

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-07-01

The Truck Characteristics Study seeks to develop a better understanding of the physical characteristics of the national truck fleet. With automatic vehicle classifiers (AVC) and weigh-in-motion devices (WIM), only axle spacing and weight information ...

Vibration Tests on Transit Buses

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1979-03-01

The objective of this vibration measurement program was to quantify the vibration environment which would be experienced by Automatic Vehicle Monitoring (AVM) equipment when installed on buses during typical city route service operations. Two buses w...

Better service, greater efficiency : transit management for demand response systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-01-01

This brochure briefly describes different technologies which can enhance demand response transit systems. It covers automated scheduling and dispatching, mobile data terminals, electronic identification cards, automatic vehicle location, and geograph...

Automatic Parking of Self-Driving CAR Based on LIDAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, B.; Wei, Y.; Guo, I. Y.

2017-09-01

To overcome the deficiency of ultrasonic sensor and camera, this paper proposed a method of autonomous parking based on the self-driving car, using HDL-32E LiDAR. First the 3-D point cloud data was preprocessed. Then we calculated the minimum size of parking space according to the dynamic theories of vehicle. Second the rapidly-exploring random tree algorithm (RRT) algorithm was improved in two aspects based on the moving characteristic of autonomous car. And we calculated the parking path on the basis of the vehicle's dynamics and collision constraints. Besides, we used the fuzzy logic controller to control the brake and accelerator in order to realize the stably of speed. At last the experiments were conducted in an autonomous car, and the results show that the proposed automatic parking system is feasible and effective.

Automatic localization of backscattering events due to particulate in urban areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaudio, P.; Gelfusa, M.; Malizia, Andrea; Parracino, Stefano; Richetta, M.; Murari, A.; Vega, J.

2014-10-01

Particulate matter (PM), emitted by vehicles in urban traffic, can greatly affect environment air quality and have direct implications on both human health and infrastructure integrity. The consequences for society are relevant and can impact also on national health. Limits and thresholds of pollutants emitted by vehicles are typically regulated by government agencies. In the last few years, the interest in PM emissions has grown substantially due to both air quality issues and global warming. Lidar-Dial techniques are widely recognized as a costeffective alternative to monitor large regions of the atmosphere. To maximize the effectiveness of the measurements and to guarantee reliable, automatic monitoring of large areas, new data analysis techniques are required. In this paper, an original tool, the Universal Multi-Event Locator (UMEL), is applied to the problem of automatically indentifying the time location of peaks in Lidar measurements for the detection of particulate matter emitted by anthropogenic sources like vehicles. The method developed is based on Support Vector Regression and presents various advantages with respect to more traditional techniques. In particular, UMEL is based on the morphological properties of the signals and therefore the method is insensitive to the details of the noise present in the detection system. The approach is also fully general, purely software and can therefore be applied to a large variety of problems without any additional cost. The potential of the proposed technique is exemplified with the help of data acquired during an experimental campaign in the field in Rome.

Iowa truck information guide.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-07-22

The Iowa Department of Transportation and the offices of Motor : Vehicle Enforcement, Motor Carrier Services, Vehicle Services, : and Driver Services want to make your travels into and through : our state safer, legal and less complicated. : This boo...

DAN DORNEY

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-16

CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE LAUNCH VEHICLE FOR NASA'S COMMERCIAL CREW PROGRAM, DAN DORNEY GUIDES THE TEAM EVALUATING THE VEHICLES CREATED BY INDUSTRY PARTNERS AND ENSURES THE ROCKETS MEET THE REQUIREMENTS TO SAFELY CARRY ASTRONAUTS TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

Load and dynamic assessment of B-52B-008 carrier aircraft for finned configuration 1 space shuttle solid rocket booster decelerator subsystem drop test vehicle. Volume 3: Pylon load data method 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quade, D. A.

1978-01-01

The pylon loading at the drop test vehicle and wing interface attach points is presented. The loads shown are determined using a stiffness method, which assumes the side stiffness of the foreward hook guide to be one-fourth of the fore and aft stiffness of each drag pin. The net effect of this assumption is that the forward hook guide reacts approximately 85% of the drop test vehicle yawing moment. For a comparison of these loads to previous X-15 analysis design loadings, see Volume 1 of this document.

Orbiter lessons learned: A guide to future vehicle development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenberg, Harry Stan

1993-01-01

Topics addressed are: (1) wind persistence loads methodology; (2) emphasize supportability in design of reusable vehicles; (3) design for robustness; (4) improved aerodynamic environment prediction methods for complex vehicles; (5) automated integration of aerothermal, manufacturing, and structures analysis; (6) continued electronic documentation of structural design and analysis; and (7) landing gear rollout load simulations.

DELINEATING SUBTYPES OF SELF-INJURIOUS BEHAVIOR MAINTAINED BY AUTOMATIC REINFORCEMENT

PubMed Central

Hagopian, Louis P.; Rooker, Griffin W.; Zarcone, Jennifer R.

2016-01-01

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) is maintained by automatic reinforcement in roughly 25% of cases. Automatically reinforced SIB typically has been considered a single functional category, and is less understood than socially reinforced SIB. Subtyping automatically reinforced SIB into functional categories has the potential to guide the development of more targeted interventions and increase our understanding of its biological underpinnings. The current study involved an analysis of 39 individuals with automatically reinforced SIB and a comparison group of 13 individuals with socially reinforced SIB. Automatically reinforced SIB was categorized into 3 subtypes based on patterns of responding in the functional analysis and the presence of self-restraint. These response features were selected as the basis for subtyping on the premise that they could reflect functional properties of SIB unique to each subtype. Analysis of treatment data revealed important differences across subtypes and provides preliminary support to warrant additional research on this proposed subtyping model. PMID:26223959

Six degree of freedom FORTRAN program, ASTP docking dynamics, users guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mount, G. O., Jr.; Mikhalkin, B.

1974-01-01

The digital program ASTP Docking Dynamics as outlined is intended to aid the engineer using the program to determine the docking system loads and attendant vehicular motion resulting from docking two vehicles that have an androgynous, six-hydraulic-attenuator, guide ring, docking interface similar to that designed for the Apollo/Soyuz Test Project (ASTP). This program is set up to analyze two different vehicle combinations: the Apollo CSM docking to Soyuz and the shuttle orbiter docking to another orbiter. The subroutine modifies the vehicle control systems to describe one or the other vehicle combinations; the rest of the vehicle characteristics are changed by input data. To date, the program has been used to predict and correlate ASTP docking loads and performance with docking test program results from dynamic testing. The program modified for use on IBM 360 computers. Parts of the original docking system equations in the areas of hydraulic damping and capture latches are modified to better describe the detail design of the ASTP docking system.

Eco Assist Techniques through Real-time Monitoring of BEV Energy Usage Efficiency

PubMed Central

Kim, Younsun; Lee, Ingeol; Kang, Sungho

2015-01-01

Energy efficiency enhancement has become an increasingly important issue for battery electric vehicles. Even if it can be improved in many ways, the driver’s driving pattern strongly influences the battery energy consumption of a vehicle. In this paper, eco assist techniques to simply implement an energy-efficient driving assistant system are introduced, including eco guide, eco control and eco monitoring methods. The eco guide is provided to control the vehicle speed and accelerator pedal stroke, and eco control is suggested to limit the output power of the battery. For eco monitoring, the eco indicator and eco report are suggested to teach eco-friendly driving habits. The vehicle test, which is done in four ways, consists of federal test procedure (FTP)-75, new european driving cycle (NEDC), city and highway cycles, and visual feedback with audible warnings is provided to attract the driver’s voluntary participation. The vehicle test result shows that the energy usage efficiency can be increased up to 19.41%. PMID:26121611

Slip control for LIM propelled transit vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallace, A. K.; Parker, J. H.; Dawson, G. E.

1980-09-01

Short stator linear induction motors, with an iron-backed aluminum sheet reaction rail and powered by a controlled inverter, have been selected as the propulsion system for transit vehicles in an intermediate capacity system (12-20,000 pphpd). The linear induction motor is capable of adhesion independent braking and acceleration levels which permit safe, close headways. In addition, simple control is possible allowing moving block automatic train control. This paper presents a slip frequency control scheme for the LIM. Experimental results for motoring and braking obtained from a test vehicle are also presented. These values are compared with theoretical predictions.

Vehicle fault diagnostics and management system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gopal, Jagadeesh; Gowthamsachin

2017-11-01

This project is a kind of advanced automatic identification technology, and is more and more widely used in the fields of transportation and logistics. It looks over the main functions with like Vehicle management, Vehicle Speed limit and Control. This system starts with authentication process to keep itself secure. Here we connect sensors to the STM32 board which in turn is connected to the car through Ethernet cable, as Ethernet in capable of sending large amounts of data at high speeds. This technology involved clearly shows how a careful combination of software and hardware can produce an extremely cost-effective solution to a problem.

Traffic monitoring guide

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-02-01

This guide is designed to provide direction on the monitoring of traffic characteristics. It begins with a discussion of the structure of traffic characteristics monitoring and traffic counting. The next two sections cover vehicle classification and ...

Driver Education Curriculum Guide. Energy Conservation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Governor's Highway Safety Program Office, Columbus, OH.

Designed to provide high school students with information concerning energy-efficient driving, this curriculum guide covers techniques of conserving energy, efficient use of motor vehicles, safe driving techniques, and development of energy-efficient driving habits. The guide consists of six lessons: (1) Fuel Conservation: Why It Is Essential; (2)…

Vehicle classification system : FHWA perspective

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-08-01

Issues related to vehicle classification in light of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Traffic Monitoring Guide (TMG) revision will be discussed. The discussion will look at the expressed needs of the data users and the associated impacts on ...

Missouri commercial vehicle operations : state business plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-05-15

This business plan is intended to assist this state in improving its commercial vehicle operation regulation, guide the deployment and installation of intelligent transportation systems and to implement these systems in an efficient and cost effectiv...

The Twin Purposes of Guided Inquiry: Guiding Student Inquiry and Evidence-Based Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

FitzGerald, Lee

2010-01-01

Guided Inquiry is a means by which student enquiry can be facilitated in schools, while simultaneously being the vehicle for evidence-based practice. This paper illustrates this twin purpose in two contexts: An overview discussion of the 2008 NSW Association of Independent Schools' Project, led by Dr. Todd, and a 2010 Guided Inquiry at Loreto…

Communication Systems for Dual Mode Transportation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1974-02-01

A program is underway to develop and demonstrate transportation systems based on vehicles which are capable of automatic operation on special guideways and manual operation on conventional roads. Adequate and reliable communications to and from vehic...

Cost/benefit analysis of electronic license plates

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-06-01

The objective of this report is to determine whether electronic vehicle recognition systems (EVR) or automatic license plate recognition systems (ALPR) would be beneficial to the Arizona Department of Transportation (AZDOT). EVR uses radio frequency ...

Better service, safer service : transit management for fixed-route systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-01-01

This brochure gives a brief overview of the different technologies available through advanced public transportation systems to aid public transit systems. It includes automatic vehicle location, mobile data terminals, and on-board surveillance.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast ADS-B Sense-and-Avoid System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arteaga, Ricardo

2016-01-01

This presentation provides valuable results, benefits and compliance to the FAA mandate in order to have clear guidelines to show aircraft designers how to integrate ADS-B technology into future UAS vehicles.

23 CFR 950.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS ELECTRONIC TOLL... Express Lanes Demonstration Program, and the Interstate System Construction Toll Pilot Program. Electronic toll collection means the ability for vehicle operators to pay tolls automatically without slowing down...

40 CFR 51.362 - Motorist compliance enforcement program oversight.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... collection through the use of automatic data capture systems such as bar-code scanners or optical character... determination of compliance through parking lot surveys, road-side pull-overs, or other in-use vehicle...

40 CFR 51.362 - Motorist compliance enforcement program oversight.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... collection through the use of automatic data capture systems such as bar-code scanners or optical character... determination of compliance through parking lot surveys, road-side pull-overs, or other in-use vehicle...

The integrated manual and automatic control of complex flight systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, D. K.

1986-01-01

The topics of research in this program include pilot/vehicle analysis techniques, identification of pilot dynamics, and control and display synthesis techniques for optimizing aircraft handling qualities. The project activities are discussed. The current technical activity is directed at extending and validating the active display synthesis procedure, and the pilot/vehicle analysis of the NLR rate-command flight configurations in the landing task. Two papers published by the researchers are attached as appendices.

Localization accuracy from automatic and semi-automatic rigid registration of locally-advanced lung cancer targets during image-guided radiation therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robertson, Scott P.; Weiss, Elisabeth; Hugo, Geoffrey D.

2012-01-15

Purpose: To evaluate localization accuracy resulting from rigid registration of locally-advanced lung cancer targets using fully automatic and semi-automatic protocols for image-guided radiation therapy. Methods: Seventeen lung cancer patients, fourteen also presenting with involved lymph nodes, received computed tomography (CT) scans once per week throughout treatment under active breathing control. A physician contoured both lung and lymph node targets for all weekly scans. Various automatic and semi-automatic rigid registration techniques were then performed for both individual and simultaneous alignments of the primary gross tumor volume (GTV{sub P}) and involved lymph nodes (GTV{sub LN}) to simulate the localization process in image-guidedmore » radiation therapy. Techniques included ''standard'' (direct registration of weekly images to a planning CT), ''seeded'' (manual prealignment of targets to guide standard registration), ''transitive-based'' (alignment of pretreatment and planning CTs through one or more intermediate images), and ''rereferenced'' (designation of a new reference image for registration). Localization error (LE) was assessed as the residual centroid and border distances between targets from planning and weekly CTs after registration. Results: Initial bony alignment resulted in centroid LE of 7.3 {+-} 5.4 mm and 5.4 {+-} 3.4 mm for the GTV{sub P} and GTV{sub LN}, respectively. Compared to bony alignment, transitive-based and seeded registrations significantly reduced GTV{sub P} centroid LE to 4.7 {+-} 3.7 mm (p = 0.011) and 4.3 {+-} 2.5 mm (p < 1 x 10{sup -3}), respectively, but the smallest GTV{sub P} LE of 2.4 {+-} 2.1 mm was provided by rereferenced registration (p < 1 x 10{sup -6}). Standard registration significantly reduced GTV{sub LN} centroid LE to 3.2 {+-} 2.5 mm (p < 1 x 10{sup -3}) compared to bony alignment, with little additional gain offered by the other registration techniques. For simultaneous target alignment, centroid LE as low as 3.9 {+-} 2.7 mm and 3.8 {+-} 2.3 mm were achieved for the GTV{sub P} and GTV{sub LN}, respectively, using rereferenced registration. Conclusions: Target shape, volume, and configuration changes during radiation therapy limited the accuracy of standard rigid registration for image-guided localization in locally-advanced lung cancer. Significant error reductions were possible using other rigid registration techniques, with LE approaching the lower limit imposed by interfraction target variability throughout treatment.« less

Vehicle tracking for an evasive manoeuvres assistant using low-cost ultrasonic sensors.

PubMed

Jiménez, Felipe; Naranjo, José E; Gómez, Oscar; Anaya, José J

2014-11-28

Many driver assistance systems require knowledge of the vehicle environment. As these systems are increasing in complexity and performance, this knowledge of the environment needs to be more complete and reliable, so sensor fusion combining long, medium and short range sensors is now being used. This paper analyzes the feasibility of using ultrasonic sensors for low cost vehicle-positioning and tracking in the lane adjacent to the host vehicle in order to identify free areas around the vehicle and provide information to an automatic avoidance collision system that can perform autonomous braking and lane change manoeuvres. A laser scanner is used for the early detection of obstacles in the direction of travel while two ultrasonic sensors monitor the blind spot of the host vehicle. The results of tests on a test track demonstrate the ability of these sensors to accurately determine the kinematic variables of the obstacles encountered, despite a clear limitation in range.

Vehicle Classification Using an Imbalanced Dataset Based on a Single Magnetic Sensor.

