Vehicle ownership and utilization have a profound influence on activity-travel patterns of individuals, vehicle emissions, fuel consumption, highway capacity, congestion and traffic safety. The influence could be further skewed by the diversity of the vehicle fleet. This thesis presents a detailed analysis of the 2001 National Household Travel Survey data to understand the vehicle ownership patterns, fleet mix, allocation and utilization in the context of household and person socio-demographic characteristics. Along with a rich descriptive analysis, models of vehicle ownership and utilization are estimated to distinguish four vehicle types; cars, SUVs (sport utility vehicles), vans and pickup trucks based on their ownership by households and utilization patterns by household members. The primary driver level vehicle utilization analysis provides insights into the extent of allocation of a vehicle to a single person. In addition to confirming many perceptions about the ownership, acquisition and utilization patterns of different types of vehicles, this analysis brings out some subtle differences and similarities among the vehicle types. The analysis results indicate a greater propensity to acquire and use larger vehicles such as minivans, sports utility vehicles and pickup trucks among certain socio-demographic segments of population. Increased ownership and use of vans and SUVs, and their usage as personal vehicles rather than just work vehicles warrants a need to revise vehicle type specific policies, transportation planning and control measures.

Le processus de diffusion ``CARS'' (Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering) est une technique de spectroscopie qui donne accès à une information sur les modes vibrationnels intramoléculaires de l'échantillon étudié. L'introduction de ce processus de diffusion en microscopie a été pour la première fois proposée en 1982. Elle a été par la suite mise en œuvre dans une configuration colinéaire en 1999. La génération du signal en microscopie CARS a dès lors été étudiée sur des exemples simples. Dans ce mémoire de thèse, nous étendons l'analyse du signal en microscopie CARS en utilisant un formalisme purement vectoriel. En particulier, nous introduisons dans cette étude le coefficient de dépolarisation Raman du mode vibrationnel étudié et analysons son influence sur les diagrammes de rayonnement en champ lointain du signal CARS. Dans une seconde partie, nous nous intéressons à la génération du signal CARS au voisinage d'interfaces transverses et axiales. D'une part, nous présentons une méthode très simple pour obtenir des spectres CARS affranchis de tout fond non-résonant (c'est-à-dire similaires à des spectres Raman purs) au voisinage d'interfaces transverses, en utilisant une excitation conventionnelle. D'autre part, nous présentons une étude expérimentale et théorique de la modification du contraste d'une interface axiale en fonction du désaccord spectral des lasers d'excitation autour d'une résonance vibrationnelle. Ces effets sont intrinsèquement liés à la nature à la fois cohérente et résonante du processus de diffusion CARS. Enfin, dans le but de d'augmenter la sensibilité de la microscopie CARS, nous proposons de générer le signal CARS au voisinage d'une structure résonante. A cet effet, nous menons des études théorique et expérimentale de la génération du signal CARS dans une cavité Fabry-Perot. Nous démontrons des effets intéressants pour des applications en microscopie CARS, qui incluent une exaltation du signal, une augmentation de sa directivité ainsi qu'une symétrisation des signaux générés en avant et en arrière de l'objet émetteur. Cette dernière étude illustre l'influence de l'environnement électromagnétique sur la génération de lumière.

