Automotive Engineering Commons^™

Autonomous Aerial Vehicle Vision And Sensor Guided Landing, Gabriel Bitencourt, Elijah J. Brown, Cedric Bleimling, Gilbert Lai, Arman Molki, Tolga Kaya

School of Computer Science & Engineering Faculty Publications

The use of autonomous landing of aerial vehicles is increasing in demand. Applications of this ability can range from simple drone delivery to unmanned military missions. To be able to land at a spot identified by local information, such as a visual marker, creates an efficient and versatile solution. This allows for a more user/consumer friendly device overall. To achieve this goal the use of computer vision and an array of ranging sensors will be explored. In our approach we utilized an April Tag as our location identifier and point of reference. MATLAB/Simulink interface was used to develop the platform …

A Deep Learning-Based Automatic Object Detection Method For Autonomous Driving Ships, Ojonoka Erika Atawodi

Master's Theses

An important feature of an Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASV) is its capability of automatic object detection to avoid collisions, obstacles and navigate on their own.

Deep learning has made some significant headway in solving fundamental challenges associated with object detection and computer vision. With tremendous demand and advancement in the technologies associated with ASVs, a growing interest in applying deep learning techniques in handling challenges pertaining to autonomous ship driving has substantially increased over the years.

In this thesis, we study, design, and implement an object recognition framework that detects and recognizes objects found in the sea. We first curated …

Sedan Performance/Economy Rear Diffuser, Jacob Boucher Koris

Thinking Matters Symposium

This project consists of designing in SolidWorks a model of the performance/fuel economy diffuser. The design is modeled with an Ahmed body (recommended shape for CFD testing vehicles) and the diffuser will be applied to the bottom of the rear bumper of the car. After this is done the model will be imported into ANSYS for CFD testing. Testing entails importing the model, then creating a mesh around the model, and then setting up the program to run analysis for calculating the coefficient of drag. Then building this SolidWorks model as a full working prototype for actual road-testing purposes. With …

Hinging, Propping, And Latching Mechanisms For Sunseeker Solar Car, Zachary Ruppenthal

Honors Theses

In this project, designs for the hinging, propping, and latching mechanisms on the 2021 Sunseeker Solar Car were created. These designs allow for the car’s array of solar panels to be held at any desired angle to maximize collection of solar power and give the team access to the battery and driver compartment. Removable telescoping prop rods with pin attachments are used to set the array at a desired angle. The hinging mechanism allows for the array to be lifted vertically prior to rotation in order to avoid interference with the car’s roll cage. To accomplish this, two four-bar linkages …

Autonomous Vehicle Camera Mount Application, Yuan Sheng Sit

Honors Theses

Autonomous vehicles consist of many complex systems, an extensive set of hardware components, and various computing algorithms that constantly work in harmony to provide selfdriving capabilities to a vehicle. This project focuses on developing a universal mount for a ZED 2 stereo camera used in data collection for autonomous driving applications. The main purpose of the mount is to reduce dashboard, windshield, and lens glare that affect the quality of data collection for autonomous driving applications. Software such as Ansys and SOLIDWORKS are used to simulate stress, strain, and thermal distributions on the mount to better understand the strong and …

Automated Scenario Generation Using Halton Sequences For The Verification Of Autonomous Vehicle Behavior In Simulation, Andrew Ferree

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

As autonomous vehicles continue to develop, verifying their safety remains a large hurdle to mass adoption. One component of this is testing, however it has been shown that it is impractical to statistically prove an autonomous vehicle’s safety using real-world testing alone. Therefore, simulation tools and other virtual testing methods are being employed to assist with the verification process. Testing in simulation still faces some of the challenges of the real world, such as the difficulty in exhaustively testing the system in all scenarios it will encounter. Manual scenario creation is time consuming and does not guarantee scenario coverage. Pseudo-random …

Small Gas Engines Interactive Notebook, P. Troy White

STEM & Agricultural Education Curriculum Resources

A Small Gas Engines interactive notebook to help prepare students for the Briggs & Stratton Master Service Technician Exam 1.

