Assessment of Integrated Pedestrian Protection Systems with Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) and Passive Safety Components

Objective: Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems fitted to cars for pedestrians have been predicted to offer substantial benefit. On this basis, consumer rating programs—for example, the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP)—are developing rating schemes to encourage fitment of these systems. One of the questions that needs to be answered to do this fully is how the assessment of the speed reduction offered by the AEB is integrated with the current assessment of the passive safety for mitigation of pedestrian injury. Ideally, this should be done on a benefit-related basis.

The objective of this research was to develop a benefit-based methodology for assessment of integrated pedestrian protection systems with AEB and passive safety components. The method should include weighting procedures to ensure that it represents injury patterns from accident data and replicates an independently estimated benefit of AEB.

Methods: A methodology has been developed to calculate the expected societal cost of pedestrian injuries, assuming that all pedestrians in the target population (i.e., pedestrians impacted by the front of a passenger car) are impacted by the car being assessed, taking into account the impact speed reduction offered by the car's AEB (if fitted) and the passive safety protection offered by the car's frontal structure. For rating purposes, the cost for the assessed car is normalized by comparing it to the cost calculated for a reference car.

The speed reductions measured in AEB tests are used to determine the speed at which each pedestrian in the target population will be impacted. Injury probabilities for each impact are then calculated using the results from Euro NCAP pedestrian impactor tests and injury risk curves. These injury probabilities are converted into cost using “harm”-type costs for the body regions tested. These costs are weighted and summed. Weighting factors were determined using accident data from Germany and Great Britain and an independently estimated AEB benefit. German and Great Britain versions of the methodology are available. The methodology was used to assess cars with good, average, and poor Euro NCAP pedestrian ratings, in combination with a current AEB system. The fitment of a hypothetical A-pillar airbag was also investigated.

Results: It was found that the decrease in casualty injury cost achieved by fitting an AEB system was approximately equivalent to that achieved by increasing the passive safety rating from poor to average. Because the assessment was influenced strongly by the level of head protection offered in the scuttle and windscreen area, a hypothetical A-pillar airbag showed high potential to reduce overall casualty cost.

Conclusions: A benefit-based methodology for assessment of integrated pedestrian protection systems with AEB has been developed and tested. It uses input from AEB tests and Euro NCAP passive safety tests to give an integrated assessment of the system performance, which includes consideration of effects such as the change in head impact location caused by the impact speed reduction given by the AEB.     

An experimental apparatus for testing biodiesels based on a CFR engine—setup and validation with different methyl ester blends

A cooperative fuel research (CFR) engine was modified and instrumented in order to control operating conditions and to measure engine parameters and in-cylinder pressure diagrams. Aiming at the comparison of different alternative fuels, an experimental procedure was defined, including cetane number (CN) evaluation and the definition of engine operating quantities in different working points, for fixed levels of compression ratio (CR) and injection advance. An investigation was made considering several blends of methyl-esters of rapeseed oil (RME) and of a mix of vegetable oils (VOME) with conventional diesel oil. The defined experimental procedure was applied to assess CN, engine brake thermal efficiency (bte) and exhaust emissions. Results show that the biodiesel content has a positive influence on soot emissions, with strong reduction, while thermal efficiency and NO_X emissions are negatively affected, which can be justified taking into account fuel properties and changes in combustion process. As observed outcomes are generally in line with those presented in literature, the facility proved to be a suitable tool for basic investigations on alternative fuels to be used in specific applications.     

汽车制动系统的匹配设计

通过对汽车制动系统的原理及结构性能的探讨,进一步掌握整车新产品开发设计中制动系统的匹配计算.     

ABC算法优化SVR的磨损故障预测模型

目的为了提高故障预测的精度,针对支持向量回归SVR(Support vector machine for regression,SVR)参数选择困难的问题,提出一种采用人工蜂群(artificial bee colony,ABC)算法优化支持向量回归(SVR)的故障预测模型(ABC-SVR)。方法该模型先对样本数据进行重构,然后将故障预测误差(适应度)作为优化目标,通过ABC算法寻优找到最优的SVR参数,建立故障预测模型。最后通过实例仿真验证模型的优越性。结果采用ABC算法优化的SVR故障预测模型进行时间序列预测,能够较好地跟踪发动机滑油金属元素浓度的变化过程,并且能够提前2个取样时间预测异常情况的出现。结论 ABC-SVR模型有效解决了SVR参数选择难题,能够更加准确地表现故障变化规律,提高了故障预测精度。     

The effect of precrash velocity reduction on occupant response using a human body finite element model

Objective: The objective of this study is to use a validated finite element model of the human body and a certified model of an anthropomorphic test dummy (ATD) to evaluate the effect of simulated precrash braking on driver kinematics, restraint loads, body loads, and computed injury criteria in 4 commonly injured body regions.

