572 research outputs found
Optimizing Coordinated Vehicle Platooning: An Analytical Approach Based on Stochastic Dynamic Programming
Platooning connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) can improve traffic and
fuel efficiency. However, scalable platooning operations require junction-level
coordination, which has not been well studied. In this paper, we study the
coordination of vehicle platooning at highway junctions. We consider a setting
where CAVs randomly arrive at a highway junction according to a general renewal
process. When a CAV approaches the junction, a system operator determines
whether the CAV will merge into the platoon ahead according to the positions
and speeds of the CAV and the platoon. We formulate a Markov decision process
to minimize the discounted cumulative travel cost, i.e. fuel consumption plus
travel delay, over an infinite time horizon. We show that the optimal policy is
threshold-based: the CAV will merge with the platoon if and only if the
difference between the CAV's and the platoon's predicted times of arrival at
the junction is less than a constant threshold. We also propose two
ready-to-implement algorithms to derive the optimal policy. Comparison with the
classical value iteration algorithm implies that our approach explicitly
incorporating the characteristics of the optimal policy is significantly more
efficient in terms of computation. Importantly, we show that the optimal policy
under Poisson arrivals can be obtained by solving a system of integral
equations. We also validate our results in simulation with Real-time Strategy
(RTS) using real traffic data. The simulation results indicate that the
proposed method yields better performance compared with the conventional
method
Fantastic Behavior of High-TC Superconductor Junctions: Tunable Superconductivity
Carrier injection performed in oxygen-deficient YBa2Cu3O7(YBCO)
hetero-structure junctions exhibited tunable resistance that was entirely
different with behaviors of semiconductor devices. Tunable superconductivity in
YBCO junctions, increasing over 20 K in transition temperature, has achieved by
using electric processes. To our knowledge, this is the first observation that
intrinsic property of high TC superconductors superconductivity can be adjusted
as tunable functional parameters of devices. The fantastic phenomenon caused by
carrier injection was discussed based on a proposed charge carrier
self-trapping model and BCS theory.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Characterization of wave physics using the rigorous Helmholtz decomposition based on the surface integral equation
Helmholtz decomposition (HD) is a fundamental tool of vector calculus and plays an important role in electromagnetics. In this work, arbitrary vector field defined on the open or closed surface is decomposed into the sum of an irrotational (curl-free) vector field and a solenoidal (divergence-free) vector field by using the surface integral equation method. Unlike the popular loop-tree decomposition that is only a quasi-HD suitable for the circuit physics in the low frequency regime, the HD developed in this paper is rigorous and can capture both circuit and wave physics from very low frequency to high frequency regimes. The work could provide insightful physical interpretations for complex electromagnetic phenomena. © 2012 IEEE.published_or_final_versio
Full Hydrodynamic Model of Nonlinear Electromagnetic Response in Metallic Metamaterials
Applications of metallic metamaterials have generated significant interest in
recent years. Electromagnetic behavior of metamaterials in the optical range is
usually characterized by a local-linear response. In this article, we develop a
finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) solution of the hydrodynamic model that
describes a free electron gas in metals. Extending beyond the local-linear
response, the hydrodynamic model enables numerical investigation of nonlocal
and nonlinear interactions between electromagnetic waves and metallic
metamaterials. By explicitly imposing the current continuity constraint, the
proposed model is solved in a self-consistent manner. Charge, energy and
angular momentum conservation laws of high-order harmonic generation have been
demonstrated for the first time by the Maxwell-hydrodynamic FDTD model. The
model yields nonlinear optical responses for complex metallic metamaterials
irradiated by a variety of waveforms. Consequently, the multiphysics model
opens up unique opportunities for characterizing and designing nonlinear
nanodevices.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figure
The Application of Exemplarist Moral Theory and Problem-Based Learning in the Course of Structural Mechanics
Structural mechanics is an important basic course for undergraduates majoring in civil engineering. However, due to the difficulty and extent of the content, students are often not able to master the course. Problem-based learning is an excellent way of teaching engineering, and character education can improve students’ performance. This study explores the combined application of problem-based learning and exemplarist moral theory. In this model, students analyze the structure and force of buildings, and they learn about the historical stories behind them. In this way, students improve their morality, civility, performance, and intellect. In character education, the use of case studies and examples can increase students’ interest in the course, improve classroom participation, enrich teaching connotations, and strengthen students’ understanding of basic concepts and their ability to memorize them
Compact Nonlinear Yagi-Uda Nanoantennas
Nanoantennas have demonstrated unprecedented capabilities for manipulating the intensity and direction of light emission over a broad frequency range. The directional beam steering offered by nanoantennas has important applications in areas including microscopy, spectroscopy, quantum computing, and on-chip optical communication. Although both the physical principles and experimental realizations of directional linear nanoantennas has become increasingly mature, angular control of nonlinear radiation using nanoantennas has not been explored yet. Here we propose a novel concept of nonlinear Yagi-Uda nanoantenna to direct second harmonic radiation from a metallic nanosphere. By carefully tuning the spacing and dimensions of two lossless dielectric elements, which function respectively as a compact director and reflector, the second harmonic radiation is deflected 90 degrees with reference to the incident light (pump) direction. This abnormal light-bending phenomenon is due to the constructive and destructive interference between the second harmonic radiation governed by a special selection rule and the induced electric dipolar and magnetic quadrupolar radiation from the two dielectric antenna elements. Simultaneous spectral and spatial isolation of scattered second harmonic waves from incident fundamental waves pave a new way towards nonlinear signal detection and sensing.published_or_final_versio
One RING to Rule Them All: Radon Sinogram for Place Recognition, Orientation and Translation Estimation
LiDAR-based global localization is a fundamental problem for mobile robots.
It consists of two stages, place recognition and pose estimation, and yields
the current orientation and translation, using only the current scan as query
and a database of map scans. Inspired by the definition of a recognized place,
we consider that a good global localization solution should keep the pose
estimation accuracy with a lower place density. Following this idea, we propose
a novel framework towards sparse place-based global localization, which
utilizes a unified and learning-free representation, Radon sinogram (RING), for
all sub-tasks. Based on the theoretical derivation, a translation invariant
descriptor and an orientation invariant metric are proposed for place
recognition, achieving certifiable robustness against arbitrary orientation and
large translation between query and map scan. In addition, we also utilize the
property of RING to propose a global convergent solver for both orientation and
translation estimation, arriving at global localization. Evaluation of the
proposed RING based framework validates the feasibility and demonstrates a
superior performance even under a lower place density
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