Skilled Driver Research Articles

Using soil moisture forecasts for sub-seasonal summer temperature predictions in Europe

Soil moisture exhibits outstanding memory characteristics and plays a key role within the climate system. Especially through its impacts on the evapotranspiration of soils and plants, it may influence the land energy balance and therefore surface temperature. These attributes make soil moisture an important variable in the context of weather and climate forecasting. In this study we investigate the value of (initial) soil moisture information for sub-seasonal temperature forecasts. For this purpose we employ a simple water balance model to infer soil moisture from streamflow observations in 400 catchments across Europe. Running this model with forecasted atmospheric forcing, we derive soil moisture forecasts, which we then translate into temperature forecasts using simple linear relationships. The resulting temperature forecasts show skill beyond climatology up to 2 weeks in most of the considered catchments. Even if forecasting skills are rather small at longer lead times with significant skill only in some catchments at lead times of 3 and 4 weeks, this soil moisture-based approach shows local improvements compared to the monthly European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) temperature forecasts at these lead times. For both products (soil moisture-only forecast and ECMWF forecast), we find comparable or better forecast performance in the case of extreme events, especially at long lead times. Even though a product based on soil moisture information alone is not of practical relevance, our results indicate that soil moisture (memory) is a potentially valuable contributor to temperature forecast skill. Investigating the underlying soil moisture of the ECMWF forecasts we find good agreement with the simple model forecasts, especially at longer lead times. Analyzing the drivers of the temperature forecast skills we find that they are mainly controlled by the strengths of (1) the soil moisture-temperature coupling and (2) the soil moisture memory. We find a negative relationship between these controls that weakens the forecast skills, nevertheless there is a middle ground between both controls in several catchments, as shown by our results.

Bifurcation analysis of a car and driver model

The bifurcation analysis of a simple mathematical model describing a road vehicle with a driver is presented. The mechanical model of the car has two degrees of freedom and the related equations of motion contain the nonlinear tyre characteristics. The driver is described by a well-known model proposed in the literature. The road vehicle model has been validated in a case study. Bifurcation analysis is adopted as the proper procedure for analysing both steady-state cornering and straight ahead motion at different speeds. The importance of properly computing steady-state equilibria is highlighted. The effect of a skilled driver is to broaden the basin of attraction of stable equilibria and, in some cases, to stabilise originally unstable behaviours. A subcritical Hopf bifurcation is normally found which limits the forward speed of either understeering or oversteering vehicles. A three-parameter bifurcation analysis is performed to understand the influence on stability of driver gain, of driver prediction time, of vehicle speed. It turns out, as expected from practice, that an oversteering vehicle is more challenging to be controlled than an understeering one. The paper proposes an insight into vehicle–driver interaction. The stabilising or de-stabilising effect of the driver is ultimately explained referring to the existence of a Hopf bifurcation.

Analysis of Driver Visual Characteristics Based on FaceLAB

Driver visual characteristics are of great importance for studying driver behavior and traffic safety. To investigate the difference of visual characteristics between skilled and fresh drivers, FaceLAB was used to collect visual data. Four drivers including male and female, skilled and fresh one were selected as the subjects. A suburbs road was chosen as the test road section and each driver drove several times on it. Based on the FaceLAB working mechanism and human eye diopter, correlation between head rotation and eye fixation point were derived and some important conclusions were drawn. For skilled drivers, they are relax at capturing traffic environment information and could obtain much more critical information in a rather large range while keeps the head constant. However, for the fresh drivers, they are much more carefully at getting visual information and the information capture process takes up much more time. Therefore, they could only get little information while keeps the head constant.

로봇 조향 기반 EPS HILS 시스템의 개발 및 검증

As the conventional hydraulic power steering system in the passenger vehicles is being rapidly replaced by EPS (Electric Power Steering) system, performance evaluation of the EPS system has become an important issue in the automotive industries. But the evaluation process takes significant expertise since steering conditions in the test protocols must be implemented with high accuracy. EPS HILS (Hardware-In the-Loop Simulation) system is developed together with robot steering system in this study. Main components of EPS HILS system include: C-EPS hardware, CarSim vehicle model, and road reaction force generation system powered by servo motor. The robot steering system, operated by another servo motor, was combined with EPS HILS system to substitute for steering efforts of human driver. The road reaction force generation system and the robot steering system were carefully validated by using the data obtained from vehicle tests. An on-center handling test was conducted by using EPS HILS system combined with the robot steering system. In the result of this study, robot-steered EPS HILS system developed with its high reliability and no need of skilled driver’s, can be widely adopted to evaluate any performance of EPS system.

