Search Results

Abstract Collision alert and avoidance systems (CAS) could help to minimize driver errors. They are instrumental as an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) when the vehicle is facing potential hazards. Developing effective ADAS/CAS, which provides alerts to the driver, requires a fundamental understanding of human sensory perception and response capabilities. This research explores the premise that external stimulation can effectively improve drivers’ reaction and response capabilities. Therefore this article proposes a light-emitting diode (LED)-based driver warning system to prevent potential collisions while evaluating novel signal processing algorithms to explore the correlation between driver brain signals and external visual stimulation. When the vehicle approaches emerging obstacles or potential hazards, an LED light box flashes to warn the driver through visual stimulation to avoid the collision through braking.

Abstract Connected vehicles and intelligent transportation systems are currently evolving into highly interconnected digital environments. Due to the interconnectivity of different systems and complex communication flows, a joint risk analysis for combining safety and security from a system perspective does not yet exist. We introduce a novel method for joint risk assessment in the automotive sector as a combination of the Diamond Model, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and Factor Analysis of Information Risk (FAIR). These methods have been sequentially composed, which results in a comprehensive risk management approach to information security in an intelligent transport system (ITS). The Diamond Model serves to identify and structurally describe threats and scenarios, the widely accepted FMEA provides threat analysis by identifying possible error combinations, and FAIR provides a quantitative estimation of probabilities for the frequency and magnitude of risk events.

Abstract In the pursuit of advancing autonomous vehicles (AVs), data-driven algorithms have become pivotal in replacing human perception and decision-making. While deep neural networks (DNNs) hold promise for perception tasks, the potential for catastrophic consequences due to algorithmic flaws is concerning. A well-known incident in 2016, involving a Tesla autopilot misidentifying a white truck as a cloud, underscores the risks and security vulnerabilities. In this article, we present a novel threat model and risk assessment (TARA) analysis on AV data storage, delving into potential threats and damage scenarios. Specifically, we focus on DNN parameter manipulation attacks, evaluating their impact on three distinct algorithms for traffic sign classification and lane assist.

Abstract Automotive software is increasingly complex and critical to safe vehicle operation, and related embedded systems must remain up to date to ensure long-term system performance. Update mechanisms and data modification tools introduce opportunities for malicious actors to compromise these cyber-physical systems, and for trusted actors to mistakenly install incompatible software versions. A distributed and stratified “black box” audit trail for automotive software and data provenance is proposed to assure users, service providers, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of vehicular software integrity and reliability. The proposed black box architecture is both layered and diffuse, employing distributed hash tables (DHT), a parity system and a public blockchain to provide high resilience, assurance, scalability, and efficiency for automotive and other high-assurance systems.

Abstract Modern Automated Driving (AD) systems rely on safety measures to handle faults and to bring the vehicle to a safe state. To eradicate lethal road accidents, car manufacturers are constantly introducing new perception as well as control systems. Contemporary automotive design and safety engineering best practices are suitable for analyzing system components in isolation, whereas today’s highly complex and interdependent AD systems require a novel approach to ensure resilience to multiple-point failures. We present a holistic and cost-effective safety concept unifying advanced safety measures for handling multiple-point faults. Our proposed approach enables designers to focus on more pressing issues such as handling fault-free hazardous behavior associated with system performance limitations. To verify our approach, we developed an executable model of the safety concept in the formal specification language mCRL2.

Abstract Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) are being developed for more and more complicated application scenarios, which often require more predictive strategies with better understanding of the driving environment. Taking traffic vehicles’ maneuvers into account can greatly expand the beforehand time span for danger awareness. This article presents a maneuver-based strategy to vehicle collision threat assessment. First, a maneuver-based trajectory prediction model (MTPM) is built, in which near-future trajectories of ego vehicle and traffic vehicles are estimated with the combination of vehicle’s maneuvers and kinematic models that correspond to every maneuver. The most probable maneuvers of ego vehicle and each traffic vehicles are modelled and inferred via Hidden Markov Models with mixture of Gaussians outputs (GMHMM). Based on the inferred maneuvers, trajectory sets consisting of vehicles’ position and motion states are predicted by kinematic models.

Abstract With the introduction of advanced lightweight materials with complex microstructures and behaviors, more focus is put on the accurate determination of their forming limits, and that can only be possible through experiments as the conventional theoretical models for the forming limit curve (FLC) prediction fail to perform. Despite that, CAE engineers, designers, and toolmakers still rely heavily on theoretical models due to the steep costs associated with formability testing, including mechanical setup, a large number of tests, and the cost of a stereo digital image correlation (DIC) system. The international standard ISO 12004-2:2021 recommends using a stereo DIC system for formability testing since two-dimensional (2D) DIC systems are considered incapable of producing reliable strains due to errors associated with out-of-plane motion and deformation.

