Speed Bumps Research Articles

A statistical operating cycle description for prediction of road vehicles’ energy consumption

We propose a novel statistical description of the physical properties of road transport operations by using stochastic models arranged in a hierarchical structure. The description includes speed signs, stops, speed bumps, curvature, topography, road roughness and ground type, with a road type introduced at the top of the hierarchy to group characteristics that are often connected. Methods are described how to generate data on a form (the operating cycle format) that can be used in dynamic simulations to estimate energy usage and CO2 emissions. To showcase the behaviour of the description, two examples are presented using a modular vehicle model for a heavy-duty truck: a sensitivity study on impacts from changes in the environment, and a comparison study on a real goods transport operation with respect to energy usage. It is found that the stop intensity and topography amplitude have the greatest impact in the sensitivity study (8.3% and 9.5% respectively), and the comparison study implies that the statistical description is capable of capturing properties of the road that are significant for vehicular energy usage. Moreover, it is discussed how the statistical description can be used in a vehicle design process, and how the mean CO2 emissions and its variation can be estimated for a vehicle specification.

Influence of speed bumps on braking distance

This paper aims to dismiss the popular belief that speed bumps reduce the vehicle speeds or reduce the braking distance. In recent years, the implementation of speed bumps on public roads in Romania has increased. The correct understanding of the role of the speed bump has been misunderstood by the Romanian authorities who use them to slow down traffic on highly used roads. More advanced countries in the segment of traffic controlling and traffic safety have special rules for speed humps and speed bumps. This paper is concerned with the theoretical and experimental study of the performance of the vehicle in emergency braking when passing over such a speed bump. The theoretical study is done by using mathematic formulas and the experimental study is done by using a real car and testing it’s braking distance in normal weather on a dry road that has a speed bump implemented. The study shows the influence of the induced forces from the speed bump in the car dynamics, once because of the low adhesion surface of a worn out speed bump and secondly because of the changes in normal force on the wheel after passing over the hump, the influence of the suspension loading is also backed up by the Tr. Ori study.

Speed-Bump Detection for Autonomous Vehicles by Lidar and Camera

In this paper, we propose a speed-bump detection method for an autonomous vehicle by using a camera and light detection and ranging (lidar). A speed bump may have an impact with a vehicle if its speed does not decrease during driving. To prevent this, it is necessary to detect a speed bump and determine its position. In this study, we use a camera and lidar to detect and locate a speed bump. In addition, two detectors are used to extract and verify candidates for speed-bump. The detection method first extracts the regions of the speed-bump candidate using an image pattern. Then, using the image pattern and distance information, the speed bump is detected in the candidate area. The result includes the area of the speed bump, classification result, and speed-bump height information. The experimental results show that the proposed method improves the accuracy of detection and improves the classification accuracy of pedestrian crossings with similar patterns.

Multi‐objective optimization of ambulance ride comfort under speed bump

Ambulance ride comfort not only impacts health of patients, but influences handling capability of drivers. Previous studies on ambulance ride comfort mainly focused on analysis and optimization of ride comfort of supine patients, but ride comfort of drivers was ignored. For solving this problem, a 10°‐of‐freedom (DOF) vibration model of ambulance was established, and a supine patient on stretcher and a driver on seat were included in the model. The excitations on front and rear wheel were proposed according to speed bump, which have a great impact on occupants. The objective function and design variables of multi‐objective optimization were determined, and the parameters of design variables were solved by using Elitist Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA‐II). Based on the parameters before and after optimization, ride comfort of supine patient and driver was analyzed. The results show that ride comfort of supine patient and driver in ambulance under speed bump was improved 20% and 7%, respectively, and ride comfort of supine patient and driver in ambulance under random road was increased by 9% after optimization. Multi‐objective optimization of ambulance ride comfort under speed bump can improve ride comfort of supine patient and driver, and has a good optimal effect. © 2019 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Do 'Speed Bumps' Prevent Accidents in Financial Markets?

This paper examines how the implementation of a new dark order - Midpoint Extended Life Order (M-ELO) on NASDAQ - impacts financial markets stability in terms of occurrences of mini-flash crashes in individual securities. We use high-frequency order book data and apply panel regression analysis to estimate the effect of dark order trading activity on market stability and liquidity provision. The results suggest a predominance of a speed bump effect of M-ELO rather than a darkness effect. We find that the introduction of M-ELO increases market stability by reducing the average number of mini-flash crashes, but its impact on market quality is mixed.

