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1. On page 111, the authors have described a method to assess driver distraction. In this method, participants maintained a white square size on a forward display by using a game gas pedal of like in car-following situation. The size of the white square is determined by calculating the distance to a virtual lead vehicle. The formulas to correct are used to explain variation of acceleration of the virtual lead vehicle. The authors inadvertently incorporated old formulas they had used previously. In the experiments discussed in the article, the corrected formulas were used. Therefore, there is no change in the results. The following from the article:

A generalized MADYMO minor rear crash vehicle model with BioRIDII ATD was developed and validated using the mean response of previously published 12 km/h delta-V rear crash tests. BioRIDII simulation pelvis, thorax and head x-axis accelerations, as well as head y-axis angular acceleration, fell within corridors defining +/- one standard deviation of the mean BioRIDII crash test responses. Peak sagittal plane BioRIDII upper neck forces and moments in the simulation were on par with the mean values observed from the crash tests. After the model was validated for 12 km/h delta-V, the model was further exercised by performing simulations with (1) a Hybrid III 50th percentile occupant and (2) by reducing the pulse by 40% of its original value. Results indicate that this generalized minor rear crash model could be useful in accurately estimating occupant kinematics and kinetics in minor crashes up to at least 12 km/h delta-V as an alternative to expensive and time consuming crash testing.

This paper describes an effective integrated method for estimation of subject-specific mass, inertia tensor, and center of mass of individual body segments of a digital avatar for use with physics-based digital human modeling simulation environment. One of the main goals of digital human modeling and simulation environments is that a user should be able to change the avatar (from male to female to a child) at any given time. The user should also be able to change the various link dimensions, like lengths of upper and lower arms, lengths of upper and lower legs, etc. These customizations in digital avatar's geometry change the kinematic and dynamic properties of various segments of its body. Hence, the mass and center of mass/inertia data of the segments must be updated before simulating physics-based realistic motions. Most of the current methods use mass and inertia properties calculated from a set of regression equations based on average of some population.

This paper focuses on full body dynamical analysis of car ingress/egress motion. It aims at proposing an experimental protocol adapted for analysing joint loads using inverse dynamics. Two preliminary studies were first performed in order to 1/ define the main driver/car interactions so as to allow measuring the contact forces at all possible contact zones and 2/ identify the design parameters that mainly influence the discomfort. In order to verify the feasibility of the protocol, a laboratory study was carried out, during which two subjects tested two car configurations. The experimental equipment was composed of a variable car mock-up, an optoelectronic motion tracking system, two 6D-force plates installed on the ground next to the doorframe and on the car floor, a 6D-Force sensor between the steering wheel and the steering column, and two pressure maps on the seat. Motions were reconstructed from measured surface markers trajectories using inverse kinematics.

Brake judder is about oscillations excited by brake application, which are generated in the contact area between brake pad and brake disc and are transmitted by the elements of the suspension to body and steering system. The driver perceives these perturbations as brake pedal pulsations, steering wheel rotational and body vibrations. The evaluation of a suspension concerning brake judder often takes place for the first time in road tests, since established simulation processes with a high significance concerning ride comfort are missing. At such a late moment necessary modifications in the development process are only hardly possible and very expensive. For avoiding brake judder a systematic development process is needed for brake and suspension. Each one can separately be improved in measurably borders so that their assembly is free of cold brake judder. The present paper shows appropriate test and simulation methods to achieve this.

A driving simulator capable of duplicating the critical sensations incurred during a spin, or when a driver is engaged in drift cornering, was constructed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., and Hiromichi Nozaki of Kogakuin University. Specifically, the simulator allows independent movement along three degrees of freedom and is capable of exhibiting extreme yaw and lateral acceleration behaviors. Utilizing this simulator, the control characteristics of drift cornering have become better understood. For example, after a J-turn behavior experiment involving yaw angle velocity at the moment when the drivers attention transitions to resuming straight ahead driving, it is now understood that there are major changes in driver behavior in circumstances when simulator motions are turned off, when only lateral acceleration motion is applied, when only yaw motion is applied, and when combined motions (yaw + lateral acceleration) are applied.

