Smart Cities : un projet de mobilité autonome entre Siemens et SICK

Smart City - la ville intelligente du futur : L'objectif est de rendre nos villes plus efficaces, plus respectueuses de l'environnement et plus avancées. Les véhicules autonomes, qui peuvent par exemple transporter des passagers de manière indépendante, en sont une composante importante. SICK, en tant que partenaire de Siemens, a apporté son expertise en matière de sécurité à un projet pilote dans la HafenCity de Hambourg. Le défi : utiliser les capteurs de l'infrastructure pour détecter les personnes et les objets dans des situations urbaines complexes afin d'assister les bus autonomes dans leur parcours à travers la ville en utilisant les données capturées.

Pendant plusieurs mois, des millions de données de mesure ont été analysées et évaluées. La configuration : Fin 2021, de nombreux partenaires ont testé l'avenir des transports publics autonomes dans la HafenCity de Hambourg. Un bus électrique autonome a navigué entre cinq arrêts au total sur un tronçon de 1,8 kilomètre et a transporté des passagers à travers la banlieue mondialement connue de Hambourg - dans le cadre d'une opération d'essai avec un conducteur de secours. Le bus a été assisté tout au long de son parcours dans un environnement urbain complexe par des capteurs d'infrastructure qui ont fourni au bus autonome des données supplémentaires sur son environnement dans des zones particulièrement difficiles à parcourir. L'objectif : améliorer les performances et, en particulier, la sécurité des passagers et des autres usagers de la route. À une intersection particulière où la visibilité est faible, des capteurs LiDAR de SICK ont également été testés dans le cadre d'une collaboration entre Siemens et SICK.

Le bus a circulé pendant plusieurs mois au cours du projet pilote. C'est une période suffisante pour recueillir des données de mesure complètes à l'aide des capteurs installés aux intersections des rues.

Extensive evaluation of measurement data

Several sensor systems were employed at the same time in the test field. This enabled the data from the different systems to be directly compared in order to systematically investigate their strengths and weaknesses. A particular challenge in this was how to handle the enormous quantities of data. A cloud-based analysis software specially developed by SICK allows the automatic identification of critical deviations and a systematic investigation of safety-relevant situations.

At the conclusion of the project it was clear: This data-driven approach is capable of providing reliable insights into the performance and the safety-related characteristics of the sensor systems even in this difficult to navigate inner city scenario. The results of the joint study were then used to validate the overall system and were presented in a plenary session of the safe.tech conference in Munich in a joint contribution by Siemens and SICK.

Rolf Schmid, Senior Expert Validation at Siemens remarks: “SICK's experience and expertise in the area of rugged and reliable detection and data collection by sensors was essential to achieving the project objectives.” Schmid emphasizes in particular the collaboration of the two companies and adds: “When it comes to data collection, data evaluation, data plausibility, and data validation, SICK was exactly the right partner for this project.”

Magnus Albert, Senior Expert Safety Methods at SICK AG, summarizes the project as follows: “Only through the automated evaluation of large quantities of field data were we able to draw conclusions on the reliability and availability of our system in an urban environment. This was made possible by the trusting partnership with Siemens at the real-life intersections. That was pivotal in our ability to use these totally novel data-driven approaches for verification purposes, and to show that the system is already very reliable.”

Making the smart city safe

As part of the Smart City initiatives, more and more cities are now striving to increase their safety, efficiency and sustainability, and consequently the quality of life of their citizens, using new technologies and through increasing digitization. This is the only way for cities to remain competitive and future-ready.

Smart City initiatives affect lots of different aspects of our lives, such as buildings, supply and disposal of goods and data, mobility, service provision, health care, water or energy supply. The area of mobility permeates most areas of a Smart City and is almost always a necessary prerequisite for the smooth operation of a city of the future. The expansion of infrastructure and traffic services right through to “smart mobility” is therefore a key objective. Smart mobility is also expected to make a decisive contribution to the so-called “Vision Zero”, which is the goal to achieve zero traffic-related fatalities. Especially because a large proportion of the road causalities in cities involve pedestrians and cyclists, i.e. VRUs (Vulnerable Road Users).

Using highly automated and autonomous vehicles in our local public transport systems is essential for achieving these goals. These vehicles can be operated much more safely, can avoid accidents, and can maintain the traffic flow. To operate them safely, though, requires specific information that can only be determined using data from sensors in the infrastructure.

These data must also be available, reliable and meaningful at all times. It is in precisely this area that the aforementioned expertise of SICK can make a fundamental contribution and facilitate these solutions. Together with Siemens, SICK Smart Mobility has substantially progressed the realization of these goals, thereby enabling Smart Cities to design their traffic systems to be even safer and more sustainable.

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