Bosch Engineering Launches Advanced Tram Assist Suite to Enhance Urban Rail Safety and Efficiency

Bosch Engineering Launches Advanced Tram Assist Suite to Enhance Urban Rail Safety and Efficiency

(IN BRIEF) Bosch Engineering has introduced its innovative tram assist suite, a comprehensive driver assistance system designed to improve safety and reduce operational disruptions in urban rail systems. The suite includes features such as forward, near range, flank, and focus assist, all supported by advanced sensor technology. The system can be installed in both new and existing trams, offering operators a flexible and robust solution that meets international standards. Bosch is also looking ahead to further innovations in automated urban rail transport.

(PRESS RELEASE) ABSTATT, 14-Aug-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — Bosch Engineering has unveiled its latest innovation, the tram assist suite, designed to enhance safety and operational efficiency for urban rail systems. This advanced suite of driver assistance systems, showcased at InnoTrans, represents a significant leap forward in protecting trams from accidents and minimizing service disruptions in busy city environments. The system is designed to support tram operators and drivers by providing comprehensive protection through a series of newly developed features, including forward, near range, flank, and focus assist.

Heiko Mangold, head of rail technology at Bosch Engineering GmbH, highlighted the importance of this development: “The tram assist suite is a crucial step forward in increasing operational reliability and reducing accident risks. It provides essential support to tram drivers in critical situations, such as at busy intersections or during challenging maneuvers, ultimately reducing the likelihood of accidents and the associated service interruptions.”

The suite includes several key components:

• Tram Forward Assist: This system warns drivers of potential head-on collisions and can detect signs and signals. Enhanced versions offer extended detection ranges.
• Tram Near Range Assist: This feature monitors the area around the tram, issuing warnings if there are pedestrians or obstacles in close proximity, and preventing doors from opening on the wrong side. It also assists with distance measurements when coupling tram sections in depots.
• Tram Flank Assist: This system helps prevent collisions caused by vehicles cutting into the tram’s path, particularly in mixed traffic situations where cross traffic, lane changes, and left turns are common.
• Tram Focus Assist: By monitoring the driver’s gaze, facial expressions, and posture, this system can detect signs of tiredness or distraction, warning the driver as needed.

The tram assist suite is built on Bosch’s state-of-the-art sensor technology, which includes a combination of camera, radar, LiDAR, and ultrasound sensors to provide comprehensive monitoring of the tram’s surroundings and driver behavior. The system is supported by high-performance control units and can receive over-the-air (OTA) updates, ensuring that it remains up to date and can integrate predictive maintenance concepts.

One of the standout features of this system is its versatility as an OEM-independent solution. The tram assist suite can be installed as original equipment in new trams or retrofitted into existing fleets, regardless of their age. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for operators of mixed fleets, as it simplifies training and maintenance by standardizing the technology across different vehicles.

Bosch Engineering has also engineered the system to meet all international standards for trams and urban trains, ensuring robustness and reliability in the demanding conditions of rail operations.

Looking ahead, Bosch Engineering is already exploring future concepts for automated urban rail transportation. This includes automation in depot operations, where trams could be automatically maneuvered into position without driver intervention.

Basic information

Mobility is the largest Bosch Group business sector. In 2023, its sales came to 56.2 billion euros, or just under 60 percent of total Group sales. This makes the Bosch Group one of the leading mobility suppliers. Bosch Mobility pursues a vision of mobility that is safe, sustainable, and exciting. For its customers, the outcome is integrated mobility solutions. The business sector’s main areas of activity are electrification, software and services, semiconductors and sensors, vehicle computers, advanced driver assistance systems, systems for vehicle dynamics control, repair-shop concepts, as well as technology and services for the automotive aftermarket. Bosch is synonymous with important automotive innovations, such as electronic engine management, the ESP anti-skid system, and common-rail diesel technology.

About Bosch Engineering GmbH

Bosch Engineering GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH and is head-quartered in Abstatt, Germany. As a systems development partner to the automotive industry since 1999, the company with its more than 3,300 associates offers development services for powertrains, safety and convenience systems, and electrical and electronic systems – from the original concept to series production. Specialized in electronics and software, it draws on Bosch’s proven large-scale series production technology to develop tailored solutions for a wide variety of applications in passenger cars, commercial vehicles, off-highway and recreational vehicles, and in rail applications, ships, and industry. Bosch Engineering GmbH also coordinates all the Bosch Group’s motorsports activities.

Additional information can be accessed at www.bosch-engineering.com.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 429,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2023). The company generated sales of 91.6 billion euros in 2023. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. With its business activities, the company aims to use technology to help shape universal trends such as automation, electrification, digitalization, connectivity, and an orientation to sustainability. In this context, Bosch’s broad diversification across regions and industries strengthens its innovativeness and robustness. Bosch uses its proven expertise in sensor technology, software, and services to offer customers cross-domain solutions from a single source. It also applies its expertise in connectivity and artificial intelligence in order to develop and manufacture user-friendly, sustainable products. With technology that is “Invented for life,” Bosch wants to help improve quality of life and conserve natural resources. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 470 subsidiary and regional companies in over 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. Bosch’s innovative strength is key to the company’s further development. At 136 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 90,000 associates in research and development, of which nearly 48,000 are software engineers.

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com.

Media Contact:

Cornelia Dürr
phone: +49 7062 911-1986
Email: cornelia.duerr@de.bosch.com

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