Pedal Operation Research Articles

Satisfactory Driving Mode Classification Based on Pedal Operation Characteristics

Satisfactory Driving Mode Classification Based on Pedal Operation Characteristics

Influence of Electrofishing Boat Operation and Driving Techniques on Reservoir Fish Catches

We compared three methods of boat driving and pedal operation using 600‐s transects: these were the parallel continuous (PC), parallel intermittent (PI), and arc‐intermittent (AI) methods for surveying warmwater fishes in reservoirs. We tested differences in total time and distance per transect, CPUE (fish/h, fish/m), and length frequencies of captured fish among methods. The PC method took the least amount of time, while the AI method took the least amount of distance to complete a transect. The AI method provided slightly higher CPUE (fish/h, fish/m) for Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus and Yellow Bass Morone mississippiensis and higher CPUE (fish/m) for Common Carp Cyprinus carpio, Green Sunfish L. cyanellus, and Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides. Each method caught similar size ranges of fish; however, there were slight differences in proportions of sizes for Gizzard Shad Dorosoma cepedianum, Largemouth Bass, and Bluegill. Overall, the AI method performed slightly better for a few species; however, difference in the methods were minor. Any technique should work well for monitoring reservoir fish populations when fish/h is the effort metric.

Expected effects of accident data recording technology evolution on the identification of accident causes and liability

BackgroundThe classic accident reconstruction process is based on information recorded manually at the scene and gathered from witness statements. Liability cannot always be determined if no objective data are available, especially for accidents at traffic lights. Even Event Data Recorder (EDR) data (speed, braking, gas/brake pedal operation, etc.) will not improve the assessment of such a liability situation significantly, since vehicle movements cannot be synchronized in time with the phase plan of the intersection control. This problem could be solved if globally synchronized time data (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) were available, or a camera recorded the signal of the given traffic lights. In our study, the technology that goes beyond EDR data was defined as EDR+ data recording technology.AimThe aim of this article is to rank the assessability of different types of accidents through the statistical analysis of a publicly available database, taking into account the different data recording technologies.MethodsAn in-dept statistical analysis of 124 accidents and the corresponding liability investigations is provided. Also, analysis is carried out on estimated levels of assessability if modern data recording technologies had been applied for the same accident set.ResultsThis study reveals the impact of the introduction, spread and wide application of the examined types of data recording technology on assessability. It is also explored what kind of data recording technology would be necessary to ensure the level of assessability required to establish liability for accidents.ConclusionThe flexible framework presented here is suitable for comparing the assessability of road accidents according to accident type and data recording technology.

자율주행차 선호 좌석 및 착석 자세에 대한 연구

Currently, automated driving vehicles perform the function of assisting driving at the level of Level 2, and the driver must always be careful to look forward and perform steering and pedal operations, just like existing non-autonomous cars. However, in Level 4 highly automated vehicles (HAV), there is no driver intervention, so passengers can take various postures and actions. In this situation, in order to secure the collision safety of autonomous vehicles, it is necessary to reflect various conditions of passengers. To this end, this study conducted a study on the preferred seating position and seating posture under autonomous vehicle conditions. An online survey was conducted on 80 expert groups with knowledge of self-driving cars, including demographics, driving-related questions, seating-related questions in sedans, seating-related questions in MPVs, and common questions. A total of 16 items were conducted. Through this, preferred seating positions and sitting postures for each major activity were collected. Seat rotation was the preferred sitting posture when talking with a passenger, and seat back relaxation was confirmed as the preferred sitting posture under sleeping conditions. In addition, the rate of negative opinions (safety concerns, anxiety, and motion sickness concerns) about the seat rotation function was high at 92% through common questions. Negative opinions (safety concerns, poor space utilization, high cost) about the relaxation seat were 77%. In the above survey results, it was found that respondents considered convenience (56%) more important than safety (44%). Through this study, it was possible to identify the preferred seating position and posture of passengers under autonomous vehicle conditions, and this is expected to be useful data that can be used for testing and verification necessary to secure integrated safety in the future.

Progressing Brake Systems Improving Brake Feel Response Through Linear Electromagnetic Driver Utilization

This research focuses on improving the braking systems of vehicles by incorporating a brake feel feedback generation mechanism. The system includes a hydraulic brake unit, brake pedal, pedal travel sensor, control unit, and brake feel feedback generate unit. The pedal travel sensor captures movement state information when the brake pedal is pressed. The brake feel feedback generate unit utilizes a linear electromagnetic driver to generate resistance, mimicking the sensation of brake pedal operation, which is applied directly or indirectly to the pedal. The control unit generates drive signals for the linear electromagnetic driver based on the brake pedal's movement state information. This research aims to provide an effective and advantageous method of achieving brake feel feedback when braking is required.

