Bumper-To-Bumper Traffic - Fast And Safe

Safety zone: investigations by engineers at Manchester University, UK, into an extendable car bumper could help accelerate the arrival of computer-controlled motorways. Dr Gonzalez-Villasenor (pictured) is co-author of an award-winning paper presented at the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress.

THERE is an imaginative TV advert where scores of vehicles speed across a busy crossroads all at the same time, with drivers hardly paying attention because their vehicles are being protected by an advance computer system. Of course, this is supposed to be just an eye-catching fantasy promoting forward thinking by a software firm. Or is it?

Perhaps it is not all wishful thinking. Investigations by engineers at the University of Manchester, England, into an extendable car bumper could help to accelerate the arrival of computer-controlled motorways.

A paper presented recently at the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress & Exhibition offers a glimpse of how a high-tech, environmentally friendly and efficient motorway network could operate safely in the future.

The authors, from Manchester’s School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, were awarded the accolade of Best Scientific Paper at the meeting of 3,000 key decision makers and technical experts from across the globe.

Automated highway systems (AHS) and cooperative vehicle highway systems (CVHS) have been under development for many decades. The vision is that vehicles would not be independently driven, but regulated and controlled via information beamed from transmitters at the side of the road. Cars would also communicate and cooperate with the vehicles around them to ensure a safe and fast journey for everyone.

With the use of motorway space in the United Kingdom estimated to be as little as five per cent, the grouping or “platooning” of cars is seen as one way to increase capacity and reduce congestion. Because computer-controlled vehicles would be able to travel much closer together, it would mean less fuel consumption because of a reduction in aerodynamic drag.

In their prize-winning paper, the Manchester University academics note that concerns over legal and liability issues, in the event of failure, seem to have held back development.

The system proposed by the team would use a “bridging damper” in the event of a signal failure. This would be an intelligent bumper that would extend to touch the car in front, should the main communication system break down.

Computer simulations have indicated that a group of at least 20 cars could continue to travel safely and smoothly in the event of a main system failure, by detecting the status of the car immediately in front through their extended bumpers. Information on the other cars in the group would not be necessary.

The authors of the paper have investigated the use of a system that would see bumpers adjust to compensate for varying road conditions such as uphill and downhill stretches.

Although much of the research has been conducted using computer simulations, the research team has developed a small, simplified pneumatic version of the damper device for further investigation.

Dr Renfrew, one of the paper’s authors, said: “With so much intelligence going into the creation of cooperative vehicle highway systems, the consequences of a system failure are potentially quite severe – although the overall benefits, including the potential for greater safety, are considerable.

“Our paper explores ideas about how this type of transport system might continue to operate safely if the main communication system broke down. A vast amount of further research is needed to explore the viability of the proposed system. But we do hope that by tackling the issue of safety and presenting our ideas for discussion and further investigation, intelligent transport systems may arrive just a little bit quicker.”

The Manchester University paper also proposes that the bridging damper could be used on guided bus and guided taxi systems. But it notes that further research is needed into the technological, social, policy, psychological and economic aspects of “contact convoy” systems.

Martin Davey, chair of the judging panel at the conference and project director of transport For London’s Technical Services Group, said: “Dr Renfrew’s paper offers a glimpse of how one form of transport system might operate safely in the future.”

The authors received an attractive glass trophy and 500 pounds that were given to Aurelio Gonzalez-Villasenor who carried out most of the research for the paper for his doctorate thesis. Having graduated in May 2006, Dr Gonzalez-Villasenor is now working as a research associate in the Power Conversion Group in the university’s School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering.

The English strategic road network is valued at 72 billion pounds and comprises 7,755km (4,800 miles) of trunk roads including motorways. Carrying a third of all road traffic in England and two thirds of all heavy freight traffic, with more that 170 billion vehicle kilometres of journeys undertaken each year, it provides a vital service to commerce and industry and has a major impact on the lives of individuals and communities.

By far the greatest proportion of freight, about 80 per cent, is carried by road. The attraction is flexibility - goods are delivered direct either to the store or to the factory, allowing firms to manage inventories with great accuracy.

With the average length of hauls being about 87km (54 miles), deliveries can often be guaranteed the same day or overnight. In 2004, UK-registered heavy goods vehicles lifted 1,744 million tonnes of goods. There are at least 30,000 road haulage operators, from owner-drivers to large operators.

If this advanced traffic control system becomes a reality, these already impressive statistics will no doubt be greatly improved.

