SmarTram - Autonom fahrendes Transportsystem für den Stadtverkehr mit erhöhtem Passagierkomfort

Abstract

Im Projekt wurden technische Lösungen für die Nutzung von Automatisierungspotenzialen im Straßenbahnbereich erarbeitet und verbessert. Dabei wurden die Potenziale für einen breiteren Nutzen der Automatisierung im Hinblick auf die Sicherheit, die Wirtschaftlichkeit und verbesserte Leistungsfähigkeit und Qualität des Straßenbahnverkehrs berücksichtigt. Insbesondere wurden Grundlagen zu Sicherheitsanforderungen, zum Funktionsumfang und zu Schnittstellen zwischen Teilsystemen (etwa Fahrzeuge, Infrastruktur, Betrieb, intermodale Schnittstellen) herausgearbeitet, die als Anforderungen für die Entwicklung und Festlegung branchenweiter Standards genutzt werden können. Auch die veränderten und neu entstehenden Schnittstellen zu Personal und Passagieren fanden Beachtung. State of the art Several projects, such as AStriD in Potsdam and MAAS in Darmstadt, have already achieved initial success in autonomous and remote-controlled tram operation, particularly in depot areas. At the same time, VDV publication 890 defined requirements for automated depots, which the SmarTram project used and expanded to include scenarios in the urban network. Despite this progress, fully autonomous trams remain an unattained goal, with driving on sight in real city traffic remaining the biggest hurdle. Objective The main objective of the project is to develop and improve technical solutions for exploiting automation potential in tram transport. A particular challenge lies in environmental recognition and safe interaction with other road users, as trams operate ‘on sight’. Basic safety requirements, functional scopes and interfaces between vehicles, infrastructure and operations are to be defined. These findings will serve as the basis for the development of future industry-wide standards for automated tram operation. Ultimately, the project aims to reduce operating costs, increase transport capacity and improve safety levels for passengers and staff. Results The project successfully developed technical solutions for the partial automation of trams, using CVAG line 5 and a Tatra T3D-M as a prototype. A comprehensive system architecture was designed for the vehicle and based on this, central driving functions for automated operation were developed. These functions and the operating behavior were validated by detailed simulations in order to evaluate their efficiency and safety. In addition, the necessary communication interfaces between the individual vehicle components and the infrastructure were defined. A key result is the construction of a test vehicle in which the developed sensor and control technology was integrated. The functionality of the overall system was successfully demonstrated through extensive test setups and system validations, including practical driving tests.