A systematic literature review on the relationship between autonomous vehicle technology and traffic-related mortality.

학위논문(석사) -- 서울대학교대학원 : 행정대학원 글로벌행정전공, 2023. 2. 최태현.The society is anticipated to gain a lot from Autonomous Vehicles (AV), such as improved traffic flow and a decrease in accidents. They heavily rely on improvements in various Artificial Intelligence (AI) processes and strategies. Though some researchers in this field believe AV is the key to enhancing safety, others believe AV creates new challenges when it comes to ensuring the security of these new technology/systems and applications. The article conducts a systematic literature review on the relationship between autonomous vehicle technology and traffic-related mortality. According to inclusion and exclusion criteria, articles from EBSCO, ProQuest, IEEE Explorer, Web of Science were chosen, and they were then sorted. The findings reveal that the most of these publications have been published in advanced transport-related journals. Future improvements in the automobile industry and the development of intelligent transportation systems could help reduce the number of fatal traffic accidents. Technologies for autonomous cars provide effective ways to enhance the driving experience and reduce the number of traffic accidents. A multitude of driving-related problems, such as crashes, traffic, energy usage, and environmental pollution, will be helped by autonomous driving technology. More research is needed for the significant majority of the studies that were assessed. They need to be expanded so that they can be tested in real-world or computer-simulated scenarios, in better and more realistic scenarios, with better and more data, and in experimental designs where the results of the proposed strategy are compared to those of industry standards and competing strategies. Therefore, additional study with improved methods is needed. Another major area that requires additional research is the moral and ethical choices made by AVs. Government, policy makers, manufacturers, and designers all need to do many actions in order to deploy autonomous vehicles on the road effectively. The government should develop laws, rules, and an action plan in particular. It is important to create more effective programs that might encourage the adoption of emerging technology in transportation systems, such as driverless vehicles. In this regard, user perception becomes essential since it may inform designers about current issues and observations made by people. The perceptions of autonomous car users in developing countries like Azerbaijan haven't been thoroughly studied up to this point. The manufacturer has to fix the system flaw and needs a good data set for efficient operation. In the not-too-distant future, the widespread use of highly automated vehicles (AVs) may open up intriguing new possibilities for resolving persistent issues in current safety-related research. Further research is required to better understand and quantify the significant policy implications of Avs, taking into consideration factors like penetration rate, public adoption, technological advancements, traffic patterns, and business models. It only needs to take into account peer-reviewed, full-text journal papers for the investigation, but it's clear that a larger database and more documents would provide more results and a more thorough analysis.자율주행차(AV)를 통해 교통 흐름이 개선되고 사고가 줄어드는 등 사회가 얻는 것이 많을 것으로 예상된다. 그들은 다양한 인공지능(AI) 프로세스와 전략의 개선에 크게 의존한다. 이 분야의 일부 연구자들은 AV가 안전성을 향상시키는 열쇠라고 믿지만, 다른 연구자들은 AV가 이러한 새로운 기술/시스템 및 애플리케이션의 보안을 보장하는 것과 관련하여 새로운 문제를 야기한다고 믿는다. 이 논문은 자율주행차 기술과 교통 관련 사망률 사이의 관계에 대한 체계적인 문헌 검토를 수행한다. 포함 및 제외 기준에 따라 EBSCO, ProQuest, IEEE Explorer 및 Web of Science의 기사를 선택하고 분류했다.연구 결과는 이러한 출판물의 대부분이 고급 운송 관련 저널에 게재되었음을 보여준다. 미래의 자동차 산업의 개선과 지능형 교통 시스템의 개발은 치명적인 교통 사고의 수를 줄이는 데 도움이 될 수 있다. 자율주행 자동차 기술은 운전 경험을 향상시키고 교통 사고의 수를 줄일 수 있는 효과적인 방법을 제공한다. 충돌, 교통, 에너지 사용, 환경 오염과 같은 수많은 운전 관련 문제들은 자율 주행 기술에 의해 도움을 받을 것이다. 평가된 대부분의 연구에 대해 더 많은 연구가 필요하다. 실제 또는 컴퓨터 시뮬레이션 시나리오, 더 좋고 현실적인 시나리오, 더 좋고 더 많은 데이터, 그리고 제안된 전략 결과가 산업 표준 및 경쟁 전략의 결과와 비교되는 실험 설계에서 테스트될 수 있도록 확장되어야 한다. 따라서 개선된 방법에 대한 추가 연구가 필요하다. 추가 연구가 필요한 또 다른 주요 분야는 AV의 도덕적, 윤리적 선택이다. 정부, 정책 입안자, 제조업체 및 설계자는 모두 자율 주행 차량을 효과적으로 도로에 배치하기 위해 많은 조치를 취해야 한다. 정부는 특히 법, 규칙, 실행 계획을 개발해야 한다. 운전자 없는 차량과 같은 운송 시스템에서 새로운 기술의 채택을 장려할 수 있는 보다 효과적인 프로그램을 만드는 것이 중요하다. 이와 관련하여, 설계자에게 현재 이슈와 사람에 의한 관찰을 알려줄 수 있기 때문에 사용자 인식이 필수적이 된다.제조업체는 시스템 결함을 수정해야 하며 효율적인 작동을 위해 좋은 데이터 세트가 필요하다. 멀지 않은 미래에, 고도로 자동화된 차량(AV)의 광범위한 사용은 현재의 안전 관련 연구에서 지속적인 문제를 해결하기 위한 흥미로운 새로운 가능성을 열어줄 수 있다. 보급률, 공공 채택, 기술 발전, 교통 패턴 및 비즈니스 모델과 같은 요소를 고려하여 Avs의 중요한 정책 영향을 더 잘 이해하고 정량화하기 위한 추가 연구가 필요하다. 조사를 위해 동료 검토를 거친 전문 저널 논문만 고려하면 되지만, 데이터베이스가 커지고 문서가 많아지면 더 많은 결과와 더 철저한 분석이 제공될 것이 분명하다.Abstract 3 Table of Contents 6 List of Tables 7 List of Figures 7 List of Appendix 7 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 8 1.1. Background 8 1.2. Purpose of Research 13 CHAPTER 2: AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES 21 2.1. Intelligent Traffic Systems 21 2.2. System Architecture for Autonomous Vehicles 22 2.3. Key components in AV classification 27 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY AND DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE 35 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 39 4.1. RQ1: Do autonomous vehicles reduce traffic-related deaths 40 4.2. RQ2: Are there any challenges to using autonomous vehicles 63 4.3. RQ3: As a developing country, how effective is the use of autonomous vehicles for reducing traffic mortality 72 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 76 5.1. Summary 76 5.2. Implications and Recommendations 80 5.3. Limitation of the study 91 Bibliography 93 List of Tables Table 1: The 6 Levels of Autonomous Vehicles Table 2: Search strings Table 3: Inclusion and exclusion criteria List of Figures Figure 1: Traffic Death Comparison with Europe Figure 2: Research strategy and study selection process List of Appendix Appendix 1: List of selected articles석

