On the highway measures of driver glance behavior with an example automobile navigation system

An over-the-road study of visual-manual destination entry using an example original equipment GPS-based navigation system was accomplished in traffic on urban streets and motorways. The evaluation used typical drivers, and a vehicle instrumented to record driver eye glances and fixations, driver control inputs, and lateral lane position. The primary task was to drive in a safe manner, in traffic, while maintaining speed and lateral lane position. As a secondary task, the drivers entered successive destinations while driving, using a touch screen, and at their own pace. They were told there was no need to enter the destination quickly. Results are shown for driver glance behavior, lane keeping performance, and subjective ratings. Overall, the drivers were able to accomplish the destination entry tasks with acceptably short glance durations, acceptable total task times, and with satisfactory subjective ratings for ease of entry.     

Errors and driver support systems

Recent technological developments seem to pave the way to sophisticated electronic co-driver systems that may help automobile drivers to cope with an ever increasing information load, to avoid certain errors, and to recover from others. GIDS—which stands for Generic Intelligent Driver Support—is a research project (under the EEC DRIVE Programme) to study the feasibility of an adaptive co-driver system. The conceptualization of a GIDS system requires close attention to performance errors as they may occur in certain subtasks of the driving task. One important issue that should be considered in some detail is that GIDS may eliminate errors as well as introduce them. Should various types of errors be represented formally and, if so, how they should be represented in order that GIDS can detect and cope with behavioural errors that drivers are likely to make under certain conditions? The requirements imposed by the project's goal to actually implement various driver support functions into a GIDS system is imposing tight constraints on error definition and identification. Some of the requirements will be discussed in terms of Soar. Soar is an intelligent computer architecture which is the embodiment of the theory of human problem solving formulated by Newell and Simon (1972). To the extent that the driving task is representable in Soar, the error theory that is required for any type of GIDS system to function must also be representable in Soar.     

Driver-Vehicle-Environment monitoring for on-board driver support systems: Lessons learned from design and implementation

This paper is presenting the efforts to implement in real time and for on-board applications a set of Driver-Vehicle-Environment (DVE) monitoring modules based on the theoretical work done in DVE modelling within the EC 6th FW co funded AIDE Integrated Project.First the need for such an implementation will be discussed. Then the basic DVE modelling principles will be introduced and analysed. Based on that and on the overview of the theoretical work performed around the DVE modelling, the real time DVE monitoring modules developed in this project will be presented and analysed. To do this the DVE parameters needed to allow the required functionalities will be discussed and analysed. Special attention will be given to the use cases and scenarios of use for the real time DVE modules. This allows the reader to understand the functionalities that these modules enable in tomorrow's vehicles that will integrate a large degree of automation supported by advanced integrated and adaptive human machine interfaces (HMIs). The paper will also present examples of the functional and technical tests and validation results for some of the DVE modules. The paper will conclude with a discussion around the lessons learned about the design and implementation of such systems. This will include also the next steps and open issues for research in order for these systems to become standard modules in tomorrow's vehicles.     

Architecture for management and fusion of context information

Information in a context-aware system has diverse natures. Raw data coming from sensors are aggregated and filtered to create more abstract information, which can be processed by context-aware application components to decide what actions should be performed. This process involves several activities: finding the available sources of information and their types, gathering the data from these sources, facilitating the fusion (aggregation and interpretation) of the different pieces of data, and updating the representation of the context to be used by applications. The reverse path also appears in context-aware systems, from changes in the context representation to trigger actions in certain actuators. FAERIE (Framework for AmI: Extensible Resources for Intelligent Environments) is a framework that facilitates management and fusion of context information at different levels. It is implemented as a distributed blackboard model. Each node of the system has a private blackboard to manage pieces of information that can be accessed by observer components, either locally or remotely (from other nodes) in a transparent way. The use of the framework is illustrated with a case study of an application for guiding people to meetings in a university building.     

