This SAE Information Report provides definitions and discussions of key terms concerning driver drowsiness and fatigue, and basic information on measuring drowsiness and fatigue. It also includes information and concepts for driver drowsiness as they relate to the safe operation of a vehicle. The key driver drowsiness and fatigue causal factors include the following: (1) sleep quality and quantity, (2) time of day, (3) time awake, (4) time on task (modulated by characteristics of the driving task), (5) task-related fatigue (variations of arousal levels related to task underload and overload), and (6) combinations of these factors. Medical conditions, medication, alcohol, or drugs exacerbate drowsiness; however, the discussion in this report is limited to fatigue concepts. This report has two primary outputs: (1) definitions and discussions of key terms concerning driver drowsiness and fatigue, and (2) basic information on measuring drowsiness and fatigue and its effects on the safe

Driver Metrics, Performance, Behaviors and States Committee

Determination of Kinematic Parameters for the Combustion of Jatropha Based Bio-Diesel

2020-01-214809/15/2020

Laminar burning velocity is a fundamental measurement describing how a flame propagates into quiescent unburned mixture ahead of the flame at a specified pressure and temperature. Laminar burning velocity of bio-diesel air mixture has been studied in a spherical bomb, using the pressure - time records. Initial pressure, temperature is varied to cover a range from 1 bar - 4 bar and 443K-523K respectively. The range of measurements covered the equivalence ratio from 0.8 to 1.2. Pressure-time records have been used to calculate the flame velocity, burned gas fraction, flame position etc., using a simplified, two zone thermodynamic model, assuming equilibrium composition and homogenous mixture for the burned gases. It is also assumed frozen composition and isentropic compression for the unburned mixture. For each experimental run, instantaneous burning velocities are calculated in the range of 1.5 P0 to 0.75 Pmax and the laminar burning velocity values between the burned mass fraction of

Nain, Ajay

Deep-Learned E-Skin Decodes Complex Human Motion

TBMG-37351

08/01/2020

A deep-learning powered single-strained electronic skin sensor can capture human motion from a distance. The single strain sensor placed on the wrist decodes complex five-finger motions in real time with a virtual 3D hand that mirrors the original motions. The deep neural network boosted by rapid situation learning (RSL) ensures stable operation regardless of its position on the surface of the skin.

Wearable Strain Sensor Using Light Transmittance

TBMG-3744508/01/2020

Researchers have developed a wearable strain sensor based on the modulation of optical transmittance of a carbon nanotube (CNT)-embedded elastomer. The sensor is capable of sensitive, stable, and continuous measurement of physical signals.

Flexible Feet Help Robots Walk Faster

TBMG-3739108/01/2020

Researchers have developed flexible feet that enable robots to walk fast and efficiently on natural, uneven surfaces. The work has applications for search-and-rescue missions as well as space exploration.

Polymer Twists and Bends in the Presence of Light

TBMG-3685205/01/2020

The twisting and bending capabilities of the human muscle system enable a dynamic range of motion, from walking and running to reaching and grasping. Replicating in a robot something as seemingly simple as waving a hand, however, requires a complex series of motors, pumps, actuators, and algorithms. Researchers have designed a polymer, known as a liquid crystal elastomer (LCE), that can be “programmed” to twist and bend in the presence of light.

A Study of Driver's Driving Concentration Based on Computer Vision Technology

2020-01-057204/14/2020

Driving safety is an eternal theme of the transportation industry. In recent years, with the rapid growth of car ownership, traffic accidents have become more frequent, and the harm it brings to human society has become increasingly serious. In this context, car safety assisted driving technology has received widespread attention. As an effective means to reduce traffic accidents and reduce accident losses, it has become the research frontier in the field of traffic engineering and represents the trend of future vehicle development. However, there are still many technical problems that need to be solved. With the continuous development of computer vision technology, face detection technology has become more and more mature, and applications have become more and more extensive. This article will use the face detection technology to detect the driver's face, and then analyze the changes in driver's driving focus. Firstly, the problem of detecting the eyes and mouth status of the driver