A consortium of interested parties has conducted an experimental characterization of two Tau parallel kinematic machines which were built as a part of the EU-funded project, SMErobot1. Characteristics such as machine stiffness, work envelope, repeatability and accuracy were considered. This paper will present a brief history of the Tau parallel machine, the results of this testing and some comment on prospective application to the aerospace industry.

The ride dynamics of typical North-American soil compactors were investigated via analytical and experimental methods. A 12-degrees-of-freedom in-plane ride dynamic model of a single-drum compactor was formulated through integrations of the models of various components such as driver seat, cabin, roller drum and drum isolators, chassis and the tires. The analytical model was formulated for the transit mode of operation at a constant forward speed on undeformable surfaces with the roller vibrator off. Field measurements were conducted to characterize the ride vibration environments during the transit mode of operation. The measured data revealed significant magnitudes of whole-body vibration of the operator-station along the vertical, lateral, pitch and roll-axes. The model results revealed reasonably good agreements with ranges of the measured vibration data.

In 2006, there were approximately 23,500 rear-end crashes involving heavy trucks (i.e., gross vehicle weight greater than 4,536 kg). The Enhanced Rear Signaling (ERS) for Heavy Trucks project was developed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to investigate methods to reduce or mitigate those crashes where a heavy truck has been struck from behind by another vehicle. Visual warnings have been shown to be effective, assuming the following driver is looking directly at the warning display or has his/her eyes drawn to it. A visual warning can be placed where it is needed and it can be designed so that its meaning is nearly unambiguous. FMCSA contracted with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) to investigate potential benefit of additional rear warning-light configurations as rear-end crash countermeasures for heavy trucks.

Driver distraction is a topic of considerable interest, with the public debate centering on the use of cell phones and texting while driving. However, the driver distraction/overload issue is really much larger. It concerns specific tasks such as entering destinations on navigation systems, retrieving songs on MP3 players, accessing web pages, checking stocks, editing spreadsheets, and performing other tasks on smart phones, as well as, more generally, using in-vehicle information systems. Five major problems related to distraction/overload research and engineering and their solutions are addressed in this paper.

Electrification of the automobile is a growing trend and will create both challenges and opportunities for the vehicle manufacturer, road network infrastructure and driver. In addition to innovative fundamental battery and power transfer technologies, electric vehicles will integrate unique driver interfaces, road intelligence, traffic awareness and wireless data communication to provide a complete support system. This networked vehicle will improve efficiency, increase cruising range and contribute to the overall driving enjoyment of an electric or plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle. Through tailored applications created by content and service providers the driver will identify the most efficient travel routes, learn efficient driving behaviors, avoid energy-wasting situations, locate charging stations and have confidence in reaching a destination and returning home.

With Ford SYNC, Microsoft Corporation and Ford Motor Company have democratized in-vehicle infotainment systems - delighting consumers and bringing a new kind of agility to the automobile industry. Built on Microsoft Auto (now Windows Embedded Automotive), Ford SYNC is a factory-installed, voice-controlled communications and entertainment system that allows drivers to converge their digital lifestyle with their life on the road. Windows Embedded Automotive is an industry leading technology platform that provides integrated infotainment features and a rich user interface. Car manufacturers and suppliers worldwide can use this software to create differentiated, infotainment in-vehicle systems that are immediately attractive to consumers.

Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) networks within the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) lead to safety and mobility improvements in vehicle road traffic. This paper presents case studies that support the realization of the ITS architecture as an evolutionary process, beginning with driver information systems for enhancing feedback to the users, semi-autonomous control systems for improved vehicle system management, and fully autonomous control for improving vehicle cooperation and management. The paper will also demonstrate how the automotive, telecom, and data and service providers are working together to develop new ITS technologies.

The design of a safe transportation system requires numerous design decisions that should be based on data acquired by rigorous scientific method. Naturalistic data collection and analysis methods are a relatively new addition to the engineer's toolbox. The naturalistic method is based on unobtrusively monitoring driver and vehicle performance under normal, everyday, driving conditions; generally for extended collection periods. The method generates a wealth of data that is particularly well-suited for identifying the underlying causes of safety deficiencies. Furthermore, the method also provides robust data for the design and evaluation of safety enhancement systems through field studies. Recently the instrumentation required to do this type of study has become much more cost effective allowing larger numbers of vehicles to be instrumented at a fraction of the cost. This paper will first provide an overview of the naturalistic method including comparisons to other available methods.