Driving Feature Extraction from High and Low Skilled Drivers in Curve Sections Based on Machine Learning

We have developed a new driving assistance system that can help low-skilled drivers improve their driving skills. We did this in three steps. First, we developed a statistical method to extract distinctions between high- and low-skilled drivers on the basis of AdaBoost, which selects a small number of critical operation features between high- and low-skilled drivers. Second, we built a driving skill evaluation model on the basis of the extracted features. Finally, we performed a series of experiments using a driving simulator, in which advice based on extracted features was supplied to low-skilled drivers and was expected to improve their driving skill. We also proposed an index for evaluating driving skill change, and results show the advice effectively improved the drivers' driving skills.

Advanced Driver Assistant System Using Telematics

We have developed a new driving assistant system that can help low-skilled drivers improve their driving skill. There are three key contributions. First, we have developed a statistical method to extract distinctions between high- and low-skilled drivers based on AdaBoost, which selects a small number of critical operation features between high- and low-skilled drivers. The second is that a driving skill evaluation model is built based on extracted features. Finally, we performed a series of experiments using a driving simulator, in which advice based on extracted features was supplied to low skilled drivers. Result shows advices were effective improved drivers' driving skill.

Young People's Perceptions of, and Engagement with, News Media Reporting on Illicit Drug Issues: An Australian Study

Illicit drug issues have a pervasive presence in mass media. Yet, despite 25 years of research exploring questions of bias, sensationalism and inaccuracies in news media portrayals of illicit drugs, how audiences engage with these portrayals (and their capacity to filter, interpret, deconstruct and even reconstruct media messages) has been neglected. Drawing on focus groups conducted in 2010 with 52 Australian young people aged 16–24 years, this article explores thought processes and reactions to three different news articles. It demonstrates that although young people bemoan the media's apparent sensationalism and bias towards illicit drug issues, their ability to interpret and reinterpret messages about drugs is shaped by four different characteristics: pre-existing knowledge and belief systems; media literacy skills; media framing; and frequency of the media message. Moreover, in spite of their distrust, this article demonstrates that young people remain highly engaged with, and dependent upon, news media for information about drug issues. Unmasking the drivers of media reliance and building skills to navigate the landscape is, thus, critical.

From Passengers to Drivers

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for adolescents in most developed countries. In some countries including the United States, parents play a critical role in teaching adolescents to drive; however, little is known about what parents believe to be necessary in developing safe, skilled drivers, including the kind of instruction and experiences needed. The aim of this study was to address this gap in the research by describing what parents know and believe about the learning-to-drive process using semistructured interviews and surveys. U.S. parents were asked to identify and describe important skills and concepts, learning methodologies, common problems, and evaluation metrics for novice drivers. An emic account of the learning-to-drive period was generated to inform future interventions to support families and to generate hypotheses for future research.

Analysis and control of high sideslip manoeuvres

This paper presents simple analytical techniques that are used to understand and control high sideslip drift manoeuvres of road vehicles. These are manoeuvres in which a skilled driver stabilises a vehicle beyond its limits of handling, an operating regime responsible for major safety concerns in everyday driving. An analysis of the equilibria of a bicycle model with nonlinear tyres reveals the existence of unstable ‘drift equilibria’ corresponding to cornering at high sideslip angle in a countersteer configuration. Equipped with this information, linearisation about a desired drift equilibrium is used to design a controller that stabilises the vehicle at the equilibrium. The controller is subsequently implemented on a steer- and drive-by-wire testbed and successfully used to achieve autonomous drifts.

Comparing Inspections and User Testing for the Evaluation of Virtual Environments

This article describes an experiment comparing three Usability Evaluation Methods: User Testing (UT), Document-based Inspection (DI), and Expert Inspection (EI) for evaluating Virtual Environments (VEs). Twenty-nine individuals (10 end-users and 19 junior usability experts) participated during 1 hr each in the evaluation of two VEs (a training VE and a 3D map). Quantitative results of the comparison show that the effectiveness of UT and DI is significantly better than the effectiveness of EI. For each method, results show their problem coverage: DI- and UT-based diagnoses lead to more problem diversity than EI. The overlap of identified problems amounts to 22% between UT and DI, 20% between DI and EI, and 12% between EI and UT for both virtual environments. The identification impact of the whole set of usability problems is 60% for DI, 57% for UT, and only 36% for EI for both virtual environments. Also reliability of UT and DI is significantly better than reliability of EI. In addition, a qualitative analysis identified 35 classes describing the profile of usability problems found with each method. It shows that UT seems particularly efficient for the diagnosis of problems that require a particular state of interaction to be detectable. On the other hand, DI supports the identification of problems directly observable, often related to learnability and basic usability. This study shows that DI could be viewed as a “4-wheel drive SUV evaluation type” (less powerful under certain conditions but able to go everywhere, with any driver), whereas UT could be viewed as a “Formula 1 car evaluation type” (more powerful but requiring adequate road and a very skilled driver). EI is found (considering all metrics) to be not efficient enough to evaluate usability of VEs.

