AUtomated Driving In road Tunnels
Run time: 01.23 – 12.26
Abstract: The ongoing advancement of digitalizing traffic infrastructure is an indispensable prerequisite for connected and automated driving. Automated vehicles will become an integral part of a system characterized by seamless interaction between vehicles and infrastructure. This development offers the potential to reduce accidents and significantly improve both traffic safety and road capacity. Tunnels, due to their specific conditions, present a unique challenge that must be addressed from both the vehicle and infrastructure perspectives. Additionally, tunnels themselves have specific safety requirements due to particular risks for users.
Existing projects and systems for automated driving primarily focus on vehicle-based sensor systems such as radar, LiDAR, ultrasound, and cameras. This project aims to further specify the requirements and application possibilities of these systems while placing a strong emphasis on C-ITS technology, which enables continuous bidirectional data exchange between infrastructure and vehicles. This allows all necessary information and instructions to be transmitted to connected automated vehicles in the tunnel during an event, even considering mixed traffic with conventional vehicles.
Accurate positioning and localization of vehicles are crucial for automated driving. However, due to the lack of GNSS signal coverage in tunnels, this cannot be easily achieved. Therefore, various positioning approaches will be identified and analysed for practical application in road tunnels. The use of radio channel systems leads to challenges such as diffuse and specular reflections on surfaces and signal overlap, which will be specifically investigated and solutions developed for tunnel use.
The safety impacts will be assessed using risk analysis methods, considering the level of automation, known as SAE levels, and the mixed traffic of conventional, connected, and automated vehicles. Besides the direct effects on the safety of tunnel users, the impacts on tunnel operations, both in regular and emergency situations, will be analysed from the tunnel operator's perspective.
Feasibility studies will be conducted in real tunnel structures for selected technological solutions identified as particularly promising for supporting automated driving. System and sensor evaluations will inform recommendations for implementing vehicle and infrastructure requirements, also taking into account cost-benefit aspects.
