Stereoscopic Camera-Sensor Model for the Development of Highly Automated Driving Functions within a Virtual Test Environment

The need for efficient and reproducible development processes for sensor and perception systems is growing with their increased use in modern vehicles. Such processes can be achieved by using virtual test environments and virtual sensor models. In the context of this, the present paper documents the development of a sensor model for depth estimation of virtual three-dimensional scenarios. For this purpose, the geometric and algorithmic principles of stereoscopic camera systems are recreated in a virtual form. The model is implemented as a subroutine in the Epic Games Unreal Engine, which is one of the most common Game Engines. Its architecture consists of several independent procedures that enable a local depth estimation, but also a reconstruction of a whole three-dimensional scenery. In addition, a separate programme for calibrating the model is presented. In addition to the basic principles, the architecture and the implementation, this work also documents the evaluation of the model created. It is shown that the model meets specifically defined requirements for real-time capability and the accuracy of the evaluation. Thus, it is suitable for the virtual testing of common algorithms and highly automated driving functions.

Inertia Matching During Dynamic Simulation of Vehicle Drive System on Test Bench

Framework and basic parameters of a test bench for motor drive system of electric vehicle (EV) are illuminated. Two kinds of electric drive models, one was for the electric vehicle drived on real road, the other was for that on test bench, are put forward. Then, dynamic analysis of these models is made in detail. Inertia matching method of the test bench is researched and some useful formulas and graphs are brought forward. The experiment of an electric bus is introduced in order to explain the usage of this inertia matching method.

Realization of Reconfigurable Virtual Environments for Virtual Testing

This paper presents the design and implementation of reconfigurable virtual environments (VEs) for virtual testing. It proposes a hybrid design approach that is derived from a so-called integration and composition of the reconfiguration strategy. The designing process has thus evolved from binding virtual objects using reconfiguration rules within the context of virtual testing scenarios. Therefore reconfigurable virtual environments are established with improved flexibility and scalability, tailored to a wide range of virtual testing applications. Those virtual environments integrate virtual testing scenarios, data acquisition, databases, rule mapping and application interfaces, which yield modular testing functions and an open-ended system architecture with a set of extensible interface tools to realize data exchange within reconfigurable VEs. This enables virtual testing scenarios to be reconfigured interactively based on real time data and communication between virtual environments and real environments. A virtual testing application has been implemented using reconfigurable VEs. Keywords Virtual environment - virtual testing - reconfigurable virtual reality Wenyan Wu graduated from Dalian University of Technology, China, with BSc and MSc in 1988 and 1991 respectively. She earned her PhD degree from University of Derby, UK, in 2002. She had taught and researched in Harbin Institute of Technology, China and De Montfort University, UK. She is currently a senior lecturer in simulation and virtual reality at Staffordshire University, UK. Her research interests include computer graphics, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality system, advanced interface, modelling and simulation, distribution system.Zhengxu Zhao BSc, MSc, PhD, CEng, CITP, MBCS, full Professor in Applied Computing, Director of Virtual Reality Centre. He is also a Cheng Kong Scholar Project Professor in Virtual Reality Technology and Director of Virtual Reality Research Centre at the Southeast University, P R China. Professor Zhao’s research interests include computing graphics and VR systems, industrial process simulation, CIM and manufacturing management systems.

Changes in coronary bifurcations after stent placement in the main vessel and balloon opening of stent cells:theory and practical verification on a bench-test model

Objective To describe changes that occur in stent morphology and structure after its implantation in coronary bifurcation.Side branch (SB) compromise after stenting of main vessel in coronary bifurcation is a major intraprocedural problem and for the long term,as a place of restenosis.Methods We created an elastic wall model (parent vessel diameter 3.5mm,daughter branches 3.5mm and 2.75mm)with 30,45 and 60 degree distal angulation between branches.After stent implantation,struts to the side branch were opened with 2.0mm and consequently 3.0mm diameter balloons.Subsequent balloon redilatations and kissing balloon inflations (KBI) were performed.All stages of the procedure were photographed with magnification up to 100 times.Results We found that the leading mechanism for side branch compromise was carina displacement,and discovered theoretical description for expected ostial stenosis severity.Based on our model we found that displacement of bifurcation flow divider cause SB stenosis with almost perfect coincidence with our theoretical predictions.Opening of stent cells through the proximal and distal stent struts always increased interslrut distance,but never achieved good apposition to the wall.Balloon diameter increase didn't give proportional enlargement in stent cell diameters.KBI leads to some small better stent positioning,correcting main vessel strut dislodgment from wall,but never gave full strut-wall contact.Distance between struts and wall was minimal only when the stent cell perfectly faced ostium of SB.This was also our observation that the shape of ostium of SB becomed eUiptically-bean shaped after stent implantation and generally kept that shape during consequent stages of experiment.Measured diameter and area stenosis were perfectly fitted and theoretically predicted from our concept Conclusion We have described stent-wall deformations in stent-balloon technique for treatment of coronary bifurcation demonstrating carina displacement as possibly main mechanism of side branch compromise after main vessel stenting.We have shown that KBI could not give full strut-wall contact if there is no perfect facing of stem cell and SB ostium.(J Geroatr Cardool 2008;5(1):43-49)