The Concept Of Constructing Set-Theoretic Models Of Structures Of Intelligent Multi-Axis Mechatronic Robot Modules, Nazarov Khayriddin Nuritdinovich, Matyokubov Nurbek Rrustamovich, Temurbek Omonboyevich Rakhimov, Pulatov Rustambek Alisher Ugli

Bulletin of TUIT: Management and Communication Technologies

The article discusses the features and areas of application of multi-axis electromagnetic mechatronic modules in modules of mechatronic and robotic systems that allow not only to increase productivity and improve the quality of manufactured products, but also by replacing heavy, monotonous and sometimes associated with a risk to human health, manual labor with a machine to release a person for creative constructive work. The generalized structure of a multi-axis mechatronic module is presented; multiple theoretical models of construction principles for the study of electromagnetic mechatronic modules of robots and robotic systems are constructed. In this case, the main attention is …

Effect Of Neural Network On Reduction Of Noise For Edge Detection, Diane Peters, Enqi Zhang, James Z. Zhang

Mechanical Engineering Presentations And Conference Materials

Processing photographic images is important in many applications, among them the development of automated driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles. Many techniques are used for processing images, including neural networks, other types of machine learning, and edge detection. One common issue with processing these photos is the presence of noise, whether caused by the camera itself or by physical conditions (e.g., weather conditions or dirt on road signs). In this paper, a neural network is used for noise reduction to improve edge detection results and tested with two kinds of noise, Gaussian and salt & pepper noise, and three …

Optimal Nonlinear Pid Speed Control Based On Harmony Search For An Electric Vehicle, Mohamed Shamseldin, Mohamed Abdel Ghany, Yahia Hendawey

Future Engineering Journal

the paper presents an efficient scheme for a Nonlinear PID (NPID) controller to improve the dynamic response of the Electric Vehicle (EV). The objective of the proposed controller is to track accurately the reference speed selected by the driver of the EV. A MATLAB/Simulink model is established and validated for the considered EV to study the system performance. The proposed NPID controller has been investigated by comparing it with the traditional PID controller. The optimal parameters of Both the NPID and PID controllers were obtained using the Harmony Search (HS) optimization technique based on a cost function. The desired rise …

Adaptive Task Allocation In Automated Vehicles, Skye Taylor, Bin Hu, Jing Chen

Psychology: Interdisciplinary Research in Behavioral Sciences of Transportation Issues

Adaptive task allocation is used in many human-machine systems and has been proven to improve operators’ monitoring and/or performance with automated systems. However, there is little knowledge surrounding the benefits of adaptive task allocation in automated vehicles. In this study, participants were presented with media depicting driving scenarios of both low and high workload at two levels of automation. The participants reported which tasks they felt comfortable allocating to themselves or to the automated system in each driving scenario, as well as whether they would conduct the task allocation manually or have the automated system automatically allocate the tasks. The …

Experimental Methods To Capture Curing Induced Effects In Adhesive Bonded Joints, Akshat Agha, Fadi Abu-Farha

Publications

The rapidly increasing use of structural adhesives, especially in the joining of automotive body structures has motivated various investigations of the effects of adhesive curing process on joints. The automotive-grade structural adhesives require heat curing, which, in the meantime, performs thermal loading on the substrates and causes undesirable effects in the joint. For example, the curing process results in complex residual stresses in the adhesive bond which are detrimental to the performance of the adhesive bond and thereby the automobile body structure, particularly the crashworthiness. To thoroughly evaluate such effects, this paper consists of two parts. The first part presents …

The Architecture Design Of Electrical Vehicle Infrastructure Using Viable System Model Approach, Mahdi Boucetta, Niamat Ullah Ibne Hossain, Raed Jaradat, Charles Keating, Siham Tazzit, Morteza Nagahi

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Exponential technological-based growth in industrialization and urbanization, and the ease of mobility that modern motorization offers have significantly transformed social structures and living standards. As a result, electric vehicles (EVs) have gained widespread popularity as a mode of sustainable transport. The increasing demand for of electric vehicles (EVs) has reduced the some of the environmental issues and urban space requirements for parking and road usage. The current body of EV literature is replete with different optimization and empirical approaches pertaining to the design and analysis of the EV ecosystem; however, probing the EV ecosystem from a management perspective has not …

Mechanical Properties Of Nanomodified Hybrid Gfrp Composite Materials, Micah Rop Kimutai

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The mechanical behavior of the nanomodified hybrid epoxy matrix was investigated in glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP). In this study, five nanocomposites enriched with as received halloysite, nanomer I.28E, HNT-APTES, and the hybrid combinations of the two HNTs with the nanomer I.28E were successfully fabricated. To evaluate the effects and morphological characteristics of the individual fillers and the hybrid configurations on the epoxy resin matrix, TGA, DSC, and DMA were analyzed. To understand the effect of the five configurations on the neat GFRP laminate, mode I interlaminar fracture toughness, tensile, and vibration properties were investigated. Electron microscopy testing techniques were …

