ATO-Sense – Functional requirements for sensors and logic of an ATO unit

In the ATO-Sense project, the performance of the visual perception of train drivers was analysed as part of a simulator study.

When introducing automatic train operation (ATO) in the railway sector, it must be determined how powerful the technical system for controlling the train must be. The question arises as to how these requirements can be defined for the technical system. In the context of ATO, the technical system takes on tasks that are traditionally performed by train drivers. If it is necessary to determine how good the ATO system must be at performing these tasks, the performance of the train drivers can be used as a benchmark.

The ATO-Sense project pursued precisely this approach. To this end, the performance of the visual perception of train drivers was investigated experimentally. Two simulator studies were carried out in the traction unit simulator, one at the Department of Railway Operation and Infrastructure at TU Berlin and one in RailSiTe^®, the traction unit simulator of the DLR Institute of Transportation Systems. As part of the simulator studies, the performance of the visual perception of the participating train drivers was analysed under various conditions.

Finally, the results obtained on the performance of human visual perception were converted into a model that should make it possible to predict performance in different situations. This model is intended to provide a basis for defining the requirements for the performance of technical ATO systems.

Project title:
ATO-Sense – Functional requirements for sensors and logic of an ATO unit

Duration:
01/2021 to 10/2023

Contracting authority:
German Centre for Rail Traffic Research (DZSF)

Project coordinator:
Department of Railway Operation and Infrastructure at TU Berlin

Project participants:
DB Systemtechnik
DLR Institute of Transportation Systems
Siemens