PubMed

Xu, Chang; Wang, Yingguan; Bao, Xinghe; Li, Fengrong

2018-05-24

This paper aims to improve the accuracy of automatic vehicle classifiers for imbalanced datasets. Classification is made through utilizing a single anisotropic magnetoresistive sensor, with the models of vehicles involved being classified into hatchbacks, sedans, buses, and multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs). Using time domain and frequency domain features in combination with three common classification algorithms in pattern recognition, we develop a novel feature extraction method for vehicle classification. These three common classification algorithms are the k-nearest neighbor, the support vector machine, and the back-propagation neural network. Nevertheless, a problem remains with the original vehicle magnetic dataset collected being imbalanced, and may lead to inaccurate classification results. With this in mind, we propose an approach called SMOTE, which can further boost the performance of classifiers. Experimental results show that the k-nearest neighbor (KNN) classifier with the SMOTE algorithm can reach a classification accuracy of 95.46%, thus minimizing the effect of the imbalance.

Fast automatic 3D liver segmentation based on a three-level AdaBoost-guided active shape model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

He, Baochun; Huang, Cheng; Zhou, Shoujun

Purpose: A robust, automatic, and rapid method for liver delineation is urgently needed for the diagnosis and treatment of liver disorders. Until now, the high variability in liver shape, local image artifacts, and the presence of tumors have complicated the development of automatic 3D liver segmentation. In this study, an automatic three-level AdaBoost-guided active shape model (ASM) is proposed for the segmentation of the liver based on enhanced computed tomography images in a robust and fast manner, with an emphasis on the detection of tumors. Methods: The AdaBoost voxel classifier and AdaBoost profile classifier were used to automatically guide three-levelmore » active shape modeling. In the first level of model initialization, fast automatic liver segmentation by an AdaBoost voxel classifier method is proposed. A shape model is then initialized by registration with the resulting rough segmentation. In the second level of active shape model fitting, a prior model based on the two-class AdaBoost profile classifier is proposed to identify the optimal surface. In the third level, a deformable simplex mesh with profile probability and curvature constraint as the external force is used to refine the shape fitting result. In total, three registration methods—3D similarity registration, probability atlas B-spline, and their proposed deformable closest point registration—are used to establish shape correspondence. Results: The proposed method was evaluated using three public challenge datasets: 3Dircadb1, SLIVER07, and Visceral Anatomy3. The results showed that our approach performs with promising efficiency, with an average of 35 s, and accuracy, with an average Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 0.94 ± 0.02, 0.96 ± 0.01, and 0.94 ± 0.02 for the 3Dircadb1, SLIVER07, and Anatomy3 training datasets, respectively. The DSC of the SLIVER07 testing and Anatomy3 unseen testing datasets were 0.964 and 0.933, respectively. Conclusions: The proposed automatic approach achieves robust, accurate, and fast liver segmentation for 3D CTce datasets. The AdaBoost voxel classifier can detect liver area quickly without errors and provides sufficient liver shape information for model initialization. The AdaBoost profile classifier achieves sufficient accuracy and greatly decreases segmentation time. These results show that the proposed segmentation method achieves a level of accuracy comparable to that of state-of-the-art automatic methods based on ASM.« less

Fast automatic 3D liver segmentation based on a three-level AdaBoost-guided active shape model.

PubMed

He, Baochun; Huang, Cheng; Sharp, Gregory; Zhou, Shoujun; Hu, Qingmao; Fang, Chihua; Fan, Yingfang; Jia, Fucang

2016-05-01

A robust, automatic, and rapid method for liver delineation is urgently needed for the diagnosis and treatment of liver disorders. Until now, the high variability in liver shape, local image artifacts, and the presence of tumors have complicated the development of automatic 3D liver segmentation. In this study, an automatic three-level AdaBoost-guided active shape model (ASM) is proposed for the segmentation of the liver based on enhanced computed tomography images in a robust and fast manner, with an emphasis on the detection of tumors. The AdaBoost voxel classifier and AdaBoost profile classifier were used to automatically guide three-level active shape modeling. In the first level of model initialization, fast automatic liver segmentation by an AdaBoost voxel classifier method is proposed. A shape model is then initialized by registration with the resulting rough segmentation. In the second level of active shape model fitting, a prior model based on the two-class AdaBoost profile classifier is proposed to identify the optimal surface. In the third level, a deformable simplex mesh with profile probability and curvature constraint as the external force is used to refine the shape fitting result. In total, three registration methods-3D similarity registration, probability atlas B-spline, and their proposed deformable closest point registration-are used to establish shape correspondence. The proposed method was evaluated using three public challenge datasets: 3Dircadb1, SLIVER07, and Visceral Anatomy3. The results showed that our approach performs with promising efficiency, with an average of 35 s, and accuracy, with an average Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 0.94 ± 0.02, 0.96 ± 0.01, and 0.94 ± 0.02 for the 3Dircadb1, SLIVER07, and Anatomy3 training datasets, respectively. The DSC of the SLIVER07 testing and Anatomy3 unseen testing datasets were 0.964 and 0.933, respectively. The proposed automatic approach achieves robust, accurate, and fast liver segmentation for 3D CTce datasets. The AdaBoost voxel classifier can detect liver area quickly without errors and provides sufficient liver shape information for model initialization. The AdaBoost profile classifier achieves sufficient accuracy and greatly decreases segmentation time. These results show that the proposed segmentation method achieves a level of accuracy comparable to that of state-of-the-art automatic methods based on ASM.

Electric-car simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chapman, C. P.; Slusser, R. A.

1980-01-01

PARAMET, interactive simulation program for parametric studies of electric vehicles, guides user through simulation by menu and series of prompts for input parameters. Program considers aerodynamic drag, rolling resistance, linear and rotational acceleration, and road gradient as forces acting on vehicle.

Guide Specification For Small, Dual Agent Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Vehicles

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-12-07

This advisory circular (AC) contains performance standards, specifications, and : recommendations for the design, construction, and testing of a family of small, : dual agent aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) vehicles. The National : Fire Prot...

Investigation of user stereotypes and preferences

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-12-01

The presentation of in-vehicle information to the driver is an important issue for highway safety. A review of the guideline literature revealed that although attempts have been made to develop guidelines for in-vehicle information systems, few guide...

A Benchmark of Vehicle Maintenance Training Between the U.S. Air Force and a Civilian Industry Leader

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-09-01

Aas :nosen to 113entlfy tasKs oerformed Dv reczcnizeo :omoe:ent automotive serv’ce Personnel :intry level o"ersonnei 4ere iot , ,ic udec i n tie sirve...Diagnose the cause of poor, intermittent, or no electric door and hatch/trunk lock operation. 10. Repair or replace switches, relays, actuators ...Semi-4utomative Temoerature Controls i. Cnecx ooeration of automatic ana semi-automatic neating, HP ventalation ana air-conaitioning ( HVAC ) control

Flight performance of the TCV B-737 airplane at Montreal/Dorval International Airport, Montreal, Canada, using TRSB/MLS guidance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, W. F.; Clark, L. V.

1980-01-01

The NASA terminal configured vehicle B-737 was flown in support of the world wide FAA demonstration of the time reference scanning beam microwave landing system. A summary of the flight performance of the TCV airplane during demonstration automatic approaches and landings while utilizing TRSB/MLS guidance is presented. The TRSB/MLS provided the terminal area guidance necessary for automatically flying curved, noise abatement type approaches and landings with short finals.

Real-time Accurate Surface Reconstruction Pipeline for Vision Guided Planetary Exploration Using Unmanned Ground and Aerial Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Almeida, Eduardo DeBrito

2012-01-01

This report discusses work completed over the summer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology. A system is presented to guide ground or aerial unmanned robots using computer vision. The system performs accurate camera calibration, camera pose refinement and surface extraction from images collected by a camera mounted on the vehicle. The application motivating the research is planetary exploration and the vehicles are typically rovers or unmanned aerial vehicles. The information extracted from imagery is used primarily for navigation, as robot location is the same as the camera location and the surfaces represent the terrain that rovers traverse. The processed information must be very accurate and acquired very fast in order to be useful in practice. The main challenge being addressed by this project is to achieve high estimation accuracy and high computation speed simultaneously, a difficult task due to many technical reasons.

Automated tru-cut imaging-guided core needle biopsy of canine orbital neoplasia. A prospective feasibility study

PubMed Central

Cirla, A.; Rondena, M.; Bertolini, G.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of imaging-guided core needle biopsy for canine orbital mass diagnosis. A second excisional biopsy obtained during surgery or necropsy was used as the reference standard. A prospective feasibility study was conducted in 23 canine orbital masses at a single centre. A complete ophthalmic examination was always followed by orbital ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) examination of the head. All masses were sampled with the patient still on the CT table using ultrasound (US) guided automatic tru-cut device. The most suitable sampling approach to the orbit was chosen each time based on the CT image analysis. One of the following different approaches was used: trans-orbital, trans-conjunctival or trans-masseteric. In all cases, the imaging-guided biopsy provided a sufficient amount of tissue for the histopathological diagnosis, which concurred with the biopsies obtained using the excisional technique. CT examination was essential for morphological diagnosis and provided detailed topographic information that allowed us to choose the safest orbital approach for the biopsy. US guided automatic tru-cut biopsy based on CT images, performed with patient still on the CT table, resulted in a minimally invasive, relatively easy, and accurate diagnostic procedure in dogs with orbital masses. PMID:27540512

Automated tru-cut imaging-guided core needle biopsy of canine orbital neoplasia. A prospective feasibility study.

PubMed

Cirla, A; Rondena, M; Bertolini, G

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of imaging-guided core needle biopsy for canine orbital mass diagnosis. A second excisional biopsy obtained during surgery or necropsy was used as the reference standard. A prospective feasibility study was conducted in 23 canine orbital masses at a single centre. A complete ophthalmic examination was always followed by orbital ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) examination of the head. All masses were sampled with the patient still on the CT table using ultrasound (US) guided automatic tru-cut device. The most suitable sampling approach to the orbit was chosen each time based on the CT image analysis. One of the following different approaches was used: trans-orbital, trans-conjunctival or trans-masseteric. In all cases, the imaging-guided biopsy provided a sufficient amount of tissue for the histopathological diagnosis, which concurred with the biopsies obtained using the excisional technique. CT examination was essential for morphological diagnosis and provided detailed topographic information that allowed us to choose the safest orbital approach for the biopsy. US guided automatic tru-cut biopsy based on CT images, performed with patient still on the CT table, resulted in a minimally invasive, relatively easy, and accurate diagnostic procedure in dogs with orbital masses.

Design of synchromesh mechanism to optimization manual transmission's electric vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zainuri, Fuad; Sumarsono, Danardono A.; Adhitya, Muhammad; Siregar, Rolan

2017-03-01

Significant research has been attempted on a vehicle that lead to the development of transmission that can reduce energy consumption and improve vehicle efficiency. Consumers also expect safety, convenience, and competitive prices. Automatic transmission (AT), continuously variable transmission (CVT), and dual clutch transmission (DCT) is the latest transmission developed for road vehicle. From literature reviews that have been done that this transmission is less effective on electric cars which use batteries as a power source compared to type manual transmission, this is due to the large power losses when making gear changes. Zeroshift system is the transmission can do shift gears with no time (zero time). It was developed for the automatic manual transmission, and this transmission has been used on racing vehicles to eliminate deceleration when gear shift. Zeroshift transmission still use the clutch to change gear in which electromechanical be used to replace the clutch pedal. Therefore, the transmission is too complex for the transmission of electric vehicles, but its mechanism is considered very suitable to increase the transmission efficiency. From this idea, a new innovation design transmission will be created to electric car. The combination synchromesh with zeroshift mechanism for the manual transmission is a transmission that is ideal for improving the transmission efficiency. Installation synchromesh on zeroshift mechanism is expected to replace the function of the clutch MT, and assisted with the motor torque setting when to change gear. Additionally to consider is the weight of the transmission, ease of manufacturing, ease of installation with an electric motor, as well as ease of use by drivers is a matter that must be done to obtain a new transmission system that is suitable for electric cars.

Study of Terrestrial Radio Determination : Applications and Technology

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1979-02-01

The report describes the results of a study of terrestrial radio determination (TRD) applications and technology. Considerable emphasis has been placed on automatic automotive vehicle location or monitoring (AVL or AVM) systems because almost all of ...

Adaptive driving beam headlights : visibility, glare and measurement considerations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-06-01

Recent developments in solid-state lighting, sensor and control technologies are making new : configurations for vehicle forward lighting feasible. Building on systems that automatically switch from : high- to low-beam headlights in the presence of o...

78 FR 8101 - Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Additives

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-05

... the building and its parking area. If you require parking, please include the vehicle make and tag... offers an electronic mail subscription service which provides automatic and customized access to selected...

The NavTrax fleet management system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McLellan, James F.; Krakiwsky, Edward J.; Schleppe, John B.; Knapp, Paul L.

The NavTrax System, a dispatch-type automatic vehicle location and navigation system, is discussed. Attention is given to its positioning, communication, digital mapping, and dispatch center components. The positioning module is a robust GPS (Global Positioning System)-based system integrated with dead reckoning devices by a decentralized-federated filter, making the module fault tolerant. The error behavior and characteristics of GPS, rate gyro, compass, and odometer sensors are discussed. The communications module, as presently configured, utilizes UHF radio technology, and plans are being made to employ a digital cellular telephone system. Polling and automatic smart vehicle reporting are also discussed. The digital mapping component is an intelligent digital single line road network database stored in vector form with full connectivity and address ranges. A limited form of map matching is performed for the purposes of positioning, but its main purpose is to define location once position is determined.

Kickdown control for a motor vehicle automatic transmission with two stage kickdown

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Higashi, H.; Waki, K.; Fukuiri, M.

This patent describes a vehicle automatic transmission. This transmission consists of a hydraulic torque converter, a transmission gear mechanism connected with the torque converter and has at least three gear stages of different gear ratios for foward drive, friction for selecting one of the gear stages. A kick down control which consists of a first shift down circuit for controlling the friction so that the transmission gear mechanism is shifted down from a high gear stage to a lower gear stage. A kick down solenoid is provided in the first shift down circuit for controlling the first shift down circuitmore » and a kick down switch is adapted to be actuated by an engine control member. When the engine control member is moved substantially to a full power position to thereby control the kick down solenoid effects a shift down from a high gear stage to a lower gear stage.« less

Multi Sensor Data Integration for AN Accurate 3d Model Generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chhatkuli, S.; Satoh, T.; Tachibana, K.

2015-05-01

The aim of this paper is to introduce a novel technique of data integration between two different data sets, i.e. laser scanned RGB point cloud and oblique imageries derived 3D model, to create a 3D model with more details and better accuracy. In general, aerial imageries are used to create a 3D city model. Aerial imageries produce an overall decent 3D city models and generally suit to generate 3D model of building roof and some non-complex terrain. However, the automatically generated 3D model, from aerial imageries, generally suffers from the lack of accuracy in deriving the 3D model of road under the bridges, details under tree canopy, isolated trees, etc. Moreover, the automatically generated 3D model from aerial imageries also suffers from undulated road surfaces, non-conforming building shapes, loss of minute details like street furniture, etc. in many cases. On the other hand, laser scanned data and images taken from mobile vehicle platform can produce more detailed 3D road model, street furniture model, 3D model of details under bridge, etc. However, laser scanned data and images from mobile vehicle are not suitable to acquire detailed 3D model of tall buildings, roof tops, and so forth. Our proposed approach to integrate multi sensor data compensated each other's weakness and helped to create a very detailed 3D model with better accuracy. Moreover, the additional details like isolated trees, street furniture, etc. which were missing in the original 3D model derived from aerial imageries could also be integrated in the final model automatically. During the process, the noise in the laser scanned data for example people, vehicles etc. on the road were also automatically removed. Hence, even though the two dataset were acquired in different time period the integrated data set or the final 3D model was generally noise free and without unnecessary details.

Introductory guide to CVISN

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-05-01

This guide is designed to provide state administrators of motor carrier programs with information on safety, credentials, fuel tax and size and weight regulation as part of the Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) Program. It d...

Autonomous Robotic Inspection in Tunnels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Protopapadakis, E.; Stentoumis, C.; Doulamis, N.; Doulamis, A.; Loupos, K.; Makantasis, K.; Kopsiaftis, G.; Amditis, A.

