Hanover mass transit operator Üstra awarded Kiepe Electric a contract to equip 50 light rail vehicles with collision avoidance systems, with components from Bosch Engineering. Following a successful field trial of a vehicle fitted with the system, further TW3000 vehicles are due to be retrofitted in 2020.
Kiepe Electric has refined its collision avoidance technology in conjunction with its customer ÜSTRA and its partners at Bosch Engineering GmbH. The system warns the LRV driver if a collision is imminent. If the driver fails to intervene or reacts too slowly, the system minimizes the likelihood of an accident by independently activating the brakes until the vehicle has been brought to a halt.
“The system uses a combination of radar and camera sensors to continuously measure both the distance between the LRV and any objects ahead of it and the speed at which they are traveling. This allows it to identify dangerous situations and predict potential collisions,” said Kiepe Electric Managing Director Heiko Asum.
The deceleration and jerk settings ensure that autonomous braking poses no danger to the LRV’s passengers. Moreover, the driver can override the autonomous braking function at all times, choosing either to brake harder or to release the brakes completely if the braking system has been activated in error.
As well as preventing or reducing physical injury and damage, collision avoidance systems also help to keep the light rail network running as smoothly as possible.
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