Szilárd Aradi

Analysis and experimental verification of faulty network modes in an autonomous vehicle string

Advanced autonomous vehicle strings rely on inter-vehicle communication in order to decrease the necessary safety gap so that fuel consumption can be decreased and road capacity can be increased. In case of failures of some communication channels, the corresponding back-up control strategy must be switched on. Maximal spacing errors of such back-up modes are analyzed and compared. Robustness to platoon heterogeneity and communication delays are considered. The main conclusion we can draw is that, in the full communication mode, satisfactory spacing performance can be achieved by using simple output-feedback controllers designed without detailed knowledge on engine/brake characteristics, only utilizing the existing services available today in every commercial heavy trucks with automatic gearbox. Experimental verification of the designed controllers are presented.

Guaranteed peaks of spacing errors in an experimental vehicle string

Abstract Controllers for autonomous vehicle strings usually consist of local feedback controllers responsible for performing acceleration demands and a common control law aimed at the string stability of the entire platoon. Based on analysis of robust peak-to-peak performance and experimental verification, it is shown in the paper that satisfactory spacing performance can be achieved without accurate knowledge on the engine/brake/gear systems, only by using a common control law that relies on inter-vehicle communication and the commercial on-board services of todays heavy vehicles.

Security issues and vulnerabilities in connected car systems

The Connected Revolution has reached the automotive industry and the Internet penetrates into the modern vehicles. Formerly acquiring data from a vehicle was the tool of Fleet Management Systems handling commercial vehicles. In the recent years connectivity began to appear in the passenger vehicles also. The first features were infotainment and navigation, having low security needs remaining far from the vehicular networks. Then telematics and remote control, such as keyless entry appeared and created a new security threat in the vehicle. The paper shows how the connected feature changes the vehicle and also presents vulnerabilities of each element to show the importance of cautious system security design.

Experimental vehicle development for testing autonomous vehicle functions

The paper presents the development of an experimental vehicle framework for testing autonomous vehicle functions. The development of such systems serves two purposes: research and education. On the one hand, such system can be used to aid the development of many driver assistance functionalities. On the other hand it is a good experience for the students on any level of mechatronic education because of its diverse possibilities for mechanical engineering, embedded systems, or control design. Overall system architecture, sensors, actuators and control solutions are outlined in this paper along with the Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing framework designed for the development.

Educational Frameworks for Vehicle Mechatronics

One of the basis of the development in future intelligent transportation systems is the vehicle itself, whose provided features and communication possibilities are continuously expanding. One of the main areas in development of the vehicle of the future is mechatronics. Teaching this topic is a complex challenge because of the multidisciplinary nature of the topic. On the other hand, the requirements of the smart city or the smart mobility of the future demand complex solutions from next generation of engineers. The topics include electrical, mechanical engineering, control theory, and information and communications technology, in which fields the students must deepen their knowledge. Tasks and solving problems in mechatronics require cognitive and operational knowledge and practical experience in systems design and analysis. There is a strong demand for project-based teaching using certain kinds of practical material. This paper presents two educational frameworks designed for students with a specialization in vehicle mechatronics. Both are aimed at the emulation of real vehicle behaviors: the first is on the electric control unit level, whereas the second is on the vehicle level.

Design of an educational emulation framework for mechatronics control unit development

Teaching mechatronics is a great challenge since the subject is a multidisciplinary area of electrical, mechanical and IT knowledge. Students must deepen their knowledge in these slightly related fields of engineering. Tasks and solving problems in mechatronics require cognitive and operational knowledge and practical experience about systems design and analysis. Since mechatronics engineering is a fast-developing and practice-oriented field placing more emphasis practical and project-based education at universities is strongly encouraged by the industry. The paper presents an educational framework designed for students with a specialization in vehicle mechatronics. The aim of the system is to provide the emulation of a real vehicle module, which must be operated by appropriately designed controller unit.

Estimation of running resistance of electric trains based on on-board telematics system

Advances in railway telematics and the large amount of data obtained from train services enable the development of methods that are capable of further improving energy efficiency through the evaluation, control or prediction of energy utilisation of the railways. The paper proposes a method for determining the longitudinal running resistance of electric trains based on the measurements of on-board telemetric units of the locomotives. The purpose of the algorithm is to resolve the parameters of the commonly used polynomial resistance formula for specific locomotive and rolling stock types. In contrast with the classic measurements, such as tractive effort, dynamometer or drawbar and the coasting methods, the algorithm uses data from actual train runs, hence there is no need for closed test tracks or special measurement scenarios, although, naturally, the measurement conditions, such as track inclinations and rolling stock loads, must be known.

Design of wireless gateway between on-board vehicle wired networks and mobile devices

The paper proposes a novel system architecture with a communication mechanism to provide the driver with information about the vehicle conditions on a mobile device such as a mobile phone. The system uses a cost efficient and reliable connection between LIN/CAN networks and the mobile phone. A prototype of the system has been developed and tested with a LIN-based sensor of a vehicle and a smartphone platform. The operation of the system is also demonstrated in the paper.