1. Automated Truck Driving Exploring the Benefits and Limits
Presented to AASHTO Subcommittee on Highway Transport
Wilmington, North Carolina
John Woodrooffe
July 10, 2013

2. Automated Driving Technologies that perform the driving task
Various degrees of automated driving (partial to full)
Requires the integration of several technical systems
Trucking has unique requirements that will likely limit the extent of automated driving

3. Connected Transportation

4. Vehicle Safety Communications
Work Zone
Notification
Greater situational awareness
Your vehicle can “see” nearby vehicles and knows roadway conditions you can’t see
Reduce or mitigate crashes
Driver Advisories
Driver Warnings
Intersection Collision Avoidance

5. Model Deployment CV Participation Summary
3 Integrated CVs – driven by participating fleets
16 - Retrofit Safety Device (RSD) on existing fleet vehicles
50 - CVs with Vehicle Awareness Devices providing basic functionality (Various trucks)

6. On Board Vehicle Technologies
Lane Departure Warning Systems 1
Roll Stability Systems and Electronic Stability Systems 2 4 1
F-CAM: Forward Collision Warning Systems with Autonomous Braking 3 2 3
Vehicle diagnostic and location systems 4

7. Evaluating ESC Road curved Dry surface Cargo: loaded
3-axle tractor pulling bottom dump.
14,000 kg cargo (dirt)
28,000 kg gross weight
Est. 65 km/h

8. Schematic Trajectory of Maneuver (Transient to Constant Curve)
Spiral transition rate of 1.3 m/s3 is based on the AASHTO prescribed curve entry geometry corresponding to a steady-state lateral acceleration of 1.5 m/s2.

9. Hardware in the loop Simulation
TruckSim offers Real-time Simulation in Combination with SIMULINK and the TruckSim Animator

10. Hardware in-the-Loop Hardware Modeled a 5-axle tractor semitrailer
Uses all pneumatic and electronic control elements
The entire pneumatic system was include: air reservoirs, treadle valve, ABS hardware, brake actuation chambers
Appropriate fittings and proper length tubing and hose was used
The brake chambers were installed on real S-cam brakes such that they have appropriate pressure/deflection properties.

11. ESC Preventing Rollovers

12. Vehicle speed time history for ABS, RSC and ESC technologies

13. Fitting ESC to all tractor semitrailers
Estimated ESC benefits (annual)
4,659 crashes
126 fatalities
5,909 injuries
Total benefit about $2 billion/yr

14. Commercial Vehicle Forward Collision Avoidance and Mitigation Systems (F-CAM) Intervention Sequence
Object tracked
Collision warning: Visual and Audible
Collision warning: Haptical (short brake pulse)
Automatic braking for collision prevention or mitigation
Avoidance maneuver not possible
time t2 t3 t4
Engine Torque Limitation
Brake Activation
Potential rear end collision detected
Hard braking required to prevent collision t1
Warning Tone and Lamp
System Reactions
Crash prevented or mitigated

15. Target Crash Types Crash types selected as relevant to the technology
Rear-end, striking
Current generation:
Lead vehicle stopped at impact, but seen moving
Lead vehicle slower, steady speed
Lead vehicle decelerating
Lead vehicle cut-in
Next generation:
Lead vehicle stopped, never seen moving

16. Frontal Impacts Rear-end, into stopped van trailer.
Cargo body floor of van rides over front bumper.
Underride to firewall.
Engine ripped from mounts and pushed down, under occupant compartment.

17. F-CAM Benefits

18. Technically Possible ≠ Public Acceptance

19. Even I can work this one

23. Considerations for Integration
Large trucks exist to do work and to do it efficiently. Their worth and function are tied directly to work performance in exchange for money. Trucks are incentivized to be at work constantly – they are a tool of the economy.
Trucks are driven by professional drivers paid to drive and they are highly skilled.
We have everything to gain by keeping the driver engaged – humans are very good vehicle operators.

24. Considerations for Integration
On board technology is dedicated to the single vehicle and provides driver warning and vehicle state corrections.
V2V describes vehicle position, direction and speed at the traffic stream level – provides external conflict input.

25. Considerations for Integration
Combining V2V with crash avoidance technology integrates traffic stream data with vehicle-based monitoring and control systems – highly desirable.
Drivers are accident fee 99.99% of the time – better than most “Intelligent Systems”.
We have everything to gain by providing information and corrective actions to reduce human error.

26. Replacing the Driver Invites Unintended Consequences

27. Considerations for Integration
But we lose so much safety value by replacing the human - think system reliability, cost and unintended consequences.
The goal for commercial vehicles - maximize the power of the human through the use of supporting technologies that warn and intervene at critical moments while retaining the driver as the primary vehicle controller.

28. Automated Driving Levels (Trucks)
No automation
Level 1
Adaptive cruise control, auto windshield wipers, automatic lights, anything that supports the driver (e.g. ESC, V2V)
Level 2
Hands off and feet off but eyes on. Driver is responsible
Level 3
Hands off feet off eyes off – shared dual control but vehicle is responsible
Level 4
Complete machine control – Driver has no responsibility at all
Allow some flexibility of automation for situations where the technology may help driver “full time” such as platooning, or low speed control (traffic jam assist/pilot, automatic docking, etc).

29. Thank You! jhfw@umich.edu