AutonoVi: Autonomous Vehicle Planning with Dynamic Maneuvers and Traffic Constraints

We present AutonoVi:, a novel algorithm for autonomous vehicle navigation that supports dynamic maneuvers and satisfies traffic constraints and norms. Our approach is based on optimization-based maneuver planning that supports dynamic lane-changes, swerving, and braking in all traffic scenarios and guides the vehicle to its goal position. We take into account various traffic constraints, including collision avoidance with other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists using control velocity obstacles. We use a data-driven approach to model the vehicle dynamics for control and collision avoidance. Furthermore, our trajectory computation algorithm takes into account traffic rules and behaviors, such as stopping at intersections and stoplights, based on an arc-spline representation. We have evaluated our algorithm in a simulated environment and tested its interactive performance in urban and highway driving scenarios with tens of vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. These scenarios include jaywalking pedestrians, sudden stops from high speeds, safely passing cyclists, a vehicle suddenly swerving into the roadway, and high-density traffic where the vehicle must change lanes to progress more effectively.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

Vehicular Connectivity on Complex Trajectories: Roadway-Geometry Aware ISAC Beam-tracking

In this paper, we propose sensing-assisted beamforming designs for vehicles on arbitrarily shaped roads by relying on integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) signalling. Specifically, we aim to address the limitations of conventional ISAC beam-tracking schemes that do not apply to complex road geometries. To improve the tracking accuracy and communication quality of service (QoS) in vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) networks, it is essential to model the complicated roadway geometry. To that end, we impose the curvilinear coordinate system (CCS) in an interacting multiple model extended Kalman filter (IMM-EKF) framework. By doing so, both the position and the motion of the vehicle on a complicated road can be explicitly modeled and precisely tracked attributing to the benefits from the CCS. Furthermore, an optimization problem is formulated to maximize the array gain by dynamically adjusting the array size and thereby controlling the beamwidth, which takes the performance loss caused by beam misalignment into account. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the roadway geometry-aware ISAC beamforming approach outperforms the communication-only-based and ISAC kinematic-only-based technique in tracking performance. Moreover, the effectiveness of the dynamic beamwidth design is also verified by our numerical results

DRIVER PERFORMANCE DUE TO UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM APPLICATIONS IN THE VICINITY OF SURFACE TRANSPORTATION

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or drones, have become increasingly utilized for a myriad of applications in the vicinity of the roadway and can offer a low-cost alternative to many labor-intensive data collection techniques, including infrastructure inspection, roadway marking data collection, and more. To collect much of this data with a desired degree of accuracy, UAS must be flown near moving vehicles, pedestrians, and/or bicyclists. However, UAS, and their pilot/crew, have the potential to be a distraction to drivers. A study by Hurwitz et al. suggests that UAS operations are more distracting to drivers as the UAS traverses closer to the roadway laterally. Through a combined literature review and full-immersion driver simulator study, this study furthered the current state-ofthe-literature and investigated the potential for UAS to be flown near roadways in the future as well as potential safety implications of those circumstances. Specifically, driver performance due to drone height and the presence of drone operators was evaluated. The literature synthesis portion of this research revealed that UAS flights in the vicinity of roadways will continue to increase. The results of the driving simulation study showed that participants were more visually distracted in situations where the pilot and drone were both present compared to the drone only. Further, in 11% of all analyzed situations, participants were critically visually distracted (continuous glance of two seconds or more) by the drone or pilots. Ultimately, this research provides recommendations to policymakers for creating regulations on the use of drones in the vicinity of roadways

A perspective on emerging automotive safety applications, derived from lessons learned through participation in the DARPA Grand Challenges

This paper reports on various aspects of the Intelligent Vehicle Systems (IVS) team's involvement in the recent 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge, wherein our platform, the autonomous “XAV-250,'' competed as one of the 11 finalists qualifying for the event. We provide a candid discussion of the hardware and software design process that led to our team's entry, along with lessons learned at this event and derived from participation in the two previous Grand Challenges. In addition, we give an overview of our vision-, radar-, and LIDAR-based perceptual sensing suite, its fusion with a military-grade inertial navigation package, and the map-based control and planning architectures used leading up to and during the event. The underlying theme of this article is to elucidate how the development of future automotive safety systems can potentially be accelerated by tackling the technological challenges of autonomous ground vehicle robotics. Of interest, we will discuss how a production manufacturing mindset imposes a unique set of constraints upon approaching the problem and how this worked for and against us, given the very compressed timeline of the contests. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/61244/1/20264_ftp.pd

