Acondicionamiento y procesado de señales mediante bus CAN en vehículos monoplaza

En este proyecto se ha diseñado un sistema de adquisición y uso compartido de datos orientado a la implantación en un vehículo monoplaza de Formula SAE. Más concretamente, se encarga de recoger la información proporcionada por cuatro sensores infrarrojos de temperatura que sondearán constantemente la temperatura a la que se encuentran las ruedas del vehículo. La información, recogida en una memoria de almacenamiento masivo, se compartirá con otros dispositivos mediante un bus común. Los sensores empleados para generar la información los proporciona Melexis. Dichos sensores permiten estar todos simultáneamente conectados en un bus común gracias a su electrónica interna. Mediante el bus I2C irán conectados los cuatro sensores de nuestra aplicación (uno por cada rueda) permitiéndose añadir a posteriori más sensores o incluso otros elementos que permitan la comunicación por este tipo de bus I2C. La gestión de las tareas se realiza mediante el microcontrolador DSPIC33FJ256GP710-I/PF proporcionado por Microchip. Este es un microcontrolador complejo, por lo que para nuestra aplicación desaprovecharemos parte de su potencial. En nuestra tarjeta ha sido solamente añadido el uso de los dos I2C (uno para la tarjeta SD y el otro para los sensores), el módulo ECAN1 (para las comunicaciones por bus CAN), el módulo SPI (para acceder a una memoria Flash), 4 ADCs (para posibles mediciones) y 2 entradas de interrupción (para posible interactuación con el usuario), a parte de los recursos internos necesarios. En este proyecto se realiza tanto el desarrollo de una tarjeta de circuito impreso dedicada a resolver la funcionalidad requerida, así como su programación a través del entorno de programación facilitado por Microchip, el ICD2 Programmer. In this project, an acquisition and sharing system of data, which is oriented to be installed in a Formula SAE single-seater vehicle, has been designed. Concretely, it is responsible for getting the information supplied by four IR temperature sensors that monitor the wheels temperature. The information, which is loaded in a massive storage memory, will be shared with other devices by means of a common bus. The sensors used to generate the information are supplied by Melexis. Such specific sensors let that all they can be connected to the same bus at the same time due to their internal electronic. The four sensors will be connected through an I2C bus, one for each wheel, although we could add later more sensors or even other devices that they were able to let the I2C communication. Tasks management will be done by means of the DSPIC33FJ256GP710-I/PF microcontroller, which will be supplied by Microchip. This is a complex microcontroller, so, in our application we waste off a part of its potential. In our PCB has only been incorporated the use of the two I2C (one for the SD card and the other for the sensors), the ECAN module (to communicate devices), the SPI module (to access to the Flash memory), 4 ADC’s (for possible measurements) and 2 interrupt inputs (for possible inter-action with the user), a part of the necessary internal resources. This project aims the PCB development dedicated to solve the requested functionality and its programming through the programming environment provided by Microchip (the ICD2 programmer).

Real time passenger information systems and quality of bus services

One of the main problems in urban areas is the steady growth in car ownership and traffic levels. Therefore, the challenge of sustainability is focused on a shift of the demand for mobility from cars to collective means of transport. For this end, buses are a key element of the public transport systems. In this respect Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) systems help citizens change their travel behaviour towards more sustainable transport modes. This paper provides an assessment methodology which evaluates how RTPI systems improve the quality of bus services in two European cities, Madrid and Bremerhaven. In the case of Madrid, bus punctuality has increased by 3%. Regarding the travellers perception, Madrid raised its quality of service by 6% while Bremerhaven increased by 13%. On the other hand, the users ́ perception of Public Transport (PT) image increased by 14%.

Analysis of the Technical Efficiency of Urban Bus Services in Spain Based on SBM Models

During the first decade of the new millennium, fueled by the economic development in Spain, urban bus services were extended. Since the years 2008 and 2009, the root of the economic crisis, the improvement of these services is at risk due to economic problems. In this paper, the technical efficiency of the main urban bus companies in Spain during the 2004–2009 period are studied using SBM (slack-based measures) models and by establishing the slacks in the services' production inputs. The influence of a series of exogenous variables on the operation of the different services is also analyzed. It is concluded that only the 24% of the case studies are efficient, and some urban form variables can explain part of the inefficiency. The methodology used allows studying the inefficiency in a disaggregated way that other DEA (data envelopment analysis) models do not.

