Sensor Reduction for Backing-Up Control of a Vehicle With Triple Trailers

This paper presents a cost-effective design based on sensor reduction for backing-up control of a vehicle with triple trailers. To realize a cost-effective design, we newly derive two linear-matrix-inequality (LMI) conditions for a discrete Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy system. One is an optimal dynamic output feedback design that guarantees desired control performance. The other is an avoidance of jackknife phenomenon for the use of the optimal dynamic output feedback controller. Our results demonstrate that the proposed LMI-based design effectively achieves the backing-up control of the vehicle with triple trailers while avoiding the jackknife phenomenon. More importantly, we demonstrate that the designed optimal control can achieve the backing-up control without, at least, two potentiometers that were employed to measure the relative angles (of a vehicle with triple trailers) in our previous experiments. Since the relative angles directly relate to the jackknife phenomenon, the successful control results without two potentiometers are very interesting and important from the cost-effective design point of view

Effect of large trucks on traffic safety and operations. Final report

Notes: Report covers the period Nov 1991 - Mar 1993Michigan Department of Transportation, LansingGreat Lakes Center for Truck Transportation Research, Ann Arbor, Mich.Transportation Department, Washington, D.C.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/1013/2/84769.0001.001.pd

NASA SBIR abstracts of 1991 phase 1 projects

The objectives of 301 projects placed under contract by the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are described. These projects were selected competitively from among proposals submitted to NASA in response to the 1991 SBIR Program Solicitation. The basic document consists of edited, non-proprietary abstracts of the winning proposals submitted by small businesses. The abstracts are presented under the 15 technical topics within which Phase 1 proposals were solicited. Each project was assigned a sequential identifying number from 001 to 301, in order of its appearance in the body of the report. Appendixes to provide additional information about the SBIR program and permit cross-reference of the 1991 Phase 1 projects by company name, location by state, principal investigator, NASA Field Center responsible for management of each project, and NASA contract number are included

Highway Maintenance Concept Vehicle Final Report: Phase Three, 2001

This report documents Phase III of a four-phase project. The goals of the project are to study the feasibility of using advanced technology from other industries to improve he efficiency and safety of winter highway maintenance vehicle operations, and to provide travelers with the level of service defined by policy during the winter season at the least cost to the taxpayers. The results of the first phase of the research were documented in the Concept Highway Maintenance Vehicle Final Report: Phase One dated April 1997, which describes the desirable functions of a concept maintenance vehicle and evaluates its feasibility. Phase I concluded by establishing the technologies that would be assembled and tested on the prototype vehicles in Phase II. The primary goals of phase II were to install the selected technologies on the prototype winter maintenance vehicles and to conduct proof of concept in advance of field evaluations planned for Phase III. This Phase III final report documents the work completed since the end of Phase II. During this time period, the Phase III work plan was completed and the redesigned friction meter was field tested. A vendor meeting was held to discuss future private sector participation and the new design for the Iowa vehicle. In addition, weather and roadway condition data were collected from the roadway weather information systems at selected sites in Iowa and Minnesota, for comparison to the vehicles' onboard temperature sensors. Furthermore, the team received new technology, such as the mobile Frensor unit, for bench testing and later installation

Sustainable business model perspectives for the electric vehicle industry : the case of battery second use

