Autonomous control of underground mining vehicles using reactive navigation

Describes how many of the navigation techniques developed by the robotics research community over the last decade may be applied to a class of underground mining vehicles (LHDs and haul trucks). We review the current state-of-the-art in this area and conclude that there are essentially two basic methods of navigation applicable. We describe an implementation of a reactive navigation system on a 30 tonne LHD which has achieved full-speed operation at a production mine

Проверка эффективности вспомогательной системы для маневрирования в местах слияния автомобильных потоков в режиме реального вождения автомобиля

In the latest study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2018, it was published that human error is still considered the major factor in traffic accidents, 94 %, compared with other causes such as vehicles, environment and unknown critical reasons. Some driving scenarios are especially complex, such as highways merging lanes, where the driver obtains information from the environment while making decisions on how to proceed to perform the maneuver smoothly and safely. Ignorance of the intentions of the drivers around him leads to risky situations between them caused by misunderstandings or erroneous assumptions or perceptions. For this reason, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems could provide information to obtain safer maneuvers in these critical environments. In previous works, the behavior of the driver by means of a visual tracking system while merging in a highway was studied, observing a cognitive load in those instants due to the high attentional load that the maneuver requires. For this reason, a driver assistance system for merging situations is proposed. This system uses V2V communications technology and suggests to the driver how to modify his speed in order to perform the merging manoeuver in a safe way considering the available gap and the relative speeds between vehicles. The paper presents the results of the validation of this system for assisting in the merging maneuver. For this purpose, the interface previously designed and validated in terms of usability, has been integrated into an application for a mobile device, located inside the vehicle and tests has been carried out in real driving conditions.In the latest study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2018, it was published that human error is still considered the major factor in traffic accidents, 94 %, compared with other causes such as vehicles, environment and unknown critical reasons. Some driving scenarios are especially complex, such as highways merging lanes, where the driver obtains information from the environment while making decisions on how to proceed to perform the maneuver smoothly and safely. Ignorance of the intentions of the drivers around him leads to risky situations between them caused by misunderstandings or erroneous assumptions or perceptions. For this reason, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems could provide information to obtain safer maneuvers in these critical environments. In previous works, the behavior of the driver by means of a visual tracking system while merging in a highway was studied, observing a cognitive load in those instants due to the high attentional load that the maneuver requires. For this reason, a driver assistance system for merging situations is proposed. This system uses V2V communications technology and suggests to the driver how to modify his speed in order to perform the merging manoeuver in a safe way considering the available gap and the relative speeds between vehicles. The paper presents the results of the validation of this system for assisting in the merging maneuver. For this purpose, the interface previously designed and validated in terms of usability, has been integrated into an application for a mobile device, located inside the vehicle and tests has been carried out in real driving conditions

Multi-camera complexity assessment system for assembly line work stations

In the last couple of years, the market demands an increasing number of product variants. This leads to an inevitable rise of the complexity in manufacturing systems. A model to quantify the complexity in a workstation has been developed, but part of the analysis is done manually. Thereto, this paper presents the results of an industrial proof-of-concept in which the possibility of automating the complexity analysis using multi camera video images, was tested

Design, construction and commissioning of an organic Rankine cycle waste heat recovery system with a Tesla-hybrid turbine expander

2011 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.Issues surrounding energy are some of the most compelling subjects in the world today. With human's ever increasing need for energy, production must increase or consumption must be reduced to avoid an unsustainable long-term energy balance. One part of the energy solution is low-temperature Organic Rankine Cycles (ORCs). ORCs can be utilized to produce power in mass quantity from a dedicated heat source such as a geothermal well. ORCs may also be utilized as a waste heat recovery system to generate power from a heat stream that is typically rejected to the environment. Low-temperature waste heat streams are ubiquitous as every internal combustion engine generates 55-75% of its total fuel energy as waste heat. Efficiency of a waste heat recovery ORC system is strongly dependent on condensing temperature and expander efficiency. Condensing temperatures are typically kept low with an evaporative condensing unit. However, water consumption to increase energy production is becoming less tolerated. To provide a means to conduct research around these issues, a waste heat recovery ORC test bed was designed and constructed. This thesis contains information on construction and operation of the test bed with these features: R245fa working fluid, direct dry cooled condensing and a Tesla-hybrid turbine expander

Modular Human-in-the-loop Design Framework Based on Human Factors

Human-in-the-loop design framework introduced in this dissertation utilizes Digital Human Modeling (DHM) to incorporate Human Factors Engineering (HFE) design principles early in design process. It embodies scientific methods (e.g., mathematics) and artistic approaches (e.g., visualization) to assess human well-being and overall system performance. This framework focuses not only on ergonomics assessments but also actual design process including, but not limited to, concept development, structural integrity and digital prototyping. It addresses to three major limitations found in HFE literature and practices

Automatic Threshold on Current based Anti-pinch Mechanism for Power Windows

In this paper, the automotive power window has been integrated with an advanced safety mechanism called anti-pinch system for good protection. Based on a contact method, a new safety mechanism using a low-cost technology has been proposed to set a threshold value as a limit to decide the pinch condition, or automatic threshold method. The electric current information is easily detected by using current sensor installed on a motor driver without incorporating extra device. Then the pinch condition is quickly reflected and calculated by using current information in the system. Since the automatic threshold is decided by analyzing system behavior in advance, the optimal calculation can be guaranteed and then applied it on the safety mechanism in a cost-effective manner. Through extensive experimental tests, the squeezing forces of the proposed anti-pinch system have been verified to satisfy requirements of the FMVSS 118 regulations