Quantitative Analysis of Pedal Operation by Elderly Drivers in Actual Driving Conditions

Quantitative Analysis of Pedal Operation by Elderly Drivers in Actual Driving Conditions

Development of a tractor operator-operation environment coupled biomechanical model and analysis of lower limb muscle fatigue

For the quantitative analysis and evaluation of tractor pedal operation comfort, this study developed a tractor operator-operation environment coupled biomechanical model in AnyBody Modeling System. First, operator model and operation environment model were generated according to Chinese adult male anthropometric dimensions and Dongfanghong LX804 tractor design parameters. To couple these two models, the connections between operator model's palms, feet, pelvis and operation environment model's steering wheel, joystick, pedals, seat were created. The release scheme of limb joint angle constraints was designed, which allowed limbs to fulfill the kinematic requirement of operating devices. Then, to drive the model, a driver device with a rotation angle range of 0°-42°and a spring with a stiffness of 37.85Nm/rad were added to pedal hinge based on the driving data of pedal force and pedal travel collected by sensors. Subsequently, to validate the model, the surface electromyography signals of lower limb muscles were acquired using the test system of Cometa MiniWave. The average relative error between the lower limb muscle activity calculated from electromyography signals and that computed from the model was 9.2%. Finally, the model was employed to simulate the dynamic process of pedal operation and analyze lower limb fatigue. The results demonstrated that the fatigue exhibited a tendency of first decreasing and then increasing as pedal rotation angle increased, and reached a lower level within the pedal rotation angle range of 8°-17°.

Evaluation and prediction method of automotive electronic accelerator pedal based on support vector regression

In the process of automobile electronic accelerator pedal development, it is a critical and challenging issue to evaluate the rationality and comfort of the design of an automotive electronic accelerator pedal. Many factors influence the comfort of the accelerator pedal, such as the spatial layout, dynamic characteristics, and matching characteristics of the accelerator pedal and vehicle motion. Since comfort evaluation requires a lot of manpower and material resources, this paper proposes a prediction model based on support vector machine regression algorithm (SVR) for comprehensive evaluation of Chinese passenger car pedals. It uses the known evaluation results to predict the unknown evaluated accelerator pedal parameters to achieve a more efficient and accurate assessment of electronic accelerator pedal design. Firstly, the article performs pedal position scans, pedal static, and road tests to give criteria, limitations, and recommended design ranges for pedal operation. Then, the vehicle performance was predicted and evaluated using a support vector machine prediction model and back propagation (BP) neural network prediction model for comparison. The correlation coefficient for the prediction results of the SVR model was 0.9024 with a mean square error was 0.00195. The correlation coefficient for the BP neural network model prediction result was 0.8694 with a mean square error of 0.00582. Finally, the simulation results were analyzed, and the results showed that support vector regression outperformed the neural network in predicting the validity and reliability of pedal design and performance evaluation, and can facilitate automotive pedal design and development.

Transmetatarsal Amputations: Outcomes of Primary Healing versus Secondary Healing.

Transmetatarsal amputations are limb salvage surgical procedures that preserve limb length and functional ankle joints. Indications for transmetatarsal amputations include forefoot trauma, infection, and ischemia. Prior research demonstrates patients who undergo transmetatarsal amputations have a lower 2-year mortality rate compared to those who undergo more proximal amputations. The aim of this study was to determine whether primary closure of a transmetatarsal amputation is a superior treatment compared to secondary healing of a transmetatarsal amputation for forefoot abnormality of infection, gangrene, or chronic ulceration. A retrospective chart review was performed on patients aged 18 years or older requiring a transmetatarsal amputation because of forefoot abnormality between September of 2011 and December of 2019. Foot and ankle surgeons performed transmetatarsal amputations. Outcome variables measured included healing time of transmetatarsal amputation site, recurrent infection, recurrent gangrene, and the need for revision surgery or higher level amputations. Of the original 112 patients, 76 met the inclusion criteria; 47 of these had primary closure of transmetatarsal amputation and 29 of these had an open transmetatarsal amputation performed. Primarily closed transmetatarsal amputations resulted in a significantly greater overall healing rate of 78.8% (37 of 47) compared to open transmetatarsal amputations, with a healing rate of 37.9% (11 of 29) (P < .01). Closed transmetatarsal amputations were statistically significantly less likely than open transmetatarsal amputations to have recurrent gangrene, require revision pedal operations, or progress to higher level amputations. Our research demonstrated that primary closure of transmetatarsal amputations is a superior treatment compared with secondary healing of transmetatarsal amputations in specific cases of infection, dry gangrene, or chronically nonhealing ulcerations.