Electronic Unit Pump Test Bench Development and Pump Properties Research

A unit pump test bench is developed on an in-line pump test platform. The bench is composed of pump adapting assembly, fuel supply subsystem, lubricating subsystem and a control unit. A crank angle domain injection control method is given out and the control accuracy can be 0.1° crank degree. The bench can test both mechanical unit pump and electronic unit pump. A test model-PLD12 electronic unit pump is tested. Full pump delivery map and some influence factors test is done. Experimental results show that the injection quantity is linear with the delivery angle. The quantity change rate is 15% when fuel temperature increases 30 ℃. The delivery quantity per cycle increases 30 mg at 28 V drive voltage. The average delivery difference for two same type pumps is 5 %. Test results show that the bench can be used for unit pump verification.

Concurrent Validity of a Virtual Version of Box and Block Test for Patients with Neurological Disorders

Background: The Box and Block clinical test is a validated and standardized scale for use in the clinical environment that allows the assessment of rough manipulative dexterity. Proposing virtual methods to carry out these assessments is an attempt to eliminate some of the subjectivity that the test may entail depending on the observer and the way in which the patient gives instructions. Applied to the assessment of skills after neurological pathologies, previous experiences in stroke patients have been found. So, this work was centered on the Spinal Cord Injury. Objective: To present the virtual application of the Box and Block scale, as well as details about its design and development for its manipulation based on Leap Motion Controller. Methodology: The relationship between the results obtained in the actual test and in the virtual application in healthy subjects and, mostly, patients with cervical spinal cord injury is analyzed, obtaining a high correlation index between both tests’ performance. Results: A high correlation index was obtained between both tests performance, the real and virtual version of the Box and Block Test. Conclusion: This virtual test can serve as an element to evaluate in the future the effectiveness of the RehabHand prototype based on virtual reality applications with a therapeutic and a rehabilitative sense that, manipulated from Leap Motion Controller, allow the improvement of the manipulative dexterity in patients with neurological diseases such as spinal cord injury.

A virtual test of screening technology based on the AGEIA PhysX

The authors have created a virtual test of vibration particle-screening using Autodesk's 3ds Max software,the MAXScript scripting language and the AGEIA PhysX physics processing unit(PPU).The affect of various parameters on screening efficiency were modeled.The parameters included vibration amplitude,frequency and direction.The length and inclination of the vibrating surface were also varied.The virtual experiment is in basic agreement with results predicted from screening theory.This shows that the virtual screener can be used for preliminary investigations and the results used to evaluate screen design.In addition it can help with theoretical research.

A versatile test bench for photomultiplier tube characterization and its application in the DAMPE-PSD

Performance characterization for massive photomultiplier tubes(PMTs) is a frequently encountered procedure in large nuclear and particle experiments.To facilitate this work,a dedicated test bench system has been developed at the Institute of Modern Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences.The two-dimensional photocathode position scanning capability is an intrinsic function of the test bench,and up to 25 PMTs,with the diameter smaller than 2",can be tested simultaneously.The parameters of the light source pulses can be adjusted in a wide range,thus making it suitable for various characteristics measurements.The test bench system is highly automated with all the controlling operations integrated into a single software.Additionally,the hardware platform is extensible which allows complex testing schemes,and the modularity in the software design makes the migration from one testing configuration to another light-weight and efficient.All these features make the test bench versatile and reusable in different experiments.It has been first used in the construction of the Plastic Scintillator Detector(PSD) of DArk Matter Particle Explorer(DAMPE),and a total of 570 Hamamatsu R4443 tubes were tested successfully.The performance was verified and the testing results are also reported in this article.

A Method for Modeling the Virtual Instrument Automatic Test System Based on the Petri Net

Virtual instrument is playing the important role in automatic test system. This paper introduces a composition of a virtual instrument automatic test system and takes the VXIbus based a test software platform which is developed by CAT lab of the UESTC as an example. Then a method to model this system based on Petri net is proposed. Through this method, we can analyze the test task scheduling to prevent the deadlock or resources conflict. At last, this paper analyzes the feasibility of this method.