The present thesis introduces an iterative expert-based Bayesian approach for assessing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the 2030 German new vehicle fleet and quantifying the impacts of their main drivers. A first set of expert interviews has been carried out in order to identify technologies which may help to lower car GHG emissions and to quantify their emission reduction potentials. Moreover, experts were asked for their probability assessments that the different technologies will be widely adopted, as well as for important prerequisites that could foster or hamper their adoption. Drawing on the results of these expert interviews, a Bayesian Belief Network has been built which explicitly models three vehicle types: Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (which include mild and full Hybrid Electric Vehicles), Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles, and Battery Electric Vehicles. The conditional dependencies of twelve central variables within the BBN - battery energy, fuel and electricity consumption, relative costs, and sales shares of the vehicle types - have been quantified by experts from German car manufacturers in a second series of interviews. For each of the seven second-round interviews, an expert's individually specified BBN results. The BBN have been run for different hypothetical 2030 scenarios which differ, e.g., in regard to battery development, regulation, and fuel and electricity GHG intensities. The present thesis delivers results both in regard to the subject of the investigation and in regard to its method. On the subject level, it has been found that the different experts expect 2030 German new car fleet emission to be at 50 to 65% of 2008 new fleet emissions under the baseline scenario. They can be further reduced to 40 to 50% of the emissions of the 2008 fleet though a combination of a higher share of renewables in the electricity mix, a larger share of biofuels in the fuel mix, and a stricter regulation of car CO$_2$ emissions in the European Union. Technically, 2030 German new car fleet GHG emissions can be reduced to a minimum of 18 to 44% of 2008 emissions, a development which can not be triggered by any combination of measures modeled in the BBN alone but needs further commitment. Out of a wealth of existing BBN, few have been specified by individual experts through elicitation, and to my knowledge, none of them has been employed for analyzing perspectives for the future. On the level of methods, this work shows that expert-based BBN are a valuable tool for making experts' expectations for the future explicit and amenable to the analysis of different hypothetical scenarios. BBN can also be employed for quantifying the impacts of main drivers. They have been demonstrated to be a valuable tool for iterative stakeholder-based science approaches. / Die vorliegende Arbeit verfolgt zwei Forschungsziele - ein inhaltliches und ein methodisches. Auf der inhaltlichen Ebene wurde die Entwicklung der CO2-Emissionen der deutschen Neuwagenflotte bis 2030 untersucht. Es wurden verschiedene technische Möglichkeiten daraufhin überprüft, inwieweit sie zur Emissionsminderung beitragen können, wie wahrscheinlich es ist, dass sie umgesetzt werden, und welche Voraussetzungen und Rahmenbedingungen bedeutenden Einfluß haben. Die methodische Innovation dieser Arbeit besteht darin, subjektive Einschätzungen von Experten mit einem Bayesianischen Netzwerk zu verknüpfen, um die Anwendung solcher Netzwerke auf Situationen von Unsicherheit im Knight'schen Sinne zu erweitern, hier am Beispiel der zukünftigen, heute nicht vorhersagbaren Entwicklung der CO2-Emissionen der deutschen Neuwagenflotte. Ein erster Schritt dieser Untersuchung bestand in der Erhebung und Auswertung der Einschätzungen von 15 Experten in Bezug auf die Möglichkeiten, die CO2-Emissionen neuer PKW in Deutschland bis 2020 zu senken. Erhoben wurden Aussagen über verfügbare Technologien, ihre Einsparpotenziale, ihre Umsetzungswahrscheinlichkeiten sowie wichtige Rahmenbedingungen. Ziel war es, wesentliche Variablen und deren Abhängigkeiten zu identifizieren, um eine Grundlage für die spätere Modellierung zu schaffen. Um die Untersuchung auf eine breite Basis zu stellen, wurden Experten von Autobauern und Zulieferern, Nichtregierungsorganisationen, Verbänden sowie solche aus Wissenschaft und Journalismus einbezogen. Aufbauend auf diesen Ergebnissen wurde in einem zweiten Schritt ein Bayesianisches Netzwerk entwickelt, mit dem die CO2-Emissionen der deutschen Neuwagenflotte im Jahr 2030 quantifiziert werden können. Außerdem sollten die Marktchancen verschiedener Fahrzeugtypen untersucht werden. Ein weiteres Ziel war es, den Einfluss verschiedener technologischer und regulatorischer Einflussfaktoren zu quantifizieren, die in der ersten Interviewrunde identifiziert