Lin, Guan, Zhan, Zhenfei, Peng, Xiangjun, Xu, Huijie, Fu, Yue, Jiang, Ling

Comparison of Head Kinematics of Bicyclist in Car-to-Bicycle Impact

2020-01-093204/14/2020

This study focused on European NCAP activities of introducing a new head protection evaluation procedure, as proposed by BASt (Federal Highway Research Institute - GERMANY). Various kinds of E-bikes are available in the market, ranging from E-bikes that have a small motor to assist the rider’s pedal-power i.e., pedelecs to somewhat more powerful E-bikes which is similar to a moped-style scooter. This paper focused on identifying the factors influencing bicyclist head kinematics during bicycle vs. passenger vehicle (PV) collisions at the intersection. Two AM50 bicyclist FE models are developed using i) GHBMC Human Body Model (HBM) and ii) WorldSID (WS) side impact dummy. Head kinematics of bicyclists of pedal-assist E-bike and normal bike were compared using CAE simulation. It is found that the vehicle’s impact velocity, type of bicycle, the mass of E-bike and bicycle traveling speed will influence the head kinematics.

Pal, Chinmoy, Hirayama, Shigeru, Vallabhaneni, Pratap Naidu, Vimalathithan, Kulothungan, Manoharan, Jeyabharath

A Human Body Model Study on Restraints for Side-Facing Occupants in Frontal Crashes of an Automated Vehicle

2020-01-098004/14/2020

This study was to investigate kinematics and responses of side-facing seated occupants in frontal crashes of an automated minivan using Global Human Body Models Consortium (GHBMC) simplified occupant models (50th%ile male and 5th%ile female), and to develop new restraint concepts to protect the occupants. The latest GHBMC M50-OS and F05-OS models (version 2.2) were further validated with Postmortem Human Subject (PMHS) side sled tests [7]. Robustness and biofidelity of the GHBMC human models, especially for the pelvis region, were enhanced. Using the update M50-OS and F05-OS models, we evaluated the body kinematics and injury measures of the side-facing seated occupants in frontal crashes of a minivan at severities ranging from 24 kph (15 mph) to 56 kph (35 mph). Three restraint configurations were studied: 1) no restraint; 2) lap belt only; 3) lap and head/torso restraints. Parametric studies on the restraint configurations and design parameters of each restraint were performed to

Zhao, Jay Zhijian, Katagiri, Maika, Decker, William, Lee, Sungwoo, Gayzik, Francis

Alleviating the Magnetic Effects on Magnetometers Using Vehicle Kinematics for Yaw Estimation for Autonomous Ground Vehicles

2020-01-102504/14/2020

Autonomous vehicle operation is dependent upon accurate position estimation and thus a major concern of implementing the autonomous navigation is obtaining robust and accurate data from sensors. This is especially true, in case of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor data. The IMU consists of a 3-axis gyro, 3-axis accelerometer, and 3-axis magnetometer. The IMU provides vehicle orientation in 3D space in terms of yaw, roll and pitch. Out of which, yaw is a major parameter to control the ground vehicle’s lateral position during navigation. The accelerometer is responsible for attitude (roll-pitch) estimates and magnetometer is responsible for yaw estimates. However, the magnetometer is prone to environmental magnetic disturbances which induce errors in the measurement. The present work focuses on alleviating magnetic disturbances for ground vehicles by fusing the vehicle kinematics information with IMU senor in an Extended Kalman filter (EKF) with the vehicle orientation represented

Dudekula, Ahammad Basha, Naber, Jeffrey D.

The Effect of An Acoustic Startling Warning On Take-Over Reaction Time And Trunk Kinematics for Drivers in Autonomous Driving Scenarios

2019-22-002203/31/2020

The Acoustic Startling Pre-stimulus (ASPS, i.e. a loud sound preceding a physical perturbation) was previously found to accelerate action execution in simple flexion exercises. Therefore in this study we examined if ASPS can accelerate take-over reaction times in restrained teen and adult drivers who were asked to reach for the steering wheel while experiencing sled lateral perturbations simulating a vehicle swerve. Results showed that adult drivers lift their hands toward the steering wheel faster with the ASPS versus without (161 ± 23 ms vs 216 ± 27 ms, p<0.003). However this effect was not found in teens or in trials where the drivers were engaged in a secondary task. Adults also showed reduced lateral trunk displacement out of the seat belt with the ASPS. The ASPS could represent a novel warning that reduces take over time and out-of-position movements in critical autonomous driving scenarios.