Abstract Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have found increasing usage in regression problems because of their ability to map complex nonlinear relationships. In recent years, ANN regression model applications have rapidly increased in the engine calibration and controls area. The data used to build ANN models in engine calibration and controls area generally consists of noise due to instrument error, sensor precision, human error, stochastic process, etc. Filtering the data helps in reducing noise due to instrument error, but noise due to other sources still exist in data. Furthermore, many researchers have found that ANNs are susceptible to learning from noise. Also ANNs cannot quantify the uncertainty of their output in critical applications. Hence, a methodology is developed in the present manuscript which computes the noise-based confidence interval using engine test data. Moreover, a method to assess the risk of ANN learning from noise is also developed.

Abstract Autonomy is a key enabling factor in uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) and advanced air mobility (AAM) applications ranging from cargo delivery to structure inspection to passenger transport, across multiple sectors. In addition to guiding the UAS, autonomy will ensure that they stay safe in a large number of off-nominal situations without requiring the operator to intervene. While the addition of autonomy enables the safety case for the overall operation, there is a question as to how we can assure that the autonomy itself will work as intended. Specifically, we need assurable technical approaches, operational considerations, and a framework to develop, test, maintain, and improve these capabilities. We make the case that many of the key autonomy functions can be realized in the near term with readily assurable, even certifiable, design approaches and assurance methods, combined with risk mitigations and strategically defined concepts of operations.

Abstract This article presents a novel approach to optimize the placement of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors in autonomous driving vehicles using machine learning. As autonomous driving technology advances, LiDAR sensors play a crucial role in providing accurate collision data for environmental perception. The proposed method employs the deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm, which takes the vehicle’s surface geometry as input and generates optimized 3D sensor positions with predicted high visibility. Through extensive experiments on various vehicle shapes and a rectangular cuboid, the effectiveness and adaptability of the proposed method are demonstrated. Importantly, the trained network can efficiently evaluate new vehicle shapes without the need for re-optimization, representing a significant improvement over classical methods such as genetic algorithms.

Abstract In this study, a parametric thoracic spine (T-spine) model was developed to account for morphological variations among the adult population. A total of 84 CT scans were collected, and the subjects were evenly distributed among age groups and both sexes. CT segmentation, landmarking, and mesh morphing were performed to map a template mesh onto the T-spine vertebrae for each sampled subject. Generalized procrustes analysis (GPA), principal component analysis (PCA), and linear regression analysis were then performed to investigate the morphological variations and develop prediction models. A total of 13 statistical models, including 12 T-spine vertebrae and a spinal curvature model, were combined to predict a full T-spine 3D geometry with any combination of age, sex, stature, and body mass index (BMI). A leave-one-out root mean square error (RMSE) analysis was conducted for each node of the mesh predicted by the statistical model for every T-spine vertebra.

Abstract A major contributor to fatal vehicle crashes is hydroplaning, which has traditionally been reported at a specific vehicle speed for a given operating condition. However, hydroplaning is a complex phenomenon requiring a holistic, probabilistic, and multidisciplinary approach. The objective of this article is to develop a probabilistic approach to predict Hydroplaning Potential and Risk that integrates fundamental understanding of the interdependent factors: hydrology, fluid-solid interactions, tire mechanics, and vehicle dynamics. A novel theoretical treatment of Hydroplaning Potential and Risk is developed, and simulation results for the prediction of water film thickness and Hydroplaning Potential are presented. The results show the advantages of the current approach which could enable the improvement of road, vehicle, and tire design, resulting in greater safety of the traveling public.

Abstract Safety is always a crucial aspect of developing autonomous systems, and the motivation behind this project comes from the need to address the traffic crashes occurring globally on a daily basis. The present work studies the coexistence of the novel rule-based behavioral planning framework with the five key advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) features as proposed in this article to fulfill the safety requirements and enhance the comfort of the driver/passengers to achieve a receding-horizon autopilot. This architecture utilizes data from the sensor fusion and the prediction module for the prediction time horizon of 2 s iteratively, which is continuously moving forward (hence, the receding horizon), and helps the behavior planner understand the intent of other vehicles on the road in advance.