Risk analysis of autonomous vehicle and its safety impact on mixed traffic stream

In 2016, more than 35,000 people died in traffic crashes, and human error was the reason for 94% of these deaths. Researchers and automobile companies are testing autonomous vehicles in mixed traffic streams to eliminate human error by removing the human driver behind the steering wheel. However, recent autonomous vehicle crashes while testing indicate the necessity for a more thorough risk analysis. The objectives of this study were (1) to perform a risk analysis of autonomous vehicles and (2) to evaluate the safety impact of these vehicles in a mixed traffic stream. The overall research was divided into two phases: (1) risk analysis and (2) simulation of autonomous vehicles. Risk analysis of autonomous vehicles was conducted using the fault tree method. Based on failure probabilities of system components, two fault tree models were developed and combined to predict overall system reliability. It was found that an autonomous vehicle system could fail 158 times per one-million miles of travel due to either malfunction in vehicular components or disruption from infrastructure components. The second phase of this research was the simulation of an autonomous vehicle, where change in crash frequency after autonomous vehicle deployment in a mixed traffic stream was assessed. It was found that average travel time could be reduced by about 50%, and 74% of conflicts, i.e., traffic crashes, could be avoided by replacing 90% of the human drivers with autonomous vehicles

Exploring the challenges and opportunities of image processing and sensor fusion in autonomous vehicles: A comprehensive review

Autonomous vehicles are at the forefront of future transportation solutions, but their success hinges on reliable perception. This review paper surveys image processing and sensor fusion techniques vital for ensuring vehicle safety and efficiency. The paper focuses on object detection, recognition, tracking, and scene comprehension via computer vision and machine learning methodologies. In addition, the paper explores challenges within the field, such as robustness in adverse weather conditions, the demand for real-time processing, and the integration of complex sensor data. Furthermore, we examine localization techniques specific to autonomous vehicles. The results show that while substantial progress has been made in each subfield, there are persistent limitations. These include a shortage of comprehensive large-scale testing, the absence of diverse and robust datasets, and occasional inaccuracies in certain studies. These issues impede the seamless deployment of this technology in real-world scenarios. This comprehensive literature review contributes to a deeper understanding of the current state and future directions of image processing and sensor fusion in autonomous vehicles, aiding researchers and practitioners in advancing the development of reliable autonomous driving systems