Microstructure modeling and virtual test of asphalt mixture based on three-dimensional discrete element method

The objective of this work is to model the microstructure of asphalt mixture and build virtual test for asphalt mixture by using Particle Flow Code in three dimensions(PFC^(3D))based on three-dimensional discrete element method.A randomly generating algorithm was proposed to capture the three-dimensional irregular shape of coarse aggregate.And then,modeling algorithm and method for graded aggregates were built.Based on the combination of modeling of coarse aggregates,asphalt mastic and air voids,three-dimensional virtual sample of asphalt mixture was modeled by using PFC^(3D).Virtual tests for penetration test of aggregate and uniaxial creep test of asphalt mixture were built and conducted by using PFC^(3D).By comparison of the testing results between virtual tests and actual laboratory tests,the validity of the microstructure modeling and virtual test built in this study was verified.Additionally,compared with laboratory test,the virtual test is easier to conduct and has less variability.It is proved that microstructure modeling and virtual test based on three-dimensional discrete element method is a promising way to conduct research of asphalt mixture.

Virtual test system for permanent-magnet DC motor

In order to obtain the primary parameters and operating characteristics of a DC motor without directly measuring its torque and rational speed, it is proposed to use a PC and a data acquisition card to acquire both the dynamic and static data of armature current to establish the performance of a DC permanent magnet motor. The accuracy and validity of this virtual test system proposed were verified by comparing the measurements made with the system proposed with the measurements made with conventional torque meters. It is concluded from the results of comparison that from the mathematic model established for the DC permant magnet motors, both major parameters and operating characteristics can be directly established for the DC motors without measuring their torques and rotational speed, a perfect on line measurement and test system has been established for the DC permanent magnet motors using the theory of virtual test system. The system proposed features shorter test time, higher efficiency and lower cost.

Modeling of Electromagnetic Wave Propagation and Its Applicationin Virtual Test

With the development of virtual test,the computation of the effect of different weather conditions on electromagnetic wave propagation is required in many simulation systems. Firstly,this paper presents a unique point of view for computing the electromagnetic wave attenuation ratio under different weather conditions by means of an independent electromagnetic wave propagation component that can be directly implemented in virtual test, and is easy to configure and easy to reuse. We present an analysis of the principles of electromagnetic wave propagation and the algorithms designed for realization of various propagation models within the electromagnetic wave propagation component. Secondly,this paper presents a use-case analysis and outlines the design of the component,verifies the developed models under various weather conditions,and obtains equivalent values as those obtained theoretically. Finally,we build a virtual test system,verify the system in different weather conditions,and again obtain equivalent values to those obtained theoretically. The algorithms in the electromagnetic wave propagation component are developed in the C language, which substantially improves the computational speed,and meets the real-time requirements of the virtual testing platform.

Laboratory Test Bench for Research Network and Cloud Computing

At present moment, there is a great interest in development of information systems operating in cloud infrastructures. Generally, many of tasks remain unresolved such as tasks of optimization of large databases in a hybrid cloud infrastructure, quality of service (QoS) at different levels of cloud services, dynamic control of distribution of cloud resources in application systems and many others. Research and development of new solutions can be limited in case of using emulators or international commercial cloud services, due to the closed architecture and limited opportunities for experimentation. Article provides answers to questions on the establishment of a pilot cloud practically “at home” with the ability to adjust the width of the emulation channel and delays in data transmission. It also describes architecture and configuration of the experimental setup. The proposed modular structure can be expanded by available computing power.

A virtual test and evaluation method for fully mechanized mining production system with diferent smart levels

A smart fully mechanized coal mining working face is comprised of various heterogeneous equipment that work together in unknown coal seam environments.The goal is to form a smart operational system with comprehensive perception,decisionmaking,and control.This involves many work points and complex coupling relationships,indicating it needs to be performed in stages and coordinated to address key problems in all directions and along multiple points.However,there are no existing unifed test or analysis tools.Therefore,this study proposed a virtual test and evaluation method for a fully mechanized mining production system with diferent smart levels.This is based on the concept of“real data processing–virtual scene construction–setting key information points–virtual operation and evaluation.”The actual operational data for a specifc working face geology and equipment were reasonably transformed into a visual virtual scene through a movement relationship model.The virtual operations and mining conditions of the working face were accurately reproduced.Based on the sensor and execution error analyses for diferent smart levels,the input interface for sensing,decision-making,and control was established for each piece of equipment,and an operation evaluation system was constructed.The system comprehensively simulates and tests the key points of sensing decision-making and control with various smart levels.The experimental results showed that the virtual scene constructed based on actual operational data has a high simulation degree.Users can simulate,analyze,and evaluate the overall operations of the smart mining 2.0–4.0 working face by inputting key information.The future direction for the smart development of fully mechanized mining is highlighted.