Design And Implementation Of An Oxidation Catalyst For A Spark Ignited Two Stroke Snowmobile Engine, Noah Squires

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Spark ignited two stroke engines are under increasing pressure as emissions standards become stricter, making them a perfect candidate for a catalytic aftertreatment system. Yet several significant challenges to catalysis exist. Namely two stroke exhaust systems are very sensitive to back pressure changes and high emissions concentrations can make controlling the temperature of the catalytic reaction difficult. Therefore, it is imperative that a two stroke specific catalyst design process be developed. This project focused on beginning to develop such a design process. Key results of this work include finding a location for the catalyst in the exhaust system that offers …

The Effects Of Molybdenum, Chromium, And Niobium On Gray Iron For Brake Rotor Applications, Matthew Hasbrouck

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Brake rotor composition and microstructure must be optimized for thermal and mechanical performance to avoid thermal-mechanical cracking, excessive wear, and to reduce noise. Niobium is an element that increases the strength and wear resistance of gray iron; however, the interaction of niobium with other common alloying elements (chromium and molybdenum) is not well understood. Thirteen gray cast iron alloys were produced with varying levels of carbon equivalent (CE), Cr, Mo, and Nb. Bars with four different diameters (8, 14, 22, and 30 mm) were cast from each alloy and microstructural and physical properties such as graphite flake morphology, pearlite spacing, …

Development And Validation Of Dynamic Programming Algorithm For Eco Approach And Departure, Vasu Goyal

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Eco Approach and Departure (Eco-AnD) is a Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) technology developed to reduce energy for crossing a signalized intersection or set of intersections in a corridor that features vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communication capability. Eco-AnD technology uses the information of the signal phase and timings (SPaT) received from the V2I communication to optimize the vehicle’s speed profile and produce an energy-efficient maneuver to cross the intersection.

The Eco-AnD algorithm is devised for two vehicles (GM-Volt Gen II & GM-Bolt), both with different powertrain architectures but capable of working in electric-only mode. In simulations, the developed algorithm showed …

Save-T: Safety Analysis Visualization And Evaluation Tool, Yuan Zhu, Sami Demiroluk, Kaan Ozbay, Kun Xie, Hong Yang, Di Sha

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Traffic crashes are one of the biggest issues which constitute a threat to lives of the motorists and disrupt operations of the transportation system. To reduce the number of crashes and alleviate their impacts, it is necessary to scrutinize the factors contributing to the risk of traffic crashes. Lately, visual analytics tools become very popular for data exploration and obtaining insights from the data. In this paper, a new web-based data visualization tool called Safety Analysis Visualization and Evaluation Tool (SAVE-T) was introduced. This tool enables users to interactively create queries and visually explore the results. By utilizing an online …

Ship Deck Segmentation In Engineering Document Using Generative Adversarial Networks, Mohammad Shahab Uddin, Raphael Pamie-George, Daron Wilkins, Andres Sousa Poza, Mustafa Canan, Samuel Kovacic, Jiang Li

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Generative adversarial networks (GANs) have become very popular in recent years. GANs have proved to be successful in different computer vision tasks including image-translation, image super-resolution etc. In this paper, we have used GAN models for ship deck segmentation. We have used 2D scanned raster images of ship decks provided by US Navy Military Sealift Command (MSC) to extract necessary information including ship walls, objects etc. Our segmentation results will be helpful to get vector and 3D image of a ship that can be later used for maintenance of the ship. We applied the trained models to engineering documents provided …

Road Racing Aerodynamic Simulation + Testing, Jack Sawyer

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

There are multiple goals for this project. The first goal of this project is to design, assemble and simulate additional aerodynamic components. Another goal is to create a product that can analyze various angles of attack of Aerodynamic components. The product will be used on, or off the track to determine the lift coefficients of vehicles at varying speeds. I will be using my 1992 Honda Civic for testing and compare my physical results to my simulated tests.

