Autos News

n/a

Traffic congestion slows down travel, sapping at economic activity and our lives, costing us travel time, increases the likelihood of accidents, and forces a higher level of air pollution than necessary. Honda Motor Company recently announced development of what the company calls the “worlds first technology to detect the potential for traffic congestion and determine whether the driving pattern of the vehicle is likely to create traffic jams.” This offers the potential to reduce traffic congestion, and is an early sign of fully automated cars of the future.

The key to this technology, according to Honda, is recognition that the acceleration/deceleration of one vehicle affects other nearby drivers, and can lead to traffic congestion.

Honda’s research was in collaboration with the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo, focusing on developing an experimental system to detect potential traffic congestion. Test results demonstrate the system could increase average velocity by approximately 23% and improve fuel efficiency by approximately 8% of trailing vehicles.

The next step towards bringing this technology to market in vehicles we could buy, Honda will be conducting field trials in Indonesia and Italy in May and July, 2012.

The system does not depend on collecting traffic information from road sensors calculating which sections of road are congested. Instead it relies on watching the acceleration and deceleration patterns of the vehicle. Cars being driven on the road are in a mesh of relationships between each neighboring car. When one driver slams on their brakes, the following cars either react in time (slamming their brakes too) or crash into each other. This means one drivers driving pattern can create traffic congestion, because of the effect on other drivers.

Honda’s system gives drivers with “appropriate information” which includes a “color-coded display” on the dashboard that encourages smooth driving. This in turn must be reduce rapid acceleration and deceleration, reducing the reactions by other car drivers.

Honda does envision connecting on-board computers using wireless data connections to “cloud computing servers” to generate data exchanges, about driving patterns, between cars. This would encapable on-board computers to use automatically triggered adaptive cruise control to automatically adjust vehicle velocity. This way a line of cars driving on the highway could stay in synchronization with each other, maintain a stcapable separation between cars, and a more consistent velocity on the road. Adaptive cruise control monitors vehicle velocity and, using a millimeter-wave radar system, scans the road for other vehicles. Using this data, ACC can help the driver maintain desired velocity and safe distance from other cars.

One of the dangers of traffic congestion comes when drivers do not maintain safe following distance. This is the root cause of chain reaction collisions when one car driver slams on the brakes to avoid a problem, and the following cars are too close to allow the human driver to react in time to avoid a collision.

This is another instance of an automobile manufacturer researching a system to automate car driving. While the research is not a full automation system, it is a step towards having on-board computers take over some or all of the responsibility for safe driving. The theory is that computers can react more quickly than can humans, and that it is human inability to react to road conditions that is a cause of some traffic accidents. Additionally maintaining a smoother flow of traffic has been shown to reduce fuel consumption across the board.

Perhaps this is a stepping stone towards the RoboCar vision we discussed a couple months ago. That vision predicts fully autonomous cars that could radically change the patterns of driving on roads and highways, resulting in safer roads and greater fuel efficiency.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Incoming search terms for the article:

If you’re one of 2012 Honda Rebel motorcycles owner, you should better try to find out about your motorcycles features and part, it’s because I thing many of motorcycles rider never know about their bikes, they’re usually just ride and give the bike into the repair shop home for tuning or just for periodic servicing. Actually, if you are the real motorcycles rider, you have to know your motorcycles parts, know about the problem, and may do some maintenance. Today, I want to show you the key features and the main parts of 2012 Honda Rebel 250cc class and here we go.

The new Honda Rebel is not the DOCH engine motorcycles family, it still with SOCH engine and I thing it’s easier to maintenance than the DOCH series. 2012 Honda Rebel is classical beginner motorcycles which it has strengthed by 234cc of engine capacity, SOCH, and 4-stroke type, the bike produces smooth engine deliver, quiet and of course it is friendly maintenance. This bike equipped with CV (constant-velocity_ carburetor, it will gives great throttle response. So what more? well the screw-type valve adjusters of Rebel 250 are simple, proven, reliable and you may maintenance it easily, even you may found on Rebel parts such as automatic cam-chain tensioner and solid-state CD ignition which both of parts never need to maintenance or low maintenance,

What is the most important part for 250cc beginner bikes? yes that’s simple starter features, the 2012 Honda Rebel equipped with electric starter, just push the engine start button and you’re ready to go.

As one of the classical style motorcycles, 2012 Honda Rebel has been launch with fashionable style, you may found it at the fuel-tank design which it designed with special Rebel custom style, chrome-plated headlight, the turn-light and also taillight casing of Rebel also designed with classic looks appears. The Rebel custom seat (low seat height only 26.6″) and pullback handlebar will giver more comfortable ride for all Rebel riders, this bike also strengthed by spoke-wheel type with chrome rims, it will boost Rebel style to the classic soul. Usually, classic motorcycles perform with drum brakes system, but thanks to Honda who has give the disc brakes type and twin-piston caliper for perfect braking. It’s classic bike with awesome features.

Well, are you learning something from it? the 2012 Rebel bike perform with only SOCH engine and it’s easy to maintenance, you may found many of Rebel parts are low-maintenance even free maintenance, is it good news for beginner rider right?. Truly, I love this bike but sometime you need to carefully when you buy it, for example, when your bike need to “wash”, you have to do it seriously, the spoke rims need more protector and maintenance than the castling wheel which it very easy to clean up, so good luck for you and I hope you got many things about 2012 Honda Rebel from it. Keep safety ride.

No Comments →