Toshiba and Nagano Electric Railway are working on an ATO system

Railway technology Toshiba and Nagano Electric Railway are working on an ATO system

2024-07-30 Source: Press Release | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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Together with the Japanese Nagano Electric Railway, Toshiba has developed an ATO system for operation at automation level 2.5. What's special: The GoA 2.5 system requires no trackside equipment for data transmission between track and train and to determine the train position.

Together with the Japanese Nagano Electric Railway, Toshiba has developed an ATO system for operation at automation level 2.5.(Image: Koma no ki | freely licensed on flickr) — Together with the Japanese Nagano Electric Railway, Toshiba has developed an ATO system for operation at automation level 2.5.
(Image: Koma no ki | freely licensed on flickr)

Between August 2023 and February 2024, Toshiba and Nagano Electric Railway conducted overnight tests to check the basic operation on urban sections of the network. The test train operated with a conductor in the leading carriage, who does not have to be a qualified locomotive driver under GoA2.5, but can initiate emergency braking and other safety-relevant procedures such as the evacuation of passengers.

Utilize GNSS satellite positioning data

The ATO system determines the position of the train using GNSS satellite positioning data and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). In addition, it uses a stereo camera and lidar for obstacle detection. The position data is compared with a track map database to control the acceleration, deceleration and stopping of the train. During the tests, the train was brought to a standstill with an accuracy of 50 cm (approx. 19.70 inches). In addition, the conductor was alerted to a simulated obstacle on the track and manually brought the train to a halt.

Recognize obstacles up to 200 m in the dark

According to Toshiba, obstacles were detected up to 200 m (656 ft) in front of the train at a speed of 70 km/h (43.50 mph) at night. The human line of sight in the dark is 130 m (462.50 ft) . To improve obstacle detection in curves, the train was equipped with an additional headlight. The trials demonstrated, according to company information, that obstacles under difficult environmental conditions such as backlighting and oncoming lights could be detected solely with the camera. Work is being done to improve detection at night and in curves.

Prototype developed

Toshiba is now developing a system that can stably detect obstacles at a distance of up to 300 m (984 ft) under such conditions. The company has developed a prototype that combines lidar and camera technology. In addition, the ATO system is further improved by automatically selecting the optimal sensor for the position of the train, taking into account terrain and weather conditions.

The company is convinced that the new system can be installed on various vehicles to enable full ATO while avoiding the costs of installing and maintaining additional trackside equipment. In addition, they are working on solutions that meet the individual requirements of operators and support the transition to GoA3 or higher levels of automation in the future. (se)

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