Valet parking for trams

The current state of the art in German tram depots has remained virtually unchanged for 100 years. The vehicles are moved exclusively by employees. This often involves separating driving operations (regular service) from the shunting of vehicles in the depot. The vehicles are made available at a defined transfer point. Furthermore, washing areas or other work stations are approached manually. At a typical depot, employees walk several kilometers every day and carry out almost 100 vehicle movements that are not used for passenger transport.

According to the tram operating regulations (BoStrab), certain signal positions are defined in German-speaking countries that ensure the braking and movement of a tram in the event of danger. Based on these universal principles, an interface is being developed that uses sensors adapted to the needs of a rail vehicle to enable it to safely monitor the danger zone in front of the vehicle and stop in the event of danger. A combination of radar and ultrasonic sensors will be used for this purpose. The Institute of Integrated Systems is focusing on the development of the radar sensors.

Project partners

• Fraunhofer-Institut für Hochfrequenzphysik und Radartechnik FHR, Wachtberg (consortium lead)
• indurad GmbH, Aachen
• Tbmoto GmbH, Oranienburg
• Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Lehrstuhl für Integrierte Systeme, Bochum

Funding

This project is funded with a total 2.189.288 € by the European Union and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia as part of the EFRE/JTF program NRW 2021-2027.