The purpose of this doctoral research dissertation is to examine sustainable business model (SBM) perspectives for the rapidly developing Battery Second Use (B2U) market within the emerging electric vehicle (EV) industry. Previous research has shown that a global mass market adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is still hindered by the high costs of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Repurposing degraded EV batteries in second use applications holds the potential to reduce first-cost impediments of EVs. The research on new business models is limited. The ones that emerge rapidly within the EV and battery second use (B2U) industries focus mainly on economic aspects without integrating social and environmental dimensions. Simultaneously, the emerging research topic around sustainable business models (SBMs) seem to be able to bridge the environmental management concerns in conjunction with economic and social changes.This thesis further develops and extends extant literature by addressing this paucity through offering an interdisciplinary approach by drawing upon key perspectives from the emerging sustainable technology of EVs and its underlying B2U market in relation to SBMs. The research entails both, qualitative and quantitative assessments, to examine the correlation between SBMs and B2U. Major results indicate that B2U has led to innovative cross-sectoral multi stakeholder business relationships, particularly relevant for the previously isolated automotive and energy markets that are now investigating the full potential of second life batteries and hence new business opportunities for the first time in history. B2U holds the potential to facilitate current unsustainable practices in the EV industry. This in turn, will lead towards a faster EV market uptake and improvements of overall sustainability performance through SBM perspectives. Therefore, it was discovered that prospective innovative business models for B2U, which take a multi-stakeholder network centric business model design rather than firm-centric one, may prove to be a viable business case for sustainability. It was further unearthed that B2U leads to shared sustainable value creation mechanism for the EV industry (and newly emerging stakeholders) as part of innovative SBMs. Therefore, this doctoral dissertation proposes a new B2U innovative business model framework that records and explains the stakeholder relationships as an innovative and forming phenomenon, as well as opens new roads for future discussion among researchers and practitioners. This doctoral dissertation has addressed a paucity and inter-disciplinary literature gap and met an industrial and academic need accordingly. Overall, a new research stream emerges on SBMs for EV B2U and it is hoped that more contributions will follow to increase the impact and value of sustainable waste & resource management and the circular economy.El propósito de esta tesis doctoral de investigación, es examinar las diferentes perspectivas de los "Sustainable Business Models" (SBMs) para el mercado de "Battery Second Use" (B2U) ya que este se está desarrollando rápidamente dentro de la industria emergente del vehículo eléctrico (EV). Investigaciones anteriores han demostrado que la aceptación de vehículos eléctricos (EV) en el mercado mundial todavía se ve obstaculizada por los altos costes de las baterías de iones de litio (LIBs). La reutilización de baterías usadas de vehículos eléctricos (EV) en aplicaciones de "segundo uso" (B2U) tiene el potencial de reducir el alto coste de EV en la actualidad. La investigación de nuevos modelos de negocio es limitada. Los modelos que emergen rápidamente dentro de la industria tanto de EV como B2U se enfocan principalmente en aspectos económicos, sin tener en cuenta la importancia de la sociedad y del medio ambiente. Simultáneamente, la investigación en el nuevo campo de los SBMs parece ser capaz de encontrar la solución a las preocupaciones de la gestión medio ambiental a la vez que los cambios económicos y sociales. Esta tesis desarrolla y extiende aún más la literatura interdisciplinaria existente al abordar esta escasez y al ofrecer un enfoque interdisciplinario aprovechando las perspectivas claves de la tecnología sostenible emergente EV y su mercado B2U subyacente en relación con SBM. La investigación implica evaluaciones cualitativas y cuantitativas, para examinar la correlación entre SBMs y B2U. Los principales resultados indican que B2U ha conducido a nuevas relaciones comerciales en múltiples sectores y entre diferentes partes interesadas ("stakeholders"), particularmente relevante para los mercados automotrices y de energía que ahora están investigando todo el potencial de las baterías de segunda vida y, por lo tanto, nuevas oportunidades comerciales por primera vez en la historia. B2U tiene el potencial de facilitar las prácticas actuales no sostenibles en la industria de vehículos eléctricos. Esto, a su vez, conducirá a una adopción más rápida del mercado de vehículos eléctricos y a mejoras del rendimiento general de sostenibilidad a través de las perspectivas de SBMs. Por lo tanto, se ha descubierto que los posibles modelos de negocio innovadores para B2U que se basen en un modelo de negocio centrado en la red de múltiples partes interesadas en lugar del modelo centrado en una empresa podría ser un caso de negocio viable para asegura la sostenibilidad. Además, se ha descubierto que B2U conduce a un mecanismo de creación de valor sostenible compartido en la industria de vehículos eléctricos (y las nuevas partes interesadas emergentes) como parte de SBM innovadores. Por lo tanto, esta tesis doctoral propone un nuevo modelo de negocio innovador de B2U que registra y explica las relaciones con las partes interesadas como un fenómeno innovador y formador, así como abrir nuevos caminos para una futura discusión entre investigadores y profesionales. Esta tesis doctoral ha abordado una brecha de escasez y literatura interdisciplinaria y ha respondido a una necesidad industrial y académica en consecuencia. En general, surge un nuevo flujo de investigación sobre SBM para EV B2U y se espera que se sigan aportando más contribuciones para aumentar el impacto y el valor de la gestión sostenible de residuos y la economía circular.Postprint (published version

Advances on Smart Cities and Smart Buildings

Modern cities are facing the challenge of combining competitiveness at the global city scale and sustainable urban development to become smart cities. A smart city is a high-tech, intensive and advanced city that connects people, information, and city elements using new technologies in order to create a sustainable, greener city; competitive and innovative commerce; and an increased quality of life. This Special Issue collects the recent advancements in smart cities and covers different topics and aspects

Proceedings of the Second International Mobile Satellite Conference (IMSC 1990)

Presented here are the proceedings of the Second International Mobile Satellite Conference (IMSC), held June 17-20, 1990 in Ottawa, Canada. Topics covered include future mobile satellite communications concepts, aeronautical applications, modulation and coding, propagation and experimental systems, mobile terminal equipment, network architecture and control, regulatory and policy considerations, vehicle antennas, and speech compression

Feature Papers in Eng

This Special Issue is a collection of high-quality reviews and original papers from editorial board members, guest editors, and leading researchers discussing new knowledge or new cutting-edge developments in the field of engineering

Cumulative index to NASA Tech Briefs, 1963-1967

Cumulative index to NASA survey on technology utilization of aerospace research outpu