The engine performance LabVIEW virtual instrument test system design

This paper adopts American National Instruments (NI) Company’s LabVIEW and LabVIEW RT virtual instrument softwareplatform and lots of things for this engine performance LabVIEW virtual instrument test system, such as the matched NI PCI dataCollection Card, NI SCXI signal-adjusting instrument and NI compact FieldPoint (cFP) distributed I/O real time system hardware.This system has realized multi performances’parallel test; and it can complete load, torsional moment, rotate speed, power, pressureand temperature’s real time monitoring automatically according to user’s setting; and finally through TCP/IP protocol it realizes testdata’s teleshare and telecontrol that user put on the test system. This system has such character as short development period, highuse efficiency and low cost, at the same time it has strong extensibility and reusability, so it has very high applied cost.

Implementation of a Subjective Visual Vertical and Horizontal Testing System Using Virtual Reality

Subjective visual vertical(SVV)and subjective visual horizontal(SVH)tests can be used to evaluate the perception of verticality and horizontality,respectively,and can aid the diagnosis of otolith dysfunction in clinical practice.In this study,SVV and SVH screen version tests are implemented using virtual reality(VR)equipment;the proposed test method promotes a more immersive feeling for the subject while using a simple equipment configuration and possessing excellent mobility.To verify the performance of the proposed VR-based SVV and SVH tests,a reliable comparison was made between the traditional screen-based SVV and SVH tests and the proposed method,based on 30 healthy subjects.The average results of our experimental tests on the VR-based binocular SVV and SVH equipment were−0.15◦±1.74 and 0.60◦±1.18,respectively.The proposed VR-based method satisfies the normal tolerance for horizontal or vertical lines,i.e.,a±3◦error,as defined in previous studies,and it can be used to replace existing test methods.

Effectiveness of Virtual Reality for Pediatric Pain and Anxiety Management during Skin Prick Testing

This study investigated the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) distraction, compared to comic book distraction and no distraction, in reducing pain and anxiety during a medical procedure in a pediatric population: the skin prick test. Although this test has many advantages and is considered to be minimally invasive, it causes anxiety and painful discomfort in children. Ninety-two children aged 7 to 17 years consulting for an allergic test received VR distraction, comic book distraction, or no distraction. Outcome measures included pain score, level of anxiety, and VR measures. The results showed that there were no significant differences between the three groups regarding sex, age, and preprocedural anxiety level. In the distraction groups (VR and comic book), children reported significantly lower pain and procedural anxiety scores than children with no distraction;VR distraction had a more significant effect than comic book distraction. A decrease in anxiety before and during the skin prick test is significantly more significant in VR distraction. This study suggested the effectiveness and feasibility of VR to reduce pain and anxiety during the pediatric skin prick test.

Methodical Approach to Integrate Human Movement Diversity in Real-Time into a Virtual Test Field for Highly Automated Vehicle Systems

Recently, virtual realities and simulations play important roles in the development of automated driving functionalities. By an appropriate abstraction, they help to design, investigate and communicate real traffic scenario complexity. Especially, for edge cases investigations of interactions between vulnerable road users (VRU) and highly automated driving functions, valid virtual models are essential for the quality of results. The aim of this study is to measure, process and integrate real human movement behaviour into a virtual test environment for highly automated vehicle functionalities. The overall system consists of a georeferenced virtual city model and a vehicle dynamics model, including probabilistic sensor descriptions. By motion capture hardware, real humanoid behaviour is applied to a virtual human avatar in the test environment. Through retargeting methods, which enable the independency of avatar and person under test (PuT) dimensions, the virtual avatar diversity is increased. To verify the biomechanical behaviour of the virtual avatars, a qualitative study is performed, which funds on a representative movement sequence. The results confirm the functionality of the used methodology and enable PuT independence control of the virtual avatars in real-time.

Bench Test Modeling for Current and Future PCMO Fuel Economy Requirements

The automotive and lubricant industries have been placing increased emphasis on the fuel economy benefits of today′s modern passenger car motor oils.The current ILSAC GF-4 specification has more stringent requirements than previous ILSAC specifications,and the proposed future ILSAC GF-5 specification is looking at further improvements in the lubricant′s fuel economy performance.To address these needs,Afton Chemical has developed correlations between the rheological and frictional properties of oils and fuel economy measured in engine and field tests.In this paper we will present correlations between lubricants′ physical properties and fuel economy measured in vehicles and engine tests.These tools have been used to develop current commercial oils which are being used extensively to meet today′s OEM needs.