worden waren. Gegenüber der ersten Interviewrunde wurde der zeitliche Rahmen der Untersuchung um 10 Jahre auf das Jahr 2030 erweitert. Das Bayesianische Netz erstreckt sich auf die zukünftigen Eigenschaften und Marktchancen von drei Fahrzeugtypen: Verbrennungsmotorische Fahrzeuge einschließlich aller Hybridvarianten bis hin zum Vollhybrid, Plug-In Hybride und Batterie-Elektrofahrzeuge. Das Netzwerk umfasst 46 miteinander verknüpfte Variablen. Für zwölf entscheidende Variablen wurden per Expertenbefragung bedingte Wahrscheinlichkeiten erhoben. Befragt wurden sieben Experten, fast alle hochrangige F&E- oder Umweltexperten bei deutschen Autobauern. Für jeden Experten entstand ein individuell quantifiziertes Netzwerk. Um mögliche Technologie- und Emissionspfade zu untersuchen, wurden verschiedene Szenarien definiert, die unterschiedliche Regulierungen, Batterie-Entwicklungspfade und CO2-Intensitäten von Treibstoffen und elektrischer Energie in Betracht ziehen. Im Basis-Szenario liegen die Erwartungswerte der CO2-Emissionen der deutschen Neuwagenflotte 2030 nach Einschätzung der Experten bei 50 bis 65% der Emissionen der Neuwagenflotte 2008. Kombiniert man einen gesteigerten Anteil erneuerbarer Energien im Strommix, einen größeren Anteil von Biotreibstoffen im Treibstoff-Mix und eine strengere CO2-Emissionsregulierung seitens der Europäischen Union, liegen die erwarteten Emissionen der Neuwagenflotte 2030 bei 40 bis 50% der Emissionen der Neuwagen 2008. Die Erwartungswerte der Neuflotten-Emissionen 2030 können in den verschiedenen BBN auf minimale Werte von 18 bis 44% der Emissionen der deutschen Neuwagenflotte von 2008 festgelegt werden. Es ist in den BBN durchaus möglich, aber in den betrachteten Szenarien unwahrscheinlich, die Emissionen so stark zu senken. Neben der Untersuchung von Fahrzeugtechnologien und CO2-Emissionen bis 2030 verfolgte die vorliegende Arbeit das Ziel, eine innovative Methode zu erproben. Es hat meines Wissens bisher kein Experten-basiertes BBN gegeben, das zukünftige Entwicklungen untersucht. Eine weitere Besonderheit des Ansatzes ist, dass für jeden Experten ein eigenes BBN quantifiziert wurde, so dass eine Schar von Netzwerken entstanden ist, deren Aussagen verglichen werden können. Dadurch war es möglich, die Bandbreite der Erwartungen verschiedener Experten abzuleiten und festzustellen, wo Erwartungen relativ konsistent sind, und wo sie weit auseinander liegen. Daraus lassen sich wertvolle Schlüsse ableiten, an welchen Punkten weitere Forschung besonders erfolgversprechend ist. BBN haben sich damit als nützliches Werkzeug für Stakeholder-basierte iterative Forschungsprozesse erwiesen. Insgesamt hat es sich als fruchtbarer neuer Ansatz erwiesen, Experten-basierte Bayesianische Netzwerke zur Untersuchung zukünftiger Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten heranzuziehen. Die Methode ermöglicht es auch, den Einfluß von Rahmenbedingungen zu bestimmen.

Kyoto University (京都大学) / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第18965号 / 工博第4007号 / 新制||工||1617 / 31916 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科都市社会工学専攻 / (主査)教授 藤井 聡, 准教授 SCHMOECKER,JAN-DirK, 准教授 神田 佑亮 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当

It is well known that young men constitute a high-risk group in terms of accidents involving both themselves and others. But comparatively little is known about the roles of gender, masculinity and automobility in reproducing or subverting such particularly risky performances of identity. The study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how gender, primarily masculinity, is interrelated with car-related identities, practices and material constructions. Contributing with qualitative insights, this study explores the ways in which gendered individuals and cars co-constitute one another in a particular context, the community of Swedish car modifiers. By using an ethnographic approach, this thesis investigates the lives of young and middle-aged car enthusiasts who invest considerable time, money, skill and passion in modifying, showing and driving their cars. The material stems from fieldwork carried out at car shows, in cars, on online modified-car forums and in garages between 2006 and 2008. In total, 53 men and 14 women between the ages of 19 and 60 make up the informants. The study shows how gender, in particular masculinity, is reproduced and negotiated in the modifiers’ attempts to become “unique” subjects through making their own versions of the car. Cars are not only a means of self-expression and constructing identity, but serve to build community and regulate relations between, primarily, men through competition at car shows and when driving. The study examines the reproduction of craftsmanship as a purified ideal that distinguishes car modifiers as a “special kind” of men, a figure