I-Corps: Hard platooning device to improve the safety of autonomous vehicles

I-Corps：提高自动驾驶汽车安全性的硬编队装置

• 批准号: 2302177
• 负责人: Swaminathan Gopalswamy
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-02-15 至 2024-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2302177&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; Hard; platooning; device; improve

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of automated transportation solutions that circumvent the typical issues of autonomy. In the proposed technology, a lead vehicle is operated by a human, and automated followers are physically tethered with the smart hard connect device. The proposed device simultaneously generates and transmits vehicle to vehicle information over a secure high-bandwidth wired connection. The transit bus and trucking industries, as well as the United States military, have the potential to benefit. Given the routine proximity to pedestrians and bicyclists, transit agencies have a unique requirement for safety and reliability. These stringent requirements prevent the widespread adoption of the traditional, untethered, fully autonomous transit vehicles. However, these requirements may be readily met by the proposed technology. In the trucking and logistics industries, massive labor shortages can be filled and the productivity of fleet operators increased, without any compromise on safety and reliability. Likewise, the United States military Leader-Follower operations, which uses traditional platooning, may be improved. This I-Corps project is based on the development of an automated vehicle following technology where the vehicles are physically connected. Autonomous vehicles have the potential to provide significant improvements in transportation safety, equity, efficiency, and environmental sustainability; however, widespread adoption has been plagued by safety and reliability questions related to unforeseen edge cases, inclement weather, and cybersecurity. In the proposed technology, a lead vehicle is operated by a human, and automated followers are physically tethered with the smart hard connect device. The proposed device simultaneously generates and transmits vehicle to vehicle information over a secure high-bandwidth wired connection. Thus, whichever path one vehicle can traverse, the entire platoon can traverse. Because the followers pull their own weight, the driver feels as if they are only operating one vehicle. The resultant knowledge advancement will not only support the proposed technology development, but also has the potential to answer fundamental questions in control theory, information theory, materials, and safety.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发自动化运输解决方案，以绕过典型的自治问题。在拟议的技术中，领头车辆由人操作，自动跟随者物理上与智能硬连接设备捆绑在一起。所提出的设备同时生成并通过安全的高带宽有线连接传输车辆之间的信息。公交和卡车运输行业，以及美国军方，都有可能从中受益。考虑到经常靠近行人和骑自行车的人，公交机构对安全和可靠性有独特的要求。这些严格的要求阻碍了传统的、不受限制的、完全自动的交通工具的广泛采用。然而，提议的技术可能很容易满足这些要求。在卡车运输和物流行业，可以填补大量劳动力短缺，提高车队运营商的生产率，而不会在安全和可靠性方面做出任何妥协。同样，使用传统排队的美国军方领导人追随者行动可能会得到改进。这个i-Corps项目是基于开发一种自动车辆跟踪技术，其中车辆是物理连接的。自动驾驶汽车有可能在运输安全、公平、效率和环境可持续性方面提供显著改善；然而，与不可预见的边缘情况、恶劣天气和网络安全有关的安全和可靠性问题一直困扰着自动驾驶汽车的广泛采用。在拟议的技术中，领头车辆由人操作，自动跟随者物理上与智能硬连接设备捆绑在一起。所提出的设备同时生成并通过安全的高带宽有线连接传输车辆之间的信息。因此，无论一辆车可以穿越哪条道路，整个排都可以穿越。因为追随者各司其职，司机感觉就像他们只在操作一辆车。由此产生的知识进步不仅将支持拟议的技术开发，还有可能回答控制理论、信息理论、材料和安全方面的基本问题。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。