Paolo Bosetti

A Holistic Approach to the Integration of Safety Applications: The INSAFES Subproject Within the European Framework Programme 6 Integrating Project PReVENT

This paper deals with the integration of multiple advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and in-vehicle information systems (IVIS) in a holistic driver-support system. The paper presents the results of a project named Integrated Safety Systems (INSAFES), which was part of PReVENT: an integrating project carried out under the European Framework Programme 6. Integration in INSAFES is tackled at three different levels in the framework of a “cognitive car” perspective: 1) at the perception level, to represent the world around the vehicle, including object-tracking between sensor fields and the detection of driver intentions; 2) at the decision level, to reproduce humanlike holistic motion plans, which serve as “reference maneuvers” to evaluate the motion alternatives that a driver faces; and 3) at the level of interaction with the driver and vehicle control ( action level), to arbitrate between the requests of functions competing for driver attention. A function that provides simultaneous longitudinal and lateral support has been developed. It gives support for safe speed, safe distance, lane change, and all-around collision avoidance all at the same time. At its core, there is a tool (evasive/reference maneuver) that constantly evaluates two possible alternatives (in lane and evasive/lane change) and compares them with the driver input to detect which one applies, which dictates warnings and driver interactions, and whether there is a better alternative. In addition, a “warning manager” has been developed, acting like a referee who lets the ADAS applications work standalone and then combines the requests of each application, prioritizes them, and manages the interaction with the user. The warning manager can be particularly useful in the case of integration of pre-existing standalone functions, which can be quickly reused. If a holistic ADAS is developed, the warning manager can still be used to combine it with IVIS functions. In fact, depending on the kind of ADAS and IVIS considered, the most suitable approach can be either to combine functions in a unified multifunctional driver-support application or to arbitrate between them through the warning manager.

LISA Pathfinder: mission and status

LISA Pathfinder, the second of the European Space Agencys Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology (SMART), is a dedicated technology demonstrator for the joint ESA/NASA Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission. The technologies required for LISA are many and extremely challenging. This coupled with the fact that some flight hardware cannot be fully tested on ground due to Earth-induced noise led to the implementation of the LISA Pathfinder mission to test the critical LISA technologies in a flight environment. LISA Pathfinder essentially mimics one arm of the LISA constellation by shrinking the 5 million kilometre armlength down to a few tens of centimetres, giving up the sensitivity to gravitational waves, but keeping the measurement technology: the distance between the two test masses is measured using a laser interferometric technique similar to one aspect of the LISA interferometry system. The scientific objective of the LISA Pathfinder mission consists then of the first in-flight test of low frequency gravitational wave detection metrology. LISA Pathfinder is due to be launched in 2013 on-board a dedicated small launch vehicle (VEGA). After a series of apogee raising manoeuvres using an expendable propulsion module, LISA Pathfinder will enter a transfer orbit towards the first Sun?Earth Lagrange point (L1). After separation from the propulsion module, the LPF spacecraft will be stabilized using the micro-Newton thrusters, entering a 500?000 km by 800?000 km Lissajous orbit around L1. Science results will be available approximately 2 months after launch.

The LISA Pathfinder Mission

In this paper, we describe the current status of the LISA Pathfinder mission, a precursor mission aimed at demonstrating key technologies for future space-based gravitational wave detectors, like LISA. Since much of the flight hardware has already been constructed and tested, we will show that performance measurements and analysis of these flight components lead to an expected performance of the LISA Pathfinder which is a significant improvement over the mission requirements, and which actually reaches the LISA requirements over the entire LISA Pathfinder measurement band.

Artificial Co-Drivers as a Universal Enabling Technology for Future Intelligent Vehicles and Transportation Systems

This position paper introduces the concept of artificial “co-drivers” as an enabling technology for future intelligent transportation systems. In Sections I and II, the design principles of co-drivers are introduced and framed within general human-robot interactions. Several contributing theories and technologies are reviewed, specifically those relating to relevant cognitive architectures, human-like sensory-motor strategies, and the emulation theory of cognition. In Sections III and IV, we present the co-driver developed for the EU project interactIVe as an example instantiation of this notion, demonstrating how it conforms to the given guidelines. We also present substantive experimental results and clarify the limitations and performance of the current implementation. In Sections IV and V, we analyze the impact of the co-driver technology. In particular, we identify a range of application fields, showing how it constitutes a universal enabling technology for both smart vehicles and cooperative systems, and naturally sets out a program for future research.