2016-06-01

In this paper, an automatic robotic inspector for tunnel assessment is presented. The proposed platform is able to autonomously navigate within the civil infrastructures, grab stereo images and process/analyse them, in order to identify defect types. At first, there is the crack detection via deep learning approaches. Then, a detailed 3D model of the cracked area is created, utilizing photogrammetric methods. Finally, a laser profiling of the tunnel's lining, for a narrow region close to detected crack is performed; allowing for the deduction of potential deformations. The robotic platform consists of an autonomous mobile vehicle; a crane arm, guided by the computer vision-based crack detector, carrying ultrasound sensors, the stereo cameras and the laser scanner. Visual inspection is based on convolutional neural networks, which support the creation of high-level discriminative features for complex non-linear pattern classification. Then, real-time 3D information is accurately calculated and the crack position and orientation is passed to the robotic platform. The entire system has been evaluated in railway and road tunnels, i.e. in Egnatia Highway and London underground infrastructure.

Artificial guide stars for adaptive optics using unmanned aerial vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basden, A. G.; Brown, Anthony M.; Chadwick, P. M.; Clark, P.; Massey, R.

2018-06-01

Astronomical adaptive optics (AO) systems are used to increase effective telescope resolution. However, they cannot be used to observe the whole sky since one or more natural guide stars of sufficient brightness must be found within the telescope field of view for the AO system to work. Even when laser guide stars are used, natural guide stars are still required to provide a constant position reference. Here, we introduce a technique to overcome this problem by using rotary unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as a platform from which to produce artificial guide stars. We describe the concept that relies on the UAV being able to measure its precise relative position. We investigate the AO performance improvements that can be achieved, which in the cases presented here can improve the Strehl ratio by a factor of at least 2 for a 8 m class telescope. We also discuss improvements to this technique, which is relevant to both astronomical and solar AO systems.

License Plate Recognition System for Indian Vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanap, P. R.; Narote, S. P.

2010-11-01

We consider the task of recognition of Indian vehicle number plates (also called license plates or registration plates in other countries). A system for Indian number plate recognition must cope with wide variations in the appearance of the plates. Each state uses its own range of designs with font variations between the designs. Also, vehicle owners may place the plates inside glass covered frames or use plates made of nonstandard materials. These issues compound the complexity of automatic number plate recognition, making existing approaches inadequate. We have developed a system that incorporates a novel combination of image processing and artificial neural network technologies to successfully locate and read Indian vehicle number plates in digital images. Commercial application of the system is envisaged.

RELBET 4.0 user's guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cerbins, F. C.; Huysman, B. P.; Knoedler, J. K.; Kwong, P. S.; Pieniazek, L. A.; Strom, S. W.

1986-01-01

This manual describes the operation and use of RELBET 4.0 implemented on the Hewlett Packard model 9000. The RELBET System is an integrated collection of computer programs which support the analysis and post-flight reconstruction of vehicle to vehicle relative trajectories of two on-orbit free-flying vehicles: the Space Shuttle Orbiter and some other free-flyer. The manual serves both as a reference and as a training guide. Appendices provide experienced users with details and full explanations of program usage. The body of the manual introduces new users to the system by leading them through a step by step example of a typical production. This should equip the new user both to execute a typical production process and to understand the most significant variables in that process.

Computer-based route-definition system for peripheral bronchoscopy.

PubMed

Graham, Michael W; Gibbs, Jason D; Higgins, William E

2012-04-01

Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scanners produce high-resolution images of the chest. Given a patient's MDCT scan, a physician can use an image-guided intervention system to first plan and later perform bronchoscopy to diagnostic sites situated deep in the lung periphery. An accurate definition of complete routes through the airway tree leading to the diagnostic sites, however, is vital for avoiding navigation errors during image-guided bronchoscopy. We present a system for the robust definition of complete airway routes suitable for image-guided bronchoscopy. The system incorporates both automatic and semiautomatic MDCT analysis methods for this purpose. Using an intuitive graphical user interface, the user invokes automatic analysis on a patient's MDCT scan to produce a series of preliminary routes. Next, the user visually inspects each route and quickly corrects the observed route defects using the built-in semiautomatic methods. Application of the system to a human study for the planning and guidance of peripheral bronchoscopy demonstrates the efficacy of the system.

Real-Time flare detection using guided filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Jiaben; Deng, Yuanyong; Yuan, Fei; Guo, Juan

2017-04-01

A procedure is introduced for the automatic detection of solar flare using full-disk solar images from Huairou Solar Observing Station (HSOS), National Astronomical Observatories of China. In image preprocessing, median filter is applied to remove the noises. And then we adopt guided filter, which is first introduced into the astronomical image detection, to enhance the edges of flares and restrain the solar limb darkening. Flares are then detected by modified Otsu algorithm and further threshold processing technique. Compared with other automatic detection procedure, the new procedure has some advantages such as real time and reliability as well as no need of image division and local threshold. Also, it reduces the amount of computation largely, which is benefited from the efficient guided filter algorithm. The procedure has been tested on one month sequences (December 2013) of HSOS full-disk solar images and the result of flares detection shows that the number of flares detected by our procedure is well consistent with the manual one.

Photoacoustic-guided ultrasound therapy with a dual-mode ultrasound array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prost, Amaury; Funke, Arik; Tanter, Mickaël; Aubry, Jean-François; Bossy, Emmanuel

2012-06-01

Photoacoustics has recently been proposed as a potential method to guide and/or monitor therapy based on high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). We experimentally demonstrate the creation of a HIFU lesion at the location of an optical absorber, by use of photoacoustic signals emitted by the absorber detected on a dual mode transducer array. To do so, a dedicated ultrasound array intended to both detect photoacoustic waves and emit HIFU with the same elements was used. Such a dual-mode array provides automatically coregistered reference frames for photoacoustic detection and HIFU emission, a highly desired feature for methods involving guidance or monitoring of HIFU by use of photoacoustics. The prototype is first characterized in terms of both photoacoustic and HIFU performances. The probe is then used to perform an idealized scenario of photoacoustic-guided therapy, where photoacoustic signals generated by an absorbing thread embedded in a piece of chicken breast are used to automatically refocus a HIFU beam with a time-reversal mirror and necrose the tissue at the location of the absorber.

Electronic System for Preventing Airport Runway Incursions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dabney, Richard; Elrod, Susan

2009-01-01

A proposed system of portable illuminated signs, electronic monitoring equipment, and radio-communication equipment for preventing (or taking corrective action in response to) improper entry of aircraft, pedestrians, or ground vehicles onto active airport runways is described. The main overall functions of the proposed system would be to automatically monitor aircraft ground traffic on or approaching runways and to generate visible and/or audible warnings to affected pilots, ground-vehicle drivers, and control-tower personnel when runway incursions take place.

Progress 28 supply vehicle approach

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-07

ISS016-E-027761 (7 Feb. 2008) --- Backdropped by a colorful Earth, an unpiloted Progress supply vehicle approaches the International Space Station. Progress 28 resupply craft launched at 7:03 a.m. (CST) on Feb. 5, 2008 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to deliver more than 2.5 tons of food, fuel, oxygen and other supplies to the Expedition 16 crewmembers onboard the station. Progress automatically docked to the Pirs Docking Compartment at 8:30 a.m. (CST) on Feb. 7.

Progress 28 supply vehicle approach

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-07

ISS016-E-027815 (7 Feb. 2008) --- Backdropped by a colorful Earth, an unpiloted Progress supply vehicle approaches the International Space Station. Progress 28 resupply craft launched at 7:03 a.m. (CST) on Feb. 5, 2008 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to deliver more than 2.5 tons of food, fuel, oxygen and other supplies to the Expedition 16 crewmembers onboard the station. Progress automatically docked to the Pirs Docking Compartment at 8:30 a.m. (CST) on Feb. 7.

Detection and enforcement of failure-to-yield in an emergency vehicle preemption system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bachelder, Aaron (Inventor); Wickline, Richard (Inventor)

2007-01-01

An intersection controlled by an intersection controller receives trigger signals from on-coming emergency vehicles responding to an emergency call. The intersection controller initiates surveillance of the intersection via cameras installed at the intersection in response to a received trigger signal. The surveillance may begin immediately upon receipt of the trigger signal from an emergency vehicle, or may wait until the intersection controller determines that the signaling emergency vehicle is in the field of view of the cameras at the intersection. Portions of the captured images are tagged by the intersection controller based on tag signals transmitted by the vehicle or based on detected traffic patterns that indicate a potential traffic violation. The captured images are downloaded to a processing facility that analyzes the images and automatically issues citations for captured traffic violations.

Improvement in vehicle agility and stability by G-Vectoring control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamakado, Makoto; Takahashi, Jyunya; Saito, Shinjiro; Yokoyama, Atsushi; Abe, Masato

2010-12-01

We extracted a trade-off strategy between longitudinal traction/braking force and cornering force by using jerk information through observing an expert driver's voluntary braking and turning action. Using the expert driver's strategy, we developed a new control concept, called 'G-Vectoring control', which is an automatic longitudinal acceleration control (No DYC) in accordance with the vehicle's lateral jerk caused by the driver's steering manoeuvres. With the control, the direction of synthetic acceleration (G) changes seamlessly (i.e. vectoring). The improvements in vehicle agility and stability were evaluated by theoretical analysis and through computer simulation. We then introduced a 'G-Vectoring' equipped test vehicle realised by brake-by-wire technology and executed a detailed examination on a test track. We have confirmed that the vehicle motion in view of both handling and ride quality has improved dramatically.

EVA Metro Sedan electric-propulsion system: test and evaluation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reimers, E.

1979-09-01

The procedure and results of the performance evaluation of the EVA Metro Sedan (car No. 1) variable speed dc chopper motor drive and its three speed automatic transmission are presented. The propulsion system for a battery powered vehicle manufactured by Electric Vehicle Associates, Valley View, Ohio, was removed from the vehicle, mounted on the programmable electric dynamometer test facility and evaluated with the aid of a hp 3052A Data Acquisition System. Performance data for the automatic transmission, the solid state dc motor speed controller, and the dc motor in the continuous and pulsating dc power mode, as derived on themore » dynamometer test facility, as well as the entire propulsion system are given. This concept and the system's components were evaluated in terms of commercial applicability, maintainability, and energy utility to establish a design base for the further development of this system or similar propulsion drives. The propulsion system of the EVA Metro Sedan is powered by sixteen 6-volt traction batteries, Type EV 106 (Exide Battery Mfg. Co.). A thyristor controlled cable form Pulsomatic Mark 10 controller, actuated by a foot throttle, controls the voltage applied to a dc series field motor, rated at 10 hp at 3800 rpm (Baldor Electric Co.). Gear speed reduction to the wheel is accomplished by the original equipment three speed automatic transmission with torque converter (Renault 12 Sedan). The brake consists of a power-assisted, hydraulic braking system with front wheel disk and rear drum. An ability to recuperate electric energy with subsequent storage in the battery power supply is not provided.« less

Multiple Vehicle Detection and Segmentation in Malaysia Traffic Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fariz Hasan, Ahmad; Fikri Che Husin, Mohd; Affendi Rosli, Khairul; Norhafiz Hashim, Mohd; Faiz Zainal Abidin, Amar

2018-03-01

Vision based system are widely used in the field of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) to extract a large amount of information to analyze traffic scenes. By rapid number of vehicles on the road as well as significant increase on cameras dictated the need for traffic surveillance systems. This system can take over the burden some task was performed by human operator in traffic monitoring centre. The main technique proposed by this paper is concentrated on developing a multiple vehicle detection and segmentation focusing on monitoring through Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) video. The system is able to automatically segment vehicle extracted from heavy traffic scene by optical flow estimation alongside with blob analysis technique in order to detect the moving vehicle. Prior to segmentation, blob analysis technique will compute the area of interest region corresponding to moving vehicle which will be used to create bounding box on that particular vehicle. Experimental validation on the proposed system was performed and the algorithm is demonstrated on various set of traffic scene.

Computer & manual accident typing for bicyclist accidents : administrator's guide

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1983-01-01

This guide provides guidelines and procedures for classifying and analyzing bicyclist-motor vehicle accidents. The approach described herein is part of a systematic effort by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to assist states...

Environmental Recognition and Guidance Control for Autonomous Vehicles using Dual Vision Sensor and Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moriwaki, Katsumi; Koike, Issei; Sano, Tsuyoshi; Fukunaga, Tetsuya; Tanaka, Katsuyuki

We propose a new method of environmental recognition around an autonomous vehicle using dual vision sensor and navigation control based on binocular images. We consider to develop a guide robot that can play the role of a guide dog as the aid to people such as the visually impaired or the aged, as an application of above-mentioned techniques. This paper presents a recognition algorithm, which finds out the line of a series of Braille blocks and the boundary line between a sidewalk and a roadway where a difference in level exists by binocular images obtained from a pair of parallelarrayed CCD cameras. This paper also presents a tracking algorithm, with which the guide robot traces along a series of Braille blocks and avoids obstacles and unsafe areas which exist in the way of a person with the guide robot.

Two-dimensional statistical linear discriminant analysis for real-time robust vehicle-type recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zafar, I.; Edirisinghe, E. A.; Acar, S.; Bez, H. E.

2007-02-01

Automatic vehicle Make and Model Recognition (MMR) systems provide useful performance enhancements to vehicle recognitions systems that are solely based on Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) systems. Several car MMR systems have been proposed in literature. However these approaches are based on feature detection algorithms that can perform sub-optimally under adverse lighting and/or occlusion conditions. In this paper we propose a real time, appearance based, car MMR approach using Two Dimensional Linear Discriminant Analysis that is capable of addressing this limitation. We provide experimental results to analyse the proposed algorithm's robustness under varying illumination and occlusions conditions. We have shown that the best performance with the proposed 2D-LDA based car MMR approach is obtained when the eigenvectors of lower significance are ignored. For the given database of 200 car images of 25 different make-model classifications, a best accuracy of 91% was obtained with the 2D-LDA approach. We use a direct Principle Component Analysis (PCA) based approach as a benchmark to compare and contrast the performance of the proposed 2D-LDA approach to car MMR. We conclude that in general the 2D-LDA based algorithm supersedes the performance of the PCA based approach.

Developing an Active Traffic Management System for I-70 in Colorado

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-09-01

The Colorado DOT is at the forefront of developing an Active Traffic Management (ATM) system that not only : considers operation aspects, but also integrates safety measures. In this research, data collected from Automatic : Vehicle Identification (A...

Synthesis on GPS/AVL equipment used for winter maintenance : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-07-01

This project gathered information about available Global Positioning Systems/Automatic Vehicle Location (GPS/AVL) equipment and vendors to gain an understanding of their use by state and local agencies for winter maintenance activities. Depending on ...

23 CFR 771.117 - Categorical exclusions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... management systems, electronic payment equipment, automatic vehicle locaters, automated passenger counters..., reconstruction, adding shoulders, or adding auxiliary lanes (e.g., parking, weaving, turning, climbing). (2... fringe parking facilities. (5) Construction of new truck weigh stations or rest areas. (6) Approvals for...

77 FR 5483 - Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Additives

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-03

... building and its parking area. If you require parking, please include the vehicle make and tag number when..., FSIS offers an electronic mail subscription service which provides automatic and customized access to...

Do the Contents of Working Memory Capture Attention? Yes, but Cognitive Control Matters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Han, Suk Won; Kim, Min-Shik

2009-01-01

There has been a controversy on whether working memory can guide attentional selection. Some researchers have reported that the contents of working memory guide attention automatically in visual search (D. Soto, D. Heinke, G. W. Humphreys, & M. J. Blanco, 2005). On the other hand, G.F. Woodman and S. J. Luck (2007) reported that they could not…

Processing system of jaws tomograms for pathology identification and surgical guide modeling

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Putrik, M. B., E-mail: pmb-88@mail.ru; Ivanov, V. Yu.; Lavrentyeva, Yu. E.