Abstract Precise vehicle state and the surrounding traffic information are essential for decision-making and dynamic control of intelligent connected vehicles. Tremendous research efforts have been devoted to developing state estimation techniques. This work investigates the research progress in this field over recent years. To be able to describe the state of multiple traffic elements uniformly, the concept of a vehicle neighborhood system is proposed to describe the system composed of vehicles and their surrounding traffic elements and to distinguish it from the traditional macroscopic traffic research field. In this work, the vehicle neighborhood system consists of three main traffic elements: the host vehicle, the preceding vehicle, and the road. Therefore, a review of state estimation methods for the vehicle neighborhood system is presented around the three traffic objects mentioned earlier.

Abstract Electromagnetic forming (EMF) is a high-speed impulse forming process developed during the 1950s and 1960s to acquire shapes from sheet metal that could not be obtained using conventional forming techniques. In order to attain required deformation, EMF process applies high Lorentz force for a very short duration of time. Due to the ability to form aluminum and other low-formability materials, the use of EMF of sheet metal for automobile parts has been rising in recent years. This review gives an inclusive survey of historical progress in EMF of continuum sheet metals. Also, the EMF is reviewed based on analytical approach, finite element method (FEM) simulation-based approach and experimental approach, on formability of the metals.

Abstract Tailored blanks offer great lightweighting opportunities for automotive industry and were applied on the front rails of a sedan in this research. To achieve the most efficient material usage, all the front rail parts were tailored into multiple sheets with the gauge of each sheet defined as a design variable for optimization. The equivalent static loads (ESL) method was adopted for linear optimization and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) moderate overlap frontal crash as the nonlinear analysis load case. The torsion and bending stiffness of the sedan body in white (BIW) were set as design constraints. The occupant compartment intrusion in IIHS moderate overlap front crash was set as design objective to be minimized. The optimal thickness configuration for the tailored front rail designs was obtained through ESL optimization for multiple mass saving targets.

Abstract This article presents a survey on active safety control of X-by-wire electric vehicles. The steer-by-wire (SBW) system, brake-by-wire (BBW) system, and electric drive system are three critical techniques for X-by-wire electric vehicles. As to the three systems, the structure comparison and performance analysis of existing products and prototypes are conducted. Then two kinds of X-by-wire chassis configuration, i.e., the centralized type and the distributed type, are introduced. For active safety control, various control models are summarized, including vehicle dynamics model, single-track model, path tracking model, and wheel dynamics model. Based on the proposed model, different active safety control algorithms are introduced involving longitudinal dynamics control, handling stability control, rollover prevention control, path tracking control, and active fault-tolerant control.

Abstract The development of connected-vehicle technology, which includes vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications, opens the door for unprecedented active safety and driver-enhanced systems. In addition to exchanging basic traffic messages among vehicles for safety applications, a significantly higher level of safety can be achieved when vehicles and designated infrastructure locations share their sensor data. In this article, we propose a new system where cameras installed on multiple vehicles and infrastructure locations share and fuse their visual data and detected objects in real time. The transmission of camera data and/or detected objects (e.g., pedestrians, vehicles, cyclists, etc.) can be accomplished by many communication methods. In particular, such communications can be accomplished using the emerging Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) technology.

Abstract The advancement in vision sensors and embedded technology created the opportunity in autonomous vehicles to look ahead in the future to avoid potential obstacles and steep regions to reach the target location as soon as possible and yet maintain vehicle safety from rollover. The present work focuses on developing a nonlinear model predictive controller (NMPC) for a high-speed off-road autonomous vehicle, which avoids undesirable conditions including stationary obstacles, moving obstacles, and steep regions while maintaining the vehicle safety from rollover. The NMPC controller is developed using CasADi tools in the MATLAB environment. The CasADi tool provides a platform to formulate the NMPC problem using symbolic expressions, which is an easy and efficient way of solving the optimization problem. In the present work, the vehicle lateral dynamics are modeled using the Pacejka nonlinear tire model.

Abstract This article presents a merge-aware cruise control method that incorporates vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) information and aims at improving the energy efficiency of vehicles and reducing speed disruptions of merging traffic during highway merges. During the events of highway merges, the gap between the ego and the preceding vehicle reduces drastically, which can result in sudden braking of the ego vehicle and thus reduction of its energy efficiency. We propose a rather simple cruise control algorithm to eliminate such sudden variations in the gap and velocity with respect to the preceding vehicle during highway merges, thus reducing the large accelerations and braking during such events and thereby improving energy efficiency. The proposed algorithm incorporates future traffic information and has computational requirements similar to adaptive cruise control methods, hence it is real-time applicable.