Algebraic estimation and active disturbance rejection in the control of flat systems

This paper proposes a feedback method for the control of uncertain systems with unknown external disturbances, which includes an algebraic estimator and relies on the Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC) approach. The proposed estimator considers a generalized disturbance in order to deal with systems which may simultaneously present time varying parameters, external disturbances, un-modeled dynamics, and process noise. The on-line estimated disturbance is obtained by means of differential algebraic methods and it is used as the major part of an on-line feedback cancellation scheme aiming at linearization and uncertainty suppression. The algebraic estimator proposed in the paper makes unnecessary the use of classical extended state observers, which are widely used in ADRC. The speed of response and reliability of the proposed algebraic disturbance estimator-based control scheme was experimentally tested on three laboratory systems, including a system of directly-coupled DC motors, a roto-magnet system, and a disc and beam system, showing that the experimental results are in excellent agreement with the predictions of the theory.     

Multi-driver agent-based traffic simulation systems for evaluating the effects of advanced driver assistance systems on road traffic accidents

A recent investigation revealed that there is a substantiated need for the development of a micro-simulation system designed for traffic safety assessment. This paper describes the development of a road traffic simulation system, which uses a ‘nanoscopic model’ of driver behaviour and an integrated analysis-evaluation system designed for traffic safety assessment. The primary focus is on estimating the effects of an advanced driver assistance system thereby reducing traffic accidents. The effectiveness and validity of the present system are demonstrated through comparison with measured traffic data. This paper also proposes algorithms embedded in a ‘driver-agent’, for recognising driver’s intentions regarding choosing steering-control modes, lateral control tasks, and the driving mood. This is because the driver assistance systems need to recognise the driver’s intention when choosing steering-control. The results of a simulation study, using the data drawn from actual driving, show that the systems would achieve a high recognition capability. As an example of how driving mood recognition applies to driver assistance systems, an advanced steering system and the adaptability to the driver’s mood, have also been presented.     

折叠翼飞行器鲁棒飞行控制系统设计方法

为解决折叠翼飞行器在机载发射段主升力翼面/立尾展开前后气动特性变化较大,以及对飞行控制律鲁棒性要求较高的问题,基于飞行器六自由度非线性动态模型,应用随机鲁棒分析与设计方法(SRAD),对机载发射段折叠翼飞行器的翼面/立尾展开过程,设计了鲁棒飞行控制律,并通过对风干扰环境下的六自由度非线性弹道仿真,验证了翼面/立尾展开段鲁棒飞行控制律的有效性.     

离散不确定系统分布式鲁棒融合滤波器设计

针对一类离散多传感器动态模型的不确定系统,将鲁棒滤波理论与数据融合技术相结合,基于参数依赖Lyapunov函数,研究该离散系统的鲁棒融合滤波器设计问题。在集中式鲁棒融合滤波器的基础上,探讨了分布式加权融合滤波器的设计方法,通过仿真实验比较了鲁棒融合滤波器的性能。结果表明,利用该分布式加权融合算法,不仅对于解决当系统模型中存在参数不确定性时的滤波问题有较好的鲁棒性能和较低的计算量,而且在多传感器系统中对于满足不同精度鲁棒融合滤波器的设计需要具有较大的灵活性。     

An integrated driver warning system for driver and pedestrian safety

A semi-integrated system for driver assistance and pedestrian safety is presented. This system is composed of a single camera which focuses on the driver for picking up visual cues and a stereo rig that focus on the road ahead for the detection of road obstructions and pedestrians. While the car is in motion, the driver's viewing direction is obtained and analyzed along with information of road condition and any moving vehicle ahead in order to determine if the current driving condition is safe. In addition, when the vehicle is moving slowly, the system can also detect the existence of a pedestrian ahead and warns the driver if the pedestrian moves in front of the car. This system contains algorithm-based safety analysis as well as fuzzy rules-based analysis for interaction between variables. Our experimental results show that the condition for driver safety can be accurately classified in 94.5% of the tested driving conditions, and the pedestrians can be identified in 93.18% of the tested cases. These were compared to the results of similar systems and shown to be superior.     