Graci, Valentina, Griffith, Madeline, Maheshwari, Jalaj, Akkem, Rahul, Austin, Meta, Seacrist, Thomas, Arbogast, Kristy B.

Human Response and Injury Resulting from Head Impacts with Unmanned Aircraft Systems

2019-22-000203/31/2020

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, are part of a new and budding industry in the United States. Economic and public benefits associated with UAS use across multiple commercial sectors are driving new regulations which alter the stringent laws currently restricting UAS flights over people. As new regulations are enacted and more UAS populate the national airspace, there is a need to both understand and quantify the risk associated with UAS impacts with the uninvolved public. The purpose of this study was to investigate the biomechanical response and injury outcomes of Post Mortem Human Surrogates (PMHS) subjected to UAS head impacts. For this work, PMHS were tested with differing UAS vehicles at multiple impact angles, locations and speeds. Using a custom designed launching device, UAS vehicles were accelerated into the frontal, parietal, or vertex portions of subjects’ craniums at speeds up to 22 m/s. Of the 35 UAS impacts carried out, one AIS 2+ injury was

Stark, David B., Willis, Arrianna K., Eshelman, Zach, Kang, Yun-Seok, Ramachandra, Rakshit, Bolte IV, John H., McCrink, Matthew

Head Support Concept to Mitigate Neck Injury for Children Installed Forward Facing in Vehicles

2019-36-010601/13/2020

The slender neck of a 3-year-old child can be serious injured or even lead to child’s death when loaded under frontal impact by the proportionately larger and heavier head. Accordingly with medical recommendations based on latest studies, a 3-year-old child is safer when installed in a rear-facing child seat, but this configuration is not feasible for some vehicles with limited rear space such as superminis, small MPVs and pick-ups when front seats are occupied. This study aims to explore the potential of neck tension (Fz) reduction in 3-year-old dummy installed forward-facing when subjected to three head static restraints (head strap, head support, cervical collar) as well as an overhead shield car seat in order to identify solutions for a device to avoid or mitigate neck injuries. To simulate frontal impacts, a 3-year-old dummy from Q series was installed on a reinforced vehicle body fixed on a sled test equipment where the United Nations R129 pulse was applied. Both head strap and

Ribeiro, Rodrigo da Silva, De Arruda, Antonio Celso Fonseca

Lightweight Exosuit Combines Robotics and Functional Apparel

TBMG-3526310/01/2019

Between walking and running, human gaits can cover a wide range of speeds; for example, at low speeds, the metabolic rate of walking is lower than that of running in a slow jog. The opposite also is true: at high speeds, the metabolic cost of running is lower than that of speed-walking.

Fault Feature Extraction of Elliptically Shaped Bearing Raceway

2019-01-156406/05/2019

The elliptically shaped bearing (ESB) with a rigid, elliptical inner race and a flexible, thin-walled outer race is the most easily damaged core component of harmonic drive. The ESB rotates under cycle load of alternating stress due to its special elliptic structure. Hence, the fault features of ESB such as fatigue spalling and pitting are apt to be concealed by the excitation of impulses caused by alternating between major axis and minor axis. In order to diagnose the fault on raceway surfaces of ESB, a new method of CMWT-FH based on Continuous Morlet Wavelet Transform (CMWT) and FFT-based Hilbert (FH) spectrum analysis is proposed to extract the fault feature. First, the formulas of feature frequency is deduced based on the geometry and kinematics characteristics of ESB; then the CMWT method is employed to decompose the fault signal of ESB; finally, the FH spectrum analysis is performed to extract the feature frequency of faulty ESB from the decomposition signal with the maximum

Guo, Yingying, Zhao, Xuezhi

Kinematic Analysis and Simulation of the Double Roller Tripod Joint

2019-01-152606/05/2019

The kinematic model of the double roller tripod joint is established in order to analyze its kinematic characteristics and provide theoretical basis for its application and improvement. By means of spatial coordinate transformation, the translational and rotational motion equations of the rollers relative to the tracks and trunnions, the motion equation of the center of the tripod and the equations of the input/output angular displacement error and bending angle are derived. The motion simulation of the double roller tripod universal joint was carried out in ADAMS so as to verify the established kinematic model. The results show that the rollers of the double roller tripod joint only have periodic translational motions relative to the tracks while the rollers have both periodic translational and rotational motions relative to the trunnions. The tripod’s center does the circular motion on the tripod plane with the angular velocity 3 times of the input angular velocity. The input/output