Methods: The Global Human Body Models Consortium (GHBMC) 50th percentile male occupant (M50-O) and the Humanetics Hybrid III 50th percentile models were gravity settled in the driver position of a generic interior equipped with an advanced 3-point belt and driver airbag. Fifteen simulations per model (30 total) were conducted, including 4 scenarios at 3 severity levels: median, severe, and the U.S. New Car Assessment Program (U.S.-NCAP) and 3 extra per model with high-intensity braking. The 4 scenarios were no precollision system (no PCS), forward collision warning (FCW), FCW with prebraking assist (FCW+PBA), and FCW and PBA with autonomous precrash braking (FCW + PBA + PB). The baseline ΔV was 17, 34, and 56.4 kph for median, severe, and U.S.-NCAP scenarios, respectively, and were based on crash reconstructions from NASS/CDS. Pulses were then developed based on the assumed precrash systems equipped. Restraint properties and the generic pulse used were based on literature.

Results: In median crash severity cases, little to no risk (<10% risk for Abbreviated injury Scale [AIS] 3+) was found for all injury measures for both models. In the severe set of cases, little to no risk for AIS 3+ injury was also found for all injury measures. In NCAP cases, highest risk was typically found with No PCS and lowest with FCW + PBA + PB. In the higher intensity braking cases (1.0–1.4 g), head injury criterion (HIC), brain injury criterion (BrIC), and chest deflection injury measures increased with increased braking intensity. All other measures for these cases tended to decrease. The ATD also predicted and trended similar to the human body models predictions for both the median, severe, and NCAP cases. Forward excursion for both models decreased across median, severe, and NCAP cases and diverged from each other in cases above 1.0 g of braking intensity.

Conclusions: The addition of precrash systems simulated through reduced precrash speeds caused reductions in some injury criteria, whereas others (chest deflection, HIC, and BrIC) increased due to a modified occupant position. The human model and ATD models trended similarly in nearly all cases with greater risk indicated in the human model. These results suggest the need for integrated safety systems that have restraints that optimize the occupant's position during precrash braking and prior to impact.     

制动器用电磁体的另一种非对称磁路设计

为了获得更好地制动安全性及延长制动器寿命,针对相关文献中制动器用电磁体磁路的非对称设计方案的不足之处,提出了新的磁路形状设计,即采用开槽的方法来获得要求的非对称磁路,并对此作了理论分析。由于磁路形状复杂,采用Ansoft软件中Maxwell-3D对设计的电磁体进行磁场及其吸力的仿真计算。对仿真结果和理论分析作了对比。以此制作的样品试验结果表明,电磁体工作姿态平稳,未发现因卡死而出现摩擦力的大幅度波动。且磨损均匀,满足了工作寿命的相关要求,为电磁制动器安全制动、延长工作寿命提供了保证。     

永磁磁轨制动技术在轨道交通中的应用

介绍国外永磁制动技术在轨道交通中的应用情况;阐述旋转型永磁制动器和直线型永磁制动器的结构和工作原理;对永磁磁轨制动安装方式、控制方法、联合制动模式进行探讨。介绍了直线型永磁制动器的3种磁化形式:Halbach磁化、水平磁化和垂直磁化;运用准静态磁场分析方法,得出了各部分的磁场分布控制方程,矢量磁势A、磁感应强度B和涡流损耗的分布;从而得出了制动力的计算方法。实践证明永磁磁轨制动技术在轨道交通有着广阔的应用前景。     

前混合式磨料射流系统的容积效应及有关安全问题

前混合式磨料射流系统具有明显的容积效应。通常情况下 ,系统在停止工作压力降低时 ,磨料罐将排出约 1 L的浆液 ,在长 5 m以上的管路中淤积 ;重新工作时 ,将造成喷嘴和管路的严重磨损 ,甚至造成堵塞 ,使系统不能正常工作。为此 ,笔者提出了一种新型的射流发生系统 ,改善系统的容积效应 ,在其停止工作时 ,采用了磨料罐从上方排出清水以降低系统压力方法 ,改善磨料大量涌出和管路淤积现象 ,同时也对管接头等磨蚀引起的有关安全问题进行了讨论。     

塔里木河流域综合治理的生态效应

 结合塔里木河下游输水和中游段输水堤防建设工程,在下游、中游分别设置了9个和3个地下水位和地下水化学特征监测断面,并在中游的3个断面和下游的6个典型断面进行了植物样方调查,以分析综合治理工程的实施对地下水和植被的影响.结果表明,在生态输水影响下,塔里木河下游断流河道两岸地下水位抬升显著,植被的盖度有明显增加,胡杨的当年生枝叶都表现出积极变化;塔里木河中游地区在建有输水堤防又有生态闸的断面地下水位、水质以及植被综合优势比均明显好于无生态闸断面.     

一种新型滑动集电材料的研制及性能研究

利用粉末冶金 /挤压的方法制作了一种新型的Cu C滑动集电材料 ,并对该材料的机械物理、摩擦磨损性能进行了检测 ,结果证明该材料具有较高的抗拉强度、适中的表面硬度、较低的电阻率、优良的摩擦磨损性能 ,是一种较为优良的电力机车滑板材料。其性能测试结果和铁道部标准要求相比 ,优于铁道部标准要求。