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1 – 10 of over 3000
Article
Publication date: 12 April 2024

Youwei Li and Jian Qu

The purpose of this research is to achieve multi-task autonomous driving by adjusting the network architecture of the model. Meanwhile, after achieving multi-task autonomous…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to achieve multi-task autonomous driving by adjusting the network architecture of the model. Meanwhile, after achieving multi-task autonomous driving, the authors found that the trained neural network model performs poorly in untrained scenarios. Therefore, the authors proposed to improve the transfer efficiency of the model for new scenarios through transfer learning.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the authors achieved multi-task autonomous driving by training a model combining convolutional neural network and different structured long short-term memory (LSTM) layers. Second, the authors achieved fast transfer of neural network models in new scenarios by cross-model transfer learning. Finally, the authors combined data collection and data labeling to improve the efficiency of deep learning. Furthermore, the authors verified that the model has good robustness through light and shadow test.

Findings

This research achieved road tracking, real-time acceleration–deceleration, obstacle avoidance and left/right sign recognition. The model proposed by the authors (UniBiCLSTM) outperforms the existing models tested with model cars in terms of autonomous driving performance. Furthermore, the CMTL-UniBiCL-RL model trained by the authors through cross-model transfer learning improves the efficiency of model adaptation to new scenarios. Meanwhile, this research proposed an automatic data annotation method, which can save 1/4 of the time for deep learning.

Originality/value

This research provided novel solutions in the achievement of multi-task autonomous driving and neural network model scenario for transfer learning. The experiment was achieved on a single camera with an embedded chip and a scale model car, which is expected to simplify the hardware for autonomous driving.

Details

Data Technologies and Applications, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9288

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 April 2024

Carmelita Wenceslao Amistad and Daryl Ace Cornell

This study aims to determine the effects of lodging infrastructure development (LID) on Cordillera Administrative Region’s (CAR) environmental quality and natural resource…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to determine the effects of lodging infrastructure development (LID) on Cordillera Administrative Region’s (CAR) environmental quality and natural resource management and its implication to globally responsible leadership. Specifically, this study sought to determine the contribution of LID to environmental deterioration and natural resource degradation in the CAR. As a result, a mathematical model is developed, which supports sustainability practices to maintain the environmental quality and natural resource management in CAR, Philippines.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a descriptive research design using a mixed-methods approach. Self-structured interview and survey were used to gather the data. The population of this study involved three groups. There were 6.28% (34) experts in the field for the qualitative data, 70.24% (380) respondents for the quantitative data and 23.47% (127) from the lodging establishments. 120 respondents from the Department of Tourism – CAR (DOT-CAR) accredited hotels. Nonparametric and nonlinear regression analysis was used to process the data.

Findings

The effects of LID on the environmental quality and natural resource management in CAR as measured through carbon emission from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), electricity and water consumption in the occupied guest rooms revealed a direct correlation between the LID. Findings conclude that the increase in tourist arrival is a trigger factor in the increase in LID in the CAR. The increase in LID implies a rise in carbon emission in the lodging infrastructure. Any increase in tourist arrivals increases lodging room occupancy; the increased lodging room occupancy contributes to carbon emissions. Thus, tourism trends contribute to the deterioration of the environmental quality and degradation of the natural resources in the CAR. A log-log model shows the percentage change in the average growth of tourist arrival and the percentage increase in carbon emissions. Establishments should observe standard room capacity to maintain the carbon emission of occupied lodging rooms at a minimum. Responsible leadership is a factor in the implementation of policy on standard room capacity.

Practical implications

The result of the study has some implications for the lodging businesses, the local government unit (LGU), the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the CAR. The study highlights the contribution of the lodging establishments to CO2 emission, which can degrade the quality of the environment, and the implication of responsible leadership in managing natural resources in the CAR. The direct inverse relationship between energy use and CO2 emission in hotels indicates that increased energy consumption leads to environmental degradation (Ahmad et al., 2018). Therefore, responsible leadership among policymakers in the lodging and government sectors – LGU, DOT and DENR – should abound in the CAR. Benchmarking on the model embarked from this study can help in designing and/or enhancing the policy on room capacity standardization, considering the total area with its maximum capacity to keep the carbon emission at a lower rate. Furthermore, as a responsible leader in the community, one should create programs that regulate the number of tourists visiting the place to decrease the number of overnight stays. Besides, having the political will to implement reduced room occupancy throughout the lodging establishments in CAR can help reduce the carbon emissions from the lodging businesses. After all, one of the aims of the International Environment Protection Organization is to reduce CO2 emissions in the tourism industry. Hence, responsible leadership in environmental quality preservation and sustainable natural resource management must help prevent and avoid greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Originality/value