The aim of the study is to create an image processing system, which allows dentists to find pathological resorption and to build surgical guide surface automatically. X-rays images of jaws from cone beam tomography or spiral computed tomography are the initial data for processing. One patient’s examination always includes up to 600 images (or tomograms), that’s why the development of processing system for fast automation search of pathologies is necessary. X-rays images can be useful not for only illness diagnostic but for treatment planning too. We have studied the case of dental implantation – for successful surgical manipulations surgical guidesmore » are used. We have created a processing system that automatically builds jaw and teeth boundaries on the x-ray image. After this step, obtained teeth boundaries used for surgical guide surface modeling and jaw boundaries limit the area for further pathologies search. Criterion for the presence of pathological resorption zones inside the limited area is based on statistical investigation. After described actions, it is possible to manufacture surgical guide using 3D printer and apply it in surgical operation.« less

Take the Wheel Again...The Right Way: NMEDA's Guide to Choosing the Best Vehicle for You

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Exceptional Parent, 2007

2007-01-01

We live in a world where mobility is more necessary than ever before, and adaptive vehicles and other equipment are necessary for some individuals. This article recommends that those in need of an adaptive vehicle or other adaptive equipment always purchase from a National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) dealer, and discusses the…

An optimization design proposal of automated guided vehicles for mixed type transportation in hospital environments.

PubMed

González, Domingo; Romero, Luis; Espinosa, María Del Mar; Domínguez, Manuel

2017-01-01

The aim of this paper is to present an optimization proposal in the automated guided vehicles design used in hospital logistics, as well as to analyze the impact of its implementation in a real environment. This proposal is based on the design of those elements that would allow the vehicles to deliver an extra cart by the towing method. So, the proposal intention is to improve the productivity and the performance of the current vehicles by using a transportation method of combined carts. The study has been developed following concurrent engineering premises from three different viewpoints. First, the sequence of operations has been described, and second, a proposal of design of the equipment has been undertaken. Finally, the impact of the proposal has been analyzed according to real data from the Hospital Universitario Rio Hortega in Valladolid (Spain). In this particular case, by the implementation of the analyzed proposal in the hospital a reduction of over 35% of the current time of use can be achieved. This result may allow adding new tasks to the vehicles, and according to this, both a new kind of vehicle and a specific module can be developed in order to get a better performance.

AVID - A design system for technology studies of advanced transportation concepts. [Aerospace Vehicle Interactive Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilhite, A. W.; Rehder, J. J.

1979-01-01

The basic AVID (Aerospace Vehicle Interactive Design) is a general system for conceptual and preliminary design currently being applied to a broad range of future space transportation and spacecraft vehicle concepts. AVID hardware includes a minicomputer allowing rapid designer interaction. AVID software includes (1) an executive program and communication data base which provide the automated capability to couple individual programs, either individually in an interactive mode or chained together in an automatic sequence mode; and (2) the individual technology and utility programs which provide analysis capability in areas such as graphics, aerodynamics, propulsion, flight performance, weights, sizing, and costs.

Real-Time Charging Strategies for an Electric Vehicle Aggregator to Provide Ancillary Services

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wenzel, George; Negrete-Pincetic, Matias; Olivares, Daniel E.

Real-time charging strategies, in the context of vehicle to grid (V2G) technology, are needed to enable the use of electric vehicle (EV) fleets batteries to provide ancillary services (AS). Here, we develop tools to manage charging and discharging in a fleet to track an Automatic Generation Control (AGC) signal when aggregated. We also propose a real-time controller that considers bidirectional charging efficiency and extend it to study the effect of looking ahead when implementing Model Predictive Control (MPC). Simulations show that the controller improves tracking error as compared with benchmark scheduling algorithms, as well as regulation capacity and battery cycling.

Automatic Aircraft Structural Topology Generation for Multidisciplinary Optimization and Weight Estimation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sensmeier, Mark D.; Samareh, Jamshid A.

2005-01-01

An approach is proposed for the application of rapid generation of moderate-fidelity structural finite element models of air vehicle structures to allow more accurate weight estimation earlier in the vehicle design process. This should help to rapidly assess many structural layouts before the start of the preliminary design phase and eliminate weight penalties imposed when actual structure weights exceed those estimated during conceptual design. By defining the structural topology in a fully parametric manner, the structure can be mapped to arbitrary vehicle configurations being considered during conceptual design optimization. A demonstration of this process is shown for two sample aircraft wing designs.

Real-Time Charging Strategies for an Electric Vehicle Aggregator to Provide Ancillary Services

DOE PAGES

Wenzel, George; Negrete-Pincetic, Matias; Olivares, Daniel E.; ...

2017-03-13

Real-time charging strategies, in the context of vehicle to grid (V2G) technology, are needed to enable the use of electric vehicle (EV) fleets batteries to provide ancillary services (AS). Here, we develop tools to manage charging and discharging in a fleet to track an Automatic Generation Control (AGC) signal when aggregated. We also propose a real-time controller that considers bidirectional charging efficiency and extend it to study the effect of looking ahead when implementing Model Predictive Control (MPC). Simulations show that the controller improves tracking error as compared with benchmark scheduling algorithms, as well as regulation capacity and battery cycling.

6 CFR 7.28 - Automatic declassification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP) for approval. (d) Declassification guides that narrowly and precisely define... years after the date of its original classification with the exception of specific information exempt...

Virginia PROGRESS : the Virginia Department of Transportation's intelligent vehicle-highway systems strategic plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-01-01

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is committed to Virginia PROGRESS, which is a program for Intelligent Vehicle-Highway System (IVHS) research, development, and deployment. This document, VDOT's IVHS Strategic Plan, will guide the Depa...

SPECIATED VOC EMISSIONS FROM MODERN GDI LIGHT ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Chassis dynamometer emissions testing was conducted to characterize speciated volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including mobile source air toxics (MSATs) and ozone precursors, in exhaust emissions from three modern gasoline direct injection (GDI) light-duty vehicles. Each GDI vehicle tested in this study utilized slightly different fuel injection technology: Vehicle 1 used a 2.4 liter, naturally aspirated, wall-guided GDI; Vehicle 2 used a 1.8 liter, turbocharged GDI engine; Vehicle 3 used a 1.5 liter, turbocharged, spray-guided GDI engine. Vehicle testing was conducted in a temperature controlled chassis dynamometer test cell at 22 °C over the EPA Federal Test Procedure (FTP) and a portion of the Supplemental FTP (SFTP). The FTP was conducted as a three phase cycle with a cold start, hot transient, and warm start phase (also known as the FTP-75 driving cycle). The SFTP consisted of the US06 driving cycle (conducted without the vehicle’s air conditioning on), which provides a more aggressive driving pattern than the FTP. The vehicles operated on 10 percent ethanol blended gasoline (E10). VOC emissions from diluted vehicle exhaust were sampled over each FTP phase and over the Supplemental FTP with SUMMA canisters for EPA Method TO-15 analysis and with DNPH cartridges for carbonyl analysis by EPA Method TO-11A. This presentation will report the impact of driving cycle and GDI technology on speciated MSAT emissions. MSAT emission rates will be compared

K-9 Traffic Safety Resource Curriculum. Level C. Professional Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Governor's Highway Safety Program Office, Raleigh, NC.

One of four curriculum guides designed to aid teachers of grades K-9 in implementing a balanced, dynamic traffic safety program, this level C guide contains materials for teachers of grades 4-6. Four units in pedestrian, bicycle, school bus, and passenger safety are presented, and minicycle and optional farm vehicle safety units are introduced.…

Genetic Algorithm-Guided, Adaptive Model Order Reduction of Flexible Aircrafts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhu, Jin; Wang, Yi; Pant, Kapil; Suh, Peter; Brenner, Martin J.

2017-01-01

This paper presents a methodology for automated model order reduction (MOR) of flexible aircrafts to construct linear parameter-varying (LPV) reduced order models (ROM) for aeroservoelasticity (ASE) analysis and control synthesis in broad flight parameter space. The novelty includes utilization of genetic algorithms (GAs) to automatically determine the states for reduction while minimizing the trial-and-error process and heuristics requirement to perform MOR; balanced truncation for unstable systems to achieve locally optimal realization of the full model; congruence transformation for "weak" fulfillment of state consistency across the entire flight parameter space; and ROM interpolation based on adaptive grid refinement to generate a globally functional LPV ASE ROM. The methodology is applied to the X-56A MUTT model currently being tested at NASA/AFRC for flutter suppression and gust load alleviation. Our studies indicate that X-56A ROM with less than one-seventh the number of states relative to the original model is able to accurately predict system response among all input-output channels for pitch, roll, and ASE control at various flight conditions. The GA-guided approach exceeds manual and empirical state selection in terms of efficiency and accuracy. The adaptive refinement allows selective addition of the grid points in the parameter space where flight dynamics varies dramatically to enhance interpolation accuracy without over-burdening controller synthesis and onboard memory efforts downstream. The present MOR framework can be used by control engineers for robust ASE controller synthesis and novel vehicle design.

Role of motor vehicle emission controls in state implementation plans

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-01-01

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Official's (AASHTO) Guide for the Design of Pavement Structures is widely used in the design of new and rehabilitated highway pavements. However, the current Design Guide, published in 1993...

Automatic Marker-free Longitudinal Infrared Image Registration by Shape Context Based Matching and Competitive Winner-guided Optimal Corresponding

PubMed Central

Lee, Chia-Yen; Wang, Hao-Jen; Lai, Jhih-Hao; Chang, Yeun-Chung; Huang, Chiun-Sheng

2017-01-01

Long-term comparisons of infrared image can facilitate the assessment of breast cancer tissue growth and early tumor detection, in which longitudinal infrared image registration is a necessary step. However, it is hard to keep markers attached on a body surface for weeks, and rather difficult to detect anatomic fiducial markers and match them in the infrared image during registration process. The proposed study, automatic longitudinal infrared registration algorithm, develops an automatic vascular intersection detection method and establishes feature descriptors by shape context to achieve robust matching, as well as to obtain control points for the deformation model. In addition, competitive winner-guided mechanism is developed for optimal corresponding. The proposed algorithm is evaluated in two ways. Results show that the algorithm can quickly lead to accurate image registration and that the effectiveness is superior to manual registration with a mean error being 0.91 pixels. These findings demonstrate that the proposed registration algorithm is reasonably accurate and provide a novel method of extracting a greater amount of useful data from infrared images. PMID:28145474

Motor vehicle technology:Mobility for prosperity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1985-01-01

This book presents the papers given at a conference on internal combustion engines for vehicles. Topics considered at the conference included combustion chambers, the lubrication of turbocharged engines, oil filters, fuel consumption, traffic control, crashworthiness, brakes, acceleration, unleaded gasoline, methanol fuels, pressure drop, safety regulations, tire vibration, detergents, fuel economy, ceramics in engines, steels, catalytic converters, fuel additives, heat exchangers, pump systems, emissions control, fuel injection systems, noise pollution control, natural gas fuels, assembly plant productivity, aerodynamics, torsion, electronics, and automatic transmissions.

Expert system applications for army vehicle diagnostics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Halle, R.F.

1987-01-01

Bulky manuals, limited training procedures, and complex Automatic Test Equipment are but a few of the problems a mechanic must face when trying to repair many of the military's new and highly complex vehicle systems. Recent technological advances in Expert Systms has given the mechanic the potential to solve many of these problems and to actually enhance his maintenance proficiency. This paper describes both the history of and the future potential of the Expert System and how it could impact on the present military maintenance system.

Solving the AI Planning Plus Scheduling Problem Using Model Checking via Automatic Translation from the Abstract Plan Preparation Language (APPL) to the Symbolic Analysis Laboratory (SAL)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butler, Ricky W.; Munoz, Cesar A.; Siminiceanu, Radu I.

2007-01-01

This paper describes a translator from a new planning language named the Abstract Plan Preparation Language (APPL) to the Symbolic Analysis Laboratory (SAL) model checker. This translator has been developed in support of the Spacecraft Autonomy for Vehicles and Habitats (SAVH) project sponsored by the Exploration Technology Development Program, which is seeking to mature autonomy technology for the vehicles and operations centers of Project Constellation.

Flair-fleet location and information reporting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norman, E. R.; Dunlap, M. E.

1974-01-01

The FLAIR system, as now produced, automatically updates each vehicle's location and corresponding officer's status once each two seconds and presents this information to police dispatchers in the command and control center. The position of all vehicles available for assignment is displayed on a color video map at each dispatcher's console to an accuracy of 50 feet. This gives the dispatcher a continuous picture of the deployment of the total available force and thus complete command and control of all police under his responsibility.

Systems and Methods for Collaboratively Controlling at Least One Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Estkowski, Regina I. (Inventor)

2016-01-01

An unmanned vehicle management system includes an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) control station controlling one or more unmanned vehicles (UV), a collaborative routing system, and a communication network connecting the UAS and the collaborative routing system. The collaborative routing system being configured to receive flight parameters from an operator of the UAS control station and, based on the received flight parameters, automatically present the UAS control station with flight plan options to enable the operator to operate the UV in a defined airspace.

Evaluation of skid test automatic digital recording system.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1974-01-01

The Virginia skid vehicle has been equipped with a digital data recording system to provide rapid reduction of skid measurement data. It was found that five to ten minutes are required to evaluate a single measurement using the original analog strip ...

Electronic Toll And Traffic Management Systems, National Cooperative Highway Research Program Synthesis

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-01-01

ELECTRONIC TOLL COLLECTION OR ETC AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT OR ETTM, AUTOMATIC VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION OR AVI : ELECTRONIC TOLL COLLECTION AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT (ETTM) SYSTEMS ARE NOT A FUTURISTIC DREAM, THEY ARE OPERATING OR ARE BEING TESTED TODAY I...

Automatic vehicle identification technology applications to toll collection services

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

Intelligent transportation systems technologies are being developed and applied through transportation systems in the United States. An example of this type of innovation can be seen on toll roads where a driver is required to deposit a toll in order...

Sources of error in estimating truck traffic from automatic vehicle classification data

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-10-01

Truck annual average daily traffic estimation errors resulting from sample classification counts are computed in this paper under two scenarios. One scenario investigates an improper factoring procedure that may be used by highway agencies. The study...

33 CFR 105.260 - Security measures for restricted areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...; (7) Control the entry, parking, loading and unloading of vehicles; (8) Control the movement and...) Using security personnel, automatic intrusion detection devices, surveillance equipment, or surveillance systems to detect unauthorized entry or movement within restricted areas; (7) Directing the parking...

33 CFR 105.260 - Security measures for restricted areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...; (7) Control the entry, parking, loading and unloading of vehicles; (8) Control the movement and...) Using security personnel, automatic intrusion detection devices, surveillance equipment, or surveillance systems to detect unauthorized entry or movement within restricted areas; (7) Directing the parking...

Officials nationwide give a green light to automated traffic enforcement

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-03-11

There has been resistance to using cameras to automatically identify vehicles driven by motorists who run red lights and drive faster than the posted speed limits. Fairness, privacy, and "big brother" have been cited as reasons. The article examines ...

A course on motor vehicle trauma : instructor's guide--final/users manual

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1986-09-01

Author's abstract: Health professionals are key to any progress in reducing motor vehicle-related injury and death, yet they have been slow to recognize their role in this important area. One contributing factor to this situation has been the absence...

Engineering data characterizing the fleet of U.S. railway rolling stock. Volume 1 : user's guide

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1981-01-01

This report contains engineering parameter descriptions of major and distinctive freight vehicle configurations covering approximately 96% of the U.S. freight vehicle fleet. This data has been developed primarily for use in analytical simulation mode...

A real-time digital computer program for the simulation of automatic spacecraft reentries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaylor, J. T.; Powell, L. F.; Powell, R. W.

1977-01-01

The automatic reentry flight dynamics simulator, a nonlinear, six-degree-of-freedom simulation, digital computer program, has been developed. The program includes a rotating, oblate earth model for accurate navigation calculations and contains adjustable gains on the aerodynamic stability and control parameters. This program uses a real-time simulation system and is designed to examine entries of vehicles which have constant mass properties whose attitudes are controlled by both aerodynamic surfaces and reaction control thrusters, and which have automatic guidance and control systems. The program has been used to study the space shuttle orbiter entry. This report includes descriptions of the equations of motion used, the control and guidance schemes that were implemented, the program flow and operation, and the hardware involved.