Modeling and optimization of frequencies on congested bus lines

In this paper some mathematical programming models are exposed in order to set the number of services on a specified system of bus lines, which are intended to assist high demand levels which may arise because of the disruption of Rapid Transit services or during the celebration of massive events. By means of this model two types of basic magnitudes can be determined, basically: a) the number of bus units assigned to each line and b) the number of services that should be assigned to those units. In these models, passenger flow assignment to lines can be considered of the system optimum type, in the sense that the assignment of units and of services is carried out minimizing a linear combination of operation costs and total travel time of users. The models consider delays experienced by buses as a consequence of the get in/out of the passengers, queueing at stations and the delays that passengers experience waiting at the stations. For the case of a congested strategy based user optimal passenger assignment model with strict capacities on the bus lines, the use of the method of successive averages is shown.

Quality of bus services performance: benefits of real time passenger information systems

One of the main problems in urban areas is the steady growth in car ownership and traffic levels. Therefore, the challenge of sustainability is focused on a shift of the demand for mobility from cars to collective means of transport. For this purpose, buses are a key element of the public transport systems. In this respect Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) systems help people change their travel behaviour towards more sustainable transport modes. This paper provides an assessment methodology which evaluates how RTPI systems improve the quality of bus services performance in two European cities, Madrid and Bremerhaven. In the case of Madrid, bus punctuality has increased by 3%. Regarding the travellers perception, Madrid raised its quality of service by 6% while Bremerhaven increased by 13%. On the other hand, the users¿ perception of Public Transport (PT) image increased by 14%.

BHLS, Bus, tram: tesi, antitesi, sintesi.

Il sistema di trasporto detto Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) è stato lanciato a Curitiba, in Brasile, nel 1974 per offrire un trasporto in bus efficiente ed efficace nella città in rapida espansione. Questa sperienza, insieme a quella di Ottawa (1983) e Quito (1994) ha dimostrato di essere una soluzione molto efficiente per il trasporto di massa. Per tutta l’Europa si sono iniziate a sviluppare esperienze simili, introducendo però un concetto diverso per quanto riguarda la qualità di servizio. Infatti sistemi come il “trunk network” nella Svezia, il Metrobus nella Germania oppure il BHNS (Bus à Aut. Niveau de Service) nella Francia trattano la qualità di servizio da una prospettiva più ampia che il BRT, dato che considerano aspetti come l’immagine ed il comfort oltre che velocità, frequenza e affidabilità. Questi nuovi sistemi BHLS (Buses with a High Quality of Service) consentono di combinare la qualità di servizio del tram con il costo basso e l’altà flessibilità dei sistema bus, fornendo soluzioni molto interessanti in termini di accessibilità e livelli di servizio, che permettono l’adattamento ai differenti contesti urbani (dimensione, popolazione, densità, ecc.). This article compares different European experiences with tramways and BHLS, especially from the economic point of view, considering their respective costs, benefits and advantages altogether.

Bus line classification using neural networks

Grouping urban bus routes is necessary when there are evidences of significant differences among them. In Jiménez et al. (2013), a reduced sample of routes was grouped into clusters utilizing kinematic measured data. As a further step, in this paper, the remaining urban bus routes of a city, for which no kinematic measurements are available, are classified. For such purpose we use macroscopic geographical and functional variables to describe each route, while the clustering process is performed by means of a neural network. Limitations caused by reduced training samples are solved using the bootstrap method.

A model for setting services on auxiliary bus lines under congestion

In this paper, a mathematical programming model and a heuristically derived solution is described to assist with the efficient planning of services for a set of auxiliary bus lines (a bus-bridging system) during disruptions of metro and rapid transit lines. The model can be considered static and takes into account the average flows of passengers over a given period of time (i.e., the peak morning traffic hour) Auxiliary bus services must accommodate very high demand levels, and the model presented is able to take into account the operation of a bus-bridging system under congested conditions. A general analysis of the congestion in public transportation lines is presented, and the results are applied to the design of a bus-bridging system. A nonlinear integer mathematical programming model and a suitable approximation of this model are then formulated. This approximated model can be solved by a heuristic procedure that has been shown to be computationally viable. The output of the model is as follows: (a) the number of bus units to assign to each of the candidate lines of the bus-bridging system; (b) the routes to be followed by users passengers of each of the origin–destination pairs; (c) the operational conditions of the components of the bus-bridging system, including the passenger load of each of the line segments, the degree of saturation of the bus stops relative to their bus input flows, the bus service times at bus stops and the passenger waiting times at bus stops. The model is able to take into account bounds with regard to the maximum number of passengers waiting at bus stops and the space available at bus stops for the queueing of bus units. This paper demonstrates the applicability of the model with two realistic test cases: a railway corridor in Madrid and a metro line in Barcelona Planificación de los servicios de lineas auxiliares de autobuses durante las incidencias de las redes de metro y cercanías. El modelo estudia el problema bajo condiciones de alta demanda y condiciones de congestión. El modelo no lineal resultante es resuelto mediante heurísticas que demuestran su utilidad. Se demuestran los resultados en dos corredores de las ciudades de Barcelona y Madrid.