Can Automated Vehicles "See" in Minnesota? Ambient Particle Effects on LiDAR

(c)1035427This project will use a combination of laboratory experimentation and road demonstrations to better understand the reduction of LiDAR signal and object detection capability under adverse weather conditions found in Minnesota. It will also lead to concepts to improve LiDAR systems to adapt to such conditions through better signal processing image recognition software

Advisory Safety System for Autonomous Vehicles under Sun-glare

Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) are expected to provide a large number of benefits such as improving comfort, vehicle safety and traffic flow. AVs use various sensors and control systems to empower driver’s decision-making under uncertainties as well as, assist the driving task under adverse conditions such as vision impairment. Excessive sunlight has been recognized as the primary source of the reduction in vision performance during daytime. Sun glare oftentimes leads to an impaired visibility for drivers and has been studied from different aspects on roadways. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the potential detrimental effects of natural light brightness differential, particularly sun glare on driving behavior and its possible risks. This dissertation addresses this issue by developing an integrated vehicle safety methodology as an advisory system for safe driving under sun glare. The main contribution of this research is to establish a real-time detection of the vision impairment area on roadways. This study also proposes a Collision Avoidance System Under Sun-glare (CASUS) in which upcoming possible vision impairment is detected, a warning message is sent, and the speed of vehicle is adjusted accordingly. In this context, real-world data is used to calibrate a psychophysical car-following model within VISSIM, a traffic microscopic simulation tool. Traffic safety impacts are explored through the number of conflicts extracted from the microsimulation tool and assessed by the time-to-collision indicator. Conventional/human-driven vehicles and different type of AVs are modeled for a straight segment of the TransCanada highway under various AVs penetration rates. The findings revealed a significant reduction in potential collisions due to adjustment of travel speed of AVs under the sun glare. The results also indicated that applying CASUS to the AVs with a failing sensory system improves traffic safety by providing optimal-safe speeds. Furthermore, the CASUS algorithm has the potential to be integrated into driving simulators or real vehicles to further evaluate and examine its benefits under different vision impairment scenarios

Automatic Dense 3D Scene Mapping from Non-overlapping Passive Visual Sensors for Future Autonomous Systems

The ever increasing demand for higher levels of autonomy for robots and vehicles means there is an ever greater need for such systems to be aware of their surroundings. Whilst solutions already exist for creating 3D scene maps, many are based on active scanning devices such as laser scanners and depth cameras that are either expensive, unwieldy, or do not function well under certain environmental conditions. As a result passive cameras are a favoured sensor due their low cost, small size, and ability to work in a range of lighting conditions. In this work we address some of the remaining research challenges within the problem of 3D mapping around a moving platform. We utilise prior work in dense stereo imaging, Stereo Visual Odometry (SVO) and extend Structure from Motion (SfM) to create a pipeline optimised for on vehicle sensing. Using forward facing stereo cameras, we use state of the art SVO and dense stereo techniques to map the scene in front of the vehicle. With significant amounts of prior research in dense stereo, we addressed the issue of selecting an appropriate method by creating a novel evaluation technique. Visual 3D mapping of dynamic scenes from a moving platform result in duplicated scene objects. We extend the prior work on mapping by introducing a generalized dynamic object removal process. Unlike other approaches that rely on computationally expensive segmentation or detection, our method utilises existing data from the mapping stage and the findings from our dense stereo evaluation. We introduce a new SfM approach that exploits our platform motion to create a novel dense mapping process that exceeds the 3D data generation rate of state of the art alternatives. Finally, we combine dense stereo, SVO, and our SfM approach to automatically align point clouds from non-overlapping views to create a rotational and scale consistent global 3D model