that takes its form through intersecting imaginaries of Swedishness, class and masculinity. To rely on one’s own ideas and hands represented a more authentic way of creating one’s dream car in a heavily commercialised culture. Constructions of masculinity in driving are explored in its profoundly embodied, emotional and dangerous aspects developed in the context of men, cars and risk-taking. The personalised car is shown to generate different forms of risk-taking, which are also productive of counter-discourses on dangerous and risky driving. / Det är välkänt att unga män utgör en särskild högriskgrupp vad gäller trafikolyckor som involverar både dem själva och andra. Samtidigt brister kunskapen om hur genus, maskulinitet och motorkulturer samverkar för att stärka eller undergräva sådana former av risktagande och identitetsskapande. Den här studien syftar till att bidra till en fördjupad förståelse om hur genus, särskilt maskulinitet, är sammanvävt med bilrelaterade identiteter, praktiker och materiella konstruktioner. Med en kvalitativ forskningsansats utforskas de sätt som individer och bilar samkonstitueras i ett specifikt sammanhang, nämligen bland svenska bilbyggare/bilentusiaster. Med en etnografisk ansats studeras unga och medelålders bilentusiasters intresse för sina bilar, som de lägger ner ansenliga summor pengar, tid, kunskap och passion i att bygga om, visa och köra. Studien baseras på ett fältarbete som genomfördes mellan 2006 och 2008 på bilshower, i bilar, i internetbaserade bilgemenskaper och i garage. Totalt har 53 män och 14 kvinnor mellan åldrarna 19 och 60 deltagit i studien. Studien visar att genus, särskilt maskulinitet, både återskapas och förhandlas när bilbyggarna använder bilen för att skapa sig själva som unika subjekt. Bilar är för bilentusiasterna inte bara ett uttryckssätt, utan är även centrala för att skapa samhörighet, samt för att reglera relationer mellan främst män genom att tävla på bilshower och bilkörning. I en alltmer kommersiell kultur framstår hantverksidentiteten av särskild vikt för görandet av maskulinitet. Studien undersöker återskapandet av hantverksskicklighet som ett ideal vilket urskiljer bilbyggarna som en ”särskild sorts” män, skapad genom sammanflätade föreställningar om svenskhet, klass och maskulinitet. De sätt som genus skapas genom bilkörning är intimt sammanlänkat med förkroppsligade och emotionella band till bilen, något som främst utforskats i relation till hur bilbyggarna förhandlar risk och fragilitet i relation till sina ombyggda bilar. Den personifierade bilen ger upphov till olika former av risktagande, vilka även skapar motdiskurser mot ett reproducerande av farlig och riskfylld bilkörning.

La manipulation des membranes des cellules en suspension ou dans des tissus au moyen d'impulsions électriques constitue un sujet de recherche majeur au cœur du bio-électromagnétisme. A ce jour les impulsions de quelques microsecondes voire millisecondes ont été principalement étudiées. Elles n'affectent que la membrane plasmique des cellules. Les impulsions nanosecondes de fort niveau de champ (de l'ordre de quelques MV/m) ouvrent la voie vers la manipulation des organelles intra-cellulaires. En outre, elles constituent un nouvel outil pour l'étude des mécanismes de la perméabilisation. Les travaux de cette thèse ont été principalement consacrés aux effets des impulsions de 10 ns sur la membrane plasmique. Des protocoles expérimentaux permettant d'appliquer de façon reproductible et contrôlée les impulsions sur des objets vivants ont été définis. Des moyens de mesure (D-dot et B-dot) adaptés aux hautes tensions et hautes fréquences ont été développés et mis en œuvre, permettant un contrôle en temps réel des impulsions délivrées.Différentes approches ont permis de mettre en évidence la perméabilisation des cellules par des impulsions de 10 ns. Ces techniques regroupent notamment le suivi de bio-impédance dans les tissus et l'internalisation de molécules cytotoxiques non perméantes dans des cellules en suspension et in vivo sur des tumeurs. Les expériences conduites ont permis de mettre en évidence la plus grande efficacité des basses fréquences de répétition dans la perméabilisation d'un tissu végétal (la pomme de terre). De plus l'influence de la conductivité du milieu extracellulaire sur le niveau de perméabilisation a été investiguée. Ces expériences ont permis de mettre en évidence l'importance de la dynamique d'établissement et de relaxation de la différence de potentiel transmembranaire dans l'efficacité de la perméabilisation.Enfin un microscope CARS (Coherent Anti-stokes Raman Scattering) plein-champ a été développé. Sa conception a été pensée en vue de l'étude des effets des impulsions ultra-courtes sur le vivant à l'échelle moléculaire. A ce jour il permet d'obtenir des images de cellules en CARS en 3 ns.