Design of a grey-prediction self-organizing fuzzy controller for active suspension systems

Self-organizing fuzzy controllers (SOFCs) have excellent learning capabilities. They have been proposed for the manipulation of active suspension systems. However, it is difficult to select the parameters of an SOFC appropriately, and an SOFC may extensively modify its fuzzy rules during the control process when the parameters selected for it are inappropriate. To eliminate this problem, this study developed a grey-prediction self-organizing fuzzy controller (GPSOFC) for active suspension systems. The GPSOFC introduces a grey-prediction algorithm into an SOFC, in order to pre-correct its fuzzy rules for the control of active suspension systems. This design solves the problem of SOFCs with inappropriately chosen parameters. To evaluate the feasibility of the proposed method, this study applied the GPSOFC to the manipulation of an active hydraulic-servo suspension system, in order to determine its control performance. Experimental results demonstrated that the GPSOFC achieved better control performance than either the SOFC or the passive method of active suspension control.     

MEMOSIK V—An active dummy for determining three-directional transfer functions of vehicle seats and vibration exposure ratings for the seated occupant

In collaboration with some of the German automotive industry OEMs, an active vibration dummy called MEMOSIK V, was defined in response to their specific requirements for vibration comfort. The topics described in this paper shall deliver an insight into a selection of the development phases of this development project.

An active, three-dimensional vibration dummy is described with the newly developed MEMOSIK V, which simulates the human dynamic behavior by reproducing an equivalent dynamic mass. This vibration dummy qualifies for replacing the occupant as a test object and measuring instrument and allows the objective and repeatable measurement of the vibration transmission from the vehicle base to the buttocks and the back through the vehicle seat.

Based on extensive measurements of the dynamic mass of the sitting man in the fore-and-aft, the lateral and the vertical direction, the objective functions of the vibration dummy are deduced through a modal identification approach. By integrating these parameterized functions in the control system, the dynamic behavior of the dummy can be adapted to the mass percentiles F05, M50 and M95, as well as to individual people by the software managed modification of the controller setup. The variation in posture is guaranteed for the complete design range of passenger car and commercial vehicle seats. The integrated measurement system permits the objective and repeatable rating of the human exposure ISO 2631-1, 1997. Mechanical vibration and shock—evaluation of human exposure to whole-body vibration—general requirements] as well as the evaluation of seat transfer functions considering all three directions in space, both on simulator platforms and in mobile use on the road.

Relevance to the industry

Considering the rating of seating and vibration comfort, the automotive industry has to meet the challenge to establish a relationship between the subjective comfort sensation and the objective and measurable physical quantities. Hence, the demand for a measurement system that makes it possible to acquire, reproduce and comprehend the circumstances that define seating and vibration comfort is great and ascending continuously.     

Supporting ubiquitous sensor-cloudlets and context-cloudlets: Programming compositions of context-aware systems for mobile users

Increasing widespread use of sensor and networking technologies are yielding ubiquitous sensors and applications that pervade daily life. At the same time, context-aware pervasive computing has experienced tremendous developments in terms of context modelling and reasoning, and applications. Such developments coupled with a cloud computing model are yielding sensor-cloudlets and context-cloudlets based on sensors and applications deployed as services that can be harnessed in applications on-demand, ad-hoc and on a pay-per-use model. Sensor-cloudlets and context-cloudlets depend on and adapt to the available resources at the time, and involve context-aware systems (including sensors) that need to be dynamically composed as needed. This paper first outlines current trends and key issues and challenges in sensor-cloudlets and context-cloudlets. We then present a key contribution of this paper, which is an application of an abstract model of context-aware systems for specifying compositions of context-aware systems used in sensor-cloudlets and context-cloudlets. We show how expressions in our formalism can be embedded into a programming language (which we show via an example extending the logic programming language Prolog). We then present numerous examples illustrating applications expressed in our extended Prolog language. We also show how compositions specified in our formalism supports estimating the reliability and cost of using such compositions of resources in computations, in a well-defined semantics. Finally, we describe meta-level control operators on evaluation of queries posed to compositions of resources and specify a service-based interface on context-aware systems. We conclude with issues to be tackled in the future.     

Design for patient safety: a systems-based risk identification framework

Current risk identification practices applied to patient safety in healthcare are insufficient. The situation can be improved, however, by studying systems approaches broadly and successfully utilised in other safety-critical industries, such as aviation and chemical industries. To illustrate this, this paper first investigates current risk identification practices in the healthcare field, and then examines the potential of systems approaches. A systems-based approach, called the Risk Identification Framework (RID Framework), is then developed to enhance improvement in risk identification. Demonstrating the strengths of using multiple inputs and methods, the RID Framework helps to facilitate the proactive identification of new risks. In this study, the potential value of the RID Framework is discussed by examining its application and evaluation, as conducted in a real-world healthcare setting. Both the application and evaluation of the RID Framework indicate positive results, as well as the need for further research.