Most studies about carbon emission in the environment tackle about carbon dioxide emitted by transportation and factories. This study adds to the insights on the existing information about the carbon emission in the environment from the lodging establishments through the use of LPG, electricity and water consumption in the occupied guest rooms. The findings of the study open an avenue for globally responsible leadership in sustaining environmental quality and preservation of natural resources by revisiting and amending the policies on the number of room occupancy, guidelines and standardization, considering the total lodging area with its maximum capacity to keep the carbon emission at a minimum, thus contributing to the lowering of GHG emissions from the lodging industry.

Details

Journal of Global Responsibility, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2041-2568

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 18 April 2024

Yaxing Ren, Ren Li, Xiaoying Ru and Youquan Niu

This paper aims to design an active shock absorber scheme for use in conjunction with a passive shock absorber to suppress the horizontal vibration of elevator cars in a smaller…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to design an active shock absorber scheme for use in conjunction with a passive shock absorber to suppress the horizontal vibration of elevator cars in a smaller range and shorter time. The developed active shock absorber will also improve the safety and comfort of passengers driving in ultra-high-speed elevators.

Design/methodology/approach

A six-degree of freedom dynamic model is established according to the position and condition of the car. Then the active shock absorber and disturbance compensation-based adaptive control scheme are designed and simulated in MATLAB/Simulink. The results are analysed and compared with the traditional shock absorber.

Findings

The results show that, compared with traditional spring-based passive damping systems, the designed active shock absorber can reduce vibration displacement by 60%, peak acceleration by 50% and oscillation time by 2/3 and is more robust to different spring stiffness, damping coefficient and load.

Originality/value

The developed active shock absorber and its control algorithm can significantly reduce vibration amplitude and converged time. It can also adjust the damping strength according to the actual load of the elevator car, which is more suitable for high-speed elevators.

Details

Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing and Special Equipment, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2633-6596

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 March 2024

Patrick Lecour

There is a lot of talk about the electric car today, but these vehicles are not new. Indeed, thebeginning of the 20th century saw electricity and the automobile take hold in North…

Abstract

Purpose

There is a lot of talk about the electric car today, but these vehicles are not new. Indeed, thebeginning of the 20th century saw electricity and the automobile take hold in North American society, so that by 1910, the electric car was everywhere. Until the turn of the 1920s, a new era dawned for transportation in the USA, but without the electric car. The purpose of this study is to question Why did it happen.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper develops such a comparison, not of the cars themselves, through a detailed engineering analysis, but rather of the marketing of electric vehicles in the USA in 1910 and 2010, as it appeared in the marketing strategies of the manufacturers.

Findings

There are many technical and economic reasons for this, but not only; there are also commercial strategy reasons. The position of manufacturers, especially through advertising and the press, can tell us about this golden age of the electric car, what precipitated its fall, and its reappearance a century later.

Originality/value

It is a comparison of images, of how electric vehicles had been and are proposed to the public, through the exploration of mainly promotional material and newspaper articles.

Details

Journal of Management History, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1348

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2024

David Hedberg, Martin Lundgren and Marcus Nohlberg

This study aims to explore auto mechanics awareness of repairs and maintenance related to the car’s cybersecurity and provide insights into challenges based on current practice.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore auto mechanics awareness of repairs and maintenance related to the car’s cybersecurity and provide insights into challenges based on current practice.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on an empirical study consisting of semistructured interviews with representatives from both branded and independent auto workshops. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis. A version of the capability maturity model was introduced to the respondents as a self-evaluation of their cybersecurity awareness.

Findings

Cybersecurity was not found to be part of the current auto workshop work culture, and that there is a gap between independent workshops and branded workshops. Specifically, in how they function, approach problems and the tools and support available to them to resolve (particularly regarding previously unknown) issues.

Research limitations/implications

Only auto workshop managers in Sweden were interviewed for this study. This role was picked because it is the most likely to have come in contact with cybersecurity-related issues. They may also have discussed the topic with mechanics, manufacturers or other auto workshops – thus providing a broader view of potential issues or challenges.

