design and preliminary testing of an haptic handle for powered two wheelers

In the last decade European accidentology data, divided per mode of transport, have shown the increasing relevance of safety for Vulnerable Road User (VRU). In particular Powered Two-Wheeler (PTW) accidents are increasing both as number of events and as percentage of the total fatalities. The European Community has promoted and co-financed several research projects to promote the development and implementation of viable technical solutions to reduce fatalities and mitigate accident consequences. Most of the proposed devices and systems require the interaction with the rider through Human Machine Interface (HMI) devices. This work focuses on the design of an innovative haptic HMI device to communicate information/warnings to the rider in a reliable and intuitive way. An in-depth state of the art on HMI devices for PTWs is presented. The design phase is illustrated since the initial concept stage, through the preliminary experiments to characterise the human action, until the experimental validation of a mock-up and discussion of the results

Sensitivity Analysis in Systematic and Representative Benchmarking of Optimization Algorithm Performance

International audienceBesides the conventional and established applications of sensitivity analysis in the field of optimization, sensitivity analysis-based approaches can also be used in research on systematic performance analysis of meta-heuristic optimization algorithms, and the construction of synthetic industrially relevant benchmark problems. By means of academic examples as well as industrial case studies, we demonstrate innovative approaches which set steps towards systematic and representative benchmarking and empirical optimization algorithm performance analysis

A comparative analysis of MAIDS and ISO13232 databases for the identification of the most representative impact scenarios for powered 2-wheelers in Europe

Objective: The ISO13232 standard provides guidelines and methodologies for research on the effectiveness of protective devices fitted to motorcycles. The accident database used to develop the standard was composed of 2 data sets from Hannover and Los Angeles, dating from 1996. This study aims to apply the methodology outlined in the standard to a more recent European accident database to determine whether the set of the 7 most relevant impact configurations identified in the ISO13232 are representative of the European context. Methods: The ISO13232 database was rebuilt from the data tables attached to the standard and processed according to the procedure described in ISO13232-Part 2, to ensure reproducibility of the results. The comparison data set was extracted from the Motorcycle Accidents In-Depth Study (MAIDS) database. Data were then coded, processed, and analyzed using the ISO13232 methodology. To eliminate any subjectivity in the selection process of the configurations, a new ranking criterion (configuration risk index, CRI) was implemented. The CRI combined the evaluation of an accident configuration's frequency of occurrence and its harmfulness. Results: Comparison of the frequency ranking of the impact configurations from the 2 databases revealed some notable differences. Five of the 10 most important configurations were common to both databases, although ranking order differed. CRI-based selection led to differences in ranking orders. The CRI allowed better identification of the most important configurations and it was employed to define the proposed new set of configurations. Conclusion: A new set of 7 accident configurations was defined by applying the ISO13232 procedure to the MAIDS data and ranking the results with a newly proposed method. The final set had only one configuration in common with those defined in the ISO13232, testifying to the importance of defining an updated and more representative set of configurations for the European context

preliminary effectiveness assessment of an airbag based device for riders leg protection in side impacts

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Rider Behavioral Patterns in Braking Manoeuvres

AbstractThis paper aims to investigate rider braking behaviors using a dataset of braking maneuvers derived from naturalistic riding data. Each braking event was fully characterized with experimental data. A set of descriptive parameters was defined to capture relevant information of the braking event and to facilitate the clustering process of braking behaviors. Naturalistic data of 5 riders were automatically processed to identify and characterize the braking events based on the given set of parameters. A preliminary descriptive analysis was performed to verify the presence of macro behaviors of riders. Subsequently, a Principal Component Analysis was performed to reduce problem dimensionality and support the cluster analysis on the dataset of a rider. The results indicated that a macro classification of riders is possible also based on a descriptive analysis. Nonetheless a cluster analysis sharply identified different behaviors of the rider, and thus provided a more solid basis for comparison of behavior among riders. In addition, the clusters revealed quantitative data that will be useful for the development of assistive systems

Estimation of Head Accelerations in Crashes Using Neural Networks and Sensors Embedded in the Protective Helmet

Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) are one of the most frequent and severe outcomes of a Powered Two-Wheeler (PTW) crash. Early diagnosis and treatment can greatly reduce permanent consequences. Despite the fact that devices to track head kinematics have been developed for sports applications, they all have limitations, which hamper their use in everyday road applications. In this study, a new technical solution based on accelerometers integrated in a motorcycle helmet is presented, and the related methodology to estimate linear and rotational acceleration of the head with deep Artificial Neural Networks (dANNs) is developed. A finite element model of helmet coupled with a Hybrid III head model was used to generate data needed for the neural network training. Input data to the dANN model were time signals of (virtual) accelerometers placed on the inner surface of the helmet shell, while the output data were the components of linear and rotational head accelerations. The network was capable of estimating, with good accuracy, time patterns of the acceleration components in all impact conditions that require medical treatment. The correlation between the reference and estimated values was high for all parameters and for both linear and rotational acceleration, with coefficients of determination (R2) ranging from 0.91 to 0.97

Stochastic boundary element method to predict the effects of geometrical uncertainties in the mid-frequency vibro-acoustic analysis

The Boundary Element Method (BEM) is a reliable technique to solve low-frequency acoustic problems. Nevertheless, when frequency increases, model uncertainties influence the response and a deterministic approach may become meaningless. In this paper, a Stochastic Boundary Element Method for the vibro-acoustic modelling over a wide frequency range is presented. Firstly, parametric geometrical uncertainties are introduced into the classic BEM equations. Secondly, under proper assumptions, auxiliary relations are added to describe the energetic behaviour of the system. As a result, the low-frequency response is characterised by the deterministic, resonant behaviour. When the wavelength becomes smaller, uncertainties influence the response and the numerical prediction starts being smoothened. Although the overall computational cost increases, if compared to the standard BEM, the average behaviour and its variance are predicted without massive Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of the structure. Moreover, because of its energetic nature, less elements per wavelength are required and smaller models are valid over a broad frequency range. Different conditions for the uncertainties on the model geometry are applied to practical cases to prove the capabilities and limitations of the methodology. Results are compared with MC simulations both in terms of solution accuracy and computational time.status: publishe