[pt] No campo do comportamento do consumidor, muito se estudou sobre o que motiva os indivíduos a adotarem determinado consumo. As decisões de abandono, entretanto, são um tema praticamente inexplorado, ainda que capazes de proporcionar importantes aprendizados para empresas, governos e organizações não governamentais no contexto atual de intensa competição, críticas ao consumo e questionamento dos seus impactos no meio ambiente. O presente trabalho contribui com o conhecimento da área através da investigação dos significados que motivam e são criados a partir da escolha deliberada de abrir mão de algo anteriormente consumido (abandono). O trabalho utiliza-se de metodologia qualitativa, no processo de coleta e análise dos dados, gerados a partir de entrevistas em profundidade com 29 ex-consumidores de duas categorias bastante distintas: cigarros e automóveis. Os resultados sugerem três conjuntos de fatores que resultam nessa decisão, delineando três tipos de abandono: 1) abandono contingencial; 2) abandono posicional; e 3) abandono ideológico. A presente pesquisa preenche ainda uma lacuna do campo ao estudar os rituais de não consumo no abandono e evidenciar que os indivíduos se apropriam de significados relacionados aos produtos não apenas através da sua compra e uso, mas também através de sua abstenção. No abandono, o indivíduo abre mão da funcionalidade relacionada ao produto, no entanto, as associações simbólicas continuam sendo usadas, criadas e manipuladas mesmo depois que este acontece. Complementando o esquema conceitual de McCracken (2003), onde são destacados os rituais de consumo (troca, posse, arrumação e descarte), o estudo sugere cinco tipos de rituais de abandono (de descontaminação, esfriamento, luto, reforço e defensivos). A pesquisa destaca ainda o abandono como ritual de passagem, onde essa decisão termina por sinalizar mudanças na condição social dos indivíduos, evidenciando não apenas aquilo que o consumidor se torna, mas, em alguns casos, o que gostaria de ser, concretizando, mesmo que provisoriamente, esperanças e ideais. O trabalho destaca a importância do contexto de reforço ou questionamento ao consumo para a negociação de significados que se estabelece a partir do abandono. No caso de produtos cujo consumo é questionado, o abandono, em geral, representa o movimento de distanciamento dos significados do produto e da identidade do consumidor. No caso dos produtos cujo consumo é reforçado no ambiente social, como o automóvel, o abandono abre tanto a possibilidade de estigmatização quanto de diferenciação positiva, onde o indivíduo cria novos significados, identidades almejadas e se aproxima de grupos de referência positivos. A pesquisa evidencia, assim, a complexidade dos movimentos associativos e dissociativos operados pelo abandono. Por fim, o trabalho destaca como o contexto influencia as dinâmicas de movimento e negociação dos significados que se estabelecem a partir rituais de abandono nos planos privado, de grupo e coletivo e sua influência na transformação dos conteúdos simbólicos contidos nas categorias de produto. / [en] In the field of consumer behavior, much research has been conducted on what motivates individuals consume a given item. The decision to abandon consumption, however, is a largely unexplored topic, even though it can provide important insights for businesses, governments and nongovernmental organizations in the current context of intense competition, criticism of consumption and questioning of the impact of consumption on the environment. This work contributes to the body of knowledge through investigation of the meanings that motivate and that arise from the deliberate choice to give up something previously consumed (abandonment). The work uses a qualitative methodology in the process of collecting and analyzing data generated from in-depth interviews with 29 former consumers of two very distinct categories: cigarettes and automobiles. The results suggest three sets of factors that result in the decision and outline three types of abandonment: 1) contingency abandonment; 2) positional abandonment; 3) ideological abandonment. This research also fills a gap in the field in its study of the rituals of non-consumption in abandonment and suggests that individuals appropriate meanings related to products, not only through their purchase and use, but also by abstaining from them. In abandonment, the individual gives up the functionality ascribed to the product; however, the symbolic associations continue to be used, created and manipulated even after abandonment. Complementing the model of McCracken (2003), which explores the rituals of consumption (exchange, possession, grooming and divestment), the study proposes five types of abandonment rituals (decontamination, cooling off, mourning, reinforcement, and defenses). The research also investigates abandonment as a rite of passage, where the decision eventually signals changes in the individuals social condition, reflecting not only what the consumer is becoming, but in some cases, what they wish to become, thereby fulfilling – even if temporarily – hopes and ideals. The paper highlights the importance of the context of reinforcement or questioning of consumption for the negotiation of meaning that is derived from abandonment. In the case of products whose consumption is being questioned, abandonment, in general, represents a distancing from the product s meaning and its identity with the consumer. In the case of products whose consumption is reinforced in the social environment, such as the automobile, abandonment opens both the possibility of stigmatization and of positive differentiation, where the individual creates new meanings, desired identities and approaches positive reference groups. The study thus underscores the complexity of associative and dissociative movements operated by abandonment. Finally, the paper discusses how the context influences the dynamics of movement and negotiation of meanings that grow out of the rituals of abandonment in private, group, and collective plans and their influence on the transformation of the symbolic content of product categories.