Piloted Simulation of a Model-Predictive Automated Recovery System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, James (Yuan); Litt, Jonathan; Sowers, T. Shane; Owens, A. Karl; Guo, Ten-Huei

2014-01-01

This presentation describes a model-predictive automatic recovery system for aircraft on the verge of a loss-of-control situation. The system determines when it must intervene to prevent an imminent accident, resulting from a poor approach. It estimates the altitude loss that would result from a go-around maneuver at the current flight condition. If the loss is projected to violate a minimum altitude threshold, the maneuver is automatically triggered. The system deactivates to allow landing once several criteria are met. Piloted flight simulator evaluation showed the system to provide effective envelope protection during extremely unsafe landing attempts. The results demonstrate how flight and propulsion control can be integrated to recover control of the vehicle automatically and prevent a potential catastrophe.

The near-term hybrid vehicle program, phase 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

Performance specifications were determined for a hybrid vehicle designed to achieve the greatest reduction in fuel consumption. Based on the results of systems level studies, a baseline vehicle was constructed with the following basic paramaters: a heat engine power peak of 53 kW (VW gasoline engine); a traction motor power peak of 30 kW (Siemens 1GV1, separately excited); a heat engine fraction of 0.64; a vehicle curb weight of 2080 kg; a lead acid battery (35 kg weight); and a battery weight fraction of 0.17. The heat engine and the traction motor are coupled together with their combined output driving a 3 speed automatic transmission with lockup torque converter. The heat engine is equipped withe a clutch which allows it to be decoupled from the system.

A video-based real-time adaptive vehicle-counting system for urban roads.

PubMed

Liu, Fei; Zeng, Zhiyuan; Jiang, Rong

2017-01-01

In developing nations, many expanding cities are facing challenges that result from the overwhelming numbers of people and vehicles. Collecting real-time, reliable and precise traffic flow information is crucial for urban traffic management. The main purpose of this paper is to develop an adaptive model that can assess the real-time vehicle counts on urban roads using computer vision technologies. This paper proposes an automatic real-time background update algorithm for vehicle detection and an adaptive pattern for vehicle counting based on the virtual loop and detection line methods. In addition, a new robust detection method is introduced to monitor the real-time traffic congestion state of road section. A prototype system has been developed and installed on an urban road for testing. The results show that the system is robust, with a real-time counting accuracy exceeding 99% in most field scenarios.

Progress on advanced dc and ac induction drives for electric vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwartz, H. J.

1982-01-01

Progress is reported in the development of complete electric vehicle propulsion systems, and the results of tests on the Road Load Simulator of two such systems representative of advanced dc and ac drive technology are presented. One is the system used in the DOE's ETV-1 integrated test vehicle which consists of a shunt wound dc traction motor under microprocessor control using a transistorized controller. The motor drives the vehicle through a fixed ratio transmission. The second system uses an ac induction motor controlled by transistorized pulse width modulated inverter which drives through a two speed automatically shifted transmission. The inverter and transmission both operate under the control of a microprocessor. The characteristics of these systems are also compared with the propulsion system technology available in vehicles being manufactured at the inception of the DOE program and with an advanced, highly integrated propulsion system upon which technology development was recently initiated.

A video-based real-time adaptive vehicle-counting system for urban roads

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

In developing nations, many expanding cities are facing challenges that result from the overwhelming numbers of people and vehicles. Collecting real-time, reliable and precise traffic flow information is crucial for urban traffic management. The main purpose of this paper is to develop an adaptive model that can assess the real-time vehicle counts on urban roads using computer vision technologies. This paper proposes an automatic real-time background update algorithm for vehicle detection and an adaptive pattern for vehicle counting based on the virtual loop and detection line methods. In addition, a new robust detection method is introduced to monitor the real-time traffic congestion state of road section. A prototype system has been developed and installed on an urban road for testing. The results show that the system is robust, with a real-time counting accuracy exceeding 99% in most field scenarios. PMID:29135984

Design of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) vehicle gas cylinder filling semi-physical simulation training and assessment system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Jie; Zheng, Jianrong; Zhao, Yinghui

2017-08-01

With the rapid development of LNG vehicle in China, the operator's training and assessment of the operating skills cannot operate on material objects, because of Vehicle Gas Cylinder's high pressure, flammable and explosive characteristics. LNG Vehicle Gas Cylinder's filling simulation system with semi-physical simulation technology presents the overall design and procedures of the simulation system, and elaborates the realization of the practical analog machine, data acquisition and control system and the computer software, and introduces the design process of equipment simulation model in detail. According to the designed assessment system of the Vehicle Gas Cylinder, it can obtain the operation on the actual cylinder filling and visual effects for the operator, and automatically record operation, the results of real operation with its software, and achieve the operators' training and assessment of operating skills on mobile special equipment.

Baseline Tests of the Electra Van Model 1000 Electric Vehicle.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-07-01

3RR ATALGNUMBER(. 21 0 IIACNTLING TFESSO NAME ND TR ADDRESS~eot MOrELe rDp o00 EERIy AEHICtan Srtr f, or Hybrd Veicle S. NC4"IXICtION NGRA DINGUMER...state-of-the-art with respect to electric and hybrid vehicles. The data so developed are to serve as a baseline to compare im- provements in electric and... hybrid vehicle technologies, to assist in establishing per- formance standards for electric and hybrid vehicles, and to guide future research and

Rail and Motor Outloading Capability Study, Fort Chaffee, Arkansas,

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-11-01

instructors at Fort Eustis, Virginia, indicated that, to avoid wasted man - hours, there should be no more than eight men per crew, regardless of experience...level, total men per Man has to walk to front of vehicle as guide vehicle and to straighten bridge PL’s. Delays if all vehicles not at site at loading...vehicle (Storm, rain not included in total time) MILVAN married together 6-8 Some older cars have trailer hitches which Some 20-ft semis and man crew

Modeling of electromagnetic brakes for enhanced braking capabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kachroo, Pushkin; Ming, Qian

1998-01-01

In automatic highway systems, automatic brake actuation is a very important part of the overall control of the vehicle. Hence, a faster response and a robust braking system are crucial. This paper describes electromagnetic brakes as a supplementary system for regular friction brakes. This system provides better response time for emergency situations, and in general keeps the friction brake working longer and safer. A new mathematical model for electromagnetic brakes is proposed to describe their static characteristics. The performance of the new mathematical model is better than the other three models available in the literature.

Self-propelled automatic chassis of Lunokhod-1: History of creation in episodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malenkov, Mikhail

2016-03-01

This report reviews the most important episodes in the history of designing the self-propelled automatic chassis of the first mobile extraterrestrial vehicle in the world, Lunokhod-1. The review considers the issues in designing moon rovers, their essential features, and the particular construction properties of their systems, mechanisms, units, and assemblies. It presents the results of exploiting the chassis of Lunokhod-1 and Lunokhod-2. Analysis of the approaches utilized and engineering solutions reveals their value as well as the consequences of certain defects.

Recreational Vehicle Trades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Felice, Michael

This curriculum guide provides materials for a competency-based course in recreational vehicle trades at the secondary level. The curriculum design uses the curriculum infused model for the teaching of basic skills as part of vocational education and demonstrates the relationship of vocationally related skills to communication, mathematics, and…

Commercial vehicle fleet management and information systems. Technical memorandum 3 : ITS fleet management technology resource guide

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-05-01

In todays increasingly competitive economic environment, effective management of commercial vehicle fleets is important for all types of carriers and for the trucking industry as a whole. To meet fleet management needs, carriers increasingly are t...

Automatic detection and counting of cattle in UAV imagery based on machine vision technology (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahnemoonfar, Maryam; Foster, Jamie; Starek, Michael J.

2017-05-01

Beef production is the main agricultural industry in Texas, and livestock are managed in pasture and rangeland which are usually huge in size, and are not easily accessible by vehicles. The current research method for livestock location identification and counting is visual observation which is very time consuming and costly. For animals on large tracts of land, manned aircraft may be necessary to count animals which is noisy and disturbs the animals, and may introduce a source of error in counts. Such manual approaches are expensive, slow and labor intensive. In this paper we study the combination of small unmanned aerial vehicle (sUAV) and machine vision technology as a valuable solution to manual animal surveying. A fixed-wing UAV fitted with GPS and digital RGB camera for photogrammetry was flown at the Welder Wildlife Foundation in Sinton, TX. Over 600 acres were flown with four UAS flights and individual photographs used to develop orthomosaic imagery. To detect animals in UAV imagery, a fully automatic technique was developed based on spatial and spectral characteristics of objects. This automatic technique can even detect small animals that are partially occluded by bushes. Experimental results in comparison to ground-truth show the effectiveness of our algorithm.

Structural dynamics payload loads estimates: User guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shanahan, T. G.; Engels, R. C.

1982-01-01

This User Guide with an overview of an integration scheme to determine the response of a launch vehicle with multiple payloads. Chapter II discusses the software package associated with the integration scheme together with several sample problems. A short cut version of the integration technique is also discussed. The Guide concludes with a list of references and the listings of the subroutines.

Vehicle Tracking for an Evasive Manoeuvres Assistant Using Low-Cost Ultrasonic Sensors

PubMed Central

Jiménez, Felipe; Naranjo, José E.; Gómez, Oscar; Anaya, José J.

2014-01-01

Many driver assistance systems require knowledge of the vehicle environment. As these systems are increasing in complexity and performance, this knowledge of the environment needs to be more complete and reliable, so sensor fusion combining long, medium and short range sensors is now being used. This paper analyzes the feasibility of using ultrasonic sensors for low cost vehicle-positioning and tracking in the lane adjacent to the host vehicle in order to identify free areas around the vehicle and provide information to an automatic avoidance collision system that can perform autonomous braking and lane change manoeuvres. A laser scanner is used for the early detection of obstacles in the direction of travel while two ultrasonic sensors monitor the blind spot of the host vehicle. The results of tests on a test track demonstrate the ability of these sensors to accurately determine the kinematic variables of the obstacles encountered, despite a clear limitation in range. PMID:25460817

Vehicle automation: a remedy for driver stress?

PubMed

Funke, G; Matthews, G; Warm, J S; Emo, A K

2007-08-01

The present study addressed the effects of stress, vehicle automation and subjective state on driver performance and mood in a simulated driving task. A total of 168 college students participated. Participants in the stress-induction condition completed a 'winter' drive, which included periodic loss of control episodes. Participants in the no-stress-induction condition were not exposed to loss of control. An additional, independent manipulation of vehicle speed was also conducted, consisting of two control conditions requiring manual speed regulation and a third in which vehicle speed was automatically regulated by the simulation. Stress and automation both influenced subjective distress, but the two factors did not interact. Driver performance data indicated that vehicle automation impacted performance similarly in the stress and no-stress conditions. Individual differences in subjective stress response and performance were also investigated. Resource theory provides a framework that partially but not completely explains the relationship between vehicle automation and driver stress. Implications for driver workload, safety and training are discussed.

Slip-based terrain estimation with a skid-steer vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reina, Giulio; Galati, Rocco

2016-10-01

In this paper, a novel approach for online terrain characterisation is presented using a skid-steer vehicle. In the context of this research, terrain characterisation refers to the estimation of physical parameters that affects the terrain ability to support vehicular motion. These parameters are inferred from the modelling of the kinematic and dynamic behaviour of a skid-steer vehicle that reveals the underlying relationships governing the vehicle-terrain interaction. The concept of slip track is introduced as a measure of the slippage experienced by the vehicle during turning motion. The proposed terrain estimation system includes common onboard sensors, that is, wheel encoders, electrical current sensors and yaw rate gyroscope. Using these components, the system can characterise terrain online during normal vehicle operations. Experimental results obtained from different surfaces are presented to validate the system in the field showing its effectiveness and potential benefits to implement adaptive driving assistance systems or to automatically update the parameters of onboard control and planning algorithms.

Pc-based car license plate reading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanabe, Katsuyoshi; Marubayashi, Eisaku; Kawashima, Harumi; Nakanishi, Tadashi; Shio, Akio

1994-03-01

A PC-based car license plate recognition system has been developed. The system recognizes Chinese characters and Japanese phonetic hiragana characters as well as six digits on Japanese license plates. The system consists of a CCD camera, vehicle sensors, a strobe unit, a monitoring center, and an i486-based PC. The PC includes in its extension slots: a vehicle detector board, a strobe emitter board, and an image grabber board. When a passing vehicle is detected by the vehicle sensors, the strobe emits a pulse of light. The light pulse is synchronized with the time the vehicle image is frozen on an image grabber board. The recognition process is composed of three steps: image thresholding, character region extraction, and matching-based character recognition. The recognition software can handle obscured characters. Experimental results for hundreds of outdoor images showed high recognition performance within relatively short performance times. The results confirmed that the system is applicable to a wide variety of applications such as automatic vehicle identification and travel time measurement.

800 MHz Communication Survey of the Los Angeles Area

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1979-01-01

During the first half of 1978, as part of the Multi-User Automatic Vehicle Monitoring (AVM) Program, a survey was conducted to determine the suitability of utilizing the 800-900 MHz band as the primary carrier of digital communication data pertaining...

Investigating the Effect of Advanced Automatic Transmissions of Fuel Consumption Using Vehicle Testing and Modeling (SAE 2016-01-1142)

EPA Science Inventory

EPA used the validated ALPHA model to predict the effectiveness improvement of real-world transmissions over a baseline four-speed transmission and to predict further improvements possible from future eight-speed transmissions.

Graph-based geometric-iconic guide-wire tracking.

PubMed

Honnorat, Nicolas; Vaillant, Régis; Paragios, Nikos

2011-01-01

In this paper we introduce a novel hybrid graph-based approach for Guide-wire tracking. The image support is captured by steerable filters and improved through tensor voting. Then, a graphical model is considered that represents guide-wire extraction/tracking through a B-spline control-point model. Points with strong geometric interest (landmarks) are automatically determined and anchored to such a representation. Tracking is then performed through discrete MRFs that optimize the spatio-temporal positions of the control points while establishing landmark temporal correspondences. Promising results demonstrate the potentials of our method.

Characteristics and Needs for Overhead Guide Sign Illumination from Vehicular Headlamps

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-09-01

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is concerned about changes in headlamp performance of the present fleet of vehicles in the US relative to its ability to properly illuminate traffic signs, especially overhead guide signs. If this is true, ov...

The MSFC Systems Engineering Guide: An Overview and Plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shelby, Jerry A.; Thomas, L. Dale

2007-01-01

As systems and subsystems requirements become more complex in the pursuit of the exploration of space, advanced technology will demand and require an integrated approach to the design and development of safe and successful space vehicles and there products. System engineers play a vital and key role in transforming mission needs into vehicle requirements that can be verified and validated. This will result in a safe and cost effective design that will satisfy the mission schedule. A key to successful vehicle design within systems engineering is communication. Communication, through a systems engineering infrastructure, will not only ensure that customers and stakeholders are satisfied but will also assist in identifying vehicle requirements; i.e. identification, integration and management. This vehicle design will produce a system that is verifiable, traceable, and effectively satisfies cost, schedule, performance, and risk throughout the life-cycle of the product. A communication infrastructure will bring about the integration of different engineering disciplines within vehicle design. A system utilizing these aspects will enhance system engineering performance and improve upon required activities such as Development of Requirements, Requirements Management, Functional Analysis, Test, Synthesis, Trade Studies, Documentation, and Lessons Learned to produce a successful final product. This paper will describe the guiding vision, progress to date and the plan forward for development of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Systems Engineering Guide (SEG), a virtual systems engineering handbook and archive that will describe the system engineering processes that are used by MSFC in the development of complex systems such as the Ares launch vehicle. It is the intent of this website to be a "One Stop Shop" for our systems engineers that will provide tutorial information, an overview of processes and procedures and links to assist system engineering with guidance and references, and provide an archive of systems engineering artifacts produced by the many NASA projects developed and managed by MSFC over the years.