1207 自動車用可変特性操舵系による緊急回避性能の向上可能性(OS3-2 自動車の制御,OS3 交通・物流システムの制御,オーガナイズド・セッション(OS))

This paper examines validity of variable characteristics steering system with PID-control for the emergency avoidance performance in automobile by computer simulation. K_D -T -J Map is proposed, and effectiveness of P and D-Element is shown by using the map. As a result, it is shown that even an unskilled driver and a novice driver can do the emergency avoidance operation like a skilled driver using variable characteristics steering system with PD-control.

Postural stability and vehicle kinematics during an evasive lane change manoeuvre: A driver training study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a 2-day driver-training course that emphasised postural stability maintenance during critical driving situations on postural stability and vehicle kinematics during an evasive lane change manoeuvre. Following training, the trainee group experienced enhanced postural stability during specific phases of the task. In terms of vehicle kinematics, the main adaptation to training was that trained drivers reduced the extent to which they experienced vehicle decelerations during rapid turning compared to controls. Such a strategy may confer a safety benefit due to the increased risks associated with simultaneous braking while turning during an evasive manoeuvre. The newly learned strategy was consistent with the strategy used by a group of highly skilled drivers (driving instructors). Taken together, the results of the study suggest postural stability may be a useful variable to consider in relation to the skill-based component of hierarchical driver training programmes. The findings of this study provide some preliminary evidence to suggest that postural stability may be an important consideration when instructing individuals on how to safely negotiate obstacles during driving.

A Study on the Relationships between Unsafe Driving Behaviors and Driver’s Inner Factors When Entering a Non-signalized Intersection

By conducting an interview survey using actual driving videos, we found that normal drivers without the right of way have incorrect awareness of the potential hazards when entering a non-signalized intersection. We also conducted a questionnaire survey in which subjects answered a sequence of their driving behaviors concerning when and how they make safety checks and operate the accelerator and brake pedals. We revealed the characteristics of unsafe driving behaviors of normal drivers through comparison with the desirable ones of skilled drivers. We extracted 12 inner factors that cause deviations from desirable driving behavior and revealed the relationships between the inner factors and four elemental driving behaviors. Finally, we discussed the possibility of applying the models to a concrete method of driver safety education.

Vehicle rollover recovery using active steering/wheel torque control

It is well understood that the driver's steering input strongly affects lateral vehicle dynamics, and excessive steering command may result in unstable vehicle motion. In a certain driving condition, it is possible for a skilled driver to prevent vehicle rollover with better perceptive capability of judging conditions and responding faster with smooth compensatory actions. This paper investigates the possibility of using active steering and wheel torque control to assist drivers in avoiding vehicle rollovers in emergency situations. The effectiveness of steering control alone and the combination of steering/wheel torque control in recovery from an unstable roll condition were demonstrated through simulation of both low and high vehicle speeds.

FEBB: Fuel Efficiency Buy-Back Program

This Efficiency Program is design to encourage the skilled truck drivers in a way to save precious fuel during their work shift. The main objectives of FEBB are: 1st The transportation and forwarding companies offer an incentive to its drivers that called FEBB program: It means all fuel savings will transformed to driver bonus monthly payment additional to its basic salary. How it is calculate? All engines have technical specification by producer state the average urban or highway fuel consumption. All below those specifications are fuel savings. You simply multiply the fuel saving in litters or gallons by the fuel price at the middle of the month (to monthly eliminate standard deviation of fuel price). How the drivers do savings? - The skilled driver would adjust the vehicle speed not only accelerating the engine but most with switching the gear while the engine is working at its optimum of rotational force (torque); 2nd It is announced as incentives to SKILLED DRIVERS, which predefined that only drivers saving fuel are skilled. That will change driver mentality to more economic and environmental safety manner. Benefits: 1. You can lower fuel consumption in average vary from 1 litter/100kms for engines below 2000cc to 5 litters/100kms for heavy engines over 12,000cc; 2. Environmental more safety; 3. Encourage the drivers not to exceed speed limits because fast driving means higher fuel consumption. Conforming with speeds limits will decrease the road incidents; 4. Engine's and suspension system physical depreciation is lower. The lower depreciation the lower costs of maintenance; 5. More cost-effective routing is chosen by the driver in order to save fuel; 6. In some countries it will reduce the fuel pilferage. Common phenomenon in south-east Europe; 7. Fuel save = Bonus Payment = Motivation. Application: Effective: In countries where the highway network is well developed; Ineffective: In urban environment where a lot of maneuvers are required during transportation. Broad application: Automotive industry: this theory leads to the term Economic Drive Gear System (EDGS). In general it is 12-18 gear automatic transmission system that is working on maximum of moment (torque) in terms of RPM. How it works? - The transmission changes the gear up when the RPM moves up with more than 10% vs. ORPM and the transmission changes the gear down when RPM drops down with more than 10% vs. ORPM. * ORPM = optimum of revolutions per minutes (see Prerequisites for the theory). Prerequisites for the theory (the following facts are well known but fundamental for FEBB theory and could be defined as Axioms): 1. Newton metre is the unit of moment (torque**) of self propelling internal combustion engines. The maximum of moment (torque) for diesel engines is achievable with the range of 1000-2000 rpm that could differ from one producer to another. The best engines are those that have wider range of revolutions per minutes (rpm) while keeping the maximum of the moment (torque). The driver can adjust the speed of the vehicle switching to higher Gear for higher speed through engine acceleration in a range of ORPM and vice versa. Herein we will call this maximum of torque in terms of rpm as ORPM Optimum of Revolutions Per Minutes. ** Torque = rotational force (Nm). 2. While keeping the maximum of moment (torque) in terms of RPM it results in lower depreciation of the engine and better combustion and lower emission of CO and (HC NOx) where NO-Nitric Oxide is toxic air pollutant.Example table of correlation between RPM (r/min), Torque (Nm) and Engine power (kW) is given below.