Production of sharp cracks in ceramic materials by three-point bending of sandwiched specimens

Abstract An easy procedure for precracking ceramic specimens is proposed in this paper. The method is based on the three-point bending of a sandwich formed by a ceramic beam inserted between two steel beams. Theoretical features of this procedure are analyzed on the basis of beam theory and fracture mechanics arguments. Crack length can be controlled by the initial saw cut length and by the relative stiffnesses of the ceramic and metal beams. This precracking procedure was applied to two different alumina ceramics. Straight-through sharp cracks with controlled length were proved to be easily introduced and the obtained crack lengths were in good agreement with theoretical predictions.

Data analysis for the LISA Technology Package

The LISA Technology Package (LTP) on board the LISA Pathfinder mission aims to demonstrate some key concepts for LISA which cannot be tested on ground. The mission consists of a series of preplanned experimental runs. The data analysis for each experiment must be designed in advance of the mission. During the mission, the analysis must be carried out promptly so that the results can be fed forward into subsequent experiments. As such a robust and flexible data analysis environment needs to be put in place. Since this software is used during mission operations and effects the mission timeline, it must be very robust and tested to a high degree. This paper presents the requirements, design and implementation of the data analysis environment (LTPDA) that will be used for analysing the data from LTP. The use of the analysis software to perform mock data challenges (MDC) is also discussed, and some highlights from the first MDC are presented.

On Curve Negotiation: From Driver Support to Automation

This paper describes a curve negotiation “behavior” that can be used-within subsumption architectures - to produce artificial agents with the ability to negotiate curves in a humanlike way. This may be used to implement functions spanning different levels of automation, from assistance (curve warning) to automated (curve speed control). This paper gives the following: (1) a summary of related works and of the subsumption architecture conceptual framework; (2) a detailed description of the function within this framework; (3) experimental data for validation and tuning derived from user tests; (4) guidelines on integration of the function within advanced driver assistance systems with different automation levels, with examples; and (5) a comparison with experimental data of the human curve speed choice models in the state of the art.

A new direct deformation sensor for active compensation of positioning errors in large milling machines

The positioning accuracy of large boring and milling machines (with axes travel larger than 5 m) is severely affected by structural deformations. Heat induced deformations, long-period deformation of foundations, and the machining process itself, cause time-dependent structural deformations of the machine body, which are difficult to model and to predict. In order to overcome these difficulties and to enhance the positioning accuracy, a composite sensor has been designed and tested, which allows direct and continuous (up to 250 Hz) measurement of geometrical deformations on machine structural elements. The present paper i) presents the operating principles of the proposed composite sensor, which is based on an array of fiber-optics Bragg gratings (FBG), ii) discusses requisites and performances of the sensor as well as the algorithm used to calculate the deformed shape as a function of the sensor output, iii) illustrates the results of a finite elements virtual model aimed to demonstrate the feasibility and to evaluate the expected performance of the sensor, and iv) validates the model by showing the results obtained by a sensor prototype giving a real-time measurement of the deformed shape of a structural beam

LISA Pathfinder data analysis

As the launch of LISA Pathfinder (LPF) draws near, more and more effort is being put in to the preparation of the data analysis activities that will be carried out during the mission operations. The operations phase of the mission will be composed of a series of experiments that will be carried out on the satellite. These experiments will be directed and analysed by the data analysis team, which is part of the operations team. The operations phase will last about 90 days, during which time the data analysis team aims to fully characterize the LPF, and in particular, its core instrument the LISA Technology Package. By analysing the various couplings present in the system, the different noise sources that will disturb the system, and through the identification of the key physical parameters of the system, a detailed noise budget of the instrument will be constructed that will allow the performance of the different subsystems to be assessed and projected towards LISA. This paper describes the various aspects of the full data analysis chain that are needed to successfully characterize the LPF and build up the noise budget during mission operations.

Development of a reduced size unmanned car

This article describes the overall system design of a reduced size autonomous vehicle and focuses on the control strategy which is based on a Nonlinear Receding Horizon Control (NRHC) algorithm. The NRH planner is called by a high level manager, in the outer control loop, to solve a sequence of optimal control problems. The planned motion provide a sequence of reference set points for the faster inner control loop until a new plan is available. The lateral motion is controlled through the steering command by tracking the yaw rate reference. The longitudinal motion is controlled by means of the throttle/braking coupled command by tracking the planned forward speed profiles. The paper discusses the results of some simulation results. The project description proceeds as follows: Section II describes the system architecture from vehicle and communication to software. Section III and IV details the motion planning and control algorithms. In Section V the simulation results regarding the NRH based controller are discussed.