Full drive-by-wire dynamic control for four-wheel-steer all-wheel-drive vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fahimi, Farbod

2013-03-01

Most of the controllers introduced for four-wheel-steer (4WS) vehicles are derived with the assumption that the longitudinal speed of the vehicle is constant. However, in real applications, the longitudinal speed varies, and the longitudinal, lateral, and yaw dynamics are coupled. In this paper, the longitudinal dynamics of the vehicle as well as its lateral and yaw motions are controlled simultaneously. This way, the effect of driving/braking forces of the tires on the lateral and yaw motions of the vehicle are automatically included in the control laws. To address the dynamic parameter uncertainty of the vehicle, a chatter-free variable structure controller is introduced. Elimination of chatter is achieved by introducing a dynamically adaptive boundary layer thickness. It is shown via simulations that the proposed control approach performs more robustly than the controllers developed based on dynamic models, in which longitudinal speed is assumed to be constant, and only lateral speed and yaw rate are used as system states. Furthermore, this approach supports all-wheel-drive vehicles. Front-wheel-drive or rear-wheel-drive vehicles are also supported as special cases of an all-wheel-drive vehicle.

Automated optimization techniques for aircraft synthesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanderplaats, G. N.

1976-01-01

Application of numerical optimization techniques to automated conceptual aircraft design is examined. These methods are shown to be a general and efficient way to obtain quantitative information for evaluating alternative new vehicle projects. Fully automated design is compared with traditional point design methods and time and resource requirements for automated design are given. The NASA Ames Research Center aircraft synthesis program (ACSYNT) is described with special attention to calculation of the weight of a vehicle to fly a specified mission. The ACSYNT procedures for automatically obtaining sensitivity of the design (aircraft weight, performance and cost) to various vehicle, mission, and material technology parameters are presented. Examples are used to demonstrate the efficient application of these techniques.

Master-slave control scheme in electric vehicle smart charging infrastructure.

PubMed

Chung, Ching-Yen; Chynoweth, Joshua; Chu, Chi-Cheng; Gadh, Rajit

2014-01-01

WINSmartEV is a software based plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) monitoring, control, and management system. It not only incorporates intelligence at every level so that charge scheduling can avoid grid bottlenecks, but it also multiplies the number of PEVs that can be plugged into a single circuit. This paper proposes, designs, and executes many upgrades to WINSmartEV. These upgrades include new hardware that makes the level 1 and level 2 chargers faster, more robust, and more scalable. It includes algorithms that provide a more optimal charge scheduling for the level 2 (EVSE) and an enhanced vehicle monitoring/identification module (VMM) system that can automatically identify PEVs and authorize charging.

Sensitivity analysis of automatic flight control systems using singular value concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herrera-Vaillard, A.; Paduano, J.; Downing, D.

1985-01-01

A sensitivity analysis is presented that can be used to judge the impact of vehicle dynamic model variations on the relative stability of multivariable continuous closed-loop control systems. The sensitivity analysis uses and extends the singular-value concept by developing expressions for the gradients of the singular value with respect to variations in the vehicle dynamic model and the controller design. Combined with a priori estimates of the accuracy of the model, the gradients are used to identify the elements in the vehicle dynamic model and controller that could severely impact the system's relative stability. The technique is demonstrated for a yaw/roll damper stability augmentation designed for a business jet.

Master-Slave Control Scheme in Electric Vehicle Smart Charging Infrastructure

PubMed Central

Chung, Ching-Yen; Chynoweth, Joshua; Chu, Chi-Cheng; Gadh, Rajit

2014-01-01

WINSmartEV is a software based plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) monitoring, control, and management system. It not only incorporates intelligence at every level so that charge scheduling can avoid grid bottlenecks, but it also multiplies the number of PEVs that can be plugged into a single circuit. This paper proposes, designs, and executes many upgrades to WINSmartEV. These upgrades include new hardware that makes the level 1 and level 2 chargers faster, more robust, and more scalable. It includes algorithms that provide a more optimal charge scheduling for the level 2 (EVSE) and an enhanced vehicle monitoring/identification module (VMM) system that can automatically identify PEVs and authorize charging. PMID:24982956

Vehicle safety telemetry for automated highways

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansen, G. R.

1977-01-01

The emphasis in current, automatic vehicle testing and diagnosis is primarily centered on the proper operation of the engine. Lateral and longitudinal guidance technologies, including speed control and headway sensing for collision avoidance, are reviewed. The principal guidance technique remains the buried wire. Speed control and headway sensing, even though they show the same basic elements in braking and fuel systems, are proceeding independently. The applications of on-board electronic and microprocessor techniques were investigated; each application (emission control, spark advance, or anti-slip braking) is being treated as an independent problem is proposed. A unified bus system of distributed processors for accomplishing the various functions and testing required for vehicles equipped to use automated highways.

Vision-Aided Autonomous Landing and Ingress of Micro Aerial Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brockers, Roland; Ma, Jeremy C.; Matthies, Larry H.; Bouffard, Patrick

2012-01-01

Micro aerial vehicles have limited sensor suites and computational power. For reconnaissance tasks and to conserve energy, these systems need the ability to autonomously land at vantage points or enter buildings (ingress). But for autonomous navigation, information is needed to identify and guide the vehicle to the target. Vision algorithms can provide egomotion estimation and target detection using input from cameras that are easy to include in miniature systems.

Electric Vehicles. LC Science Tracer Bullet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buydos, John E., Comp.

This document reviews the literature in the collections of the Library of Congress on electric vehicles. Not intended as a comprehensive bibliography, this guide is designed as the title implies, to put the reader "on target." This is of greatest utility to the beginning student of the topic. (AA)

An optimization design proposal of automated guided vehicles for mixed type transportation in hospital environments

PubMed Central

González, Domingo; Espinosa, María del Mar; Domínguez, Manuel

2017-01-01

Aim The aim of this paper is to present an optimization proposal in the automated guided vehicles design used in hospital logistics, as well as to analyze the impact of its implementation in a real environment. Method This proposal is based on the design of those elements that would allow the vehicles to deliver an extra cart by the towing method. So, the proposal intention is to improve the productivity and the performance of the current vehicles by using a transportation method of combined carts. Results The study has been developed following concurrent engineering premises from three different viewpoints. First, the sequence of operations has been described, and second, a proposal of design of the equipment has been undertaken. Finally, the impact of the proposal has been analyzed according to real data from the Hospital Universitario Rio Hortega in Valladolid (Spain). In this particular case, by the implementation of the analyzed proposal in the hospital a reduction of over 35% of the current time of use can be achieved. This result may allow adding new tasks to the vehicles, and according to this, both a new kind of vehicle and a specific module can be developed in order to get a better performance. PMID:28562681

Public Participation Guide: Information Kiosks

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Kiosks are similar to automatic teller machines, offering menus for interaction between a person and a computer. Information is provided through a presentation that invites viewers to ask questions or direct the flow of information.

Automatic efficiency optimization of an axial compressor with adjustable inlet guide vanes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jichao; Lin, Feng; Nie, Chaoqun; Chen, Jingyi

2012-04-01

The inlet attack angle of rotor blade reasonably can be adjusted with the change of the stagger angle of inlet guide vane (IGV); so the efficiency of each condition will be affected. For the purpose to improve the efficiency, the DSP (Digital Signal Processor) controller is designed to adjust the stagger angle of IGV automatically in order to optimize the efficiency at any operating condition. The A/D signal collection includes inlet static pressure, outlet static pressure, outlet total pressure, rotor speed and torque signal, the efficiency can be calculated in the DSP, and the angle signal for the stepping motor which control the IGV will be sent out from the D/A. Experimental investigations are performed in a three-stage, low-speed axial compressor with variable inlet guide vanes. It is demonstrated that the DSP designed can well adjust the stagger angle of IGV online, the efficiency under different conditions can be optimized. This establishment of DSP online adjustment scheme may provide a practical solution for improving performance of multi-stage axial flow compressor when its operating condition is varied.

Intelligent Image Analysis for Image-Guided Laser Hair Removal and Skin Therapy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, Brian; Lu, Thomas; Chao, Tien-Hsin

2012-01-01

We present the development of advanced automatic target recognition (ATR) algorithms for the hair follicles identification in digital skin images to accurately direct the laser beam to remove the hair. The ATR system first performs a wavelet filtering to enhance the contrast of the hair features in the image. The system then extracts the unique features of the targets and sends the features to an Adaboost based classifier for training and recognition operations. The ATR system automatically classifies the hair, moles, or other skin lesion and provides the accurate coordinates of the intended hair follicle locations. The coordinates can be used to guide a scanning laser to focus energy only on the hair follicles. The intended benefit would be to protect the skin from unwanted laser exposure and to provide more effective skin therapy.

Who Sits Where? Infrastructure-Free In-Vehicle Cooperative Positioning via Smartphones

PubMed Central

He, Zongjian; Cao, Jiannong; Liu, Xuefeng; Tang, Shaojie

2014-01-01

Seat-level positioning of a smartphone in a vehicle can provide a fine-grained context for many interesting in-vehicle applications, including driver distraction prevention, driving behavior estimation, in-vehicle services customization, etc. However, most of the existing work on in-vehicle positioning relies on special infrastructures, such as the stereo, cigarette lighter adapter or OBD (on-board diagnostic) adapter. In this work, we propose iLoc, an infrastructure-free, in-vehicle, cooperative positioning system via smartphones. iLoc does not require any extra devices and uses only embedded sensors in smartphones to determine the phones' seat-level locations in a car. In iLoc, in-vehicle smartphones automatically collect data during certain kinds of events and cooperatively determine the relative left/right and front/back locations. In addition, iLoc is tolerant to noisy data and possible sensor errors. We evaluate the performance of iLoc using experiments conducted in real driving scenarios. Results show that the positioning accuracy can reach 90% in the majority of cases and around 70% even in the worst-cases. PMID:24984062

Evaluation Of The Advanced Operating System Of The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority : Evaluation Of Automatic Vehicle Location Accuracy

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-01-01

In 1997, the Ann Arbor (Michigan) Transportation Authority began deploying advanced public transportation systems (APTS) technologies in its fixed route and paratransit operations. The project's concept is the integration of a range of such technolog...

76 FR 58341 - Reports, Forms, and Recordkeeping Requirements

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-20

... Columbia. The national survey will be preceded by a pretest administered to 25 respondents. Participation... technology design and potential installation in vehicles. Interviews will average 15 minutes. In conducting... detection technology; Guide the technology design; and Guide a strategy for introduction of this technology...

Dynamic calibration of pan-tilt-zoom cameras for traffic monitoring.

PubMed

Song, Kai-Tai; Tai, Jen-Chao

2006-10-01

Pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras have been widely used in recent years for monitoring and surveillance applications. These cameras provide flexible view selection as well as a wider observation range. This makes them suitable for vision-based traffic monitoring and enforcement systems. To employ PTZ cameras for image measurement applications, one first needs to calibrate the camera to obtain meaningful results. For instance, the accuracy of estimating vehicle speed depends on the accuracy of camera calibration and that of vehicle tracking results. This paper presents a novel calibration method for a PTZ camera overlooking a traffic scene. The proposed approach requires no manual operation to select the positions of special features. It automatically uses a set of parallel lane markings and the lane width to compute the camera parameters, namely, focal length, tilt angle, and pan angle. Image processing procedures have been developed for automatically finding parallel lane markings. Interesting experimental results are presented to validate the robustness and accuracy of the proposed method.

The Effect of a Low-Speed Automatic Brake System Estimated From Real Life Data

PubMed Central

Isaksson-Hellman, Irene; Lindman, Magdalena

2012-01-01

A substantial part of all traffic accidents involving passenger cars are rear-end collisions and most of them occur at low speed. Auto Brake is a feature that has been launched in several passenger car models during the last few years. City Safety is a technology designed to help the driver mitigate, and in certain situations avoid, rear-end collisions at low speed by automatically braking the vehicle. Studies have been presented that predict promising benefits from these kinds of systems, but few attempts have been made to show the actual effect of Auto Brake. In this study, the effect of City Safety, a standard feature on the Volvo XC60 model, is calculated based on insurance claims data from cars in real traffic crashes in Sweden. The estimated claim frequency of rear-end frontal collisions measured in claims per 1,000 insured vehicle years was 23% lower for the City Safety equipped XC60 model than for other Volvo models without the system. PMID:23169133

The effect of a low-speed automatic brake system estimated from real life data.

PubMed

Isaksson-Hellman, Irene; Lindman, Magdalena

2012-01-01

A substantial part of all traffic accidents involving passenger cars are rear-end collisions and most of them occur at low speed. Auto Brake is a feature that has been launched in several passenger car models during the last few years. City Safety is a technology designed to help the driver mitigate, and in certain situations avoid, rear-end collisions at low speed by automatically braking the vehicle.Studies have been presented that predict promising benefits from these kinds of systems, but few attempts have been made to show the actual effect of Auto Brake. In this study, the effect of City Safety, a standard feature on the Volvo XC60 model, is calculated based on insurance claims data from cars in real traffic crashes in Sweden. The estimated claim frequency of rear-end frontal collisions measured in claims per 1,000 insured vehicle years was 23% lower for the City Safety equipped XC60 model than for other Volvo models without the system.

Optimization of entry-vehicle shapes during conceptual design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dirkx, D.; Mooij, E.

2014-01-01

During the conceptual design of a re-entry vehicle, the vehicle shape and geometry can be varied and its impact on performance can be evaluated. In this study, the shape optimization of two classes of vehicles has been studied: a capsule and a winged vehicle. Their aerodynamic characteristics were analyzed using local-inclination methods, automatically selected per vehicle segment. Entry trajectories down to Mach 3 were calculated assuming trimmed conditions. For the winged vehicle, which has both a body flap and elevons, a guidance algorithm to track a reference heat-rate was used. Multi-objective particle swarm optimization was used to optimize the shape using objectives related to mass, volume and range. The optimizations show a large variation in vehicle performance over the explored parameter space. Areas of very strong non-linearity are observed in the direct neighborhood of the two-dimensional Pareto fronts. This indicates the need for robust exploration of the influence of vehicle shapes on system performance during engineering trade-offs, which are performed during conceptual design. A number of important aspects of the influence of vehicle behavior on the Pareto fronts are observed and discussed. There is a nearly complete convergence to narrow-wing solutions for the winged vehicle. Also, it is found that imposing pitch-stability for the winged vehicle at all angles of attack results in vehicle shapes which require upward control surface deflections during the majority of the entry.

77 FR 73912 - Used Motor Vehicle Trade Regulation Rule

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-12

...'') has completed its regulatory review of its Used Motor Vehicle Trade Regulation Rule (``Used Car Rule... revisions to the Spanish translation of the Used Car Buyers Guide and nonsubstantive technical changes to.... SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background The Commission promulgated the Used Car Rule in 1984 and the Rule...

Subsatellite Orbital Analysis Program (SOAP) user's guide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castle, K. G.; Voss, J. M.; Gibson, J. S.

1981-07-01

The features and use of the subsatellite operational analysis are examined. The model simulates several Earth-orbiting vehicles, their pilots, control systems, and interaction with the environment. The use of the program, input and output capabilities, executive structures, and properties of the vehicles and environmental effects which it models are described.

Subsatellite Orbital Analysis Program (SOAP) user's guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Castle, K. G.; Voss, J. M.; Gibson, J. S.

1981-01-01

The features and use of the subsatellite operational analysis are examined. The model simulates several Earth-orbiting vehicles, their pilots, control systems, and interaction with the environment. The use of the program, input and output capabilities, executive structures, and properties of the vehicles and environmental effects which it models are described.

Recommended practices for DSRC licensing and spectrum management : a guide for management, regulation, deployment, and administration for a connected vehicle environment.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-12-01

The goal of this document is to make licensing requirements transparent and best practices accessible to any organization, public or private, seeking to deploy Connected Vehicle Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) Roadside Units (RSU) a...

Ground vehicle control at NIST: From teleoperation to autonomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, Karl N.; Juberts, Maris; Legowik, Steven A.; Nashman, Marilyn; Schneiderman, Henry; Scott, Harry A.; Szabo, Sandor

1994-01-01

NIST is applying their Real-time Control System (RCS) methodology for control of ground vehicles for both the U.S. Army Researh Lab, as part of the DOD's Unmanned Ground Vehicles program, and for the Department of Transportation's Intelligent Vehicle/Highway Systems (IVHS) program. The actuated vehicle, a military HMMWV, has motors for steering, brake, throttle, etc. and sensors for the dashboard gauges. For military operations, the vehicle has two modes of operation: a teleoperation mode--where an operator remotely controls the vehicle over an RF communications network; and a semi-autonomous mode called retro-traverse--where the control system uses an inertial navigation system to steer the vehicle along a prerecorded path. For the IVHS work, intelligent vision processing elements replace the human teleoperator to achieve autonomous, visually guided road following.