B09 シャシ台上における車両のMTギヤ変速制御(OS1-1 仮想モデルシミュレータにおける制御技術)

In this paper, a control method for shifting of gears of a four-wheeled vehicle with the manual transmission is proposed and is verified by 10.15 mode driving on a chassis dynamometer. By switching the two degrees of freedom system to the one degree of freedom system when the gear reaches the synchronizer mechanism, shifting of gears is achieved. An automatic driving of 10.15 modes on a chassis dynamometer is performed for a four-wheel vehicle with manual transmission controlled by the MT shift actuator. Also, 10.15 modes driving by a skilled driver in the same vehicle are performed. It is verified from comparison among experimental results that shifting of gears by the switching control proposed is in good agreement with that by the skilled driver.

Creating a virtual reality in hypnosis: a case of driving phobia

AbstractThis is a case study of a 55‐year‐old married woman who had a severe driving phobia with a concomitant reduction in her mobility. She had been involved in an accident on the motorway but did not develop phobic symptoms until after the second incident – a near collision. The treatment consisted of a systematic desensitization of driving scenarios in hypnosis: after sixteen treatment sessions, the patient made a complete recovery and was able to drive on all public roads. Following each session, the patient was encouraged to practise her driving in the presence of her husband who was a skilled driver. In hypnosis, the patient was able to create a world of vivid imagery using all sensory modalities; and it was this verisimilitude, akin to ‘virtual reality exposure therapy’ (VRET), that contributed significantly to her complete recovery. Copyright © 2004 British Society of Experimental and Clinical Hypnosis

A Study of Motion Evaluation and Control Systems using Jerk Information. 1st Report, A Jerk Sensor and its application to Vehicle Motion Control Systems.

The jerk (the time rate of change of acceleration) is one of the most important kinds of bodily sensitive information. In driving situation, when a vehicle accelerates or decelerates rapidly, skilled drivers can adaptively control the vehicle by perceiving wheel spin or wheel lock from subtle vehicle jerk information, rather than from wheel-speed information. This suggests that the performance of vehicle motion control systems, including the extent of "natural" feeling for drivers, can be improved by enabling the systems to detect jerk and/or acceleration information, and emulate responses of a skilled driver. We have developed a sensor for deriving the values of both acceleration and jerk by using the law of electromagnetic induction. This sensor performs well and has several potential applications. This paper introduces the principle and performance of jerk sensor, and also proposes other possibility of motion control systems using jerk information.

Skill-based vehicle guidance by use of artificial neural networks

This article addresses the use of artificial neural networks for vehicle guidance in local maneuvers. As a typical example, the docking or parking of a semi-autonomous robot is studied. In the proposed approach a feed-forward artificial neural network trained by the back-propagation learning algorithm acts as a nonlinear state-space controller reproducing and generalizing the steering actions of a skilled human driver. The results are experimentally validated with the robot vehicle MACROBE.

The Application of Fuzzy Control To Automatic Train Operation

This paper reflects an attempt to apply a novel method of fuzzy logic control to Automatic Train Operation (ATO) system through directly modelling the behavior of a skilled driver, which is based on the idea of Partition of Complex Process & Hierarchical Intelligent Control (PCP&HLC). A new method to determine the Firing strength of fuzzy rule - weighted sum of membership of input variables - is also proposed. The simulation results have shown the effectiveness and feasibility of what proposed.