A study of roadside passive reflectors for improvement in the radar reliability on curves and at intersections

Abstract

The use of radar in automotive applications such as adaptive cruise control is limited to detecting target vehicles directly in front of the host vehicle. Vehicles around a curve on a highway and cross-traffic vehicles at an intersection cannot be detected by current radar systems. This is primarily due to the limited beam width angle of the radar. This paper examines and evaluates the novel concept of using passive roadside reflectors (PRRs) to increase the utility of the radar system. PRRs on the shoulder and the median of a road are designed which would enable the radar system to pick up cross traffic at highway intersections. Both simulations and experiments demonstrate that this concept could be effectively used for cross-traffic distance measurement. A limitation of this technology is that cross traffic cannot be detected when the radar-equipped vehicle is close to the intersection, owing to the lateral offset of the radar from the location of the PRR. However, the system is still valuable for providing future warning of cross traffic at rural intersections. A number of options are explored for the use of PRRs to improve radar measurements on highway curves. These include the use of tangential flat-plate reflectors, skewed flat-plate reflectors, and convex reflectors. Algorithms for distance measurement with each of these options are derived and evaluated through simulations. The use of skewed flat-plate reflectors is also evaluated experimentally and found to work effectively. The effective range of the radar on highway curves could be doubled by the use of the developed system.

Prediction and evaluation of fatigue life for mechanical components considering anelasticity‐based load spectrum

“…3 The reliability research of automobiles is an important area of automotive engineering. 4,5 At present, many domestic auto parts manufacturers analysed the weak parts of components and carried out a large number of fatigue reliability tests on the products, thereby improving the design and achieving good results. 6 The correct estimation of the fatigue strength of components is the basis for the design of many parts.…”

“…The impact of these loads causes damage to the mechanical component, further fatigue failure of the stabilizer bar or sleeve wear, thus affecting the whole lifetime of the vehicle 3 . The reliability research of automobiles is an important area of automotive engineering 4,5 . At present, many domestic auto parts manufacturers analysed the weak parts of components and carried out a large number of fatigue reliability tests on the products, thereby improving the design and achieving good results 6 .…”

Load spectrum for automotive wheels hub based on mixed probability distribution model

“…The reliability research of automobiles is an important part of automotive engineering. [1][2][3] To estimate the fatigue life of auto parts, we need to collect road load data. Generally, the load spectrum is obtained through real vehicle road tests, indoor bench tests, and computer simulation techniques.…”

Implementation of a fuzzy-inference-based, low-speed, close-range collision-warning system for urban areas

“…3,4 It includes adaptive cruise control (ACC), which can reduce speed and warn the driver of potential crashes, and the lane-departure warning system (LDWS), which prevents the car from drifting across lanes by warning the driver. 5,6 In addition, blind spot detection (BSD) and the rear detection system (RDS) provide information on activity in blind spots and to the rear of the vehicle, respectively. The ADAS detects conditions around the vehicle in realtime using visual and distance sensors such as vision and radar sensors, and helps to prevent traffic accidents by alerting the driver and controlling some vehicle functions.…”