Practical implications

The challenges identified in this study offers actionable advice to car manufacturers, branded workshops and independent workshops. The goal is to further cooperation, improve knowledge sharing and avoid unnecessary safety or security issues.

Originality/value

As cars become smarter, they also become potential targets for cyberattacks, which in turn poses potential threats to human safety. However, research on auto workshops, which has previously ensured that cars are road safe, has received little research attention with regards to the role cybersecurity can play in repairs and maintenance. Insights from auto workshops can therefore shed light upon the unique challenges and issues tied to the cybersecurity of cars, and how they are kept up-to-date and road safe in the digital era.

Details

Information & Computer Security, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-4961

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 February 2024

Bokolo Anthony Jnr

Presently, existing electric car sharing platforms are based on a centralized architecture which are faced with inadequate trust and pricing issues as these platforms requires an…

Abstract

Purpose

Presently, existing electric car sharing platforms are based on a centralized architecture which are faced with inadequate trust and pricing issues as these platforms requires an intermediary to maintain users’ data and handle transactions between participants. Therefore, this article aims to develop a decentralized peer-to-peer electric car sharing prototype framework that offers trustable and cost transparency.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs a systematic review and data were collected from the literature and existing technical report documents after which content analysis is carried out to identify current problems and state-of-the-art electric car sharing. A use case scenario was then presented to preliminarily validate and show how the developed prototype framework addresses the trust-lessness in electric car sharing via distributed ledger technologies (DLTs).

Findings

Findings from this study present a use case scenario that depicts how businesses can design and implement a distributed peer-to-peer electric car sharing platforms based on IOTA technology, smart contracts and IOTA eWallet. Main findings from this study unlock the tremendous potential of DLT to foster sustainable road transportation. By employing a token-based approach this study enables electric car sharing that promotes sustainable road transportation.

Practical implications

Practically the developed decentralized prototype framework provides improved cost transparency and fairness guarantees as it is not based on a centralized price management system. The DLT based decentralized prototype framework aids to orchestrate the incentivize monetization and rewarding mechanisms among participants that share their electric cars enabling them to collaborate towards lessening CO2 emissions.

Social implications

The findings advocate that electric vehicle sharing has become an essential component of sustainable road transportation by increasing electric car utilization and decreasing the number of vehicles on the road.

Originality/value

The key novelty of the article is introducing a decentralized prototype framework to be employed to develop an electric car sharing solution without a central control or governance, which improves cost transparency. As compared to prior centralized platforms, the prototype framework employs IOTA technology smart contracts and IOTA eWallet to improve mobility related services.

Details

Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6099

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 December 2023

Jianbin Luo, Mingsen Li, Ke Mi, Zhida Liang, Xiaofeng Chen, Lei Ye, Yuanhao Tie, Song Xu, Haiguo Zhang, Guiguang Chen and Chunmei Jiang

The purpose of this paper is to study the aerodynamic characteristics of Ahmed body in longitudinal and lateral platoons under crosswind by computational fluid dynamics…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the aerodynamic characteristics of Ahmed body in longitudinal and lateral platoons under crosswind by computational fluid dynamics simulation. It helps to improve the aerodynamic characteristics of vehicles by providing theoretical basis and engineering direction for the development and progress of intelligent transportation.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-car platoon model is used to compare with the experiment to prove the accuracy of the simulation method. The simplified Ahmed body model and the Reynolds Averaged N-S equation method are used to study the aerodynamic characteristics of vehicles at different distances under cross-winds.

Findings

When the longitudinal distance x/L = 0.25, the drag coefficients of the middle and trailing cars at β = 30° are improved by about 272% and 160% compared with β = 10°. The side force coefficients of the middle and trailing cars are increased by 50% and 62%. When the lateral distance y/W = 0.25, the side force coefficients of left and middle cars at β = 30° are reduced by 38% and 37.5% compared with β = 10°. However, the side force coefficient of the right car are increased by about 84.3%.

Originality/value

Most of the researches focus on the overtaking process, and there are few researches on the neat lateral platoon. The innovation of this paper is that in addition to studying the aerodynamic characteristics of longitudinal driving, the aerodynamic characteristics of neat lateral driving are also studied, and crosswind conditions are added. The authors hope to contribute to the development of intelligent transportation.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 December 2023

Mohamed Arif Raj Mohamed and Rathiya S.