Qiu, Yinyuan, Shangguan, Wen-Bin

Occupant Kinematics and Loading in Low Speed Lateral Impacts

2019-01-102704/02/2019

Instrumented human subject and anthropomorphic test device (ATD) responses to low speed lateral impacts were investigated. A series of 12 lateral collisions at various impact angles were conducted, 6 near-side and 6 far-side, with each test using an ATD and one human subject. Two restrained female subjects were utilized, with one positioned in the driver seat and one in the left rear seat. Each subject was exposed to 3 near-side and 3 far-side impacts. The restrained ATD was utilized in both the driver and left rear seats, undergoing 3 near-side and 3 far-side impacts in each position. The vehicle center of gravity (CG) change in velocity (delta-V) ranged from 5.5 to 9.4 km/h (3.4 to 5.8 mph). Video analysis was used for quantification and comparison of the human and ATD motions and interactions with interior vehicle structures. Human head, thorax, and low back accelerations were analyzed. Peak human subject head resultant accelerations ranged from 0.9 to 36.8 g’s. Peak human subject

Furbish, Christopher, Welcher, Judson, Brink, Justin, Jones, Brian, Swinford, Scott, Anderson, Robert

Reconstructing Vehicle Dynamics from On-Board Event Data

2019-01-063204/02/2019

Modern vehicles record dynamic data from a number of on-board sensors for events that could precede a crash. These data can be used to reconstruct the behavior of a vehicle, although the accuracy of these reconstructions has not yet been quantified. Here, we evaluated various methods of reconstructing the vehicle kinematics of a 2017 and a 2018 Toyota Corolla based on Vehicle Control History (VCH) data from overlapping events generated by the pre-collision system (PCS), sudden braking (SB) and anti-lock brake (ABS) activation. The vehicles were driven towards a stationary target at 32-64 km/h (20-40 mph) and then after the pre-collision alarm sounded the vehicle was steered sharply right or left and braked rapidly to rest. VCH data for PCS event were recorded at 2 Hz and for the sudden braking and ABS activation events at 6.7 Hz. The steering wheel angle and the vehicle’s longitudinal acceleration, lateral acceleration, and angular rate data were extracted and used to predict the

Tsuge, Brandon, Yang, Mike, Flynn, Thomas, Xing, Peter, Lawrence, Jonathan, Heinrichs, Bradley, Siegmund, Gunter

Analysis of Rear Seat Sled Tests with the 5th Female Hybrid III: Incorrect Conclusions in Bidez et al. SAE 2005-01-1708

2019-01-061804/02/2019

Objective: Sled test video and data were independently analyzed to assess the validity of statements and conclusions reported in Bidez et al. SAE paper 2005-01-1708 [7]. Method: An independent review and analysis of the test data and video was conducted for 9 sled tests at 35 km/h (21.5 mph). The 5th female Hybrid III was lap-shoulder belted in the 2nd or 3rd row seat of a SUV buck. For one series, the angle was varied from 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 deg PDOF. The second series involved shoulder belt pretensioning and other belt modifications. Results: Bidez et al. [7] claimed “The lap belts moved up and over the pelvis of the small female dummy for all impact angles tested.” We found that there was no submarining in any of the tests with the production lap-shoulder belts. Bidez et al. [7] claimed “H3-5F dummies began to roll out of their shoulder belt at… 30 degrees. Complete loss of torso support was seen at 45 degrees without significant kinetic energy dissipation.” We found that the

Viano, David, Parenteau, Chantal

Risk of Concussion in Low- to Moderate-Speed Frontal and Rear-End Motor Vehicle Collisions Evaluated Using Head Acceleration-Based Metrics

2019-01-121804/02/2019

Over the past decade, there has been an increase in awareness and concern about the occurrence and long-term effects of concussions. Traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related emergency department (ED) visits associated with motor vehicle collisions, including patients with a diagnosis of concussion or mild TBI (mTBI), have increased while deaths and hospital admissions related to TBI have decreased. The diagnostic criteria for concussion have evolved and broadened, and based on current assessments and diagnostic imaging techniques, there are often no objective findings, yet a diagnosis of concussion may still be rendered. Clinical assessment of concussion may be based only on patient-reported symptoms and history, making it difficult to objectively relate the reported increase in TBI-related ED visits due to motor vehicle collisions to specific collision parameters. This study aims to perform a scientific evaluation of concussion risk during motor vehicle collisions, strengthened by

Pasquesi, Stephanie A., Bruno, Alexander, Courtney, Amy, Imler, Stacy M., Smedley, Janine, Prange, Michael T.