Intelligent vehicle longitudinal acceleration control method based on feedforward and feedback combination

This article proposes a longitudinal acceleration control method based on feedforward and feedback combination to solve the problem of the unfixed mapping relationship between longitudinal acceleration and pedal operation. The drive/brake system is normalized by steady-state compensation correction, and the closed-loop parameterized design is carried out with the principle of non-smooth optimization, so that the closed-loop control system conforms to the ideal second-order system accordingly, so that the pedal operation amount and the acceleration mapping relationship are kept consistent. At the same time, by designing a reasonable frequency bandwidth, the dynamic quality of longitudinal motion is improved. Through driving simulator-based dynamic response performance verification, mapping relationship consistency verification, and acceleration tracking control verification under different working conditions. The results show that the method proposed in this paper has good dynamic response performance and acceleration tracking control effect, and the mapping relationship between acceleration and pedal remains unchanged when the performance of automobile components is degraded.

Impact of Secondary Task Immersion Duration on Take-Over Process of Conditional (L3) Automated Vehicles in an Off-Ramp Area

Exploring the influence of secondary task immersion duration on the take-over process is an important task in the research on conditional automated driving (SAE, L3). In this paper, with the tool of driving simulation, two different secondary task types and take-over request (TOR) times were designed for the ramp area take-over scenario. Forty-two participants were recruited to conduct driving simulation experiments. Based on the K-means algorithm, different immersion durations of secondary tasks were clustered. Three driving indicators, namely speed, lateral offset, and accelerator pedal depth, were selected to characterize the take-over performance. Then the influence of immersion duration on the take-over response time and take-over performance was analyzed. The effect of different immersion durations on the section traffic operation during the take-over process was then investigated with the help of VISSIM software. The results showed that the TOR time had no significant effect on the take-over response time, and the take-over response time was positively correlated with the immersion duration. At the beginning of the take-over process, the take-over performance of drivers between different immersion durations was different, for example, the average speed of the vehicle is lower when the immersion duration is low. In the take-over process, the driver’s take-over speed and accelerator pedal operation intensity are negatively correlated with take-over urgency. The immersion duration of secondary tasks has different degrees of influence on the efficiency of section traffic flow. With the improvement of immersion duration level, the average vehicle delay on the road section also increases to a certain extent.

The Indicator of GDI Engine Operating Mode and Its Influence on Eco-Driving

Elements of car construction, especially the information available on a dashboard, can stimulate the way of driving. The experiment described in the paper aimed to examine how the information provided by the indicator, which informs about the operational mode of a gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine, can contribute to eco-driving and the possible learning of acceleration pedal operation by a driver. The analysis of the fuel injection process affected by driver behaviour was an essential part of the experiment. The experiment was divided into two parts. The first one (nine tests) consisted of driving without access to the indicator information. In the second part, the information on the mode of the engine run was available for the driver. The results confirmed that the information about the type of fuel mixture used for the supply of the GDI engine facilitates an economical driving style (about 10% fuel savings) and motivates the driver to engage in eco-driving.

Effect of accelerator pedal hunting suppression mechanism on operability of off-road vehicles

Accelerator pedal is one of the important man-machine interfaces that affect vehicle drivability. Multi-purpose off-road utility vehicles are often used on rough roads. The excitation force from the road surface tends to affect the operability of the accelerator pedal. Many of the previous studies on pedal operation of passenger cars have investigated the effects of driving posture on pedal operability from an ergonomic point of view. But there are few studies have focused on accelerator pedal operability under rough terrain conditions. Therefore, we evaluated the operability of the accelerator pedal while driving on a rough road simulator and evaluated the operability of the vehicle running on rough terrain. The hunting suppression device generates resistance force that suppresses the hunting of the accelerator pedal in a vibrating condition and improves the vehicle speed controllability without increasing the operating muscle load.