Expanding Navigation Systems by Integrating It with Advanced Technologies

Navigation systems provide the optimized route from one location to another. It is mainly assisted by external technologies such as Global Positioning System (GPS) and satellite-based radio navigation systems. GPS has many advantages such as high accuracy, available anywhere, reliable, and self-calibrated. However, GPS is limited to outdoor operations. The practice of combining different sources of data to improve the overall outcome is commonly used in various domains. GIS is already integrated with GPS to provide the visualization and realization aspects of a given location. Internet of things (IoT) is a growing domain, where embedded sensors are connected to the Internet and so IoT improves existing navigation systems and expands its capabilities. This chapter proposes a framework based on the integration of GPS, GIS, IoT, and mobile communications to provide a comprehensive and accurate navigation solution. In the next section, we outline the limitations of GPS, and then we describe the integration of GIS, smartphones, and GPS to enable its use in mobile applications. For the rest of this chapter, we introduce various navigation implementations using alternate technologies integrated with GPS or operated as standalone devices

Improvement of Low Traffic Volume Gravel Roads in Nebraska

In the state of Nebraska, over one-third of roadways are unpaved, and consequently require a significant amount of financial and operational resources to maintain their operation. Undesired behavior of surface gravel aggregates and the road surfaces can include rutting, corrugation, and ponding that may lead to reduced driving safety, speed or network efficiency, and fuel economy. This study evaluates the parameters that characterize the performance and condition of gravel roads overtime period related to various aggregate mix designs. The parameters, including width, slope, and crown profiles, are examples of performance criteria. As remote sensing technologies have advanced in the recent decade, various techniques have been introduced to collect high quality, accurate, and dense data efficiently that can be used for roadway performance assessments. Within this study, two remote sensing platforms, including an unpiloted aerial system (UAS) and ground-based lidar scanner, were used to collect point cloud data of selected roadway sites with various mix design constituents and further processed for digital assessments. Within the assessment process, statistical parameters such as standard deviation, mean value, and coefficient of variance are calculated for the extracted crown profiles. In addition, the study demonstrated that the point clouds obtained from both lidar scanners and UAS derived SfM can be used to characterize the roadway geometry accurately and extract critical information accurately

Installation guidance for centerline and edgeline rumble strips in narrow pavements

Centerline Rumble strips (CLRS) and Shoulder rumble strips (SRS) and on two-lane rural highways are proven safety countermeasures which provide both an audible and tactile alert to motorists who are about to drift and depart away from their intended lane of travel along two-lane rural highways. Placement of both CLRS and SRS can usually be accommodated within wide pavements (24 ft. or greater paved width) without issue. However, proper placement of one or both is less straightforward for highways with paved widths less than 24 ft. Placement becomes especially difficult as widths approach 20 ft. Other contributing factors such as traffic volume, roadway alignment, and the posted speed limit may suggest the use of one type of rumble strip over another. Many agencies have minimum pavement width dimensions that must be met for rumble strips to be installed along a roadway segment. These minimum widths help to ensure that motorists are able to travel comfortably while limiting the number of times the rumble strips are struck inadvertently. Also on roadways with regular pedestrian and, particularly, bicycle traffic, minimum shoulder widths are generally established to ensure that sufficient space is available for such non-motorized users. Unfortunately, limited guidance currently exists regarding the minimum paved width necessary to install both SRS and CLRS, or which of the two to install when the installation of both is not feasible. The purpose of this study is to provide guidance for installing rumble strips on narrow pavements based on various site-specific factors, such as traffic volume, roadway alignment, and shoulder type. This study involved an analysis of historical crash data for segments with various rumble strip configurations in order to assess the risk of cross-centerline and run-off-road crashes. The crash rates for these configurations were compared to similar control segments without rumble strips while accounting for the effects of other pertinent factors, such as lane and shoulder widths. The research also involved an approximately three months of field studies regarding the road user behaviors to determine how the presence of rumble strips affected the lateral position of vehicles along two-lane highways on the primary (i.e., state-maintained) and secondary (i.e., county-maintained) systems throughout Iowa. Road segments with different cross-sectional characteristics (e.g., lane width, shoulder width) and varying combinations of rumble strip installations (i.e., CLRS only, SRS/ELRS only, or CLRS and SRS/ELRS) were observed. Control segments without rumble strip installations were also observed. Lastly, public input was obtained at 10 Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) driver’s license stations across the state to gauge public perceptions of rumble strips. This survey sought feedback as to the safety effects of rumble strips as well as secondary effects associated with rumble strip installations, such as noise, effects on passing maneuvers, bicyclist issues, and so forth. These surveys were implemented in Iowa counties with known rumble strip installations to increase the probability that survey participants had experienced previous interactions with rumble strips while driving on the secondary highway system. Based on the results of this research, recommendations and guidance are provided to assist agencies in determining scenarios in which the implementation of rumble strips is warranted. This guidance includes the prioritization of candidate locations based on characteristics such as lane width, shoulder width, and annual average daily traffic. Safety performance functions (SPFs) were developed that can be used to estimate the expected number of cross-centerline and run-off-road crashes for a segment with specific characteristics. These functions provide a means for conducting network screening to identify those locations where centerline and/or shoulder/edgeline rumble strips may provide the greatest benefit