A deep learning approach to automatic road surface monitoring and pothole detection

Anomalies in road surface not only impact road quality but also affect driver safety, mechanic structure of the vehicles, and fuel consumption. Several approaches have been proposed to automatic monitoring of the road surface condition in order to assess road roughness and to detect potholes. Some of these approaches adopt a crowdsensing perspective by using a built-in smartphone accelerometer to sense the road surface. Although the crowdsensing perspective has several advantages as ubiquitousness and low cost, it has certain sensibility to the false positives produced by man-made structures, driver actions, and road surface characteristics that cannot be considered as road anomalies. For this reason, we propose a deep learning approach that allows us (a) to automatically identify the different kinds of road surface, and (b) to automatically distinguish potholes from destabilizations produced by speed bumps or driver actions in the crowdsensing-based application context. In particular, we analyze and apply different deep learning models: convolutional neural networks, LSTM networks, and reservoir computing models. The experiments were carried out with real-world information, and the results showed a promising accuracy in solving both problems.

Harvesting kinetic energy from roadway pavement through an electromagnetic speed bump

Roadway pavements are repeatedly subjected to two different types of energy sources—solar radiation and kinetic energy from passing vehicles. Therefore, they have great potential to be utilized as sustainable energy sources. In this study, an electromagnetic speed bump energy harvester (ESE) prototype was developed to harvest energy from the kinetic energy of passing vehicles and to simultaneously control vehicles’ speed. The ESE absorbs the deflection generated by a passing vehicle and converts it to a rotating shaft that triggers an embedded generator. A set of laboratory tests were conducted to simulate traffic conditions and evaluate the performance of the prototype in generating electrical power. These tests investigated the effect of load magnitude, time of loading, time of unloading, and ratio of loading time to unloading time on the power output generated by the ESE. The experimental results had a maximum average power of 3.21 mW, which shows that the proposed prototype promises to generate substantial power under actual traffic loading conditions. The effect of load magnitude was negligible, while a shorter time of loading led to a higher power output, implying that the optimum vehicle speed for maximizing the power output is the speed limit in the ESE location. Four sets of linear static analyses were performed in order to evaluate the response of the prototype fabrication. The top component of the ESE was modeled using material properties of steel, aluminum, or composites of heavy-duty rubber, and the bottom frames were given steel or aluminum properties.

Design of energy harvester using rotating motion rectifier and its application on bicycle

The energy harvester has been employed to transform mechanical vibration into electrical power in the field of road transportation. An electromagnetic energy harvester for bicycle application to recycle low-frequency vibration is proposed. The input of up-down motion is transformed into bidirectional rotation by the transmission part, and then translated into unidirectional rotation by the rotating motion rectifier. The rectifier outputs rotation to the generator, and the electrical energy generated can be stored in super capacity at the charging mode or light up the LED at the discharging mode. Lab experiments are conducted to test the proposed harvester on Instron servo-hydraulic machine. A power of 0.491 W and a total efficiency of 52.8% are achieved with sinusoidal displacement inputs from 1.0 Hz to 2.5 Hz and external resistors from 50 Ω to 200 Ω. Field tests of applying the harvester onto the bicycle are carried out and a power of 0.313 W is obtained when riding through the speed bump. Above tests demonstrate potential applications of the harvester in self-powered devices.

Philosophy and the Morality of Lawyers: Can a Good Lawyer Be a Good Person?

In the essay I critically analyse the gist of the discussion on whether lawyers must act in accordance with the advice of philosophers and whether the tenets of their personal morality allow them to be a good person at the end of the day. Usually it is often seen that the general ideologies suggested by philosophers often turn out to be speed bumps in a lawyer’s professional career. Ideologies such as being accountable to third parties while at the same time looking out for their clients’ best interests is seldom possible in the real/professional world. At this junction, I look forward to delve further into this criticism in order to throw some light over what road is usually taken by the professional world in such circumstances. Apart from this, I also expect to look at the ethics followed by lawyers while representing their clients and whether the lawyers are ready to go far enough to violate certain aspects of the law in order to look after their clients’ interests. Lastly I look forward to analyse whether philosophers’ reprimanding of lawyers is usually tolerated or not and also whether lawyers place morality above their professional duty or vice versa.

Performance of a speed bump piezoelectric energy harvester for an automatic cellphone charging system

We propose a piezoelectric energy harvesting technology installed in a roadway speed bump. We have installed a module that can charge mobile phones utilizing a speed bump piezoelectric harvester (SBPH), which is easy to apply to roads. A highly integrated module with 40 piezo-generators was fixed and installed at the center of the speed bump. When a medium-sized vehicle passed the module at a speed of 30 km/h, an output voltage of 144 Vmax, output current of 45.2 mAmax, and output power of 4086.08 mWmax (6.81 W/m2) were measured at a load resistance of 2 kΩ. When the vehicle passed over the SBPH nine times, it charged a capacitor (10,000 μF) to provide 6 V for about 200 s, and the charged electrical energy was enough to operate a cellphone. The self-controlled battery charging system via electricity generated by the piezoelectric module could be applied to a speed bump installed on an actual road.