Practitioner Summary: The findings in this study provide insights into how to make a better amalgamation of risk identification inputs to the safer design and more proactive risk management of healthcare delivery systems, which have been an increasing research interest amongst human factor professionals and ergonomists.     

On the reliability of the occlusion technique as a tool for the assessment of the HMI of in-vehicle information and communication systems

In recent years considerable efforts have been spent on the development of the occlusion technique as a procedure for the assessment of the human-machine interface of in-vehicle information and communication systems (IVIS) designed to be used by the driver while driving. The importance and significance of the findings resulting from the application of this procedure depends essentially on its reliability. Because there is a lack of evidence as to whether this basic criterion of measurement is met with this procedure, and because questionable reliability can lead to doubts about their validity, our project strove to clarify this issue. This paper reports on a statistical reanalysis of data obtained from previous experiments. To summarise, the characteristic values found for internal consistency were almost all in the range of .90 for the occlusion technique, which can be considered satisfactory.     

Evaluation of the safety and usability of touch gestures in operating in-vehicle information systems with visual occlusion

Nowadays, many automobile manufacturers are interested in applying the touch gestures that are used in smart phones to operate their in-vehicle information systems (IVISs). In this study, an experiment was performed to verify the applicability of touch gestures in the operation of IVISs from the viewpoints of both driving safety and usability. In the experiment, two devices were used: one was the Apple iPad, with which various touch gestures such as flicking, panning, and pinching were enabled; the other was the SK EnNavi, which only allowed tapping touch gestures. The participants performed the touch operations using the two devices under visually occluded situations, which is a well-known technique for estimating load of visual attention while driving.     

负荷频率控制系统的线性自抗扰控制

本文研究负荷频率控制系统的线性自抗扰控制(linear active disturbance rejection, LADRC)方法. 考虑负荷频率控制系统的模型及结构, 本文首先通过一仿真例子分析了二阶和三阶LADRC在单区域电力系统的控制性能,指出二阶LADRC在负荷频率控制中的限制. 随后本文针对负荷频率控制中存在的发电速率约束(generation rate constraint, GRC)这一实际问题, 提出一种anti-GRC补偿方案. 该方案将汽轮机理论输出与实际输出误差作为扰动输入, 利用扩张状态观测器进行估计, 从而使LADRC能够快速补偿该误差, 达到抗积分饱和的作用. 最后, 本文将LADRC设计方法推广到具有再热汽轮机和水轮机系统以及多区域电力系统. 仿真表明LADRC是一种独立于模型的普适性控制结构, 所需整定参数少, 能够取得比PID控制更好的抗干扰性能, 可以应用到负荷频率控制系统中.     

面向安全关键系统的CAN总线应用研究综述*

控制器局域网适合小型安全关键系统的现场总线控制要求,能够以最大1Mbps速率发送和接收实时短消息。分析了CAN总线的结构、特点、协议仲裁机制、接口设计方法、实时特性和错误处理机制。为了支持任务关键网络,比较了事件触发协议与时间触发协议的特性,讨论了时间触发CAN协议的研究进展。     

面向安全关键系统的实时数据处理软件设计

介绍了一种针对单片机、PSD,12C接口存储芯片为主要组件设计的一类针对安全关键系统的测量与控制装置的实时软件设计、数据传输、存储及处理方法。通过各项实验考核表明,这种设计方法可靠灵活、高效,而且有较好的开放性及通用性。     

Delay‐dependent robust stability analysis for switched time‐delay systems with polytopic uncertainties

In this paper, sufficient conditions are provided for the stability of switched retarded and neutral time‐delay systems with polytopic‐type uncertainties. It is assumed that the delay in the system dynamics is time‐varying and bounded. Parameter‐dependent Lyapunov functionals are employed to obtain criteria for the exponential stability of the system in the form of linear matrix inequality (LMI). Free‐weighting matrices are then provided to express the relationship between the system variables and the terms in the Leibniz–Newton formula. Numerical examples are presented to show the effectiveness of the results. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.