Gymkhana and pylon slalom driving training effects on the cerebellum structure

To develop a suitable automobile design as per each driver’s characteristics and state, it is important to understand the brain function in acquiring driving skills. Reportedly, the brain structures of professionals, such as athletes and musicians, and those who have received training in special skills, undergo changes with training. However, the development process of the brain in terms of acquiring driving skills has not yet been clarified. In this study, we evaluated the effects of driving training on the brain and observed an increase in the volume of the right cerebellum after short-term training (3 days). The right cerebellum is responsible for controlling the right hand and right foot, which are important for driving. Drivers train to control a vehicle smoothly at high speeds at gymkhana and pylon slalom courses, which are often used in motor sports. The brain structure was analyzed before and after training using magnetic resonance imaging. Voxel-based morphometry was used to assess possible structural changes. First, the lap times after training were clearly shortened and vehicle dynamics were more stable, indicating that the drivers’ skill level clearly improved. Second, brain structural analysis revealed a volumetric increase in the right cerebellum. The cerebellum is involved in the process of learning sensory motor skills, such as smooth steering and pedal operations, driving course shape, and vehicle size perception. These results suggest a new inner model for driving operation and support the hypothesis that motor learning affects the cerebellum during vehicle driving training.

Development of a Control System and Interface Design Based on an Electric Wheelchair

Recently, personal mobility has been researched and developed to make short-distance travel within the community more comfortable and convenient. However, from the viewpoint of personal mobility, there are problems such as difficulty in picking up items while shopping when operating the joystick for shopping and the inability to use hands freely. Accordingly, because the speed of personal mobility can be controlled by foot stepping like an accelerator pedal, we developed an electric wheelchair system that can control the speed by pedal operation. Furthermore, we developed a control system that considers the ride quality using an electric wheelchair with pedal control. In this study, the proposed method is detailed in three parts. Firstly, to develop the pedal mechanism, a potentiometer was used to detect the angle of the pedal mechanism, and a spring mechanism was designed for return to its original position after the pedal was pushed. Next, we propose a feedback control system that considers the ride quality of the operator. In addition, we integrated the system with a smart device-based robot system to realize the mobility as a service (MaaS). Finally, we present several examples of the system and discuss the applicability of the proposed system.

Fuel Economy Improvement of Urban Buses with Development of an Eco-Drive Scoring Algorithm Using Machine Learning

Eco-drive is a widely used concept. It can improve fuel economy for different driving behaviors such as vehicle acceleration or accelerator pedal operation, deceleration or coasting while slowing down, and gear shift timing difference. The feasibility of improving the fuel economy of urban buses by applying eco-drive was verified by analyzing data from drivers who achieved high fuel efficiencies in urban buses with a high frequency of acceleration/deceleration and frequent operation. The items that were monitored for eco-drive were: rapid take-off/acceleration/deceleration, accelerator pedal gradient, coasting rate, shift indicator violation, average engine speed, over speed, and gear shifting under low-end engine speed. The monitoring method for each monitored item was set up, and an index was produced using driving data. A fuel economy prediction model was created using machine learning to determine the contribution of each index to the fuel economy. Furthermore, the contribution of each monitoring item was analyzed using the prediction model explainer. Accordingly, points (defined as the eco-drive score) were allocated for each monitoring item. It was verified that this score can represent the eco-drive characteristics based on the relationship between the score and fuel economy. In addition, it resulted in an average annual fuel economy improvement of 12.1%.

Kinematic and Electrophysiological Characteristics of Pedal Operation by Elderly Drivers during Emergency Braking

Age-related decline in lower limb motor control may cause errors in pedal operation when driving a car. This study aimed to clarify the kinematics and electrophysiological characteristics of the pedal-switching operation associated with emergency braking in the case of elderly drivers. The participants in this study consisted of 11 young drivers and 10 elderly drivers. An experimental pedal was used, and the muscle activity and kinematic data during braking action were analyzed using the light from a light-emitting diode installed in the front as a trigger. The results showed that elderly drivers took the same time from viewing the visual stimulus to releasing the accelerator pedal as younger drivers, but took longer to switch to the brake pedal. The elderly drivers had higher soleus muscle activity throughout the process, from accelerator release to brake contact; furthermore, the rectus femoris activity was delayed, and the simultaneous activity between the rectus femoris and biceps femoris was low. Furthermore, elderly drivers tended to have low hip adduction velocity and tended to switch pedals by hip internal rotation. Thus, the alteration in joint movements and muscle activity of elderly drivers can reduce their pedal operability and may be related to the occurrence of pedal errors.

Analysis of the Effects of Locomotive Syndrome and Attentional Functions on Pedal Operation

Analysis of the Effects of Locomotive Syndrome and Attentional Functions on Pedal Operation

A Study on Pedal Operation in the Driving Behavior of Elderly Drivers

A Study on Pedal Operation in the Driving Behavior of Elderly Drivers

Analysis of Pedal Operation in Posture of Look Back Using Car Driving Simulator with Head-mounted Display

Analysis of Pedal Operation in Posture of Look Back Using Car Driving Simulator with Head-mounted Display