The effect of speed bumps and humps on the concentrations of CO, NO and NO2 in ambient air

Traffic-calming measures act as the instruments to reduce the speed of vehicles. They make a major contribution to road safety; however, on the other hand, air pollution is more likely to occur due to the fact that motor vehicles use brakes and accelerate more frequently. The study reviewed two types of traffic-calming devices, that is, trapezoid-shaped speed humps made of asphalt and plastic circular speed bumps. The obtained results showed an increase in the concentrations of NO, NO2 and CO found in the pollutants emitted from the vehicles approaching speed bumps/humps compared to the concentrations of the same types of pollutants at the check points. As for trapezoidal speed humps, the concentration of nitrogen dioxide increased on average by 1.8 times, that of nitrogen monoxide by 4.3 times and that of carbon monoxide by 2.2 times. Meanwhile, the concentration of nitrogen dioxide at circular plastic speed bumps rose on average by 2.5 times, that of nitric monoxide by 5.0 times and that of carbon monoxide by 3.2 times.

An Innovative Energy Harvesting Shock Absorber System Using Cable Transmission

This paper presents an innovative design of an energy harvesting shock absorber using cable transmission called cable dynamics energy harvesting shock absorber (CD-EHSA). It includes the design, modeling, bench experiments, and road tests results. Experimental tests are carried out with the CD-EHSA system in an MTS 835 machine, in order to analyze its behavior and validate the computational model of the CD-EHSA with the tests carried out on the actual component. Likewise, the paper presents the results of recovered electric power by the system during road tests at a speed between 20 and 30 km/h. With four CD-EHSA installed in a Renault Twizy, an average power of 105 W and power peaks of 400–500 W when passing through speed bumps are obtained. The designed system mechanical can reach an efficiency of around 60%.

Developing proximal safety indicators for assessment of un-signalized intersection – a case study in Surat city

ABSTRACTThe work consists of the development of proximal safety indicators to assess the safety of an un-signalized intersection in the city of Surat, India. The present study highlights the significance of proactive evaluation to assess the safety level of intersections using post encroachment time (PET) measure. In the present study, the critical speed of the conflicting vehicles at intersection has also been analyzed for assessing extremity of conflicts using PET values. Also, the effect of speed bumps on PET as well as crash frequencies was investigated. Furthermore, the effect of volume and vehicular speeds on PET has been studied using sensitivity analysis through microscopic simulation.

Effects of Spinal Immobilization and Spinal Motion Restriction on Head-Neck Kinematics during Ambulance Transport

Objective: To determine the influence of ambulance motion on head-neck (H-N) kinematics and to compare the effectiveness of two spinal precaution (SP) protocols: spinal immobilization (SI) and spinal motion reduction (SMR). Methods: Eighteen healthy volunteers (7 females) underwent a series of standardized ambulance transport tasks, across various speeds, under the two SP protocols in a balanced order (n = 12 drivers, n = 7 ambulances). Inertial measurement units were placed on participants’ heads and sternums, with another affixed to the stretcher mattress frame. Outcome measures included H-N displacement and acceleration. Results: Ambulance accelerations varied across driving tasks (2.5–9.5 m/s2) and speeds (3.0–6.2 m/s2) and resulted in a wide range of H-N displacements (7.2–22.6 deg) and H-N accelerations (1.4–10.9 m/s2). Relative to SMR, SI resulted in reduced H-N motion during turning, accelerating, and speed bumps (1.9–10.7 deg; 0.4–2.6 m/s2), but increased H-N accelerations during abrupt starts/stops and some higher speed tasks (0.4–2.5 m/s2). Ambulance acceleration was moderately correlated to H-N acceleration (r = 0.68) and displacement (r = 0.42). Conclusion: H-N motion was somewhat coupled to ambulance acceleration and varied across a wide range, regardless of SP approach. In general, SI resulted in a modest reduction in H-N displacement and acceleration, with some exceptions. The results inform clinical decisions on SP practice during prehospital transport and demonstrate a novel approach to quantifying H-N motion in prehospital care.