abstract: Driver distraction research has a long history spanning nearly 50 years, intensifying in the last decade. The focus has always been on identifying the distractive tasks and measuring the respective harm level. As in-vehicle technology advances, the list of distractive activities grows along with crash risk. Additionally, the distractive activities become more common and complicated, especially with regard to In-Car Interactive System. This work's main focus is on driver distraction caused by the in-car interactive System. There have been many User Interaction Designs (Buttons, Speech, Visual) for Human-Car communication, in the past and currently present. And, all related studies suggest that driver distraction level is still high and there is a need for a better design. Multimodal Interaction is a design approach, which relies on using multiple modes for humans to interact with the car & hence reducing driver distraction by allowing the driver to choose the most suitable mode with minimum distraction. Additionally, combining multiple modes simultaneously provides more natural interaction, which could lead to less distraction. The main goal of MMI is to enable the driver to be more attentive to driving tasks and spend less time fiddling with distractive tasks. Engineering based method is used to measure driver distraction. This method uses metrics like Reaction time, Acceleration, Lane Departure obtained from test cases. / Dissertation/Thesis / presentation / REACTION TIMES / DRIVING DATA RESULTS / Masters Thesis Computer Science 2015

Todos os dias a quantidade de veículos nas estradas em todo o mundo está aumentando. Este crescimento combinado com a negligência dos motoristas e alguns fatores externos, tais como estradas mal conservadas e condições climáticas adversas resultaram em um enorme aumento na quantidade de acidentes e, conseqüentemente, de mortes. Atualmente muitos grupos de pesquisa e empresas automotivas estão desenvolvendo e adaptando tecnologias que podem ser incorporadas nos veículos para reduzir esses números. Um exemplo interessante dessas tecnologias é a detecção e classificação de obstáculos móveis (veículos, pessoas, etc.) em ambientes urbanos. Este trabalho apresenta o desenvolvimento de algoritmos para identificação, rastreamento e previsão de obstáculos móveis, determinação de direções proibidas para tráfego do veículo e cálculo de trajetórias livres de colisões. Para isso, foram utilizados dados do sistema de medidas de distância, SICK LMS 291-S05, para monitorar o ambiente a frente do veículo de teste (um automóvel de passeio modificado). Com base nesses dados foi realizado um tratamento computacional através da técnica de Trackers para classificar todos os obstáculos detectados em duas classes principais: os obstáculos estáticos e móveis. Uma vez identificado o obstáculo, este será acompanhado mesmo no caso em que saia do campo de visão do sensor. Após a classificação dos obstáculos presentes no ambiente, suas posições são analisadas e direções proibidas para tráfego são determinadas peloalgoritmo Velocity Obstacle Approach. Finalmente é aplicada a técnica de cálculo de trajetórias E* que gera um caminho suave e livre de colisões. No caso de algum obstáculo obstruir ou gerar risco de colisão com o caminho gerado é possível recalcular a rota sem que o mapa do ambiente seja novamente completamente analisado. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram a aplicabilidade da metodologia utilizada. O algoritmo de Trackers detectou pedestres e veículos e determinou suas características dinâmicas. O algoritmo Velocity Obstacle Approach conseguiu acompanhar os obstáculos e foi capaz de determinar as direções proibidas e, finalmente, o algoritmo E* foi capaz de gerar trajetórias livre de obstáculos em ambientes desconhecidos. / Every day the number of vehicles on the roads around the world is increasing. This growth combined with the negligence of drivers and some external factors such as poorly maintained roads and adverse weather conditions resulted in a huge increase in the number of accidents and hence casualties. Currently many research groups and automotive companies are developing and adapting technologies that can be incorporated into vehicles to reduce these numbers. An interesting example of these technologies is the detection and classification of moving obstacles (vehicles, people, etc.) in urban environments. This dissertation presents the development of algorithms which main objective are identify, track and predict moving obstacles, determine prohibited directions of traffic and calculate collision free trajectories. In order to accomplish with such task, data from the laser sensor SICK LMS 291-S05 later treated using computational resources such as the Trackers technique was used to monitor the environment ahead of the test vehicle (a modified passenger