Dr. Tobias Hofbaur
Railway technology
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Dr. Tobias Hofbaur
Railway technology
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With the help of the Magnetic Railway Onboard Sensor (MAROS), we enable precise, continuous, and safe localization up to SIL4 as well as odometry unaffected by slipping and sliding.
ITK Engineering is working on the “AutomatedTrain” research project with partners from industry and science to develop fully automated shunting and stabling of trains. The federal government is funding the project with 42.6 million euros until 2026. The MAROS sensor solution is a key component of the “AutomatedTrain” project in conjunction with technologies for environment recognition.
Whether you were at InnoTrans 2024 or couldn’t make it this year, this podcast episode is just the thing for your journey home or your next commute! We take you into the exciting world of safe and track-accurate localization in rail transport. Our experts Dr. Tobias Hofbaur (Program Manager Rail) and Ferdinand Trommsdorff (Project Manager MAROS) will explain everything about the MAROS project – an innovative sensor that locates trains safely, continuously and accurately on the track – completely without GPS. Discover how this technology increases capacity on the rails and changes train management.
Train localization and detection systems such as balises and axle counters usually work quite well. On the downside, they deliver information only at certain points and are expensive to install. Moreover, these components have to be rolled out across great distances, so maintenance is time-consuming and requires the track to be shut down. This is one of the reasons why we set out to develop an onboard solution for track-selective train localization.
Attached to the vehicle’s undercarriage, this sensor measures the rail’s unique magnetic fingerprint while the vehicle is in motion to reliably determine the train’s speed and exact position.
ITK Engineering teamed up with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) to develop a purely onboard, precise localization solution for rail traffic. We rely on our distinctive method expertise in secure, model-based development and its validation. One of the many challenges was to ensure efficient processing in the sensor from large amounts of data using data analytics methods. Here, an in-house development leads us to success: the ITK Data Lab Framework.
Magnetic Railway Onboard Sensor: Functionalities
An onboard sensor system is attached to the underside of the train and measures the ferromagnetic properties along the rail.
Magnetic Railway Onboard Sensor: Applications
The MAROS fulfills all requirements in terms of precision and availability that are placed on localization systems when used for ETCS L3, ATO and CBTC. We ensure this through a multi-level test system. In addition to testing in the laboratory and on our HiL test benches, test runs have already been carried out with operators from Germany and other european countries. In addition, we carry out commissioned test runs and the permanent recording of data.
With this sensor, we offer the benefits of precision and availability for localization, for example, for ETCS Level 3, Automatic Train Operation (ATO) and Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC). This onboard solution does not require any additional infrastructure, so there is no need to invest in outboard hardware or shut down tracks for maintenance. The Magnetic Railway Onboard Sensor (MAROS) can be used on all metal tracks worldwide and is impervious to weather and GNSS signal limitations. The sensor is currently in the proof-of-concept phase. Initial trial runs have been conducted and more extensive assessment campaigns are in the works.
The collaboration with KIT is going very well. We also achieved all our goals during trial runs. I am confident that the Magnetic Railway Onboard Sensor is an optimal solution for precise and safe localization in the rail sector.
Dr. Tobias Hofbaur, Program Manager Business Unit Rail