Automated Steering Control Design by Visual Feedback Approach —System Identification and Control Experiments with a Radio-Controlled Car—

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujiwara, Yukihiro; Yoshii, Masakazu; Arai, Yasuhito; Adachi, Shuichi

Advanced safety vehicle(ASV)assists drivers’ manipulation to avoid trafic accidents. A variety of researches on automatic driving systems are necessary as an element of ASV. Among them, we focus on visual feedback approach in which the automatic driving system is realized by recognizing road trajectory using image information. The purpose of this paper is to examine the validity of this approach by experiments using a radio-controlled car. First, a practical image processing algorithm to recognize white lines on the road is proposed. Second, a model of the radio-controlled car is built by system identication experiments. Third, an automatic steering control system is designed based on H∞ control theory. Finally, the effectiveness of the designed control system is examined via traveling experiments.

Optimal guidance with obstacle avoidance for nap-of-the-earth flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pekelsma, Nicholas J.

1988-01-01

The development of automatic guidance is discussed for helicopter Nap-of-the-Earth (NOE) and near-NOE flight. It deals with algorithm refinements relating to automated real-time flight path planning and to mission planning. With regard to path planning, it relates rotorcraft trajectory characteristics to the NOE computation scheme and addresses real-time computing issues and both ride quality issues and pilot-vehicle interfaces. The automated mission planning algorithm refinements include route optimization, automatic waypoint generation, interactive applications, and provisions for integrating the results into the real-time path planning software. A microcomputer based mission planning workstation was developed and is described. Further, the application of Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) digital terrain to both the mission planning workstation and to automatic guidance is both discussed and illustrated.

The design of the light-flash warning light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Junli

2018-05-01

In today's society, the warning light has been used widely in people's daily life and various industries and agricultures. It is important to protect people's life and security. Light-flashing warning light is a kind of warning light control equipment which can control warning light automatically open and work in the state of blinking after dark, and it can automatically shut down after the dawn. It can achieve the flashing light automatic control and dual function. At present, light-flashing warning lights are mainly used in the projects of municipal construction. It is helpful to warn people and vehicles that passed in the construction site and ensure personal safety through using light-flashing warning light. Its design is simple, its performance is stable and it is also very convince to use it.

Drive reconfiguration mechanism for tracked robotic vehicle

DOEpatents

Willis, W. David

2000-01-01

Drive reconfiguration apparatus for changing the configuration of a drive unit with respect to a vehicle body may comprise a guide system associated with the vehicle body and the drive unit which allows the drive unit to rotate about a center of rotation that is located at about a point where the drive unit contacts the surface being traversed. An actuator mounted to the vehicle body and connected to the drive unit rotates the drive unit about the center of rotation between a first position and a second position.

Fuzzy Logic Trajectory Design and Guidance for Terminal Area Energy Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burchett, Bradley

2003-01-01

The second generation reusable launch vehicle will leverage many new technologies to make flight to low earth orbit safer and more cost effective. One important capability will be completely autonomous flight during reentry and landing, thus making it unnecessary to man the vehicle for cargo missions with stringent weight constraints. Implementation of sophisticated new guidance and control methods will enable the vehicle to return to earth under less than favorable conditions. The return to earth consists of three phases--Entry, Terminal Area Energy Management (TAEM), and Approach and Landing. The Space Shuttle is programmed to fly all three phases of flight automatically, and under normal circumstances the astronaut-pilot takes manual control only during the Approach and Landing phase. The automatic control algorithms used in the Shuttle for TAEM and Approach and Landing have been developed over the past 30 years. They are computationally efficient, and based on careful study of the spacecraft's flight dynamics, and heuristic reasoning. The gliding return trajectory is planned prior to the mission, and only minor adjustments are made during flight for perturbations in the vehicle energy state. With the advent of the X-33 and X-34 technology demonstration vehicles, several authors investigated implementing advanced control methods to provide autonomous real-time design of gliding return trajectories thus enhancing the ability of the vehicle to adjust to unusual energy states. The bulk of work published to date deals primarily with the approach and landing phase of flight where changes in heading angle are small, and range to the runway is monotonically decreasing. These benign flight conditions allow for model simplification and fairly straightforward optimization. This project focuses on the TAEM phase of flight where mathematically precise methods have produced limited results. Fuzzy Logic methods are used to make onboard autonomous gliding return trajectory design robust to a wider energy envelope, and the possibility of control surface failures, thus increasing the flexibility of unmanned gliding recovery and landing.

Robust vehicle detection under various environmental conditions using an infrared thermal camera and its application to road traffic flow monitoring.

PubMed

Iwasaki, Yoichiro; Misumi, Masato; Nakamiya, Toshiyuki

2013-06-17

We have already proposed a method for detecting vehicle positions and their movements (henceforth referred to as "our previous method") using thermal images taken with an infrared thermal camera. Our experiments have shown that our previous method detects vehicles robustly under four different environmental conditions which involve poor visibility conditions in snow and thick fog. Our previous method uses the windshield and its surroundings as the target of the Viola-Jones detector. Some experiments in winter show that the vehicle detection accuracy decreases because the temperatures of many windshields approximate those of the exterior of the windshields. In this paper, we propose a new vehicle detection method (henceforth referred to as "our new method"). Our new method detects vehicles based on tires' thermal energy reflection. We have done experiments using three series of thermal images for which the vehicle detection accuracies of our previous method are low. Our new method detects 1,417 vehicles (92.8%) out of 1,527 vehicles, and the number of false detection is 52 in total. Therefore, by combining our two methods, high vehicle detection accuracies are maintained under various environmental conditions. Finally, we apply the traffic information obtained by our two methods to traffic flow automatic monitoring, and show the effectiveness of our proposal.

Shaping Attention with Reward: Effects of Reward on Space- and Object-Based Selection

PubMed Central

Shomstein, Sarah; Johnson, Jacoba

2014-01-01

The contribution of rewarded actions to automatic attentional selection remains obscure. We hypothesized that some forms of automatic orienting, such as object-based selection, can be completely abandoned in lieu of reward maximizing strategy. While presenting identical visual stimuli to the observer, in a set of two experiments, we manipulate what is being rewarded (different object targets or random object locations) and the type of reward received (money or points). It was observed that reward alone guides attentional selection, entirely predicting behavior. These results suggest that guidance of selective attention, while automatic, is flexible and can be adjusted in accordance with external non-sensory reward-based factors. PMID:24121412

76 FR 31467 - Guide Concerning Fuel Economy Advertising for New Automobiles

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-01

...The Federal Trade Commission (``FTC'' or ``Commission'') gives notice that it is postponing any amendments to its Guide Concerning Fuel Economy Advertising for New Automobiles (``Fuel Economy Guide'' or ``Guide'') pending completion of ongoing review by the Environmental Protection Agency (``EPA'') and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (``NHTSA'') of current fuel economy labeling requirements and the Commission's accelerated regulatory review of its own Labeling Requirements for Alternative Fuels and Alternative Fueled Vehicles Rule (``Alternative Fuels Rule'').

The integrated manual and automatic control of complex flight systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, D. K.

1985-01-01

Pilot/vehicle analysis techniques for optimizing aircraft handling qualities are presented. The analysis approach considered is based on the optimal control frequency domain techniques. These techniques stem from an optimal control approach of a Neal-Smith like analysis on aircraft attitude dynamics extended to analyze the flared landing task. Some modifications to the technique are suggested and discussed. An in depth analysis of the effect of the experimental variables, such as prefilter, is conducted to gain further insight into the flared land task for this class of vehicle dynamics.

Crew emergency return vehicle autoland feasibility study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bossi, J. A.; Langehough, M. A.; Lee, K. L.

1989-01-01

The crew emergency return vehicle (CERV) autoland feasibility study focused on determining the controllability of the NASA Langley high lift over drag CERV for performing an automatic landing at a prescribed runway. An autoland system was developed using integral linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) design techniques. The design was verified using a nonlinear 6 DOF simulation. Simulation results demonstrate that the CERV configuration is a very flyable configuration for performing an autoland mission. Adequate stability and control was demonstrated for wind turbulence and wind shear. Control surface actuator requirements were developed.

Welding skate with computerized controls

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wall, W. A., Jr.

1968-01-01

New welding skate concept for automatic TIG welding of contoured or double-contoured parts combines lightweight welding apparatus with electrical circuitry which computes the desired torch angle and positions a torch and cold-wire guide angle manipulator.

Alcohol Education: Curriculum Guide for Grades K-6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Education Dept., Albany. Bureau of Drug Education.

This alcohol curriculum guide was designed to assist school personnel to more effectively combat the alcohol problem through education as a primary prevention vehicle. "Practice experiences" comprise the most important components of the elementary health education curriculum for decision making. There are units with separate sections at…

You're the coach : a guide for parents of new drivers.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-01-01

This publication is a guide for parents and guardians of teenagers learning to drive. It should be used with the Iowa Driver's Manual to aid you in instructing your new driver about how to safely and responsibly operate a motor vehicle. Since the tas...

Coordinating Robot Teams for Disaster Relief

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-01

eventually guide vehicles in cooperation with its Operator(s), but in this paper we assume static mission goals, a fixed number of vehicles, and a...is tedious and error prone. Kress-Gazit et al. (2009) instead synthesize an FSA from an LTL specification using a game theory approach (Bloem et al...helping an Operator coordinate a team of vehicles in Disaster Relief. Acknowledgements Thanks to OSD ASD (R&E) for sponsoring this research. The

Unsupervised learning of discriminative edge measures for vehicle matching between nonoverlapping cameras.

PubMed

Shan, Ying; Sawhney, Harpreet S; Kumar, Rakesh

2008-04-01

This paper proposes a novel unsupervised algorithm learning discriminative features in the context of matching road vehicles between two non-overlapping cameras. The matching problem is formulated as a same-different classification problem, which aims to compute the probability of vehicle images from two distinct cameras being from the same vehicle or different vehicle(s). We employ a novel measurement vector that consists of three independent edge-based measures and their associated robust measures computed from a pair of aligned vehicle edge maps. The weight of each measure is determined by an unsupervised learning algorithm that optimally separates the same-different classes in the combined measurement space. This is achieved with a weak classification algorithm that automatically collects representative samples from same-different classes, followed by a more discriminative classifier based on Fisher' s Linear Discriminants and Gibbs Sampling. The robustness of the match measures and the use of unsupervised discriminant analysis in the classification ensures that the proposed method performs consistently in the presence of missing/false features, temporally and spatially changing illumination conditions, and systematic misalignment caused by different camera configurations. Extensive experiments based on real data of over 200 vehicles at different times of day demonstrate promising results.

Montachusett Area Regional Transit Authority (MART) automatic vehicle location and mobile data terminal (AVL/MDT) pilot program report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-02-14

The Montachusett Area Regional Transit Authority (MART) MART was established in 1978 to provide public transportation to the 18 Massachusetts communities. MART fixed-route service operates with 26 buses. Its paratransit services are more extensive, a...

Testing and Benchmarking a 2014 GM Silverado 6L80 Six Speed Automatic Transmission

EPA Science Inventory

Describe the method and test results of EPA’s partial transmission benchmarking process which involves installing both the engine and transmission in an engine dynamometer test cell with the engine wire harness tethered to its vehicle parked outside the test cell.

49 CFR 552.15 - Processing of petition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... for Expedited Rulemaking To Establish Dynamic Automatic Suppression System Test Procedures for Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, Occupant Crash Protection § 552.15 Processing of petition. (a... will seek to notify the petitioner of any such deficiency within 30 days after receipt of the petition...

Automatic Optimization of Wayfinding Design.

PubMed

Huang, Haikun; Lin, Ni-Ching; Barrett, Lorenzo; Springer, Darian; Wang, Hsueh-Cheng; Pomplun, Marc; Yu, Lap-Fai

2017-10-10

Wayfinding signs play an important role in guiding users to navigate in a virtual environment and in helping pedestrians to find their ways in a real-world architectural site. Conventionally, the wayfinding design of a virtual environment is created manually, so as the wayfinding design of a real-world architectural site. The many possible navigation scenarios, and the interplay between signs and human navigation, can make the manual design process overwhelming and non-trivial. As a result, creating a wayfinding design for a typical layout can take months to several years. In this paper, we introduce the Way to Go! approach for automatically generating a wayfinding design for a given layout. The designer simply has to specify some navigation scenarios; our approach will automatically generate an optimized wayfinding design with signs properly placed considering human agents' visibility and possibility of making navigation mistakes. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach in generating wayfinding designs for different layouts. We evaluate our results by comparing different wayfinding designs and show that our optimized designs can guide pedestrians to their destinations effectively. Our approach can also help the designer visualize the accessibility of a destination from different locations, and correct any "blind zone" with additional signs.

Drivers’ Visual Behavior-Guided RRT Motion Planner for Autonomous On-Road Driving

PubMed Central

Du, Mingbo; Mei, Tao; Liang, Huawei; Chen, Jiajia; Huang, Rulin; Zhao, Pan

2016-01-01

This paper describes a real-time motion planner based on the drivers’ visual behavior-guided rapidly exploring random tree (RRT) approach, which is applicable to on-road driving of autonomous vehicles. The primary novelty is in the use of the guidance of drivers’ visual search behavior in the framework of RRT motion planner. RRT is an incremental sampling-based method that is widely used to solve the robotic motion planning problems. However, RRT is often unreliable in a number of practical applications such as autonomous vehicles used for on-road driving because of the unnatural trajectory, useless sampling, and slow exploration. To address these problems, we present an interesting RRT algorithm that introduces an effective guided sampling strategy based on the drivers’ visual search behavior on road and a continuous-curvature smooth method based on B-spline. The proposed algorithm is implemented on a real autonomous vehicle and verified against several different traffic scenarios. A large number of the experimental results demonstrate that our algorithm is feasible and efficient for on-road autonomous driving. Furthermore, the comparative test and statistical analyses illustrate that its excellent performance is superior to other previous algorithms. PMID:26784203

Drivers' Visual Behavior-Guided RRT Motion Planner for Autonomous On-Road Driving.

PubMed

Du, Mingbo; Mei, Tao; Liang, Huawei; Chen, Jiajia; Huang, Rulin; Zhao, Pan

2016-01-15

This paper describes a real-time motion planner based on the drivers' visual behavior-guided rapidly exploring random tree (RRT) approach, which is applicable to on-road driving of autonomous vehicles. The primary novelty is in the use of the guidance of drivers' visual search behavior in the framework of RRT motion planner. RRT is an incremental sampling-based method that is widely used to solve the robotic motion planning problems. However, RRT is often unreliable in a number of practical applications such as autonomous vehicles used for on-road driving because of the unnatural trajectory, useless sampling, and slow exploration. To address these problems, we present an interesting RRT algorithm that introduces an effective guided sampling strategy based on the drivers' visual search behavior on road and a continuous-curvature smooth method based on B-spline. The proposed algorithm is implemented on a real autonomous vehicle and verified against several different traffic scenarios. A large number of the experimental results demonstrate that our algorithm is feasible and efficient for on-road autonomous driving. Furthermore, the comparative test and statistical analyses illustrate that its excellent performance is superior to other previous algorithms.