car). The Trackers technique was used to classify all the hurdles identified in two main classes: static and mobile obstacles. Once the obstacle was identified, this still been followed even if they leave the field of vision sensor. After classification of obstacles in the environment, their positions are analyzed and prohibited for traffic directions are determined by the algorithm Velocity Obstacle Approach. Finally the technique is applied to calculate trajectories of E* that generates a smooth path and free of collisions. If any obstacle block, or create a risk of collision through the generated path, the trajectory can be recalculated without the need to fully re-analyze de environment map. The results demonstrated the applicability of the methodology used. The Trackers algorithm has detected pedestrians and vehicles determining their dynamic characteristics. The algorithm Velocity Obstacle Approach keep up with the obstacles and was able to determine the prohibited directions and, finally, E* the algorithm was able to generate obstacle-free paths in unknown environments.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo propor alguns critérios básicos, para o desenvolvimento de plásticos de engenharia em aplicações, componentes e partes dos veículos chamados populares, particularmente no Brasil, em substituição a partes tradicionalmente usinadas, fundidas ou injetadas em ligas metálicas. A despeito da desconfiança que cerca alguns dos componentes em plásticos que se destinam às aplicações automotivas, (e uma das principais razões para isso, são as elevadas temperaturas presentes em algumas áreas do automóvel), as grandes indústrias do setor não deixam de conceber novos projetos em polímeros de alta performance, para aplicações tidas como críticas em termos de resistência geral. Os chamados plásticos de engenharia são preferivelmente escolhidos devido à sua fácil processabilidade, e sua flexibilidade em propiciar desenhos mais complexos, com boa estabilidade dimensional e uma excelente resistência à corrosão em ambientes de hostilidade química. No passado, as empresas claramente optavam pelos plásticos chamados de termofixos, que hoje estão quase esquecidos ou obsoletos (principalmente devido aos processamentos mais custosos e/ou mais lentos). Hoje são largamente substituídos pelos termoplásticos de engenharia. Atualmente, o consumo de plásticos em alguns carros brasileiros já alcança quase 130 kg de plásticos nos seus interiores e/ou exteriores (como o Ford KA, por exemplo), o que ajuda a reduzir o peso total do automóvel, aumentando a economia de combustível, reduzindo os custos de processos, aliada a uma excelente aparência superficial. Este trabalho versará sobre a possibilidade de se propor critérios mais objetivos na fase inicial de um processo de seleção de plásticos de engenharia (notadamente, poliamidas, acetais, poliésteres, e policarbonato), aumentando a eficácia da escolha e diminuindo custos (evitando erros e economizando tempo), como um guia prático de consulta para engenheiros e profissionais do setor automotivo brasileiro. / The main objective of this paper is to propose some basic economical and objective criteria for the engineering plastics development in applications, components and parts in the low-end cars segment (known in Brazil as popular cars), to replace traditional metallic machined, die-casted or injected parts. In spite of the lack of reliance in plastics components in automotive applications (one of them being the high temperature in the engine area), big industries in the sector always conceive new projects on high performance polymers for applications considered critical because of its general resistance. The named engineering plastics are preferably chosen due to its easy processing, complex design flexibility, with a good dimensional stability and an excellent resistance against corrosion in environments with chemical hostility. In the past, companies clearly selected the called thermo-stable plastics, almost forgotten or obsolete nowadays (mainly due to the high cost and/or slowness on processing). Today they are largely replaced by engineering thermoplastics. Nowadays, the consumption of plastics in Brazilian low-end cars already reached approximately 130 kg of plastics in their interior and/or exterior (like in Ford KA, for example), which helps to reduce total car weight, increasing the saving of fuel, mitigating process costs, besides to an excellent surface appearance. This paper will approach about the possibility of proposing more objective criteria in the initial phase of the engineering plastics selection (notably polyamides, acetals, polyesters, and polycarbonates), increasing the choice efficacy and diminishing costs (avoiding mistakes and saving time), as a practical consulting guide to engineers and professionals from the Brazilian automotive sector.