The project did come with a list of design and manufacturing challenges along with additional finical cost which has resulted in some …

Less Commute Miles. Decreased Tire Wear. What Would You Do?, Dylan Schwarz, Brendon M. Ford, Brandon D. Hadinger, Abbie N. Pearce, Jacinta M. Pikunas

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

With the flagrant recognition of the coronavirus as one of those most impactful viruses in the history of the world, it is important to study how the effects of such a disease can create troublesome ripple effects in the world. Covid-19 has caused the death of hundreds of thousands of individuals and has negatively impacted the lives of American’s all across the country during the nationwide lockdown. Decreased work commuters, minimal road travel, and little need for car repairs hit the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company hard. The University of Akron has teamed up with Goodyear to explore such effects …

Design And Analysis Of One-Piece 10” Carbon Fiber Wheels For Zips Racing Zr20 Formula Sae Racecar, Patrick Kruse, Henry J. Wathen, Jordan J. Hyde, Nicholas D. Dobben, Jordan D. Blake

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Reducing the weight of a vehicle in racing can substantially improve the vehicle dynamics and general performance capabilities. More specifically, the reduction of the unsprung corner weight can provide noticeable performance gains in handling and responsiveness, leading to a quicker, more agile car due to a lower yawing moment of inertia. Unsprung weight reduction also improves the car’s ability to maintain contact between the tires and the road surface for a more consistent grip. In this project we identified the loads that act on the wheel rims according to the data collected from the sensors in the car’s suspension, and …

Experimental Evaluation And Simulation Of Torque Transmissibility Frequency Response Functions Of Vibration Isolators And Absorbers For Drivetrain Applications, Luke Jurmu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Four studies involving torsional vibration isolation performance of automotive drivetrain components, make up this dissertation. One study features a prototype planetary torsional vibration absorber, a unique device that targets low frequency torsion modes in automotive drivetrains. Two studies feature experiments on several torque converters, clutch locked and open, to validate models of the hardware. The last study details experiments on a centrifugal pendulum absorber in a torque converter, to characterize the viscous friction while submerged in automatic transmission fluid (ATF). The enclosed studies improve the state of the art of drivetrain vibration absorbers and isolators, by introducing a new vibration …

Development Of Autonomous Vehicle Motion Planning And Control Algorithm With D* Planner And Model Predictive Control In A Dynamic Environment, Somnath Mondal

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The research in this report incorporates the improvement in the autonomous driving capability of self-driving cars in a dynamic environment. Global and local path planning are implemented using the D* path planning algorithm with a combined Cubic B-Spline trajectory generator, which generates an optimal obstacle free trajectory for the vehicle to follow and avoid collision. Model Predictive Control (MPC) is used for the longitudinal and the lateral control of the vehicle. The presented motion planning and control algorithm is tested using Model-In-the-Loop (MIL) method with the help of MATLAB® Driving Scenario Designer and Unreal Engine® Simulator by Epic Games®. Different …

Investigating The Effect Of E30 Fuel On Long Term Vehicle Performance, Adaptability And Economic Feasibility, Adil Alsiyabi, Seth Stroh, Rajib Saha

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Due to the drawbacks associated with the use of petroleum derived fuels, the use of more sustainable fuel sources has garnered increasing attention in several sectors including road transportation. However, the transition away from gasoline is often hindered by the inability of currently operating vehicles to efficiently run under alternative fuels. Therefore, the logical short-term alternative is to transition to clean fuel sources including higher-ethanol fuel blends that are compatible with current fuel systems and spark-ignition engines. In this work, the long-term adaptability and economic feasibility of non-flex vehicles to consume a 30% ethanol (E30) fuel blend was investigated. Sixteen …

Planning Algorithms Under Uncertainty For A Team Of A Uav And A Ugv For Underground Exploration, Matteo De Petrillo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Robots’ autonomy has been studied for decades in different environments, but only recently, thanks to the advance in technology and interests, robots for underground exploration gained more attention. Due to the many challenges that any robot must face in such harsh environments, this remains an challenging and complex problem to solve.