Internet of Vehicles Based Approach for Road Safety Applications Using Sensor Technologies

In this paper, the Internet of Vehicles approach is used to develop a novel low cost sensor based system for road safety applications in intelligent transportation systems. It was found that major hazards that compromise road safety include weather related factors, poor road surfaces and presence of sharp turns. A wireless sensor network based solution consisting of embedded systems for the vehicular clients and infrastructure waypoints is developed for detecting road safety hazards and warning users about potentially hazardous events from causes that include presence of speed bumps, sharp turns and weather related factors of rain and fog. Hazards detected by the embedded systems are conveyed to the user by using the Vehicle-to-Vehicle communication and Vehicle-to-infrastructure communication interfaces developed in this study for inter-vehicle communication and obtaining sensory information from infrastructure waypoints respectively. Accuracy achieved was 88% for speed bump detection, 73.86% for detecting sharp turns and 100% for detection of rain and fog. Communication systems in the designed solution are optimized by reducing the size of packet being exchanged which improves transmission speed, packet losses and congestion on the network. Thus, the designed solution is capable of improving road safety by using an Internet of Vehicles approach.

Do Speed Bumps Curb Speed Investment? Evidence from a Pilot Experiment

Exchanges implement intentional trade delays to limit the harmful impact of low-latency trading. Do such curb investment in fast trading technology? Data is scarce since trading technologies are proprietary. We build an experimental trading platform where participants face speed bumps and can invest in fast trading technology. We find that asymmetric speed bumps, on average, reduce investment in speed by only 20%. Increasing the magnitude of the speed bump by one standard deviation further reduces low-latency investment by 8.33%. Finally, introducing a symmetric speed bump leads to the same investment level as no speed bump at all.

A 'Speed Bump' Against Abusive Constitutionalism: Redesigning the Constitutional Replacement Doctrine

Constitutional endurance touches on a number of important aspects of constitutional theory and practice. The tension between constitutional stability and constitutional flexibility is one aspect of this puzzle. Formal constitutional amendability seeks to balance these competing constitutional design qualities by providing a “roadmap” for the alteration of the constitution. However, amendability may also be used to the constitution’s detriment. In the past, constitutional unamendability, including the constitutional replacement doctrine, has provided stability by preventing the abuse of amending powers. However, in recent years “abusive constitutionalism” has changed the nature of the constitutional endurance question. The growing global body of anecdotal evidence suggests that the traditional limits on amending powers are currently ineffective against this phenomenon and may even form part of an abusive constitutionalist strategy. The question arises: how should the balance be re-struck in response to abusive constitutionalism? This is a complicated question. Abusive constitutionalism is a multifaceted issue because would-be authoritarian leaders use a variety of techniques to further their anti-democratic goals. Despite these difficulties, this paper explores how the doctrine of implicit limits – also known as the constitutional replacement doctrine (CRD) – might be enhanced to operate more effectively against abusive constitutionalism. The paper explores possible internal and external solutions. The solutions build on the doctrine’s strengths which make it particularly well-suited to an abusive constitutional context whilst mitigating the doctrine’s weaknesses.

Real-Time Road Quality Assessment Using Smartphones and Cloud Lambda Architecture

In this paper, the authors are proposing a computer system built in the cloud-computing fashion for the collection of data from smartphones to achieve a crowdsensing-based quality assessment of roads, as well as detection, identification, and assessment of road artefacts (potholes, speed bumps,etc). The proposed information processing methods were based on Lambda architecture and the integration of different types of crowdsourced data to finally calculate the singular value of the human-readable road quality. Finally, the prototype implementation of the system for gathering, processing, integration, and processing the road quality data is also presented.

Jolfa Urban Safety audit based on Geographical information system (GIS)

Background: Considering the importance of traffic accidents in cities and the role of non-standard urban roads in increasing them, it is important to detect and reform road safety defects. In order to implement Safe Community Program of Jolfa safe city, a method was introduced for detecting and reform managing of road safety defects. Methods: Urban roads of Jolfa were filmed in eleven separate routes for eight hours by Timestamp Camera software.Safety issues were identified and in eleven layers (Geometric design, sidewalks, lining, pavement, speed bumps, school districts, shopping malls entries, constructions waste, night vision, pedestrian crossings And signs) were entered in GIS.To prioritize reforming actions, the compressibilityof layers of each safety defects category were formed in order toidentify the concentration of each type of road safety defects. If the case of reforming, the operator places this point in modified category and upload the reformed image in GIS.The result of this method was clearly seen in work progress reports. Results: Overly 856 safety issues were identifies in 11 safety categories. Two main area was extracted as prioritized areas with the highest frequency of identified safety issues. The GIS map was presented in the traffic safety committee and action plan was developed for safety promotion interventions. Conclusion: Urban safety audit based on GIS provides a proper information base for city managers about the safety and facilitates the safety management rules for communities who implementing safe community program.

Strategic Speed Choice by High-Frequency Traders under Speed Bumps

Strategic Speed Choice by High-Frequency Traders under Speed Bumps