Non-Line of Sight Test Scenario Generation for Connected Autonomous Vehicle

Connected autonomous vehicles (CAV) level 4-5 use sensors to perceive their environment. These sensors are able to detect only up to a certain range and this range can be further constrained by the presence of obstacles in its path or as a result of the geometry of the road, for example, at a junction. This is termed as a non-line of sight (NLOS) scenario where the ego vehicle (system under test) is unable to detect an oncoming dynamic object due to obstacles or the geometry of the road. A large body of work now exist which proposes methods for extending the perception horizon of CAV’s using vehicular communication and incorporating this into CAV algorithms ranging from obstacle detection to path planning and beyond. Such proposed new algorithms and entire systems needs testing and validating, which can be conducted through primarily two ways, on road testing and simulation. On-road testing can be extremely expensive and time-consuming and may not cover all possible test scenarios. Testing through simulation is inexpensive and has a better scenario space coverage. However, there is currently a dearth in simulated testing techniques that provides the environment to test technologies and algorithms developed for NLOS scenarios. This thesis puts forward a novel end-to-end framework for testing the abilities of a CAV through simulated generation of NLOS scenarios. This has been achieved through following the development process of Functional, Logical and Concrete scenarios along the V-model-based development process in ISO 26262. The process begins with the representation of the NLOS environment (including the digital environment) knowledge as a scalable ontology where Functional and Logical scenarios stand for different abstraction levels. The proposed new ontology comprises of six layers: ‘Environment’, ‘Road User’, ‘Object Type’, ‘Communication Network’, ‘Scene’ and ‘Scenario’. The ontology is modelled and validated in protégé software and exported to OWL API where the logical scenarios are generated and validated. An innumerable number of “concrete” scenarios are generated as a result of the possible combinations of the values from the domains of each concept’s attributes. This research puts forward a novel genetic- algorithm (GA) approach to search through the scenario space and filter out safety critical test scenarios. A critical NLOS scenario is one where a collision is highly likely because the ego vehicle was unable to detect an obstacle in time due to obstructions present in the line-of-sight of the sensors or created due to the road geometry. The metric proposed to identify critical scenarios which also acts as the GA’s fitness function uses the time-to-collision (TTC) and total stopping time (TST) metric. These generated critical scenarios and proposed fitness function have been validated through MATLAB simulation. Furthermore, this research incorporates the relevant knowledge of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technologies in the proposed ontology and uses the communication layer instances in the MATLAB simulation to support the testing of the increasing number of approaches that uses communications for alerting oncoming vehicles about imminent danger, or in other word, mitigating an otherwise critical scenario

Cooperative Vehicle Perception and Localization Using Infrastructure-based Sensor Nodes

Reliable and accurate Perception and Localization (PL) are necessary for safe intelligent transportation systems. The current vehicle-based PL techniques in autonomous vehicles are vulnerable to occlusion and cluttering, especially in busy urban driving causing safety concerns. In order to avoid such safety issues, researchers study infrastructure-based PL techniques to augment vehicle sensory systems. Infrastructure-based PL methods rely on sensor nodes that each could include camera(s), Lidar(s), radar(s), and computation and communication units for processing and transmitting the data. Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) communication is used to access the sensor node processed data to be fused with the onboard sensor data. In infrastructure-based PL, signal-based techniques- in which sensors like Lidar are used- can provide accurate positioning information while vision-based techniques can be used for classification. Therefore, in order to take advantage of both approaches, cameras are cooperatively used with Lidar in the infrastructure sensor node (ISN) in this thesis. ISNs have a wider field of view (FOV) and are less likely to suffer from occlusion. Besides, they can provide more accurate measurements since they are fixed at a known location. As such, the fusion of both onboard and ISN data has the potential to improve the overall PL accuracy and reliability. This thesis presents a framework for cooperative PL in autonomous vehicles (AVs) by fusing ISN data with onboard sensor data. The ISN includes cameras and Lidar sensors, and the proposed camera Lidar fusion method combines the sensor node information with vehicle motion models and kinematic constraints to improve the performance of PL. One of the main goals of this thesis is to develop a wind induced motion compensation module to address the problem of time-varying extrinsic parameters of the ISNs. The proposed module compensates for the effect of the motion of ISN posts due to wind or other external disturbances. To address this issue, an unknown input observer is developed that uses the motion model of the light post as well as the sensor data. The outputs of the ISN, the positions of all objects in the FOV, are then broadcast so that autonomous vehicles can access the information via V2I connectivity to fuse with their onboard sensory data through the proposed cooperative PL framework. In the developed framework, a KCF is implemented as a distributed fusion method to fuse ISN data with onboard data. The introduced cooperative PL incorporates the range-dependent accuracy of the ISN measurements into fusion to improve the overall PL accuracy and reliability in different scenarios. The results show that using ISN data in addition to onboard sensor data improves the performance and reliability of PL in different scenarios, specifically in occlusion cases

The applications of autonomous systems to forestry management

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division; in conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 132-137).Public and private timberland owners continually search for new, cost effective methods to monitor and nurture their timber stand investments. Common management tasks include monitoring tree growth and tree health, estimating timber value and preventing wildfire. Many of these tasks are both manual and costly due to the vast areas and remote locations involved. Forestry experts predict that multi-vehicle autonomous systems may enable new, cost effective methods for performing various forest management tasks[1]. However, it remains unclear how these technologies may be applied, or where to focus development efforts. This research attempts to address this gap in literature, linking state-of-the-art research in forestry management science, robotics and autonomous systems, and product design and development. This thesis begins by reviewing existing forestry management practices and discussing a number of challenges identified through industry interviews and research. Modem product design methods are reviewed, and used to generate ideas for a number of new concept systems. Three design concepts are presented as detailed case studies. The data sets, methods and proposed systems discussed in this thesis may be used to guide future research in forestry management science, and drive further innovation in the emerging field of commercial and civilian autonomous systems. Key words: Forestry Management, Forestry Science, Robotics and Autonomous Systems, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), Product Design and Development, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)by Joshua Przybylko.S.M.M.B.A