A basic study on a learning motor vehicle using basic elements for neural computer, continuous-time Folthrets

Abstract

A neural computer is helpful to automation of motor vehicle driving. In the present paper, a motor vehicle which can be automatically driven by a learning neural computer is called a learning motor vehicle, and as a basic element for the neural computer, a continuous-time Folthret is newly proposed. It was embodied as an electronic circuit, and two of the continuous-time Folthret-embodying electronic circuits were used to constitute a simple neural computer which was mounted on an electric motor vehicle, to make a learning motor vehicle. Finally, to automate regular driving operation, the manufactured learning motor vehicle was used for a driving experiment, in which the neural computer was made to learn the relation between the steering operation of a driver and the surrounding scenes, for examining its autonomous driving performance in reference to the traveling course. As a result, it was confirmed that the computer could learn the steering operation of the driver after about ten trials even though the conditions were limited to constant driving speed, simple scenes, relatively narrow room, static environment, less input information and a learning motor vehicle very simple in neural computer structure, and it was demonstrated that a neural computer was effective to some extent for automation of motor vehicle driving.