Most traffic accidents in Japan are caused by a lack of attention by drivers.One of the main factors contributing to this is "driving fatigue".Previous research based on electromyographic evaluations has indicated that the optimal driving methods for reducing the upper limb load on drivers are an "underside" grip position and the "push-pull" steering operation technique.This previous research developed the systems that estimate the upper limb load during car driving.However, the systems developed only estimate the upper limb load based on a driving route assumed before driving a car: the problem being that actual driving operation is not considered.Therefore, we previously proposed a method for discriminating the grip position when steering on a straight road to estimate the upper limb load based on steering wheel operation during actual driving.This study now proposes a method for discriminating the modes of steering operation during turns to the right and left.First, we conduct an experiment with a motion sensor and a simple driving simulator to detect the two modes of steering-wheel operation (hand-over-hand steering and push-pull steering) on turning a corner.The 10 subjects (5 males and 5 females) perform the steering operation for each mode according to driving videos.It is found that the modes of steering operation can be discriminated because there are differences in the measurement results of the motion sensor for the two modes Second, using the experimental results, the method of steering operation is discriminated through machine learning with a support vector machine (SVM), supplying the SVM with the average value, standard deviation, maximum value, and minimum value of the measurements taken during steering operation.The discrimination accuracy rate of the test data is found by 5-fold cross-validation to be 97.5%.
The automatic parameter identification method proposed by Doya et al. (1994) of the Hodgkin-Huxley-type equations (1952) is investigated in detail. The Hodgkin-Huxley-type equations describe membrane currents and conduction and excitation in nerves. An improved estimation method is proposed and it is shown that our method resolves the difficulties in estimating parameters of such equations with complicated membrane potential waveforms such as a chaotic bursting and also much improves the parameter estimation (learning) speed.
Using Bonhoeffer-van der Pol (BVP) equation extended to three variables, it is shown that this single neuron model can produce an extraordinarily slow oscillation through a Hopf bifurcation. The generation mechanism of such neuronal rhythm is analyzed from a viewpoint of a bifurcation theory.
This paper discusses an autonomous distributed control system to overcome the deficiencies in robustness against failures, flexibility, and set-up speed of conventional centralized control systems. In order to realize the autonomous distributed control for intelligent manufacturing systems, we propose a model and a method to realize this model. The model consists of numerous autonomous agents and a field where these agents can exchange information for cooperation. Also, we discuss the importance of the protocol needed for cooperation of the individual agents. The autonomous distributed control system model was used in the study of an automated guided vehicle (AGV) system. Here, numerical simulations using Petri net model were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of our model.< >
Air conditioning system, which is required to achieve both maintenance of energy conservation and proper room environment, can be regarded as heat supply and distribution system. There, requirements for saving energy and maintaining proper room environment coexist. Under energy saving environment, the total heat resource amount available for air conditioning is limited. In this paper, for the air conditioning system that uses the centralized thermal source, algorithm for relocating heat resource to the rooms in higher demand is proposed. Through the virtual heat resource storage, the algorithm saves heat resource when demand is low and consumes when demand is high. It achieves peak-shift of energy consumption as well as peak-cut. Effectiveness of the air conditioning operation plan using the algorithm is confirmed by simulation. In comparison with conventional method, heat resource consumption is reduced from 14.3 percent to 24.7 percent, while raise of averaged room temperature is within 0.195 degree Celsius.
The surfaces of dropwise condensation coated with noble metals are more expensive than those coated with polymers. In this paper we proposed the use of polyvinylidene chloride coatings as the promoter and investigated the effect of the thickness of the coatings to promote dropwise condensation of steam. Four kinds of thicknesses, 0.05μm, 0.10μm, 0.25μm and 0.50μm were examined. The surface was heat-set for 83 hours after each coating. Then each surface was evaluated for its ability to promote and sustain dropwise condensation of steam. The 0.05μm coating showed dropwise condensation as high performance of heat transfer as gold or oleic acid promoter surface. All thicknesses of film showed no signs of deterioration of promotion, for example the coating did not peel or crack even after heat transfer tests of transition of dropwise-filmwise-glacial condensation. The 10μm thickness of film was visually evaluated in its ability to promote and sustain dropwise condensation of steam for a long term. While exposed to steam at atmospheric pressure, good appearence of dropwise condensation was observed over a priod of 8076 hours.
A stronger necessary and sufficient condition for a net to be a state machine allocatable (SMA) net is derived, and a modified condition that can be verified in polynomial time and space is obtained. A complete structural characterization of SMA nets that can be used to design a live and safe free choice system by strongly connected state machine (SCSM) composition techniques is obtained. Dynamical properties of LSFC nets, especially the reachability of LSFC nets, can also be analyzed by using the structural properties of SMA nets obtained here.< >