This study aims to achieve optimum flow separation control for a road vehicle using a reverse flow fan on rear side.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to achieve optimum flow separation control for a road vehicle using a reverse flow fan on rear side.

Design/methodology/approach

A full-length reverse flow fan array (fan’s air speed is 50% of the car’s speed) is attached throughout the width of the vehicle at rear edge corner.

Findings

The reverse flow fan array positioned at rear edge of car pushes the airflow against the car’s rear window. It creates the recirculation region and alters the pressure distribution. This reduces the lift coefficient by 150%, which becomes the downforce and reduces the drag coefficient by 22%. As the car speed increases, fan speed should also be increased for effective flow control.

Research limitations/implications

This active flow control method for 3D Ahmed car body has been studied computationally at low speed (40 m/s).

Practical implications

This design increases the downforce, thus gives better cornering speed and stability, and decreases the drag which improves fuel efficiency. It can be used for effective flow control of cars (hatchback/sedan). The findings can be applied to the bluff bodies, road vehicles, UAV and helicopter fuselage for flow separation control.

Originality/value

The fan array is attached on car’s rear side, which blows air against the car’s rear window. It alters the pressure distribution and aerodynamics forces favorably. But the existing high-speed fan used in a sports cars sucks the air from bottom and pushes it rearward, which increases both the traction force and drag.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 96 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 November 2023

Madhuri Prabhala and Indranil Bose

While there has been extensive research on understanding the effects of online reviews on product sales, there is not enough investigation of the inter-relationships between…

Abstract

Purpose

While there has been extensive research on understanding the effects of online reviews on product sales, there is not enough investigation of the inter-relationships between online reviews, online search and product sales. The study attempts to address this gap in the context of the Indian car market.

Design/methodology/approach

The research uses text mining and considers six important review features volume, valence, length, deviation of valence, sentiment and readability within the heuristic and systematic model of information processing. Panel data regression is used along with mediation analysis to study the inter-relationships between features of reviews, online search and sales.

Findings

The study finds that numerical heuristic features significantly affect sales and online search, numerical systematic feature affects sales and the textual heuristic and systematic features do not affect sales or online search in the Indian car market. Further, online search mediates the association between features of reviews and sales of cars.

Research limitations/implications

Although only car sales data from India is considered in this research, similar relationships between review features, online search and sales could exist for the car market of other countries as well.

Originality/value

This research uncovers the unique role of online search as a mediator between review features and sales, whereas prior literature has considered review features and online search as independent variables that affect sales.

Details

Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 124 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-5577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 September 2023

Yang Zhou, Long Wang, Yongbin Lai and Xiaolong Wang

The coupling process between the loading mechanism and the tank car mouth is a crucial step in the tank car loading process. The purpose of this paper is to design a method to…

Abstract

Purpose

The coupling process between the loading mechanism and the tank car mouth is a crucial step in the tank car loading process. The purpose of this paper is to design a method to accurately measure the pose of the tanker car.

Design/methodology/approach

The collected image is first subjected to a gray enhancement operation, and the black parts of the image are extracted using Otsu’s threshold segmentation and morphological processing. The edge pixels are then filtered to remove outliers and noise, and the remaining effective points are used to fit the contour information of the tank car mouth. Using the successfully extracted contour information, the pose information of the tank car mouth in the camera coordinate system is obtained by establishing a binocular projection elliptical cone model, and the pixel position of the real circle center is obtained through the projection section. Finally, the binocular triangulation method is used to determine the position information of the tank car mouth in space.

Findings

Experimental results have shown that this method for measuring the position and orientation of the tank car mouth is highly accurate and can meet the requirements for industrial loading accuracy.

Originality/value

A method for extracting the contours of various types of complex tanker mouth is proposed. This method can accurately extract the contour of the tanker mouth when the contour is occluded or disturbed. Based on the binocular elliptic conical model and perspective projection theory, an innovative method for measuring the pose of the tanker mouth is proposed, and according to the space characteristics of the tanker mouth itself, the ambiguity of understanding is removed. This provides a new idea for the automatic loading of ash tank cars.

Details

Robotic Intelligence and Automation, vol. 43 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2754-6969

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 3000