Assessment of innovative measures implemented in European bus systems using key performance indicators

This paper reports the results of the assessment of a range of measures implemented in bus systems in five European cities to improve the use of public transport by increasing its attractiveness and enhancing its image in urban areas. This research was conducted as part of the EBSF project (European Bus System of the Future) from 2008 to 2012. New buses (prototypes), new vehicle and infrastructure technologies, and operational best practices were introduced, all of which were combined in a system approach. The measures were assessed using multicriteria analysis to simultaneously evaluate a certain number of criteria that need to be aggregated. Each criterion is measured by one or more key performance indicators (KPI) calculated in two scenarios (reference scenario, with no measure implemented; and project scenario, with the implementation of some measures), in order to evaluate the difference in the KPI performance between the reference and project scenario. The results indicate that the measures produce a greater benefit in issues related to bus system productivity and customer satisfaction, with the greatest impact on aspects of perceptions of comfort, cleanliness and quality of service, information to passengers and environmental issues. The study also reveals that the implementation of several measures has greater social utility than very specific and isolated measures.

Translating bus information into sign language for deaf people

This paper describes the application of language translation technologies for generating bus information in Spanish Sign Language (LSE: Lengua de Signos Española). In this work, two main systems have been developed: the first for translating text messages from information panels and the second for translating spoken Spanish into natural conversations at the information point of the bus company. Both systems are made up of a natural language translator (for converting a word sentence into a sequence of LSE signs), and a 3D avatar animation module (for playing back the signs). For the natural language translator, two technological approaches have been analyzed and integrated: an example-based strategy and a statistical translator. When translating spoken utterances, it is also necessary to incorporate a speech recognizer for decoding the spoken utterance into a word sequence, prior to the language translation module. This paper includes a detailed description of the field evaluation carried out in this domain. This evaluation has been carried out at the customer information office in Madrid involving both real bus company employees and deaf people. The evaluation includes objective measurements from the system and information from questionnaires. In the field evaluation, the whole translation presents an SER (Sign Error Rate) of less than 10% and a BLEU greater than 90%.

Assessing the passengers’ perception of implemented advanced management measures in bus service

The aim of this investigation is to evaluate the passenger?s perception of some attributes related to quality of bus services, and how this perception changes with the implementation of different measures. Surveys to passengers riding different bus lines were conducted in two scenarios: before the implementation of the measures and after the measures were implemented. The results of the passenger surveys were statistically analysed; then, an ordered logit model was used to analyse the differences between surveys thanks to the implemented measures. Finally, a factor analysis was done to identify the underlying unobserved factors (latent variables) that the respondents perceived

A Dynamically Adaptable Bus Architecture for Trading-Off Among Performance, Consumption and Dependability in Cyber-Physical Systems

Cyber-Physical Systems need to handle increasingly complex tasks, which additionally, may have variable operating conditions over time. Therefore, dynamic resource management to adapt the system to different needs is required. In this paper, a new bus-based architecture, called ARTICo3, which by means of Dynamic Partial Reconfiguration, allows the replication of hardware tasks to support module redundancy, multi-thread operation or dual-rail solutions for enhanced side-channel attack protection is presented. A configuration-aware data transaction unit permits data dispatching to more than one module in parallel, or provide coalesced data dispatching among different units to maximize the advantages of burst transactions. The selection of a given configuration is application independent but context-aware, which may be achieved by the combination of a multi-thread model similar to the CUDA kernel model specification, combined with a dynamic thread/task/kernel scheduler. A multi-kernel application for face recognition is used as an application example to show one scenario of the ARTICo3 architecture.

Quality cost in bus operations based on activity-based costing

The study of service quality and its implication for transport contracts has several approaches in research and practical applications, where the main emphasis is the consideration of quality from the user's point of view, thus obtaining a customer satisfaction index as a measurement of the overall quality with no further implications for service providers. The main aim of this paper is to estimate the real economic impact of improving quality attributes for a bus operator. An application of the activity-based costing methodology is developed for a bus contract in Madrid, using quality data from surveys together with economic and performance information, and focusing on headway as a quality variable. Results show the consistency and practicality of this methodology, overcoming simplifications from traditional procedures. This method is a powerful tool in quality-based contracting as well as for effective investment in transport quality under poverty funding constraints