As technology became cheaper and more accessible, the use of robots for underground ex- ploration increased. One of the main challenges is concerned with robot localization, which is not easily provided by any Global Navigation Services System (GNSS). Many developments have been achieved for indoor mobile ground robots, making …

Resilience For Multi-Filter All-Source Navigation Framework With Integrity, Jonathon S. Gipson, Robert C. Leishman

Faculty Publications

The Autonomous and Resilient Management of All-source Sensors (ARMAS) framework monitors residual-space test statistics across unique sensor-exclusion banks of filters, (known as subfilters) to provide a resilient, fault-resistant all-source navigation architecture with assurance. A critical assumption of this architecture, demonstrated in this paper, is fully overlapping state observability across all subfilters. All-source sensors, particularly those that only provide partial state information (altimeters, TDoA, AOB, etc.) do not intrinsically meet this requirement.
This paper presents a novel method to monitor real-time overlapping position state observability and introduces an "observability bank" within the ARMAS framework, known as Stable Observability Monitoring (SOM). SOM …

การพัฒนาระบบสนับสนุนการตัดสินใจสำหรับการป้องกันการลุกลามไฟป่าในพื้นที่อยู่อาศัย, จิรภาส บุญทับ

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้พัฒนาระบบสนับสนุนการตัดสินใจสำหรับการป้องกันไฟป่าสำหรับประเทศไทย (ThaiWDSS) เพื่อช่วยเจ้าหน้าที่ในการวางแผนป้องกันการลุกลามของไฟป่า เมื่อเจ้าหน้าที่เผชิญกับภัยจากไฟป่า ความท้าทายหลักได้แก่ การทำนายแนวโน้มการลุกลามของไฟป่า การประเมินความเสียหาย และการวางแผนการป้องกันพื้นที่ชุมชน ระบบช่วยรับมือกับปัญหาเหล่านี้โดยการจำลองการลุกลามของไฟป่า และระบุพื้นที่ชุมชน เพื่อการประเมินผลกระทบ โดยผู้ใช้งานสามารถจำลองการวางแผนการสร้างแนวป้องกันไฟที่สามารถควบคุมพื้นที่ที่ถูกเผาไหม้ได้ โดยผู้ใช้งานสามารถประเมินพื้นที่ที่จะได้รับผลกระทบ ร่วมกับสิ่งปลูกสร้าง โดยการจำลองแนวป้องกันไฟในการวางแผน ระบบได้รับการทดสอบการใช้งาน และแบบจำลองการลุกลามของไฟป่าได้รับการประเมินประสิทธิภาพการทำงาน ด้วยกรณีศึกษาในประเทศไทยที่เคยเกิดไฟป่าขึ้นจริงสองแห่ง จากผลการวิจัยพบว่าระบบสามารถสนับสนุนการจำลองการสร้างแนวป้องกันไฟรูปแบบต่าง ๆ โดยการจำลองพื้นที่เผาไหม้ที่จะเกิดขึ้น ซึ่งจะช่วยในการตัดสินใจระหว่างการวางแผนเผชิญเหตุ เนื่องจากข้อจำกัดของข้อมูล การระบุพื้นที่ชุมชน และการจำลองการลุกลามของไฟ มีความถูกต้อง 80% โดยประมาณ ในการระบุพื้นที่ชุมชน และการทำนายพื้นที่เผาไหม้ แบบจำลองสามารถพัฒนาได้อีกมากถ้าหากมีข้อมูลที่มากขึ้น เจ้าหน้าที่สามารถบริหารทรัพยากร และดำเนินมาตรการป้องกันสาธารณภัยได้อย่างมีประสิทธิภาพมากขึ้น

Deep Learning Assisted Intelligent Visual And Vehicle Tracking Systems, Liang Xu

Theses and Dissertations

Sensor fusion and tracking is the ability to bring together measurements from multiple sensors of the current and past time to estimate the current state of a system. The resulting state estimate is more accurate compared with the direct sensor measurement because it balances between the state prediction based on the assumed motion model and the noisy sensor measurement. Systems can then use the information provided by the sensor fusion and tracking process to support more-intelligent actions and achieve autonomy in a system like an autonomous vehicle. In the past, widely used sensor data are structured, which can be directly …

Local Climate Action Planning As A Tool To Harness The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation And Equity Potential Of Autonomous Vehicles And On-Demand Mobility, Serena Alexander, Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Benjamin Y. Clark

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report focuses on how cities can use climate action plans (CAPs) to ensure that on-demand mobility and autonomous vehicles (AVs) help reduce, rather than increase, green-house gas (GHG) emissions and inequitable impacts from the transportation system. We employed a three-pronged research strategy involving: (1) an analysis of the current literature on on-demand mobility and AVs; (2) a systematic content analysis of 23 CAPs and general plans developed by municipalities in California; and (3) a comparison of findings from the literature and content analysis of plans to identify opportunities for GHG emissions reduction and mobility equity.

Findings indicate that maximizing …