Evaluation of Occupant Loading in Low- to Moderate-Speed Frontal and Rear-End Motor Vehicle Collisions

2019-01-122004/02/2019

Low- to moderate-speed motor vehicle collisions are common roadway occurrences that are generally associated with low rates of reported injury. While such complaints are generally infrequent, claims of injuries resulting from low- to moderate-speed motor vehicle collisions persist. A limited body of literature using quantitative techniques and full-scale crash tests is available to assess the injury potential associated with such collisions. Prior studies have analyzed occupant kinematics and kinetics as well as human injury risk in low- to moderate-speed collisions with older vehicle vintages but do not assess the effects of updated vehicle interior designs and occupant protection devices reflective of efforts to optimize occupant kinematics and reduce occupant loading and injury risk in more modern vehicles. This study was conducted to evaluate the injury potential for occupants of vehicles with modern design elements involved in low- to moderate-speed inline motor vehicle collisions

Toney-Bolger, Megan, Campbell, Ian, Miller, Bruce, Davis, Mathieu, Fisher, Jacob

Utilization of Psychophysiological Measurement for Determination of Human State of Mind during Brake Performance Test

2019-26-032601/09/2019

This paper reviews psychophysiological measurement applied on humans, by mainly focusing on brain waves observed by EEG sensor placed on scalp during brake performance testing. During braking high physiological stress, response and fear are observed, hence brain waves are monitored during brake test. Brake performance by two drivers (i.e. Driver A & Driver B) significantly established the difference in brain potential between driver A &B. During the test, brake performance parameters such as vehicle speed, deceleration rate, brake force, stopping distance are also measured. Observed EEG signal during the braking event, revealed the difference in emotional status of two different drivers. Signal based on alpha and beta from brainwaves were evident to define the mental stability of the respective driver.

Devarajan, Pranab, Akbar Badusha, Abdul Jabbar

Switching to comfort mode

18TOFHP08_0808/01/2018

Switches, knobs and touch panels evolve to reduce operator fatigue. Programmability has become a central design element for engineers tasked with making work environments more comfortable for commercial-vehicle operators. Touchscreens continue to handle more functions, while switches, knobs and joysticks are all becoming more versatile as embedded electronics turn them into multi-function controls. There's a shortage of drivers in trucking and operators in off-highway, prompting a major focus on making sure that workers in both fields stay on the job. A range of control technologies play a major role in the effort to improve comfort for those who spend long hours working in cabs.

Costlow, Terry

2021-12-29.TEST Development of a Vehicle-Based Experimental Platform for Quantifying Passenger Motion Sickness during Test Track Operations

2018-01-0028

04/03/2018

Motion sickness in road vehicles may become an increasingly important problem as automation transforms drivers into passengers. Motion sickness could be mitigated through control of the vehicle motion dynamics, design of the interior environment, and other interventions. However, a lack of a definitive etiology of motion sickness challenges the design of automated vehicles (AVs) to address motion sickness susceptibility effectively. Few motion sickness studies have been conducted in naturalistic road-vehicle environments; instead, most research has been performed in driving simulators or on motion platforms that produce prescribed motion profiles. To address this gap, a vehicle-based experimental platform using a midsize sedan was developed to quantify motion sickness in road vehicles. A scripted, continuous drive consisting of a series of frequent 90-degree turns, braking, and lane changes were conducted on a closed track. The route was selected to be representative of naturalistic

Jones, Monica Lynn Haumann, Sienko, Kathleen, Ebert-Hamilton, Sheila, Kinnaird, Catherine, Miller, Carl, Lin, Brian, Park, Byoung-Keon, Sullivan, John, Reed, Matthew, Sayer, James