In this paper, the microstructure-based finite element modeling method is used in investigating the loading path dependence of formability of transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) steels. For this purpose, the effects of different loading path on the forming limit diagrams (FLD) of TRIP steels are qualitatively examined using the representative volume element (RVE) of a commercial TRIP800 steel. First, the modeling method was introduced, where a combined isotropic/kinematic hardening rule is adopted for the constituent phases in order to correctly describe the cyclic deformation behaviors of TRIP steels during the forming process with combined loading paths which may include the unloading between the two consecutive loadings. Material parameters for the constituent phases remained the same as those in the authors' previous study [ 1 ] except for some adjustments for the martensite phase due to the introduction of the new combined hardening rule.

In cold climatic regions (25°C below zero) thermal comfort inside vehicle cabin plays a vital role for safety of driver and crew members. This comfortable and safe environment can be achieved either by utilizing available heat of engine coolant in conjunction with optimized in cab air circulation or by deploying more costly options such as auxiliary heaters, e.g., Fuel Fired, Positive Temperature Coefficient heaters. The typical vehicle cabin heating system effectiveness depends on optimized warm/hot air discharge through instrument panel and foot vents, air directivity to occupant's chest and foot zones and overall air flow distribution inside the vehicle cabin. On engine side it depends on engine coolant warm up and flow rate, coolant pipe routing, coolant leakage through engine thermostat and heater core construction and capacity.

Biodistillate transportation fuels include biodiesel (produced via transesterification of animal fats and vegetable oils) and renewable diesel (produced via catalytic hydroprocessing of the same feedstocks). Production and use of biodistillates are increasing dramatically, both in the U.S. and globally. This paper describes the policy drivers prompting growth of biodistillate fuels in the U.S., Europe, and selected other countries. Trends in fuel production volumes and feedstocks supplies are presented for these fuels. Current feedstocks are dominated by soybean oil in the U.S. and rapeseed oil in Europe. However, there is much interest in developing alternative, non-edible feedstocks such as jatropha and microalgae. Currently, biodiesel is the dominant biodistillate in use, though interest in renewable diesel is increasing. This paper describes different conversion processes used to manufacture these fuels, and discusses the pros and cons of each.

This paper describes a driving controller to improve vehicle lateral stability and maneuverability for a six wheel driving / six wheel steering (6WD/6WS) vehicle. The driving controller consists of upper and lower level controller. The upper level controller based on sliding control theory determines front, middle steering angle, additional net yaw moment and longitudinal net force according to reference velocity and steering of a manual driving, remote control and autonomous controller. The lower level controller takes desired longitudinal net force, yaw moment and tire force information as an input and determines additional front steering angle and distributed longitudinal tire force on each wheel. This controller is based on optimal distribution control and has considered the friction circle related to vertical tire force and friction coefficient acting on the road and tire.

This paper proposes an image processing method for easier perception of speed from a camera image.Vision assistance technology employing cameras is presently being put to widespread practical use. In some cases, however, the speed that is perceived from a camera image differs from that perceived from conventional side-view mirrors and the like. This is particularly apparent in the case of images taken by wide angle cameras, and it tends to cause drivers to feel a sense of incongruity. In order to reduce this sense of incongruity associated with perceiving vehicle movement in the camera image, therefore, the speed of movement of the object vehicle reflected in a conventional side-view mirror was compared with the speed of movement of the object vehicle shown in the camera image, and portions of the camera image were selectively processed to make them larger or smaller accordingly.

As the number of electrical devices in modern vehicles increases, the battery becomes more critical component for the operation of vehicles. To ensure the startability of the vehicle, battery conditions such as state of charge and state of health should be properly monitored and maintained. To reduce walk-home incidents due to no-start situation, appropriate warning should be issued to the driver to advise necessary actions such as replacing or re-charging the battery. For the last couple of years, General Motors has studied and developed several battery health monitoring methods based on different battery health signatures. Yet, it is found that relying on a single method may lead to false alarm or misdetection due to lack of information or uncertainty. This paper develops the algorithm for more robust and reliable battery health monitoring and prognosis, by applying Evidence Theory to fuse different battery health signatures.