Environment

Evaluation of an Animal Warning System Effectiveness

Sharafsaleh, Mohammad (Ashkan)
Huijser, Marcel, PhD
Kuhn, Tom
Spring, John
Felder, Jonathan
2010

The problem of vehicle/animal crashes is being addressed in this research. There have been a few new technologies that claim to accurately detect the large animals that cross our roadways. Each one has its own strengths and shortcomings. A close attention must be given to the selected site and the technology deployed based on its weather, vegetation, topography, and local animal types and sizes. In this project, we have reviewed a number of animal detection systems and selected one system with the most potential to serve the characteristics of the selected site and the local Deer. We did a...

Adaptive Control for MEMS Gyroscopes

Park, Sungsu
Horowitz, Roberto
Tan, Chin-woo
2002

This report presents a new adaptive operation strategy for MEMS z-axis gyroscopes. Specifically, a unified methodology is proposed for designing and analyzing the performance of a control algorithm that can identify and, in an adaptive fashion, compensate for most fabrication defects and perturbations affecting the behavior of a MEMS z-axis gyroscope. Dynamic analysis of typical MEMS gyroscopes shows that fabrication imperfections are a major factor limiting the performance of the gyroscope. However, the motion of a conventional mode-matched z-axis gyroscope does not have sufficient...

The Shift Programming Language and Run-time System for Dynamic Networks of Hybrid Automata

Deshpande, Akash
Gollu, Aleks
Semenzato, Luigi
1997

This report presents SHIFT, a programming language for describing dynamic networks of hybrid automata. The SHIFT model offers the proper level of abstraction for describing complex applications such as automated highway systems, etc. The report first describes a simplified version of the SHIFT model. The models of a type, a component and the world are discussed, including the formal semantics of the model. This is followed by a description of the main features of the SHIFT language, including states, inputs, outputs, differential equations and algebraic definitions, discrete states and...

Vehicle to Roadside Communications Study

Polydoros, Andreas
Dessouky, Khaled
Pereira, Jorge M. N.
Sun, Chung-ming
Lee, Kuo-chun
Papavassiliou, Thomas D.
Li, Victor O. K.
1993

The objective of this study is to address the communication system design issues of Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems (IVHS). The focus of Phase I of this research is the design for California Advanced Driver Information Systems (CADIS). The emphasis is on the architecture and topology aspects of the physical link and access layers connecting the moving layers with the fixed infrastructure. The work is divided into the following categories: Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI), IVHS communications survey and functional requirements, modeling of IVHS fading channels, multiple-access...

Using Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) to Form High-Performance Vehicle Streams. Definitions, Literature Review and Operational Concept Alternatives

Shladover, Steven E.
Nowakowski, Christopher
Lu, Xiao-Yun
2018

Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) is a term that has been used rather loosely in recent years, such that different people visualize different functions and capabilities when discussing CACC systems. Thus, there are now multiple system concepts that have been described under the CACC label, and the functionalities included in these varied concepts can be quite different from each other. At the heart of each CACC concept is the merging of Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), a subset of the broader class of automated speed control systems, with acooperative element, such a Vehicle-to-...

Uncovering Physical Activity Trade-Offs in Transportation Policy: A Spatial Agent-Based Model of Bogotá, Colombia

Stankov, I
Meisel, JD
Sarmiento, OL
Delclòs-Alió, X
Hidalgo, D
Guzman, L
Rodriguez, D
Hammond, R
Roux, AV Diez
2024

Transportation policies can impact health outcomes while simultaneously promoting social equity and environmental sustainability. We developed an agent-based model (ABM) to simulate the impacts of fare subsidies and congestion taxes on commuter decision-making and travel patterns. We report effects on mode share, travel time and transport-related physical activity (PA), including the variability of effects by socioeconomic strata (SES), and the trade-offs that may need to be considered in the implementation of these policies in a context with high levels of necessity-based physical...

Global Warning Signal Integration as a Tool for Work Zone Safety and Efficiency

Cohn, Theodore E.
Barton, Joseph E.
Greenhouse, Daniel S.
Christianson, Kent B.
2006

A work zone (WZ) is visually confusing, and while no WZ looks like any other, they all share a common feature. All of them present an array of flashing light signals which are especially prominent at night. These signals ignite with no relation to one another. Each, by itself, is designed to be highly visible, attention-getting and salient, being positioned high on vehicles, along barriers and on other equipment. In this two-part study we investigated ways to make the overall visual appearance of a WZ more compatible with the needs of passers-by. The first part consisted of psychophysical...

Development of Integrated Meso/Microscale Traffic Simulation Software for Testing Fault Detection and Handling in AHS

Horowitz, Roberto
2004

In this report, we describe the research carried out under PATH Task Order 4208. The objective of this project was to bridge the gap between the Automated Highway System (AHS) simulators SmartAHS and SmartCAP, by implementing an integrated AHS micro-meso simulation environment for analyzing a large-scale AHS network. In fulfillment of this goal, a meso-microscale traffic simulator was developed that allows a stationary region of microsimulation to be defined within a larger, mesosimulated AHS. This simulator permits analysis of traffic behavior in situations where both vehicle-level (...

The Potential of Using Transit Infrastructure for Air Freight Movement: A Case Study in the Bay Area

Wang, Rui
Lu, Xiao-Yun
Sivakumaran, Karthik
2010

This report examines the impact and feasibility of using urban railway system for freight movement. In particular, using the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system for FedEx Express air cargo movement is analyzed as a case study. Based on the framework constructed in the study of last phase, social impact (externalities), reliability, and infrastructure feasibility are considered. The social cost related to emission, energy consumption/efficiency, impact on road traffic and land use is considered. The reliability issue is examined from two aspects: transportation delay, and emergency...

Assessment of MeMS Sensors in an Urban Traffic Environment

Varaiya, Pravin
2004

The objective of this "innovative new research topics" proposal was to investigate the potential of a vehicle detection system that combines an acoustic or magnetic sensor, a microprocessor, a radio, and a battery. If such a system is feasible, it would be a low-cost, flexible alternative to loop detection systems. The wireless sensor system could be installed in a few minutes, without the expensive loop installation that requires cutting the pavement, power and loop cabling, and extended traffic disruption. Four tasks were proposed: (1) detecting a stationary vehicle, (2) detecting a...