A software tool to automatically assure and report daily treatment deliveries by a cobalt‐60 radiation therapy device

PubMed Central

Wooten, H. Omar; Green, Olga; Li, Harold H.; Liu, Shi; Li, Xiaoling; Rodriguez, Vivian; Mutic, Sasa; Kashani, Rojano

2016-01-01

The aims of this study were to develop a method for automatic and immediate verification of treatment delivery after each treatment fraction in order to detect and correct errors, and to develop a comprehensive daily report which includes delivery verification results, daily image‐guided radiation therapy (IGRT) review, and information for weekly physics reviews. After systematically analyzing the requirements for treatment delivery verification and understanding the available information from a commercial MRI‐guided radiotherapy treatment machine, we designed a procedure to use 1) treatment plan files, 2) delivery log files, and 3) beam output information to verify the accuracy and completeness of each daily treatment delivery. The procedure verifies the correctness of delivered treatment plan parameters including beams, beam segments and, for each segment, the beam‐on time and MLC leaf positions. For each beam, composite primary fluence maps are calculated from the MLC leaf positions and segment beam‐on time. Error statistics are calculated on the fluence difference maps between the plan and the delivery. A daily treatment delivery report is designed to include all required information for IGRT and weekly physics reviews including the plan and treatment fraction information, daily beam output information, and the treatment delivery verification results. A computer program was developed to implement the proposed procedure of the automatic delivery verification and daily report generation for an MRI guided radiation therapy system. The program was clinically commissioned. Sensitivity was measured with simulated errors. The final version has been integrated into the commercial version of the treatment delivery system. The method automatically verifies the EBRT treatment deliveries and generates the daily treatment reports. Already in clinical use for over one year, it is useful to facilitate delivery error detection, and to expedite physician daily IGRT review and physicist weekly chart review. PACS number(s): 87.55.km PMID:27167269

Tourism Studies. Guide to Standards and Implementation. Career & Technology Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Curriculum Standards Branch.

This Alberta curriculum guide, focusing on tourism studies, defines competencies that: help students build daily living skills, investigate career options in the design and repair of motor vehicles, use technology in these fields effectively and efficiently, and prepare for entry into the workplace or related postsecondary programs. Section A…

Carpool and buspool matching guide. Fourth edition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pratsch, L.

1975-01-01

The operation and management of numerous successful carpool, buspool, and vanpool programs throughout the U.S. are discussed. The matching of the time and location requirements of the riders with vehicle availability and routing is described. The guide for data collection procedures and computer programs for carpool matching is presented. (LCL)

Rockets: Physical Science Teacher's Guide with Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogt, Gregory L.; Rosenberg, Carla R., Ed.

Rockets have evolved from simple tubes filled with black powder into mighty vehicles capable of launching a spacecraft out into the galaxy. The guide begins with background information sections on the history of rocketry, scientific principles, and practical rocketry. The sections on scientific principles and practical rocketry are based on Isaac…

Power Trains.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kukuk, Marvin; Mathis, Joe

This curriculum guide is part of a series designed to teach students about diesel engines. The materials in this power trains guide apply to both on-road and off-road vehicles and include information about chain and belt drives used in tractors and combines. These instructional materials, containing nine units, are written in terms of student…

TRAINING GUIDE FOR VOCATIONAL HABILITATION.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BITTER, JAMES A.

DESIGNED AS A GUIDE FOR COUNSELORS OF VOCATIONAL HABILITATION CLIENTS (CLIENTS WITH LITTLE OR NO VOCATIONAL EXPERIENCE) THIS MANUAL PRESENTS THE PROGRAM DEVELOPED BY THE WORK EXPERIENCE CENTER (WEC) OF THE ST. LOUIS JEWISH EMPLOYMENT AND VOCATIONAL SERVICE. THE MAJOR TRAINING VEHICLES USED BY WEC ARE HABILITATION WORKSHOPS, EMPLOYER JOB SITES, AND…

Neural networks: Alternatives to conventional techniques for automatic docking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vinz, Bradley L.

1994-01-01

Automatic docking of orbiting spacecraft is a crucial operation involving the identification of vehicle orientation as well as complex approach dynamics. The chaser spacecraft must be able to recognize the target spacecraft within a scene and achieve accurate closing maneuvers. In a video-based system, a target scene must be captured and transformed into a pattern of pixels. Successful recognition lies in the interpretation of this pattern. Due to their powerful pattern recognition capabilities, artificial neural networks offer a potential role in interpretation and automatic docking processes. Neural networks can reduce the computational time required by existing image processing and control software. In addition, neural networks are capable of recognizing and adapting to changes in their dynamic environment, enabling enhanced performance, redundancy, and fault tolerance. Most neural networks are robust to failure, capable of continued operation with a slight degradation in performance after minor failures. This paper discusses the particular automatic docking tasks neural networks can perform as viable alternatives to conventional techniques.

Integrated vehicle control and guidance systems in unmanned ground vehicles for commercial applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kenyon, Chase H.

1995-01-01

While there is a lot of recent development in the entire IVHS field, very few have had the opportunity to combine the many areas of development into a single integrated `intelligent' unmanned vehicle. One of our systems was developed specifically to serve a major automobile manufacturer's need for an automated vehicle chassis durability test facility. Due to the severity of the road surface human drivers could not be used. A totally automated robotic vehicle driver and guidance system was necessary. In order to deliver fixed price commercial projects now, it was apparent system and component costs were of paramount importance. Cyplex has developed a robust, cost effective single wire guidance system. This system has inherent advantages in system simplicity. Multi-signal (per vehicle lane) systems complicate path planning and layout when multiple lanes and lane changes are required, as on actual highways. The system has demonstrated high enough immunity to rain and light snow cover that normal safety reductions in speed are adequate to stay within the required system performance envelope. This system and it's antenna interface have shown the ability to guide the vehicle at slow speeds (10 MPH) with a tracking repeatability of plus or minus 1/8 of an inch. The basic guide and antenna system has been tested at speeds up to 80 mph. The system has inherently superior abilities for lane changes and precision vehicle placement. The operation of this system will be described and the impact of a system that is commercially viable now for highway and off road use will be discussed.

Controlled versus automatic processes: which is dominant to safety? The moderating effect of inhibitory control.

PubMed

Xu, Yaoshan; Li, Yongjuan; Ding, Weidong; Lu, Fan

2014-01-01

This study explores the precursors of employees' safety behaviors based on a dual-process model, which suggests that human behaviors are determined by both controlled and automatic cognitive processes. Employees' responses to a self-reported survey on safety attitudes capture their controlled cognitive process, while the automatic association concerning safety measured by an Implicit Association Test (IAT) reflects employees' automatic cognitive processes about safety. In addition, this study investigates the moderating effects of inhibition on the relationship between self-reported safety attitude and safety behavior, and that between automatic associations towards safety and safety behavior. The results suggest significant main effects of self-reported safety attitude and automatic association on safety behaviors. Further, the interaction between self-reported safety attitude and inhibition and that between automatic association and inhibition each predict unique variances in safety behavior. Specifically, the safety behaviors of employees with lower level of inhibitory control are influenced more by automatic association, whereas those of employees with higher level of inhibitory control are guided more by self-reported safety attitudes. These results suggest that safety behavior is the joint outcome of both controlled and automatic cognitive processes, and the relative importance of these cognitive processes depends on employees' individual differences in inhibitory control. The implications of these findings for theoretical and practical issues are discussed at the end.

Controlled versus Automatic Processes: Which Is Dominant to Safety? The Moderating Effect of Inhibitory Control

PubMed Central

Xu, Yaoshan; Li, Yongjuan; Ding, Weidong; Lu, Fan

2014-01-01

This study explores the precursors of employees' safety behaviors based on a dual-process model, which suggests that human behaviors are determined by both controlled and automatic cognitive processes. Employees' responses to a self-reported survey on safety attitudes capture their controlled cognitive process, while the automatic association concerning safety measured by an Implicit Association Test (IAT) reflects employees' automatic cognitive processes about safety. In addition, this study investigates the moderating effects of inhibition on the relationship between self-reported safety attitude and safety behavior, and that between automatic associations towards safety and safety behavior. The results suggest significant main effects of self-reported safety attitude and automatic association on safety behaviors. Further, the interaction between self-reported safety attitude and inhibition and that between automatic association and inhibition each predict unique variances in safety behavior. Specifically, the safety behaviors of employees with lower level of inhibitory control are influenced more by automatic association, whereas those of employees with higher level of inhibitory control are guided more by self-reported safety attitudes. These results suggest that safety behavior is the joint outcome of both controlled and automatic cognitive processes, and the relative importance of these cognitive processes depends on employees' individual differences in inhibitory control. The implications of these findings for theoretical and practical issues are discussed at the end. PMID:24520338

Real-time automatic registration in optical surgical navigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Qinyong; Yang, Rongqian; Cai, Ken; Si, Xuan; Chen, Xiuwen; Wu, Xiaoming

2016-05-01

An image-guided surgical navigation system requires the improvement of the patient-to-image registration time to enhance the convenience of the registration procedure. A critical step in achieving this aim is performing a fully automatic patient-to-image registration. This study reports on a design of custom fiducial markers and the performance of a real-time automatic patient-to-image registration method using these markers on the basis of an optical tracking system for rigid anatomy. The custom fiducial markers are designed to be automatically localized in both patient and image spaces. An automatic localization method is performed by registering a point cloud sampled from the three dimensional (3D) pedestal model surface of a fiducial marker to each pedestal of fiducial markers searched in image space. A head phantom is constructed to estimate the performance of the real-time automatic registration method under four fiducial configurations. The head phantom experimental results demonstrate that the real-time automatic registration method is more convenient, rapid, and accurate than the manual method. The time required for each registration is approximately 0.1 s. The automatic localization method precisely localizes the fiducial markers in image space. The averaged target registration error for the four configurations is approximately 0.7 mm. The automatic registration performance is independent of the positions relative to the tracking system and the movement of the patient during the operation.

Control techniques for an automated mixed traffic vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meisenholder, G. W.; Johnston, A. R.

1977-01-01

The paper describes an automated mixed traffic vehicle (AMTV), a driverless low-speed tram designed to operate in mixed pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The vehicle is a six-passenger electric tram equipped with sensing and control which permit it to function on existing streets in an automatic mode. The design includes established wire-following techniques for steering and near-IR headway sensors. A 7-mph cruise speed is reduced to 2 mph or a complete stop in response to sensor (or passenger) inputs. The AMTV performance is evaluated by operation on a loop route and by simulation. Some necessary improvements involving sensors, sensor pattern, use of an audible signal, and control lag are discussed. It is suggested that appropriate modifications will eliminate collision incidents.

ADDJUST - An automated system for steering Centaur launch vehicles in measured winds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swanson, D. C.

1977-01-01

ADDJUST (Automatic Determination and Dissemination of Just-Updated Steering Terms) is an automated computer and communication system designed to provide Atlas/Centaur and Titan/Centaur launch vehicles with booster-phase steering data on launch day. Wind soundings are first obtained, from which a smoothed wind velocity vs altitude relationship is established. Design for conditions at the end of the boost phase with initial pitch and yaw maneuvers, followed by zero total angle of attack through the filtered wind establishes the required vehicle attitude as a function of altitude. Polynomial coefficients for pitch and yaw attitude vs altitude are determined and are transmitted for validation and loading into the Centaur airborne computer. The system has enabled 14 consecutive launches without a flight wind delay.

How emotion shapes behavior: feedback, anticipation, and reflection, rather than direct causation.

PubMed

Baumeister, Roy F; Vohs, Kathleen D; DeWall, C Nathan; Zhang, Liqing

2007-05-01

Fear causes fleeing and thereby saves lives: this exemplifies a popular and common sense but increasingly untenable view that the direct causation of behavior is the primary function of emotion. Instead, the authors develop a theory of emotion as a feedback system whose influence on behavior is typically indirect. By providing feedback and stimulating retrospective appraisal of actions, conscious emotional states can promote learning and alter guidelines for future behavior. Behavior may also be chosen to pursue (or avoid) anticipated emotional outcomes. Rapid, automatic affective responses, in contrast to the full-blown conscious emotions, may inform cognition and behavioral choice and thereby help guide current behavior. The automatic affective responses may also remind the person of past emotional outcomes and provide useful guides as to what emotional outcomes may be anticipated in the present. To justify replacing the direct causation model with the feedback model, the authors review a large body of empirical findings.

The Color Red Supports Avoidance Reactions to Unhealthy Food.

PubMed

Rohr, Michaela; Kamm, Friederike; Koenigstorfer, Joerg; Groeppel-Klein, Andrea; Wentura, Dirk

2015-01-01

Empirical evidence suggests that the color red acts like an implicit avoidance cue in food contexts. Thus specific colors seem to guide the implicit evaluation of food items. We built upon this research by investigating the implicit meaning of color (red vs. green) in an approach-avoidance task with healthy and unhealthy food items. Thus, we examined the joint evaluative effects of color and food: Participants had to categorize food items by approach-avoidance reactions, according to their healthfulness. Items were surrounded by task-irrelevant red or green circles. We found that the implicit meaning of the traffic light colors influenced participants' reactions to the food items. The color red (compared to green) facilitated automatic avoidance reactions to unhealthy foods. By contrast, approach behavior toward healthy food items was not moderated by color. Our findings suggest that traffic light colors can act as implicit cues that guide automatic behavioral reactions to food.

A Vocational Program for Recreational Vehicle Maintenance/Repair. A Report, 1977-78.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1978

This report contains a secondary school curriculum guide designed to be used by vocational teachers in a one- or two-year recreational vehicle maintenance/repair program. In the preliminary pages, a description is given of the project that developed the curriculum, outlining its objectives and procedures in formulating the model interdisciplinary…

75 FR 13809 - Reclassification of Motorcycles (Two and Three Wheeled Vehicles) in the Guide to Reporting...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-23

... highway extent, condition, use, and performance measures. DATES: Comments must be received on or before 90... impairment, decreased use of helmets, and increased motorcycle use. Data from the National Highway Traffic... States to use to gather accurate motorcycle registrations and motorcycle vehicle miles of travel data...

An adaptive guidance algorithm for an aerodynamically assisted orbital plane change maneuver. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blissit, J. A.

1986-01-01

Using analysis results from the post trajectory optimization program, an adaptive guidance algorithm is developed to compensate for density, aerodynamic and thrust perturbations during an atmospheric orbital plane change maneuver. The maneuver offers increased mission flexibility along with potential fuel savings for future reentry vehicles. Although designed to guide a proposed NASA Entry Research Vehicle, the algorithm is sufficiently generic for a range of future entry vehicles. The plane change analysis provides insight suggesting a straight-forward algorithm based on an optimized nominal command profile. Bank angle, angle of attack, and engine thrust level, ignition and cutoff times are modulated to adjust the vehicle's trajectory to achieve the desired end-conditions. A performance evaluation of the scheme demonstrates a capability to guide to within 0.05 degrees of the desired plane change and five nautical miles of the desired apogee altitude while maintaining heating constraints. The algorithm is tested under off-nominal conditions of + or -30% density biases, two density profile models, + or -15% aerodynamic uncertainty, and a 33% thrust loss and for various combinations of these conditions.

Multi-mode energy management strategy for fuel cell electric vehicles based on driving pattern identification using learning vector quantization neural network algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Ke; Li, Feiqiang; Hu, Xiao; He, Lin; Niu, Wenxu; Lu, Sihao; Zhang, Tong

2018-06-01

The development of fuel cell electric vehicles can to a certain extent alleviate worldwide energy and environmental issues. While a single energy management strategy cannot meet the complex road conditions of an actual vehicle, this article proposes a multi-mode energy management strategy for electric vehicles with a fuel cell range extender based on driving condition recognition technology, which contains a patterns recognizer and a multi-mode energy management controller. This paper introduces a learning vector quantization (LVQ) neural network to design the driving patterns recognizer according to a vehicle's driving information. This multi-mode strategy can automatically switch to the genetic algorithm optimized thermostat strategy under specific driving conditions in the light of the differences in condition recognition results. Simulation experiments were carried out based on the model's validity verification using a dynamometer test bench. Simulation results show that the proposed strategy can obtain better economic performance than the single-mode thermostat strategy under dynamic driving conditions.

Solaris: Orbital station: Automatic laboratory for outer space rendezvous and operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Runavot, J. J.

1981-01-01

The preliminary design for a modular orbital space station (unmanned) is outlined. The three main components are a support module, an experiment module, and an orbital transport vehicle. The major types of missions (assembly, materials processing, and Earth observation) that could be performed are discussed.

40 CFR 86.165-12 - Air conditioning idle test procedure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... at idle when CO2 emissions are measured without any air conditioning systems operating, followed by a ten-minute period at idle when CO2 emissions are measured with the air conditioning system operating... section, turn on the vehicle's air conditioning system. Set automatic air conditioning systems to a...