改变交通拥堵的现状、实现机动车辆快速安全地畅行

安全地带：英国曼彻斯特大学的工程师们对一种可伸展的汽车保险杠进行了研究，这项研究有利于加速高速公路计算机控制时代的到来。Gonzalez-Villasenor （如图示）是在智能交通系统世界大会上获取论文奖的作者之一。

 
有这样一个虚构的电视广告：在一个繁忙的十字路口，机动车一辆接着一辆在同一时间飞驰而过，而车里的司机却没有引起丝毫的恐慌，因为他们的车子已经受到一套先进的计算机系统的保护。当然，人们会认为这样的广告只是某一个软件公司用来吸引人眼球的虚假宣传片。事实果真是这样吗？

也许，这并不完全是匪夷所思。英格兰曼彻斯特大学的工程师们对强韧性汽车保险杠的研究，也许有助于加速高速公路实行计算机管制时代的到来。

在最近举办的“智能交通系统世界大会和设施展览会”上公布的一篇论文，简明地阐述了一套高科技、高效能、环境友好的网络系统如何在未来实现高速公路管制的安全化。

参加“智能交通系统世界大会和设施展览会”的有来自全球各地共计3，000名高级决策者和技术专家。大会授予作者——来自曼彻斯特大学电力电机工程学院——作品“最优科学著作”的称号。

人们致力于开发自动高速公路系统以及车辆——道路自动化协作系统已经有几十年了，普遍形成的观点就是，尽管不能任凭机动车辆无规章的自由上路，但是却可以通过路边安装定向的信息传输装置对其进行调控与管制。这样，汽车便可以与周围的车辆进行信息传输与互通，以保证人人都能享受到安全快捷的行程。

据估计，英国高速公路的可应用空间已经降至5％，汽车“长龙”似乎只有一条“出路”，那就是高效地利用剩余有限空间，减少交通拥堵。而微机控制的机动车辆将使车辆之间的安全距离大幅度缩小，同时，气动阻力的减小，耗油量也会相应减少。

在这篇获奖论文中，曼彻斯特大学的学者着重指出了这一计划所承担的法律风险，一旦结果失败，将严重阻碍研究的进展。

研究小组建议在这个系统中使用一种“跨连保险杠”，以备信号失灵的不时之需。这将是一个智能保险杠，能伸展，触碰前面的车辆，是信息交换系统的中心，及时对车辆进行控制。

根据计算机模拟的结果，在中心控制系统失灵的情况下，通过车辆上的可伸展保险杠迅速探测前面一部车辆的情况，便可使至少由20部汽车组成的车队安全无阻地畅行。而同一组的其他车辆就没有必要获取对应的信息了。

这篇论文的作者研究了这一系统的运用范畴，他们认为，保险杠是用来为各种复杂的道路状况如上坡路段和下坡路段来提供安全保障的。

尽管大多数研究是通过计算机模拟来完成的，但是该研究小组还是制作了一个小巧简单的保险杠装置模型，以便于进行更加深入的研究。

撰写该论文的其中一位作者说：“我们投入了大量的脑力劳动来创建车辆道路自动化协作系统，一旦研究失败，这其中潜在的巨大危害性是难以想象的。尽管这一研究的成功会在使机动车的安全性能大大提高的同时，也会带来非常可观的长远利益。在论文中，我们深入分析了关于如何在中心通讯系统出现故障的情况下，利用新型交通系统使车辆继续安全前行。对此，我们还需要进行大量的深入研究，对这一计划的现实可行性进行考量。但是，我们衷心希望，通过克服系统安全问题，通过对我们的这一提议进行更为广泛而深入的探讨，实现智能交通系统将会指日可待。”

曼彻斯特大学的论文中还提到，跨连保险杠还可以运用于公交导航系统和出租车导航系统中。同时，该论文还指出，这样的研究还应该深入到科技、社会、政治、心理学和经济等“接触护卫”系统领域。

大会评审团主席兼伦敦交通技术服务中心的项目总监Martin Davey表示：“Renfrew博士的论文使我们对未来一种操作更为安全的交通系统有了一定的了解。”

参与论文编写的作者赢得了一块漂亮的玻璃奖牌。另外 ，还有500英镑的酬劳被奖励给了Aurelio Gonzalez-Villasenor，他为撰写这篇博士论文进行过大量的研究。2006年5月从曼彻斯特大学毕业之后至今，Gonzalez-Villasenor博士一直就职于母校电力电机工程学院电源转换部担当科研助手。

英国战略性的公路网络计划投资720亿英镑，由包括汽车高速公路在内的长达7,755公里（合4,800英里）的主干道构成。该网络承担了全英格兰三分之一的公路交通及三分之二的重型货运交通。机动车辆的行车公里数每年超过1,700亿公里。公路系统为工商业领域作出了重大的贡献，极大地改变了个人及社区的生活。

目前，货运的主要渠道是公路，公里货运的比例高达80％。公路运输的优势就在于其更具有灵活性：产品被直接运送到商店或工厂，方便供货公司精确地清点货物数量。

如果货物每吨的平均运程按87公里（合54英里）计算，货物可以被保证在同一天或头天晚上准时交付。2004年，英国挂牌重型运货机动车辆的运载量达17.44亿吨，至少经手30,000名从司机到大型操作设备的道路“运搬员”。

一旦这样一种高级交通控制系统可以实现，那么上述一连串生动的统计数字将无疑发生很大的变化。

滴答网在此感谢英国驻广州总领事馆提供稿件