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Authors:
Robert Richter
Oliver Michler
Keywords: Railway; automated shunting; marshalling yard; shunting yard; automation; intelligent transport systems; autonomous shunting vehicle (ASV); UWB; TDoA
Abstract:
The focus of this work is the development of a comprehensive system for the automation of shunting processes in marshalling yards, based on an electrically driven dual-mode (Road-rail) vehicle as an autonomous shunting vehicle (ASV) and a highly available localization and communication system. Possible areas of application are shunting locations where a low volume of traffic does not justify large shunting yards. In addition, individual subsystems can also be used across different modes of transport, as key innovation pillars - secure communication and reliable localization - are also essential prerequisites for highly automated driving in road transport. The associated research project AZubiG lays the foundation for electromobile logistics in rail freight transport. AZubiG enables automatic and highly flexible 24/7 operation in shunting and rail operations. This strengthens the competitiveness of rail transport by improving the “last mile” and exploiting its ecological and economic advantages. The main requirements were a system architecture for reliable localization and secure communication, system design, implementation and integration of the electronic components for the implementation of automated shunting operations. In functional terms, this affects the shunting vehicle on the one hand and the freight car itself during the coupling process on the other. In specific terms, the design of the components of the positioning system based on a radio sensor network (WSN) consisting of permanently installed anchors and mobile tags is explained in this context. The TDoA (Time Difference of Arrival) method proved to be suitable for dynamic deployment scenarios. However, this requires highly synchronized infrastructure points, which are usually implemented using wired solutions. In the railroad sector, cabling of this type is difficult to implement, as infrastructure points are required on both sides of tracks and subsequent cabling is therefore not feasible or economical. For this reason, a concept was developed that is completely wirelessly synchronized and uses ultrawideband (UWB) runtime signals between the anchors in order to synchronize them with each other continuously. In the end, the work presents laboratory and field tests of varying granularity (railway laboratory, railway research hall, research operating yard) and their evaluations in terms of feasibility of an autonomous shunting vehicle.
Pages: 41 to 48
Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2025
Publication date: March 9, 2025
Published in: conference
ISSN: 2308-3913
ISBN: 978-1-68558-241-8
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Dates: from March 9, 2025 to March 13, 2025