Craig Shankwitz
Mechanical Engineering
PHOTO BY JONATHAN CHAPMAN
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When researchers
at the University of Minnesota's Intelligent
Vehicles Laboratory set out to build a better snowplow,
they faced the challenge of integrating many different technologies
into a single system that would make plow drivers' jobs easier and
safer. A pair of new research reports offers ITS professionals a
valuable window into the design and eventual deployment of this
system, from vehicle design through initial field testing to final
operational use in two Minnesota counties.
The Minnesota team, led by IV Lab director Craig Shankwitz, designed
its advanced snowplow to enable vehicle operation in white-out conditions
by using a high-accuracy differentially corrected Global Positioning
System receiver working in concert with high-resolution digital
maps of plow routes. Knowing the exact position of the vehicle in
relation to the road and surrounding landmarks enabled a variety
of navigational assistance technologies, including a head-up display
(HUD) unit to show road boundaries and obstacles projected over
the driver's view through the windshield. The HUD also integrated
data from radar sensors, allowing the driver to see other vehicles
around the plow. Steering feedback and a vibrating seat to warn
of lane departure were also implemented based on the navigation
system.
The advanced snowplow was tested by plow operators in two Minnesota
counties featuring very different geography and snow conditions.
St. Louis County, near Lake Superior, experiences heavy lake-effect
snowfalls and is heavily wooded, with thick conifer forests near
the highway on which the plow was operated. Polk County, on the
other hand, experiences less snowfall but lies on the heavily cultivated
plains and has few forests, contributing to frequent blowing snow
that reduces visibility. In the final analysis, these geographic
differences proved significant, as the Polk County testers found
the system more useful than the St. Louis County testers, who chose
to abandon the system after a year of testing. Polk County subsequently
requested the St. Louis County unit and put it to use on its roads.
Feedback from plow drivers using the system in the field proved
to be an invaluable resource for the research team. The experienced
plow drivers weren't afraid to tell the researchers exactly what
was and wasn't working for them, and their input led to changes
in the way digital mapping was carried out.
The creation of high-resolution digital maps was a crucial component
of the project, and the research team developed efficient techniques
for mapping relevant features of the roads and surroundings.
Written by Peter Park Nelson
Reprinted with permission from the November 2005 edition of CTS
Research E-News, a publication of the Center for
Transportation Studies.
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